Natsukage 夏陰～なつかげ～ by Sugashikao (Insert song in Ep 7 of Hachimitsu to Clover 2nd season)

Title: 夏陰～なつかげ～ (Natsukage)
Artiste: Sugashikao
Lyrics and Melody: Sugashikao

kotoba ga ima tsumatte shimattara
bokura no natsu wa koko de owatte shimai sou
jouzu ni waraeteru jishin nanka
aru wake nai no ni... demo waratta

fumi tsubushita kakato wo haki naoshitara
tame iki wo gutto nomi konde aruki dasou

yugure wo nukete iku kaze wa
aki no nioi wo fukunderu
zutto kyou to onaji hibi ga
negawa nakutemo tsuzuku to omotteta...

akeppanashi no mado no mukou gawa de
yuganda siren no oto ga shiteiru
dore kurai no sokudo de ima
mirai ni mukatte aruite irun darou?

bokura ga ikite iku riyuu nante
kitto chippoke na kotae shikanaitte
ki ga surun da

ne moshi kanau nara
donna negai wo hitotsu erabu to omou?
zutto omoi megurashite itara
ashimoto made mou yoru ga kiteita

ano hi sutaato no aizu de
hashiri dashite shimatta bokura ni
ima sara mou wazato rashii gooru nanka nakutemo ii
moshi kanau nara donna negai wo hitotsu erabu to omou?
zutto omoi megurashite itara
ashimoto made mou yoru ga kite ita

Ougon no Tsuki 黄金の月 by Sugashikao スガシカオ (Insert song in Ep 19 of Hachikuro Season 1)

Title: Ougon no Tsuki (The golden moon)
Artiste: Sugashikao
Lyrics & Melody: Sugashikao

boku no jounetsu wa ima ya
nagashita hazu no namida yori
tsumetaku natte shimatta
donna hito yori mo umaku
jibun no koto wo itsuwareru
chikara wo motte shimatta

daiji na kotoba wo
nando mo iuou to shite
suikomu iki wa
mune no tochuu de tsukaeta
donna kotoba de kimi ni tsutaereba ii
haki dasu koe wa itsumo tochuu de togireta

shiranai aida ni bokura wa
manatsu no gogo wo toori sugi
yami wo seotte shimatta
sono usu akari no naka de
te saguri dake de
nani mo kamo umaku yarou to shitekita

kimi no negai to boku no uso wo awasete
rokugatsu no yoru eien wo chikau kisu wo shiyou
soshite yozora ni ougon no tsuki wo egakou
boku ni dekiru dake no hikari wo atsumete
hikari wo atsumete...

boku no mirai ni hikari nado nakutemo
dare ka ga boku no koto wo
doko ka de waratte itemo
kimi no ashita ga minikuku yugandemo
bokura ga nidoto junsui wo te ni irerare nakutemo

yozora ni hikaru ougon no tsuki nado nakutemo

Romaji lyrics of Canvas - Hirai Ken (Hachimitsu to Clover drama version)

Title: Canvas
Artist: Hirai Ken
Lyrics and Melody: Hirai Ken

itsu no hi ka mata aou to te wo furu
kimi no egao wo eien ni yakitsuketa
sou dane to kotaeta boku no kao wa
jouzu ni jouzu ni waraete ita kana

daisuki to kaita booru wa mada watasenai mama
boku no mune wo goro goro korogari kusuguttainda

kono mama ja irare nakutemo
kore kara ni nagasaretemo
keshite wakaranai
keshita yogosenai
bokura dake no kyanbasu

gomen ne to itta kimi no kotae wo
mitsumete sagashite aruite iku kara

daisuki to kaita booru no moji wa usureteku kedo
hori nageru tsuyosa mo suteru zurusa mo naku

sugite yuku toki no naka de
kawari yuku sora no shita de
keshite wasurenai keshite tokenai
kizuna ga kitto tsuyosa ni naru
kumo no you ni chigire yasukute
niji no you ni tsukame nakute
keshite modorenai keshite yogosenai
bokura no ao kyanbasu

koi mo yume mo shuudensha mo gochamaze oikaketa
kimi no te wo nigiru to itai to itta
koi mo yume mo namidagoe mo ikiru subete datta
kimi no me wo miteita hontou ga itsumo ienakute

kono mama ja irarenakute mo
kore kara ni nagasarete mo
keshite kawaranai keshite uso janai
bokura ga ima deaeta koto
tori no you ni jiyuu nano ni
kaze no you ni sabishikatta
keshite modorenai keshite yogosenai
namida de nutta kyanbasu
bokura dake no kyanbasu

Hachimitsu to Clover (Drama Version)

It's been more than 6 months since my last update and here I am, posting something on a drama which I've watched a few months back. I probably need lots of time to catch up on what I intended to post.

