Honey and Clover
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H
His and Her Circumstances
Alternate Titles: Kareshi to Kanojo no Jijou
Original Japanese Release Date: October 2nd, 1998
Episode Length/Run-time: 26 Episodes
Summary:
This is the story of Miyazawa and Arima, two model students with a secret; they aren’t really the people they pretend to be. At school they are perfect, but outside of the classroom they are just normal, fun loving, silly people. After discovering each other’s secret, the two fall in love begin dating. Of course, they’ll have to defend their relationship against many people including their parents and teachers.
Review:
His and Her Circumstances is one of those rare lovestories that actually delivers a believable set of characters and circumstances. Much like Kimi ni Todoke, it is one of those shows where two characters know that they love each other and the show takes off from there. Kare Kano starts out with two characters with strong personalities actually disliking each other. They both put on this facade for their public school life that isn’t anywhere near their real selves. After divulging their true personalities to each other in a VERY interesting way, the two fall in love. It’s rare for anime, but soon after, the two are kissing and fighting for their relationship against those that do not approve of it. This kind of thing is seen rarely in anime as its even rare for the characters to develop a relationship at all.
Still, Kare Kano is an interesting show in that it gives such incite into the personalities of the two main characters. They do this through monologue and through a great deal of on screen text. The latter of the two certainly offer both pros and cons. It can be very inciteful to see into the minds of the characters but unfortunately, especially subtitled, it can be difficult to read all the on screen text and the subtitles at the same time.
While the first half of the series is filled with wonderful romance, comedy and drama, the second half of rife with filler episodes, recap episodes, and in an, oh so typical Gainax way, an ending mostly unfinished. Think Evangelion; crayon and pencil. Still, I don’t want to emphasize the last 13 episodes of the series because the show’s first 13 episodes are some of the best in all of anime. Still, it cannot be completely overlooked. As a warning, be prepared to be enthralled and ultimately disappointed by Kare Kano.
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Hanamaru Kindergarten
Alternate Titles: Hanamaru Yōchien
Original Japanese Release Date: 2010
Episode Length/Run-time: 12 Episodes
Summary:
Anzu, Koume, and Hiiragi are three kindergardeners with different personalities, however they all share one want: to attract attention from their teacher Tsuchida. It’s Tsuchida’s first year teaching and aside from keeping his head above water he’s only interested in the lovely Yamamoto who is the teacher in the classroom next door.
Review:
(Reviewed by Gia from the Anime Vice Podcast)
Studio Gainaz produced this anime and the director is equally wide ranged having worked on the original FMA and Gundam 00.
The main character Tsuchida is lovable and entertaining, having chosen to become a kindergarten teacher to pick up the chicks. There’s a good deal for example, because Anzu the main character of the students decides she will marry Tsuchida. But it’s important to note that this is cute, and not pedo. This anime is innocent and lovable, not designed for peverseness or fanart.
Each episode has a different end sequence which is cool and interesting and it just shows the level of detail what is put into this series. Its a great sweet slice-of-life series and does have a lot of entertainment factor.
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Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni (with Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni Kai)
Alternate Titles: When they Cry,
Original Japanese Release Date: 2006 (Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni), 2007 (Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni Kai)
Episode Length/Run-time: 26 episodes (Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni), 24 episodes (Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni Kai)
Summary:
Maebara Keiichi moves out to a small backwoods town in the summer of 1983. He befriends his cute new classmates and settles into his life as a student, playing board games after class, and generally being a carefree kid. But he quickly discovers not all is right with this town and the people he’s met may not be who they seem to be. A series of deaths begins to sweep across the city but after a short period of time events seem to “reset” and continue again. The circumstances surrounding this town, and the deaths, remain in mystery.
Review:
This review is covering both the first (Higurashi no naku koro ni) and second (Higurashi no naku koro ni kai) seasons at once. The reason for this is while the first CAN stand alone it makes little to no sense by itself. The first season is setting up the characters, premise, and introducing the questions of what is going on and why things are happening. The second season is the “answers” to the first season. Where you see why the town is caught in this confusing loop and being continually restarted after the unfortunate events which occur. In other words, the second season is the story and the first season is the “set up.”
From here on, there may be some loose spoilers, as the review will be near impossible to go forward with without them. I recommend you stop here though if you have not seen this series stop here and just take my word for it, watch it.
… Still here? Okay, review time. So the simple explanation for what is happening in the village is that all the villagers are infected with a parasite that makes them go crazy should they leave the village, OR should the host parasite (which is within Rika Furude) be killed. The way the series begins to show this in the first season is through the subtle thing that every time she is killed, or someone leaves the village that’s when the crazy happens. This then justifies the random scenes when they’re all playing boardgames because it provides contrast. I love things like this, things you don’t notice unless you’re really keeping track. Rika has the power to move time though a local deity (and I won’t spoil more than that) so she is attempting to move through time in an effort to find a course of events where the village is saved.
