Honey and Clover 1

ハチミツとクローバー [Hachimitsu to Clover] #1

by Chica Umino

Takemoto, a sophomore art student in Tokyo, thinks his greatest worries in life are finding ways to eat more meat and getting to class on time. But with friends like his, life is never going to be that uninteresting.

Genres: Manga, Romance, Graphic Novels, Comics, Josei, Slice Of Life, Contemporary

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 29, 2001

About the author

Chica Umino (Jap: 羽海野チカ) is a Japanese mangaka.
Her real name is not disclosed, "Umino Chica" is a pen name.

She began work as a product designer and illustrator.
Umino has a unique drawing style, listing Studio Ghibli amongst her influences, and her characters are remarkably well-developed.

Her most famous series to date is Hachimitsu to Clover (English name: Honey and Clover), a 'slice of life' manga series which debuted in 2000 in Shueisha's manga magazine, CUTiEcomic. The series won the Kodansha Manga Award in 2003 and was nominated for the Tezuka Culture Prize and an award from the Japan Media Arts Festival. It was also adapted into an animated television series in 2005, a live-action movie in 2006 and two individual live-action TV series in 2008.

Her ongoing recent series is Sangatsu no Lion (English name: March comes in like a lion), which began serialization in 2007. The series won several important prizes including: the Manga Taisho prize and Kodansha Manga Prize (general audience) in 2011, the Tezuka Osamushi Cultural Prize in 2014, and the Bunkacho Media Geijutsusai Manga bumon in 2021.

Umino has also provided the illustration for the 2009 anime series Eden of the East by Kenji Kamiyama, as well as 'Tobira o Akete' and the Glass Heart series, including 'Boukensha-tachi', 'Netsu no Shiro' and 'Love Way'.

Reviews

[Garden of Eden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read all Hachimitsu to Clover volumes. I just want to minimize it otherwise there's a lot on my 'read' folder.

All in all I could conclude that, this manga is about chasing your dreams, finding your inner self, & love.

Hagu is an extremely talented girl though she's petite. Her talents makes us wonder how she saw world from her point of views. This affect all those surround her.

Morita is a hard working boy and will do whatever he can to get money. He fell in love with Hagu when he first set his eyes on her. But showed it in weird ways. Also very talented that both Hagu & Morita rivals each other.

Takemoto fell in love immediately after being introduced to Hagu. He kept it for himself instead upon realizing Morita love for Hagu. He later having a short journey finding about himself.

Mayama is falling for a woman much older than him. & so he doesn't return his feelings for Yamada. However he still take good care of her.

Yamada has a good look. She catches a lot of guys attention but she only has her eyes on a certain guy. Even though Yamada recognizes her love will bear no fruit, she continues on loving him. Aww such an innocent & pure love. She seems very close to Hagu like a sister.

[Miss Ryoko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm...

I'm not sure where to start with this review. The book wasn't awful, but there are a few things that bothers me/I'm a bit lost about. The main thing that bother me is Hagu-chan... she's supposed to be 18 but she looks and acts like an 8 year old... and I'm slightly a bit like "yee" at the fact that the boys have a thing for her.... come on Japan... I know you love doing things like incest and pedophilia...but, sometimes it's a bit too much.

I'm also slightly confused as to the point of this story/series. I know most times manga seem to just be random stories with a group of characters, but usually there is an underlying plot... but I'm not sure what the underlying plot is for this series. I know it's only the first volume, but I feel like the plot is obvious by the end of the first volume.

However, I like the guys for the most part and they have a fun chemistry. There are lots of silly, fun moments and the manga-ka seems to have a good sense of humor. I think I'll end up enjoying this series, but I am still a little disturbed by Hagu-chan.

[Faye · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't really want to read this but for my goodreads challenge, I need a short manga, so I gave it a try.

I've seen episodes of this before and all that registered was that Hagu is a cute creative girl who lives with her uncle, the professor of the guys in the story.

Well then, the first volume was quite entertaining, and I liked it, to be honest. It's so close to reality. I could maybe compare some of my friends to the characters, and I often found myself saying, this seems familiar, some person had told me this story before.

It's also a funny manga, yet the focus, I think, is still the serious side of the story - everyone's whereabouts, dealing with the hard parts of life - including (okay) romance.

My favorite is Shinobu Morita. Really. Why? I haven't met a person like Morita. Haha.