I wouldn't go into details on the storyline of this drama adaptation but would rather focus on my opinion on this version and how different it feels from the manga, anime and movie versions.

In terms of preference, I would rank the various versions in this order: anime, manga, drama and movie.

The biggest problem I find with the drama would be the over-ambitious intention to squeeze the entire storyline within 1 season. Even the anime needed 2 instalments of 36 episodes to cover the manga's storyline extensively. Why in the world would FujiTV want to do a summary of the storyline when they've already had experience with how the anime was presented? If they were unsure about whether the drama would do well enough to warrant a sequel, I thought that it would be OK to end at the juncture of Takemoto returning from his trip. Due to this reason, the story lost its focus and was a major turnoff especially for fans who know the storyline very well. Personally, I think for most fans, they would want to see a complete adaptation rather than addition and deletions of important scenes here and there.

Besides the summarised storyline, I really hate redundant scenes like those with Romaiya-senpai. Too much of everything is no good. Initially, it was funny to see him around but it became a big issue for me later. Sometimes, I just feel that he should get out of the way.

And why did they make it seem like Mayama and Rika-san have a platonic relationship? The fact that Rika-san is in anguish about making use of Mayama, be it emotionally and sexually should be emphasized. They didn't have to go overboard with the intimate scenes but at least show that fact to people who don't know the storyline.

As for the casting, the drama and movie had major problems in their own ways. Here's my verdict of who fared better:

Sakurai Sho vs. Ikuta Toma (Takemoto Yuuta)
I prefer Ikuta because his image is closer to Takemoto. For people who know Sakurai's background, it's hard to associate him with Takemoto i.e. a smart elite who went to a good school and relatively smooth career in showbiz vs. someone who's unsure of what to do and can hardly make his own decisions without thinking too much. It's hard to separate Sakurai the elite from his screen character at times and this works against him when his acting skills are not strong enough to cover this gap. On the other hand for Ikuta, the good thing is that his cheerful image matches Takemoto's personality and that he is a better actor than his screen counterpart.

Aoi Yu vs. Narumi Riko (Hanamoto Hagumi)
Image-wise, Aoi matches Hagu more although Narumi is younger. The same issue arises here. Narumi is known for her strong personality and slightly cool image so to see her as Hagu feels kinda out of place. Acting-skills wise, she's matchable to Aoi to a certain extent but I guess image plays the deciding factor here.

Iseya Yuusuke vs. Narimiya Hiroki (Morita Shinobu)
Both were disappointments. Morita is a difficult role to play and coupled with the lacklustre scripts, Morita's multi-dimension character wasn't shown to the fullest. Iseya's potrayal went overboard on the artistic trait and gave the feeling that Morita is unkept and rowdy all the time. Narimiya had a similar problem too but at least he looked tidy. I was expecting the most out of the actor who plays Morita since he's my favourite character but I was disappointed twice over.

Seki Megumi vs. Harada Natsuki (Yamada Ayumi)
They were both OK in terms of image but...Ayu's internal struggles with her feelings about Mayama weren't conveyed convincingly. Maybe it's the script but sometimes, a good actor can do wonders with a lousy script. I guess both of them are just not at that level yet. Personally, Harada feels slightly closer to Ayu's image (at least to me) because Seki has always gave me the impression of being strong and independent which is a tad different from Ayu.

Kase Ryo vs. Mukai Satoshi (Mayama Takumi)
Kase is obviously the older of the two and looks more mature. He is a good actor too BUT given the shorter timeframe in the movie, I don't think he was given a fair chance to show his version of Mayama. Mukai is luckier in this sense since the drama is longer and he does look a bit closer to Mayama's image. In addition, his combination with Seto Asaka looks good on screen.

Well, besides the Morita issue, another mis-casting decision I feel is the choice of Murakami Atsushi as Hanamoto-sensei. He looks so scruffy and unkept, much worse than how Iseya looked in the movie. Thus, I count my blessings that we have been spared the agony of watching the last part of the storyline where Hanamoto confessed his feelings for Hagu. I scringe when I imagine this happening.

After all these complaints, one good point was the choice of Kashiwabara Takashi as Nomiya because he and Mukai looked uncanny close so it brought out the point of Nomiya and Mayama being similar in terms of character and appearance.

In conclusion, I feel that the drama version has fumbled because of its distorted storyline and weird casting decisions. It just goes to show that anime / drama adaptations work best usually when they stick to the successful formula in place. Just look at what Nodame Cantabile has achieved and you will see my point.

Hachimitsu to Clover's drama to be shown from Jan 08!

Narumi Riko (15) will star in the drama version of "Hachimitsu to Clover" which is to be shown via FujiTV from Jan 2008. The manga has accumulated sales of 8.13 million copies and depicts the lives of 5 art university students.

Narumi will play Hanamoto Hagumi, who's a freshman despite her being only a Year 3 junior high student in real life. As for the role of Takemoto Yuuta who is holding a torch for Hagumi, he will be played by Ikuta Toma (23).

