Honey and Clover, Vol. 5

ハチミツとクローバー [Hachimitsu to Clover] #5

by Chica Umino

Takemoto is nearing graduation, but he doesn't have a job lined up--he doesn't even know what he wants to do with his life. His friends try to be supportive, but they have their own dramas to act out. With his health failing and his heart in turmoil, how will Takemoto find the strength to carry on?

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

200 pages, Paperback

First published August 19, 2003

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

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

You either keep trying, or you give up. It's one or the other. Generally speaking, those are the only two choices people ever have.

It feels unusual to me that so many people in the friendship group from the beginning of the series are still hovering in the orbit of the college after they've graduated, either to keep in touch or to do volunteer work. It seems nice, like it's something I might have done myself if I hadn't settled down quite a ways away. Then again, I didn't come back to my high school even once after my younger sister graduated, and it was maybe five minutes' drive away. And it's closed down now. So that's that. :D

Morita's back from the US. I didn't miss him all that much. Talk about stunted emotional development--he's probably pushing 30 by now, and still attending college?

And then we've got Yamada. Maybe if Mayama had drifted away from the group, she'd have gotten over him by now. As is, the whole love quadrilateral that involves them is not healthy along any axis. I kind of feel like somebody has to sleep with somebody at some point, which would be a mistake regardless of who we're talking about, but that logjam needs to be busted somehow.

There were really three choices. There always are. But it's better to believe there are only two.

[Sarah Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are so many wacky, weird things that happen in this series to make you laugh and yet the emotions and experiences of the characters are so real I can be moved to tears.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know when I first started reading Honey and Clover, I wasn't sure if I'd like it or not. I found the depiction of Haguchan as a really young child disturbing. Now that I've read through volume 5, I find I like these people and I like this story. This one was sad, everyone trying to figure out what they need to do with their life. Now that Morita is back, not sure what's going to happen as he's the series' wild card.

[Miss Ryoko · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute, funny volume, but it also made me really sad for Takemoto :-( He's so emo it hurts, but he's an actual sad emo... I just want to snuggle him and make him happy.

I am still a little perturbed over the Hagu thing, but I want Takemoto and Hagu to be together! They make way more sense than Hagu and Morita... in fact, I can't even picture Hagu being with Morita because he is the complete opposite of her and in this instance, opposites do not attract. His behavior is very off putting to someone like Hagu... but who knows. It is unclear yet if Hagu likes him or not. I hope she doesn't. But it usually seems the two people that would make an awful couple always get together *cough Hermione and Ron cough cough!!*

Seriously...

Poor Takemoto :-( So much love!

[Faye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Takemoto's volume, I think.

It's easy to understand his character. All of us had been there (maybe still there), in that situation where you feel lost, you don't understand things, you get sick. It's all part of growing the hell up.

But in my opinion, Takemoto's love for Hagu, is more like a burden already. His rival is his friend, Morita, whom he can't lose also. I feel sorry for Takemoto, in a way. But looking at Morita, I feel like he also deserves sympathy as he doesn't want to lose Takemoto's friendship as well.

Anyway, MORITA is back and I hope to see how things are going to progress on his part. :]

[RavenT · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volume 5 brings more changes to the group of friends as another year of students graduates from art college, leaving two more remaining. I think the relationships and interactions ring true, and there seems to be some maturing of some of the group. I still really like the art, and I understand why this manga, first published in 2000, won the Kodansha Manga Award (shōjo category) in 2003.

I have two more physical volumes of this manga to read, and then I will have to switch to the ebook because volumes 8 to 10 are currently out of print and cost way too much secondhand. I dislike reading manga in ebook, so I might put this series on hold until 2025 once I finish volume 7.

[brightredglow · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume has some of my favorite scenes and one that I'd forgotten about. There's still a bit too much Mayama but I can overlook him because it has the scene where Takemoto ends up in the hospital and his mother and step-father come to see him. Bless Kazu and his big heartedness and the truth he speaks. One of the best scenes in the entire series for me.