[Mir]

This was so uninteresting to me that although according to my library receipt I had it out only a month ago, I had to look it up to recall what it was. Some odd, mildly pervy story about moderately slack college kids -- yes, that girl on the cover is supposed to be eighteen!
Pretty sure I dnf'ed this.

[☾❀Apple✩ Blossom⋆｡˚ · Rating 3 out of 5]

[Jaimi Rachelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely love it. Just hilarious. This has to be my favorite manga just for Morita alone....

[二六 侯 · Rating 2 out of 5]

作為美術系系友我想問：跟充斥著音樂系生活細節的《交響情人夢》比，這部的「美術相關」內涵在哪裡？

或許我不該抱持著「這是跟美術系學生相關的作品」的心態閱讀，而應把這部作品當作很普通的大學生純愛漫畫，雖不會充斥性別刻板印象，但也就是清清淡淡、搔不到癢處而已。

（寫於2007年5月11日）

全文：https://hou26.org/zeta/hachikuro.htm

[Violet ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This manga made me feel how great it is to wish for someone else's wishes, especially if that someone occupies your heart. 💘



*The following statements contain spoilers.*

I enjoyed the two seasons of its anime adaptation, so I gave the first volume of the manga a try. This volume is light and funny, but it kind of builds the emotional roller coaster slowly. The lives of these young adults during their college days are the highlight of this josei manga; their ups and downs, dreams, friendships, and romances are told in the typical slice-of-life way with a combination of humor and drama. 🥺

I met the characters, but only two stand out for me now, I guess. It's Hagu and Morita. Hagu is so cute, but I found her very childlike. She's so talented and does receive special treatment that causes her isolation and anxiety, which she does not deserve. Then here's Morita, the happy-go-lucky and talented guy who fell in love with her. Some of his actions are a bit off for me, though. Why does he do that?! 😭



I'm glad I read this volume. It gave me more depth about the characters' experiences and intentions. And Chica Umino's art is gorgeous, especially the way she depicts college life. ✨

[bakanekonomama · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aaakkk... Jadi inget nonton animenya pas awal-awal masuk kuliah. Aduh, itu lucu buanget animenya.. xDD Jadi pengen nonton ulang.

Manganya lucu.. >v< Suka banget sama karakter-karakternya, terutama banget si Morita senpai. xDD Orang aneh yang suka tiba-tiba menghilang dari kosan, terus pulang-pulang bawa timbunan kroket!!

Oh iya lupa. Latar manga ini ada di semacam IKJ gitu, jadi orangnya ajaib-ajaib semua. Kisahnya tentang mahasiswa yang ada di sana, yaitu Takemoto, Mayama, sama Morita yang tinggal di kosan yang sama yang isinya cowok semua. Dan itu sumpah kosannya kacrut abis. Apalagi ketika akhir bulan, uang udah abis, dan mereka teriak-teriak: "NIKU!! NIKU!!" alias.. "DAGING...!! DAGIINGG!!" Kuonyooll.. xDD Paling konyol pas senpai mereka yang anaknya tukang daging balik ke kosan dan bawa daging2 yang udah hampir kadaluarsa buat dimakan bareng. I-tu-ko-cak-a-bis.. xDDD

Ah.. Pokoke di antara semuanya, Morita senpai deh karakter yang paling okeh. Selain tiba2 suka menghilang beberapa minggu terus pulang2 bawa timbunan kroket, dia itu juga udah taun terakhir di kampusnya! Yang berarti kalo ga lulus dia bakalan DO! Bukannya ga pinter sih.. Dia jenius malahan. Cuman ya itu, terlalu "maipeesu" kalo bahasa jepangnya.

Hagu-chan juga imut banget.. Ahh... suka sama karakter-karakternya deh pokoknya.. >v< Ga sabar baca lanjutannya. *siap2 donlot* Oh, dan mau nonton ulang animenya lagi..

[Aulya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author's brain is full of wonders and interesting characters.
Both the anime and the manga have a good story.

There are around - about 5 students - which are told here. Every one of them has a problem that must be faced. The principle of a dream being pursued is highlighted here. You get valuable lessons, something new, share feelings with many people.

For romance, I think it will disappoint some people, but, the conclusions of the story are just right. I see great sacrifice, which does not have to be described as stupid, naive, and excessive drama.

What is the most important? What do you need? All the characters here grow with time.

[Emi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Las escenas de los chicos compartiendo piso y en la universidad me parecen muy bien llevadas y realistas, pero, ¿por qué me lo venden como triángulo amoroso cuando trata de otra cosa? Me explico: la chica tiene 19 años, pero como es bajita parece una niña de primaria, hasta aquí bien, pero es que se comporta y la tratan como si tuviera 6 años o menos. A medio tomo ha dicho algo y de repente me ha salido un "Ah! pero si habla!"