"Hachimitsu to Clover" was serialised in the manga magazine, "Chorus" and its 10-volumes boast of a sales figure of 8.13 million copies. The manga was made into an anime and shown in the midnight slot during 2005 and 2006 while a movie starring Aoi Yu was made in July 06.

The manga's author, Umino Chika saw a poster of Narumi acting as a genius pianist in the movie, "Jindou", thus decided to get the latter to star in the drama version. Filming will begin at the end of this month.

As for the remaining three main roles i.e. Morita Shinobu, Yamada Ayumi and Mayama Takumi, FujiTV has mentioned that casting for these characters are still in progress.

After a long absence, I'm back with posting this piece of news about Hachikuro! This is only momentary because I'm very busy with work and studies so I can't post as frequently as I want.

Well, as a fan of the manga and anime, I have high hopes for the drama version. In addition, I like Narumi and Ikuta so I'm looking forward to see how they will perform. My only concern is that Narumi has always been cast in headstrong, stubborn and cool roles so how she shows Hagu's insecure, sensitive and pure character would be a big challenge to her acting skills. Likewise for Ikuta, he's been playing comical or happy-go-lucky roles most of the time so I wonder how he will pull off playing Takemoto.

However, my main concern is the casting for the rest of the roles especially Morita who's my No.1 favourite character. It's definitely not easy to play Morita who's hiding his true self under his eccentric and wild cover. Personally, I feel that Iseya Yuusuke wasn't that competent in showing the sentimental side of Morita although he had that artistic flair. Maybe it was his image in the movie which really got on my nerves. Likewise for Mayama and Yamada or even the important supporting characters like Hanamoto-sensei, Rika-san or even Miwako-san and Nomiya, I'm really worried about who they will choose. This could be crucial to the success of the series.

As for the scope of the drama, it is not mentioned in the article but I guess 11 episodes or so would not be sufficient to cover the 10 volumes. Maybe they will follow what Nodame Cantabile is doing i.e. follow-up with a drama SP at the end of the series? However, since Hachikuro is already done with its manga, they might just produce a full sequel unlike Nodame which is still in progress...

Romaji lyrics of "Split" by Suneohair

Title: Split
Artiste: Suneohair
ED of Hachimitsu to Clover II

arifurete iru kimochi nante sa
nani mo iwazu ni isso
kiete shimaeba raku ni nareru no ni

mitsume atteta kimi no hitomi ni
utsuru jibun ga yureteru
toboketa you ni kuchi wo aketa mama

sorezore no michi wo yuku
sono wakare michi
mou nidouto au koto no nai
deai wa kanashi sugiru

tarinai kimochi wo mochi yotte
atatemeta saki kara hiete itte
sonna hazu naitte shinjiteru
ittai itsumade onaji kotoba wo
kakae kondenda kakae kondenda

mitsume tsuzukeru kimi no hitomi ni
utsuru keshiki ga kawatta
boku no shiranai atarashii hikari

sorezore no michi wo yuku
ima, wakare michi
mou nidouto furi kaeranai
kimochi ga hashiri sugiru

kiesou na yoru ni dakiatte
hiekitta karada de kagire tatte
nani ka tarinaitte kanjiteru
ittai itsukara uso mo tame iki mo
kakae kondanda sasae kirenai hodo

tarinai kimochi wo mochi yotte
atatemeta saki kara hiete itte
konna hazu naitte shinjiteru
ittai itsu made onaji kotoba wo
kakae kondenda kakae kondenda

Hachimitsu to Clover Official Postcard Set

Mekke! is selling the Hachimitsu to Clover official postcards in a set of 10 at 1000 yen each which features the 5 main characters i.e. Takemoto, Hagu, Morita, Yamada and Mayama. Each postcard measures 15cm by 10cm. The catalog number of this item is 4530430121113.

Among the selection, my favourites would be that of the night as a background with the three guys which should be the scene where they return from the public path as well as the solo picture of Morita doing his enka thing. Whenever I see him in this manner, it never fails to remind me of the prince of enka i.e. Hikawa Kiyoshi especially the parts where the crowd chants Morita's name "Shinobu" which has three syllables just like "Kiyoshi".

Now that the manga and anime are coming to an end, I can't help but feel sad about this but I'm hopeful that the story will be wrapped up in a nice way so as to make it memorable for fans. Although the last volume was released on last Friday, the local Kinokuniya will most likely bring it in before the end of this week. I can't wait to get a copy of Vol 10 soon! ^__^

Hachikuro seiyuu, Kamiya Hiroshi injured in traffic accident

According to the "Hachimitsu to Clover" official website, the seiyuu who plays Takemoto Yuuta i.e. Kamiya Hiroshi was involved in a traffic accident on 7 Aug and is now hospitalised. As the voice-recording of the series is only completed up to the 11th episode due to be shown on 7 Sep, there will be a replacement to do the voice-acting for Takemoto in the final episode on 14 Sep. There is also an official notice from his agency, Aoni at their website with regards to this matter.