[Karina Catellan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eu não aguento o Morita XD
Yamada percebendo os próprios sentimentos e como agia erroneamente por causa deles T.T

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5

[Nóri Somogyi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Takemoto szorgalmasan dolgozik az „Ifjúság tornyán”,aztán össze is zúzza azt, miközben kiderül,hogy Yamada mennyire is kelendő hölgyemény a férfiak körében.
Szegény Takemoto halálra dolgozza magát,amjd korházba is kerül,nagy rémületet okozva ezzel mindenkinek. Látógatóba érkezik hozzá édesanyja és Kazuo,és végre ő is rájön,hogy mennyire szeretne neki és az anyjának segíteni a férfi,ezért elfogadja,amit Kazuo ajánl. Éppen ideje volt!! Kazuo nagyon kedves ember :)))
A kórházban a nagy TV nézés közben megint csak oylan részhez értünk,ahol potyogtak a könyneim a nevetéstől:DDD Ugyanis megjelenik ott valaki,akivel már nagyon régen találkoztunk…Az Űr Titanic a ynertes film,és alkotója nem más mint…..Moritaaaa:DDDD
És azok a fejek,amiket ennél a résznél rajzoltak…..x'DDD ezt megkell osztanom : http://nas.unixmanga.com/onlinereadin...
És továbbra is könynes szemmel nevetek,mert a kórházban elhúzódik a függöny és ott fekszik…MoritaaaxD és szintén azok a fejeeekxD Aztán jön anagydarab néni nővér és letarolja szegény Mayamát:DDD
Tange bácsi megkapja ajándékba a színarany Moscar díj szobrot,amit morita kissé átalakított:DDD és Morita levizsgázott!!!Befejezte az iskolát. 8 év alatt:)))
Már csak Takemoto és Hagumi járnak az egyetemre, de Morita os becsapódik hozzájuk még egy évre a tanárok legnagyobb örömére „8 év után még tanulni akar????” xD
Yamada közben annyira szenved Mayama miatt,hogy Nomiya karjaiba veti magát,Mayama hiába rohan utánuk. Nomiya pedig hagyja,annak ellenére,hogy tudja,csak kihasználják őt.

[Josephine (biblioseph) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honey and Clover 10 Volume Series by Chica Umino

The series was very bittersweet, and perhaps if you don't want a lingering unfinished romance set during college years, among artists, it's probably not for you. But I really enjoyed the soul-searching of a young architect who finds solace in temple restoration, and a petite sculptor who wants nothing more than to paint gigantic landscapes and flowers instead. There are others, and they all have their own journeys. It's slice-of-life, and there are some meandering romances, but I don't think any of them is ever really resolved. There's also a fairly bizarre parody of Peter Jackson/George Lucas that transported the series into Sci-Fi territory just to give a breath of air... I think.

Pages: 1,970 (Roughly 200 pages per volume)
Year: March 4, 2008 to June 1, 2010 (original run: June 2000 – July 28, 2006)
Publisher: Viz Media (original publisher in Japan: Shueisha)

Read: 31 December 2016 to 1 January 2017
Stars: 4.5 (adored it)

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The bit with Morita's Mocademy Award is a bit too long, but the rest of the volume is stellar: Takemoto's thoughts as he builds that tower, Yamada and her suitors, Nomiya's face just before he pulls Yamada off with him and away from Mayama.

I wavered between 4 and 5 stars here, but in the end, I love this series so much that I'm not entirely rational about it. And that sort of feeling toward a work usually calls for that fifth star.

[kuristina- tabreez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Takemoto is nearing graduation and yet he still has no idea what he wants to do, he continues to fail job interviews mainly out of too much honesty, his health is failing, his friends try to help him but they're all dealing with their own problems as well. And on top of all this, Mayama is back from America. What exactly was Takemoto expecting to feel once Mayama had returned?

[Kricket · Rating 3 out of 5]

in which we finally find out what morita was up to in los angeles!! mayama quits the firm to go back to work for his lady love, but bristles when his old co-worker hits on ayu. hagu & takemoto remain at a stalemate.

[Sully (sully.reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Highlights
Characters: Emotionally rich, complex and believable.
Romance: Beautifully painted with a brush of authenticity.
Animation: Soft and visually pleasing.
Ending: Unsatisfactory but complete nonetheless.

http://www.nihonreview.com/anime/hone...

[Pinky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ayu tells her groupies she doesn't have feelings for them. Yuta winds up in the hospital after pushing himself too hard to complete his school project. Morita returns from America after winning a moscar. Morita turns his graduation project in on time.

[Audrey]

Super story and character development.
The art is lovely as well.
a group of college students become friends and the story follows their individual progression as artists, friends, and at times, lovers.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah there we go. Funny, more of crazy Morita, and that silly twister game.

[Avery Engstrom · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I have learned anything from this series, it's that art students are really very nutty O.o

[nidah05 (SleepDreamWrite) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good volume.

[Bee (BacchusVines) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Takemoto ;A;