Thanks to barnesandnoble.com for the cover image.

Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”

Honey and Clover, a shoujo manga (girls’ comics) by Chica Umino, is a college drama about a small circle of friends at an art college in Tokyo.  The narrative’s focus is on three of the students – a trio of young men who live at the same apartment complex.  Yūta Takamoto, ostensibly the lead, is a sophomore who experiences love at first sight when he meets the eccentric waif, Hagumi Hanamoto, a relative of the students’ beloved Professor Shūji Hanamoto.  The other two young men are photographer Shinobu Morita, who loves to tease Hagumi, and senior Takumi Mayama, who is the object of desire for Ayumi Yamada, a queen of pottery.

In Honey and Clover, Vol. 3, the friends take a trip to the countryside, and Hagumi comes out of her shell to help a group of small shop owners have a Merry Christmas.  Meanwhile, Hagumi begins to move towards Morita, much to Takamoto’s chagrin.

THE LOWDOWN:  An air of melancholy hangs over manga-ka (creator) Chica Umino’s poignant ensemble college drama.  Both readers and characters know that this time the characters spend in college is fleeting; a four or five year span is long period of time that actually isn’t that long.  These happy, crazy, and, yes, sometimes frustrating years – a transition between carefree youth and the adult world – is a time to begin establishing one’s professional identity and to start to properly gain knowledge of one’s career.

But love is in the air because romance is, of course, a part of this time.  Takamoto and Hagumi’s struggles are the glue that binds this “Friends”-like dramedy into something introspective and weighty.  That makes this melancholy of Honey and Clover pleasant.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Fans of ensemble dramas that mix comedy, drama, and romance will enjoy this “Shojo Beat” title.

B+