Here's wishing Kamiya-san a speedy recovery! It's a pity that something like this has happened and I hope that he can return to work in the best condition soon.

Hachimitsu to Clover Merchandise on FujiTV Shop

FujiTV and Lohmeyer are working together for the 2nd time to launch a specially made Lohmeyer x Hachikuro ham which will be sold via FUJITV SHOP. The first 50 customers to buy the item will get a special premium.

Besides this product, FujiTV Shop has other Hachikuro offical merchandise on sale including mugs, postcards, Lohmeyer ham & sausage sets, can badges, cafe tumblers, posters, handkerchiefs and face towels. You can also find the manga, CDs and DVDs under the Hachikuro series via the online shopping portal which has a link to J-Book.

Romaji lyrics of "Mahou no Kotoba" by Spitz

Here's the lyrics of "Mahou no Kotoba" sung by Spitz which is the theme song for the real-life movie of "Hachimitsu to Clover":

Mahou no Kotoba - Spitz

Afure souna kimochi muri yari kakushite
kyoo mo mata tooku bakari miteita
kimi to katari atta sakaranai are kore
dakishimete dounika ikiteru kedo

mahou no kotoba futari dake ni wa wakaru
yume miru to ka sonna hima mo nai kono koro
omoi dashite okashikute ureshikute
mata aeruyo yakusoku shinakutemo

tooureru you ni nete naki nagara me samete
hito komi no naka de boso boso utau
kimi wa nani shiteru egao ga mitai zo
furi kabutte wagamama sora ni nageta

mahou no kotoba kuchi ni sureba mijikaku
dakedo kouka wa sugoi mono ga arutte koto de
dare mo shiranai de bare te mo iro asenai
sono ato no sutoorii wake aeru hi made

hana wa utsukushiku toge mo utsukushiku
nekko mo utsukushii hazu sa

mahou no kotoba futari dake ni wa wakaru
yume miru toka sonna hima mo nai kono koro
omoi dashite okashikute ureshikute
mata aeruyo yakusoku shinakutemo
aeru yo aeru yo

News updates related to Hachimitsu to Clover II

Hachikuro Cafe and Lohmeyer has worked together to produce the special edition Lohmeyer Pork Jerky to be sold exclusively at Hachikuro Cafe. It is made from pork produced domestically and is sold for 600 yen per packet.

The Hachikuro Megane Matsuri i.e. Hachikuro Spectacles Festival to mark the launch of the DVD releases, will be held on 28 July at 6.30pm in Animate's Ikebukuro Main Store 9th Floor. Guests for the event include Sugita Tomokazu and Hamada Kenji, the voice actors playing Mayama Takumi and Nomiya Takumi who are two of the characters in the series wearing spectacles. During this session, there will be a chat segment and the screening of chapter.F from Hachikuro Part 1's Vol 7 DVD which is the SP featuring the characters from Fujiwara Design. To take part in this event, fans have to order the Hachikuro II Vol 1 DVD which goes on sale from 27 Oct where they can find a coupon to exchange for tickets at Animate stores in Ikebukuro, Shibuya, Tsudanuma and Chiba.

In conjunction with the launch of the anime's second series, there will be posters of Lohmeyer-senpai and the main characters of Hachikuro displayed at the following train stations including Ginza, Yuuracho, Higashi Ginza, Shin Nihonbashi, Mitsukoshi-mae, Nihonbashi, Ueno Hirokoji, Asakusa, Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Niko Tamagawa, Hachioji, Yokohama, Sekiuchi and Shinagawa. For more details on this and Lohmeyer products, you may visit the official website of Lohmeyer here.

The "Hachimitsu to Clover II" DVD series will be released over 4 volumes and the first volume will be sold from 27 Oct. Here are more details on the release schedule:

Vol 1
Catalog Number: ACBA-10409
Release Date: 27 Oct 2006
Special Premium: Hachikuro mascot cell phone strap
Price: 4935 yen

Vol 2
Catalog Number: ACBA-10410
Release Date: 24 Nov 2006
Price: 4935 yen

Vol 3
Catalog Number: ACBA-10411
Release Date: 22 Dec 2006
Price: 4935 yen

Vol 4
Catalog Number: ACBA-10412
Release Date: 26 Jan 2006
Price: 4935 yen

Hachimitsu to Clover Photo-Making Book Cover

Here's the cover of the "Hachimitsu to Clover" Photo-Making Book which is essentially a pictorial book on the production of the real-life movie. I have yet to get this book yet so a proper review of this will only be available once Kinokuniya has it in their stores. Judging from the attire which the five main characters are wearing, I get the impression that they must have gone to a place where they need to wear black formal clothing. Could that be a funeral? However, there's no funeral in the manga/anime so this is purely my conjecture. Otherwise, I don't see why the colour scheme of their clothing is on the dark side where this is too much of a coincidence if there wasn't any special occasion. By the way, Morita i.e. Iseya Yuusuke looks kind of weird in a formal suit although Shinobu does wear flashy ones for his enka performances during the spring hanami sessions.