Cool, right?
This series starts out good, and just becomes fantastic. It’s gory, surprising, disturbing and doesn’t hold anything back. It is so nice to finally see a series that is not only shocking and surprising but it doesn’t rest or rely on that plot device, there is more to it than that. If you watch this series you MUST watch both seasons. There’s no point in watching just the first season because you really then don’t even see the full story.
It well deserves a 5 and is one I recommend for anyone mature enough to handle it’s dark subject matter.
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Hand Maid May
Alternate Titles: Hand Maid メイ
Original Japanese Release Date: July 26th, 2000
Episode Length/Run-time: 11 Episodes
Summary:
Saotome Kazuya is a super computer genius. However, one day his life is turned upside down when a cyberdoll is delivered to his doorstep and is to be his maid. She is only 1/6 the size of a normal person and so this creates some problems. Little does Saotome know that these are only the beginnings of his troubles as more cyberdolls soon arrive to join them.
Review:
This anime is bad. How bad is it? Let’s find out. You know those harem anime where somehow a nerdy, wimpy guy has like 8 chicks fawning over him? This is one of those. Think Love Hina. Basically, what happens is that gradually, more and more cyberdolls show up at his house and eventually, there is like ten of them. And of course, Saotome can’t pay for the cyberdolls they sent him because hes a poor student, so the company comes to collect their dolls. They send the most incompetent repo men in existance as what happens is that these characters serve as a great deal of the comic relief in the show.
This is a show that Chiaki worked on when for a gender studies research project. The show displays the gender differences between east and west cultures. May, a female cyberdoll, is essentially an object, a thing, and not a person. Actually, all the cyberdolls are women, and also technically, Saotome’s possessions. Despite these apparent gender differences, the show is bad. The animation is poor, the visuals are dated, the voice acting grating, and the music uninspiring. This show just serves as one of the first harem shows involving the nerdy, weak male lead. It does little else than provide some cheap comedy that often falls flat on its face.
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Higurashi – Live Action
Alternate Titles: None
Original Japanese Release Date: 2009
Episode Length/Run-time: 106 Minutes
Summary:
This live action film follows the beginning of the Higurashi storyline from the anime. The story is set in 1983 in a small town known as Hinamizawa. Keiihi Maebara moves in as the new person in town and quickly learns about the towns history and the mysterous murders that are occurring therein.
Review:
This live action film has some good things going for it but ultimately what causes it to be just a so-so film is that Higurashi is really difficult to adapt to live action. The setting of course was easy to adapt, mostly because the anime was actually set in a real life town and was modeled very closely after it. Of course, not surprising, the live action film takes place in the town as well. The part of the film that doesn’t adapt well are the characters. The characters largely are pretty poor representations of the characters in the anime. Some of the characters don’t even seem to be the same age as they would be in the anime. The psychotic moments were also very underwhelming. The crazy laughter and “uso!” moments were not very tense at all.
In terms of the story, I was both happy and dismayed with the amount of content the live action seeks to cover. It’s nice that the movie only handles the first four episodes of the anime because it covers them thoroughly, however, anybody who has watched Higurashi knows that the first season is practically fluff compared to the second season and even within the first season, four episodes just isn’t enough to really create much of a story at all. What you basically watch with this movie is an incomplete plotline. I can see how it would seem like a very bad film for those who know nothing of the anime.
That being said, I recommend this film to lovers of the Higurashi series. It will be an interesting watch at least. However, if you haven’t seen the anime, be prepared for some confusion and disappointment at the ending.
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High School of the Dead
Alternate Titles: Gakuen Mokushiroku – Highschool of the Dead
Original Japanese Release Date: July 5th, 2010
Episode Length/Run-time: 12 Episodes
Summary:
The zombie apocalypse has broken out in Tokyo and the city has been overrun. After the infection spreads to a local high school, a handful of students escape and together and fight for survival.
Review:
This is the kind of show that is going to exist forever as a classic. As maybe the first zombie anime (believe it or not) to ever come out, it presents a fairly unique concept to the viewer. Unique at least in terms of anime. So how does a zombie anime handle itself? With tons of blood, violence and holy shit, a lot of fan service. I mean this anime could have been the best hentai ever. Killing tons of zombies, then at night, huge naughty parties. You could even have zombie ra– well, never mind that. Needless to say, it’s ecchi, just look at the pic above for more on that.