Las tramas secundarias me resultan más interesantes, más que nada porque el triángulo amoroso es inexistente.

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I simply love, love, love Honey and Clover. It never fails to make me laugh out loud and I love and care about all of these characters. Nothing is easy for any of them as they all seem to want and love impossible things, but they still remain true friends and good people throughout, and sometimes in the most amusing and touching ways.

[Kayla Loewen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honey and Clover has established itself as my favorite manga. The characters are awesome, and Chica Umino has such a great sense of humor; I laughed through the whole thing! Love the art, love the story, love everything!!!

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Morita...

[Mona :] · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why are 2 college graduates falling in love with a prepubescent looking girl? I just couldn’t wrap my head around that. The story points out that she’s 18 but why would the author have her looking like and behaving like a 8 year old..disturbing. I definitely will not be continuing this manga series 🫤

[Chloe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I preferred the anime which I watched all of!

[Isabella · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beautiful art but the plot...... Ugh. Not for me.

[Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

The two love triangles make my own heart flutter.

[Sarah Sloom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty cute. I think this first volume is still trying to settle into its genre; it doesn't seem to be sure if it wants to be a comedy or a romantic drama. Perhaps it's worth continuing to see if anything changes? I also wish there were more scenes with Hagu-chan. I'm really curious about her, but I'm sure her development will show more as the series progresses.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Notes below cover books 1-4, spoiler-free (no need to spam my booklist with each individual volume)

This seems like a bit of a marmite series: people seem to either love it, or hate it. Personally, I love it.

The series follows the lives of a group of art students: their friendships, their loves, problems with projects, trying to get jobs, wondering what they want to do with their lives, and quite a lot of wistful nostalgic moments (i.e. wondering, 'will this be the last time that we're all together having fun like this?' )

If that description made the series sound rather boring and dry, then you'll be happy to know that all of the soul searching is balanced out with some of the best comedic moments I have read in manga. The comedy is definitely lead by one character, Morita, who is an extremely talented student, but is always skipping out on University to work short-term jobs that pay him huge wads of cash - he's definitely a larger-than-life character and more than a bit of a mystery.

As well as Morita, the author often magnifies the quirks in her other characters' personalities to great comedic effect ^_^

If the series appeals to you, I would recommend just picking up volume one and trying it out before jumping into buying more volumes, but hopefully you'll love it too ^_^

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some charming and some poignant scenes, especially when the hero, named Takamoto, explains why he doesn't like Christmas. His mother was a nurse, and he spent Christmas in the pediatrics ward, where his mother's attention was given to the sick children there, not to him.
Takes place in art school, starving student life. In their late teens and early twenties. Takamoto falls in love immediately with Hagu, a new, elfin student who is an art prodigy. Her genius makes her lonely and pressured, and she is a mysterious character. Annoyingly and confusingly, she is drawn as a child, looking more like an eight year old than an eighteen year old. This is supposed to add to her mystery, but I just find it creepy and implausible. Takamoto's roommate, Morita, disappears every so often and comes back with a wad of cash and a pile of croquettes for his housemates. Takamoto is a sympathetic character, and the possibility of a relationship between a student and a teacher is intriguing, but this is a little too bizarre and incoherent to really keep teens' attention.
not recommended for the GGNT list.

[Aurora · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great romance shojo manga. It follows the art college school life of sophomore Yuta as he struggles to plan his future. In school, he meets senior Takumi and 6th year senior Shinobu. Later, the boys meet their teacher's cousin's daughter Hagumi. Yuta instantly falls in love with her, but it rather shy and finds expressing his feelings difficult. Shinobu also starts to like Hagumi, but directs his attention to her by having her model for him. He also buys her really expensive shoes. Takumi has a respectful relationship with his female boss Rika, but soon learns that he's starting to like her when another art student, Ayumi, tells him to confess his feelings. Sadly, when Ayumi says this, she's had feelings for Takumi too! This manga is good at showcasing the romance through unexpected humor through the everyday lives of these college art students in this first volume of the series.