Hachimitsu to Clover Real-Life Movie CM

With the impending launch of the "Hachimitsu to Clover" real-life movie next week, here's a feature of this film along with some screenshots of the 15-sec CM shown on TV. As there are a couple of magazines and websites including Nikkei Entertainment, GyaO and S-women which are promoting this movie, there will be more information on this topic as soon as I have time to post them here. Coupled with the fact that the long-awaited Volume 9 of the manga was released on 14 July and the second season of the anime is now running, this summer can truly be regarded as one belonging to Hachikuro.

The CM begins with the line by Mayama where he says that it's the first time he has ever seen someone falling in love. This is with reference to Takemoto's first meeting with Hagu where Mayama knew right away that Takemoto was attracted to Hagu at first sight even though it took a long time for Takemoto himself to realise how he feels.

With regards to Hagu who's played by Aoi Yu, I mentioned before that after watching a short clip of her and Takemoto played by Sakurai Sho, my first impression was that her saccharine-sweet voice is very close to that we have heard from Kudo Haruka in the anime. Appearance-wise, Aoi's small build, hairstyle and her looks are rather similar to Hagu to a certain extent. However, I cannot comprehend the rationale of having a pair of huge headphones while she is painting. Although I understand that the story in the movie is different from the manga/anime, I would have rather that they stick to the original settings instead of adding little changes here and there especially those pertaining to the characters' unique traits.

This scene featuring Hagu and Morita i.e. Iseya Yuusuke gives the impression that they are comfortable in each other's presence and seem to enjoy being together. That's very different from the original because I don't even remember any scene where Hagu smiles that brightly before Morita. Most of the time, Hagu runs away in fright when Morita chases after her and she's so tense in front of him that she cannot be her usual self. Likewise for Morita who's not the type to show his true thoughts in front of others, he has never spent quality time with Hagu other than the impromptu "date" which left Hagu rather upset. That's why I have mixed feelings about this scene. On one hand, it shows Hagu and Morita behaving so much like a couple made for each other but on the other hand, I keep reminding myself that this has never happened in the manga/anime. Maybe for those who have never watched the anime nor read the manga would be able to appreciate and enjoy this scene better than I do.

Next up, we have Yamada Ayumi played by Seki Megumi. Appearance-wise, I think she does look like Ayu from certain angles especially when she ties up her hair in one of the pictures I saw from a magazine feature. Come to think of it, she looks more like Ayu when she's smiling. In this particular CM's scene, she is facing downwards so it's quite hard to see her face and compare to that of Ayu. However, the tall and slender look plus a tinge of sadness on her face which is especially evident when Ayu is pining for Mayama, seems quite close to the impression I've gotten from the manga/anime. I've not heard Seki's voice yet in the CMs I've watched so far thus I can't judge yet as to whether she can convey the inner world of Ayu convincingly during the voice-overs.

Kase Ryo plays Mayama and the first time I saw pictures of the cast, he was the one whom I felt was closest to the appearance of the original character. Mayama is tall, wear spectacles and always has that brooding look whenever he thinks of Rika. Kase has the basic attributes of Mayama but what strikes me most was how close he looked like the character in terms of his features. Usually, you can do changes to the hairstyle or clothes when you want to look like a character from a manga/anime but to look so close to the character is quite a rare instance. For this particular scene, I'm guessing that this might be the one where he waits outside Rika's apartment like a stalker and looks up at her place with longing. Although this scene is treated with a slight comedy touch because Mayama gets teased for being a stalker, the flip side is that it also shows how much Mayama wants to see Rika but has to suppress his desire so as to fulfil his promise of being someone good enough to be of help to Rika before he meets her again.

And now, we have the lead character Takemoto played by Sakurai Sho. Frankly speaking, I was rather apprehensive about him playing the lead when news of the movie came out. It is partly due to the fact that Sakurai has not done much acting on TV and lacks exposure to various types of roles but if the short clip I introduced before on this blog is a gauge of his performance, I guess I will fall in love with his potrayal of Takemoto. He seems such a sweet guy who will probably get heartbroken because of Hagu's feelings towards Morita. If you are talking about physical appearance, I thought it would have been better for him to cut his hair shorter right at the beginning since that's how Takemoto looked like. However, given the tight schedule of the filming, I guess it's not possible for his hair to grow back that quickly to depict the transition of time so that wasn't taken into consideration when doing character design. Nevertheless, I'm still looking forward to seeing his performance in this movie.