Once you get past the violence, the show is character driven. The main characters are of very cliche types. There is the nerdy, fat, military junky, then theres not only the captain of the kendo club but also the spear wielding club. Then there is the bimbo nurse type. Very cliche but each and every one of the girls is oh so very hot. Let’s just say any Google search for this anime will not be safe for work.
Of course this anime is filled with black marks. First of all, I know that the fan service is just part of the show but from a critical eye, it really drags down any show and turns off a lot of people. Second, just about every aspect of it is cliche, particularily the characters and there is very little thought put into the actual storyline. Third, the ending is very inconclusive and therefore the show feels incomplete but I have a feeling a sequel is in the works.
All in all, this is a show that people aren’t going to forget and I wouldn’t be surprised if in the future, it becomes responsible for a whole line of zombie anime series. It’s full of blood, violence and perversion, so if you like that kind of thing, this is the perfect anime for you.
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House of Five Leaves
Alternate Titles: さらい屋五葉 (Sarai-ya Goyou)
Original Japanese Release Date: 2010
Episode Length/Run-time: 12
Summary:
As a shy and awkward rounin (master-less Samurai) Masanosuke is often times underestimated as a result of his personality. Unable to find a master he runs into the kind yet strange local playboy Yaichi. He asks Masanosuke to become his bodyguard, inspired by his kindness Masanosuke accepts and it seems to be the easiest job ever… at first. Soon Masanouske realizes he’s been roped into the acts of a group of bandits who call themselves the “Five Leaves.” His ethics are challenged as well as his assumed purpose in life.
Review:
House of Five leaves will either turn you off or interest you the second you turn it on. It’s style is slightly different and awkward in a way that works with the theme.
The anime is character driven and it takes time with each character to express their feelings specifically Masanosuke. Yet it manages to keep you guessing. Like the perfect little dress on a lovely woman it reveals everything you want to see yet still keeps you guessing.
Seemingly simplistic this anime doesn’t translate well to a review because it’s based on feeling the characters and experiencing them. The only problem is that it ends up being slow and doesn’t really go much of anywhere. While there is a clear flow and resolution it isn’t something which is glaring to the viewer hindering the overall enjoyment.
For what it does it’s good, but the anime doesn’t have much to offer. Then again, it’s better than mindless fan service!
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Hajime no Ippo
Alternate Titles: Fighting Spirit
Original Japanese Release Date: October 3rd, 2000
Episode Length/Run-time: 76
Summary:
Makanouchi Ippo, a highschooler, has a problem being bullied in school. One day he is helped by a boxer, Takamura, who introduces him to the boxing world. Ippo turns out to be a natural talent and he falls in love with the sport, and in the process, takes the boxing world by storm.
Review:
Hajime no Ippo is simply a must watch for any sports fan. Based on a long running manga, Hajime no Ippo follows the same plotline. Be forewarned however, that as a manga with many hundreds of chapters, the anime does not cover the whole story. Still, what you do see if amazing and never to be forgotten.
Hajime no Ippo does an excellent job of building up the anticipation before any and all of Ippo’s fights. The preparation work that goes into the different bouts really will teach you a lot about boxing as a sport and in my case, helped me gain an appreciation for it. You see so much buildup before a bout that it is almost unbearable waiting for it to start. That being said, one might think that since there is so much anticipation, the actual fight must be a letdown. Take it from me that this is never the case with Hajime no Ippo. As enjoyable as watching the preparation for the bouts can be, the actual matches are twice as exciting and this cycle of preparation followed by a bout makes the show clip along at an unbelieveable pace. Before you know it, it’ll be over and you’ll be sad. 🙂
The characters in this show are excellent as well. Ippo has an unbelieveable amount of willpower that much like the Rocky films, is just flat out inspirational to watch. Even partially losing consciousness in some bouts, Ippo’s fighting spirit carries him forward. Takamura is also a great personality in the show. As an overbearing force of power in the series, Takamura serves as a father figure for Ippo but is also a role model in the ring. Takamura is also the source for much of the shows comic relief, which is sprinkled tastefully throughout the anime.
The shows negative attributes are probably its art style and music. One might view the character designs to be very suitable for boxing, but it might deter some, as they aren’t the prettiest you can find out there. The music is also not the greatest, but much like the Rocky films, there are a number of pieces in the anime that simply ooze drama and are placed at the perfect places, where they generate the most effect. Theres nothing like a rock ballad as Ippo rises from the mat, half dead, but battling on, by way of sheer will power, to really build a powerful moment. Also, the shows opening themes are good. Other than that though, the show really lacks in the music department.
In summary, if you are a man, period, or if you like sports anime, Hajime no Ippo is the best of the sports genre and therefore, probably for you. If you meet any of the criteria above, you’ll love this anime. Guaranteed.
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