Thanks to barnesandnoble.com for the image.

Honey and Clover, a shoujo manga (girls’ comics) by Chica Umino, focuses on a small circle of friends at an art college in Tokyo.  Takamoto, ostensibly the lead, is a sophomore who experiences love at first sight when he meets the eccentric waif, Hagumi Hanamoto.  A freshman girl, Hagumi is practically a girl genius whose life-like sculptures are already in demand.

However, Takamoto finds himself in a love triangle, because his oddball roommate, Shinobu Morita, is also smitten by Hagumi, except that Morita’s obsession with her frightens Hagumi.  Meanwhile, life goes on as Takamoto tries to develop as an artist and to enjoy his time in art school.

THE LOWDOWN:  Honestly, Honey and Clover, Vol. 1 is slow going, but it also grows on you, slowly but steadily.  Once you get the feel of this character driven relationship drama, you’ll find yourself drawn in by the lovable characters.  I found myself eagerly anticipating each new chapter, and each chapter works in one of two ways.

It’s either a “mythology” chapter, which acts to define the characters and build on Honey and Clover’s overall story arc, or it will be episodic, more a less a stand-alone, romantic or comedic situation that plays on the characters’ personalities.  Either way, this Honey will catch readers like flies, especially patient readers.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Although this is a “Shojo Beat” imprint title, Honey and Clover is also as much graphic novel as contemporary fiction as it is manga.

B+