Last but not least, here's Iseya Yuusuke who plays Morita. Personally, Morita is my No.1 favourite character but I'm not too pleased with what I'm seeing here. I don't like that long hair and the pierce on the chin since that deviates from the image of Morita I have based on the manga/anime. I would prefer that there is some deviation on the character behavioural traits than to do changes to the physical appearance of the character. Thus, I will need to see the movie before I can say whether I'm totally displeased with Iseya's handling of the role or I will be convinced by what he has done.

I've already ordered the making-of DVD for this movie which will arrive by the end of the month with other items which I'm also buying. As such, I believe I should be able to give a review of that within one week after I finish watching that DVD.

Hachikuro Real-life movie promotion clips

As the "Hachimitsu to Clover" real-life movie is due to be shown in Japan soon, here's 2 clips I found on YouTube which offer sneak previews of the film. Credits go to the original uploaders.



The first clip is an one-minute scene where Takemoto (Sakurai Sho) asks Hagu (Aoi Yu) to join him for lunch if Hanamoto (Sakai Masato) is not free to accompany her. Frankly speaking, I was quite apprehensive about Sakurai playing Takemoto primarily due to his smart and confident image while Takemoto seems rather insecure and lacks self-confidence but he does impress me with his ability to "stammer" like Takemoto when speaking to Hagu. On the other hand, Aoi Yu does resemble Hagu to a certain extent and her sweet-saccharine voice fits the image perfectly. Alas, the movie has to be shown in Japan first before we wait for at least 6 months to see the DVD.



The second clip features the press conference of Hachikuro last year aired via FujiTV's Mezamashi on 19 Oct. You can see some images of the cast plus Sakurai Sho making comments about being mistaken as a staff as he was wearing a T-shirt and shorts.

Honey and Clover DVD Vol 7 Chapter F

This is the Chapter F SP included in Vol 7 of the Hachikuro DVD series where there are three stories.

Yamada and Hagu make a round-shaped drink warmer from wool and decide to name it Pu-kun. They start to get hyped up about Pu-kun's cuteness...

This story happened before Mayama joined Fujiwara Design Jimusho...

Miwako is shocked to find Yamazaki's photo published in a fashion magazine and moans that she didn't spend money to get this type of result. This leads her colleague Takaido to ask Nomiya what has happened. Nomiya passes the men's magazine to Takaido where there is a photo spread on Yamazaki who has been praised for his fashion sense. However, Takaido cannot understand why Yamazaki is wearing that gaudy shirt or even comprehend why he has been hailed as a fashion leader by the magazine.

Nomiya explains that Miwako had bought the gaudy shirt when she was in Asakusa for work and gave it to Yamazaki as a birthday present so as to make him the laughing stock of others. However, it turned out that Yamazaki looked so good in the shirt and was even featured in the magazine for his sense of fashion. As such, this is why Miwako is feeling so worked up over her prank backfiring. Suddenly, she snaps out of her lamenting as she remembers that she's going to Nakano tomorrow and has plans to play a trick on Yamazaki again.

Miwako returns to the office with a T-shirt from a shop named Nakano Hollywood and gives it to Yamazaki. Being besotted with Miwako, Yamazaki is of course thrilled to receive the present. Takaido and Nomiya look on with horror as Yamazaki finds the T-shirt bearing a motif of the Daimajin robot. Although he has his reservations about how he finds the T-shirt, Yamazaki puts on a brave front and pretends to accept it happily from Miwako.

In the next month issue of the same fashion magazine, Yamazaki is featured again for his daring fashion sense as Miwako moans about her failed attempt. Takaido and Nomiya persuade Miwako to give up on this senseless prank since Yamazaki looks good in almost everything. However, Miwako refuses to admit defeat and wants to continue with her efforts of embarrassing Yamazaki.

The cycle goes on as Miwako fails to succeed with Yamazaki's every appearance on the fashion magazine. It's almost as if Yamazaki has become the magazine's in-house model thus Nomiya and Takaido tell Miwako to stop buying shirts for Yamazaki. However, Miwako is all fired up and makes up her mind to buy an elaborate outfit for Yamazaki when Nomiya goes to Nagoya with her for work next week.

When Miwako and Nomiya reach Nagoya, they find that the shops are closed for the day. Given that they have a tight schedule tomorrow, Nomiya suggests walking around to find suitable shops so that they can head there directly after their business meeting. Miwako wonders why Nomiya is so cooperative this time. Unknown to her, Nomiya has been asked by the accountant to stop Miwako from splurging on clothes for Yamazaki using the company's funds. They finally decide on a shop with the name Dandy House Wada.