[Starbubbles · Rating 1 out of 5]

i give up trying to read this one. i can only force myself so many times to try to read more than a chapter or two. i mean, i've tried to read this more times than i've tried to read little women, and i know that one is a good one. i'm sure this book, and series are fine, but how can i rate higher when i'm so disinterested that i can't make it through to the end? the artwork is sketchy, there's this odd focus on meat, and somehow just because you are small it makes you a fairy. i mean, it even takes place in a college setting (unlike the vast majority of shojo). still with this odd combination, i can't bring myself to reading this. it might change later in the month since i have the library book in my possession for a couple more weeks, but no one should hold their breath for that to change.

[Yue · Rating 2 out of 5]

If I could rate the guys only, it would have been a 3 stars probably. They are funny, the art helps with their funny expressions and I love how they interact with each other. Many situations are ridiculous, which made me laugh several times. It was like this in the first chapters; then it turns more dramatic.

But alas, there is that girl, Hagu-chan. She is a college girl just like them, but she looks, behaves and dresses like a little girl of 6. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for 2 of the 3 friends falling in love with her. How can 2 college boys fall for a girl who looks like a child is beyond me (and worst of all, this little girl does not speak at all by the time they are in love with her). Since I don't like lolicon/shotacon (they are disturbing and should be banned), I won't continue with this series.

Took me ages to finish it. Almost quit.

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost passed this one up because I wasn't crazy about the art style, but I got used to it. A bunch of kids in art school. The guys are hilarious, with their endless quest to get more meat in their diet. I don't really understand Hagu yet. She doesn't say much, everyone thinks she's cute and an artistic genius, and apparently she looks like a Koropokkur (a fairy-like creature) to Morita, causing him to start snapping pics of her and acting quite wacky. Two other girls do come into the picture, Yamada and Rika, so perhaps there is more romance on the horizon. But watching the guys go back and forth is entertaining enough already.

Notes on content: Some mild language (d*** 2 or 3 times), one joke about undies, no nudity (thankfully!), some smoking depicted - I'd call it PG

[Nikki · Rating 1 out of 5]

It looked like a sweet manga from the cover. It had a cute picture of a little girl. Even though the back of the book said it was "Older teen", I grabbed it anyway thinking that it couldn't be that bad... Well, that little girl on the cover is the main love of the two boys inside. The little girl is drawn to look like she's 8 but they claim she's 18. I was totally shocked. I'd heard of the pedophilia/lolita craze going on in Japan but I didn't think they'd bring anything like that to America. I've read the first volume and can tell you so far it's sexually clean. But just watching two college students chase after after a girl that only comes up to their waists just was too much. Away this book goes!

[Narumi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read “Honey and Clover vol.1”. This story describes the daily life of art university students. The characters are cliched and relatable because they act like a real person and their feelings are also like a real person. I think they have good trait each other. Particularly, protagonist, Hagumi Hanamoto is shy but she is very kind and cute. Secondary characters and Sub characters also have good trait. Some of them are flawed, some of them are smart.....
If you read it, you can experience many feelings(falling love, friendship with friends, concern about future)and so on. I’m also university student so I could understand their feelings. I enjoyed reading it. However, it has not big plot. I think it needs more interesting climax. Therefore, my rate is 3 stars.

[Arsnoctis · Rating 3 out of 5]

La vita di un gruppo di coinquilini senza filtri nè mille presentazioni. Ha tutti i presupposti per piacere a chi vada di leggere storie di vita vissuta da dei personaggi credibili. I dialoghi sono fitti e i baloon non sono dei piú leggeri, non trovavo personaggi cosí loquaci da Nana e pochi altri. L'unico elemento che ho trovato disturbante è il fatto che una delle protagoniste (fin dalla copertina) sia disegnata come una ragazza di almeno 10 anni in meno. Misteri.

Il segno della Umino è sottile senza sovraffollamenti di linee, potrebbe incontrare il gusto dei lettori della Yazawa e della Ogawa.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This manga is about art students in college in Japan. It's mainly the story of the guys (at least for now) and their life in their tiny apartment with starvation wages.

This wasn't bad. At first I wasn't sure if I could get into this but I started getting more interested in the characters as the story progressed. It was weird seeing Haguchan portrayed as a little girl. She's 18, she's in college, but she is very, very small and seems immature. Some of the boys are crazy about her.

I may read more of this series.

[Bianca Woods · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always forget how uneven this volume is compared to the rest of the series. The beginning starts of kind of randomly and without a lot of weight to the story. It's not until half way through that you start to see the shape of beautiful but bittersweet story the rest of the volumes are going to tell (and, let's be honest, it doesn't really start firing on all cylinders until Volume Two). So, basically, don't judge this fantastic series based on this volume alone.