Hachimitsu to Clover (Honey and Clover) Ep 01

Finally got started on this series which I have been reading rave reviewes about. The first episode mainly sets the background of the story, introduces the main characters and shows the first relationship's formation but I find it pretty enjoyable to watch since there's quite a bit of humour. One familiar voice actor I find is Ueda Yuji who plays Akutagawa Jiro in Tenipuri and he's playing another character who sleeps like a log and cannot be woken up easily. Maybe his voice gives people the impression that he's always sleepy but his role, Morita Shinobu doesn't seem to be a simple man. I feel that there is a mysterious streak behind Morita who has been in the university for 6 years and got retained just because he missed certain classes.

In the first episode, we see 5 students studying in an arts university namely Takemoto Yuta (2nd year, 19 years old), Mayama Takumi (4th year, 21 years old), Morita Shinobu (6th year, 24 years old), Yamada Ayumi (4th year, 21 years old) and Hanamoto Hagumi (1st year, 18 years old). Takemoto, Mayama and Morita stay in the same apartment block and Takemoto is always being fooled around by Morita who has a habit of disappearing for days to take up mysterious part-time jobs and end up dog-tired when he returns. Yamada is a very pretty girl who is always praised by teachers for her good results and talent but she gets distracted easily at the mention or sight of Mayama. Hagumi is a freshman at the university who is short and looks like a doll. It's obvious that Takemoto has fallen for her at first sight while Morita keeps making fun of Hagumi's height. The way I see it, Takemoto likes Hagumi but she might find that Morita is more appealing. On the other hand, Yamada seems quite interested in Mayama but according to the official website, Mayama is in love with a widow.

The pace of this anime is quite fast and not too draggy. I do hope that it can sustain its pace and feel throughout instead of being a long love story where people change partners very easily. Anyway, just based on first impressions, I like Mayama the most right now. As for Morita, he may appear frivolous but I have a hunch that he's not as simple as he seems. For Takemoto, I'm hoping that he won't be someone who can't make up his mind especially when it comes to the issue of whether to woo Hagumi later. Hagumi seems too much like a doll and I don't really like such girls most of the time when they appear in animes. Yamada seems an interesting person who is usually cool and collected but I think she'll be showing her flustered side when it comes to Mayama.

The OP and ED are rather catchy but I'll have to listen to them a few more times before I can say whether I like them. A lot of the times, I skip the OP and ED for animes if I've watched them a couple of times but there are always exceptions like some songs in Tenipuri, Fullmetal Alchemist and Slam Dunk. I have a slight issue with Yuki's voice being too high-pitched at times but the OP's visuals seem interesting so I'll have to decide whether I can stand the song and watch the visuals. As for the ED, this looks more promising to stay as one of the OP/ED which I'll watch every episode.