After their meeting, Nomiya and Miwako head to Dandy House Wada where the elaborate outfits are selling at exhorbitant prices. Miwako is targetting a polo shirt with a picture of the jaguar which costs 28,900 yen but Nomiya tells her to drop the idea since it's too expensive. Besides, that is too much to pay for since Miwako is not even certain whether that T-shirt will embarrass Yamazaki in the end. Thus, Miwako reluctantly chooses the glittering shirt which Nomiya suggests. As per past instances, Yamazaki looks good in the shirt again.

This prompts Miwako to order the polo T-shirt from Dandy House Wada to be sent by courier but her hefty investment comes to nought again as Yamazaki appears on the fashion magazine for the Nth time. Miwako faints from the shock thus Yamazaki tries his best to make her feel better. At the same time, Nomiya reads Yamazaki's interview and finds out something:

Actually, the clothes were chosen by my senior at work. I was in an all-boys high school and in university, most of my classmates were guys since I was in the engineering faculty. That is why I have no idea what fashion means and I'm grateful to my senior who has spared time to make me look good. Well, I'm secretly in love with that senior and hope to do well in work soon before I confess my feelings for her.

Nomiya says a silent apology to Yamazaki for helping Miwako to make fun of him since he did not know about the latter's feelings. Although he will try to help Yamazaki in getting close to Miwako from now on, he derives greater pleasure in Miwako's mission to embarrass him and will have to betray Yamazaki for the time being.

This story happened when Morita returned from the US after a year's absence...

Mayama and Hanamoto are engaged in a shogi game where the latter remarks that Mayama has improved tremendously despite learning the game for a few days. Hanamoto thinks to himself that Mayama can spare so much time on shogi because he is now working with Rika and doesn't have to be a stalker and mope around. This makes Hanamoto quite upset since he regards shogi as one of his strengths and Mayama is beating him at it.

Hanamoto asks Mayama why he is playing shogi with him every day since Mayama is only in his 20s and should have other things to do after work. Mayama reveals that he has been asked to go for go-kon which makes Hanamoto gush with envy since he's never been to one. When Mayama says that he has outgrown the stage of going for go-kon, this makes Hanamoto question whether Mayama is deliberately picking a fight as his remarks are hurting to someone who has never experienced go-kon.

Takemoto and Hagu emerge from the painting room and settle down for some cake and drinks. Mayama asks Hagu if she has been to a go-kon where the latter gets visibly upset. Takemoto scolds Mayama for asking such questions while Hanamoto remarks that someone like Yamada should be a hit at go-kon. At the mention of this, Mayama recalls an unpleasant experience.

Yamada has been very popular at go-kon because of her looks. Coupled with the fact that guys are touched by her unrequited love for Mayama, this leads to the other female participants being neglected at every session. Actually, her friends had assumed that Yamada would not be a threat to them since she's pining for Mayama but this turns out to be a miscalculated move as she hogs the attention of the guys. This earned Yamada the nickname of "Jinx of the Go-kon". Her friends even came to submit petitions to Mayama so that he can be with her and stop Yamada from spoiling their go-kon sessions. As a result of these constant petitions, Yamada misunderstood that Mayama had been fooling around with other girls and even tried to beat him up in school previously.

When Hanamoto asks Mayama if there are any go-kon sessions in his company, Mayama recollects Yamazaki's go-kon with the female editors of the fashion magazine which he had been appearing. Miwako was so excited over this event and strived to embarrass Yamazaki again even though he was hoping that she would stop him from going. In the end, Miwako was disappointed again. Nomiya couldn't help but ask Miwako why she was doing this. Miwako wanted Yamazaki to be at her beck and call when she consoles him if he is laughed at. Nomiya really had the urge to ask Yamazaki what he sees in Miwako who is like a devil in disguise.

After hearing this story, Hanamoto comes to the conclusion that many things do not go their way in life just like their shogi game caught in a deadlock. As Hanamoto and Mayama are so concerned with defence, they keep getting into such situations and find themselves playing shogi past 1am. Just as they are toying with the idea of buying a timer to restrict the playing time, Morita who has been listening to their conversation, points out that the simple way is just to stop playing past midnight. Although this is a very direct solution, Hanamoto and Mayama fail to think of it and tell Morita to shut up since hearing this makes them feel silly...

Coming back to Pu-kun made by Yamada and Hagu, they freeze in horror when they find Yamada's father using it as a cap...

I find this more interesting that the previous Romaiya-senpai SPs in Vol 5 where the two main stories are bursting with humour and I get to see my favourite characters like Nomiya and Morita again. When I was reading the manga, the Fujiwara Design Jimusho story was already very funny but when you see the animated version with the colours on those elaborate shirts, it enhances the comical effect. Taken on its own, those shirts may seem gaudy but I have to admit that Yamazaki looks good in them. Maybe the person wearing it determines how it appears to others. It might not have looked as good on someone like Nomiya who has the upperhand in terms of looks.

Given that the emphasis of these stories are on funny happenings, it's not surprising that they do not fit into the main series since they have little bearing on the story development and are classified as fillers instead. Nevertheless, it was good to see such stories being animated and I look forward to season 2 of Hachikuro starting this summer.

Hachimitsu to Clover Real-Life Movie Making-Of DVD

With the impending screening of Hachikuro's real-life movie this summer, the making-of DVD will be released prior to that. The date of sale is 14 July and the catalog number is ACBD-10385. As there is only one DVD and I suppose the content is unlikely to last more than an hour, the price is 2500 yen (inclusive of tax). Due to the fact that I'm a big fan of the Hachikuro anime and manga, that is why I am including information of the real-life movie on my blog.

According to the information on HMV Japan, there will be a monologue from Sakurai Sho who plays the lead character Takemoto. There will also be clips from the movie itself as well as footage of the filming process. I believe more information will be available via the official movie's site when it's nearer to the release date. The DVD launch is in tune with the recent trend of many Japanese movies releasing making-of DVDs prior to the cinema launch so as to boost interest. And because I'm interested in the movie itself, it's no wonder I'm falling prey to this promotional gimmick and buying a Japanese movie's making-of DVD for the first time. ^__^

By the way, the theme songs for the movie had been revealed yesterday. As the author Umino Chika had mentioned before that the title of the manga was derived from songs of both artistes and the anime had used their songs extensively as the BGM, it is no wonder that they are roped in for the real-life movie. In addition, ARASHI will also be taking part in the music aspect since Sakurai is the lead for the movie. Spitz is singing the theme song, "Mahou no Kotoba" (The Words of Magic) while Sugashikao writes the ending song, "Aozora Petal" (The Blue Sky Petal) which is to be sung by ARASHI. Both songs will be released this summer in conjunction with the launch of the movie.

Frankly speaking, until I saw the cover of this DVD, I was very sceptical over whether the cast would be suitable to play the characters. I was very shocked to see Mayama (Iseya Yuusuke) and Yamada (Seki Megumi) looking so similar to the actual characters especially Iseya's tall and thin frame which is a dead ringer for Mayama. As for Seki, if she had dyed her hair a little bit, maybe it would look slightly better but the charm she exudes is so close to Yamada. My impression of Sakurai Sho has always been a smart and cool guy so I was worried over whether it would be hard for him to overcome this problem but his image looks fine for Takemoto although it borders on the side of silliness. As for Aoi Yu, I can't really judge whether she fits Hagu's image but the dress looks like something which Hagu would have worn. I wonder if she would tie her hair into two buns like what Hagu usually does. Last but not least, Kase Ryo as Morita, my No.1 favourite character...why on earth is he wearing those gaudy colours? Other than his Hikawa Kiyoshi-imitation enka singing performances during hanami, Morita doesn't wear anything as flashy as that! I'm just hoping that Kase will be able to bring out the essence of the talented Morita and will be prepared to overlook the image issue provided it doesn't differ too much from the Morita whom I've come to like.

Hachimitsu to Clover 2nd season

According to Hachimitsu to Clover's anime website, the 2nd season of this series will be back this summer which is around the same time as the real-life movie's release. Well, as a fan of Hachikuro who liked the anime series very much, it's good to hear news about the sequel. However, my concerns will be whether the seiyuu lineup remains the same and if the story will follow the manga or deviate from it. I want to see more of Morita Shinobu, who's my No.1 favourite among the characters so I won't want Ueda Yuji to be replaced for sure. ^__^ As I understand that the manga continued in a different magazine just months ago, I'm not sure whether there would be enough content for at least one full season of anime (11 - 12 episodes). Anyway, we'll probably know more about it in a few months' time. Oh, before I forget, for those who are interested to find out more on the real-life movie, you may visit its website here.

Honey and Clover Ep 23

Takemoto starts to work for Shin's team where he earns 4200 yen per day. As he is in-charge of the workers' meals, Takemoto has to wake up at 5.30am to make breakfast and finish the cleaning-up after dinner which makes it a 16-hour work day. However, he is content with this lifestyle since he gets to enjoy 3 proper meals and can sleep on a mattress which he has not done so since he embarked on the self-discovery journey. Nevertheless, Takemoto feels that he isn't of much help to the team because the knowledge he acquired in school isn't applicable in real-life. Thus, he can only prove himself by making good food for the workers who are full of praise for his culinary skills except for Rokutaro who keeps grumbling. This makes Takemoto extremely happy as he doesn't feel that he's sponging on the team for nothing and has a skill which can be of value to them.

Shin brings Takemoto to look for a new bicycle which costs 43,000 yen so he has to work for 10 days in order to come up with the money. Since he has spent 2 days with the workers, Takemoto would have to stay for another 8 days before resuming his journey. Although Takemoto was full of apprehension when he left his apartment, he feels at peace now when he sees the happy faces of the workers.

Meanwhile, Hagu is in anguish over what to do with her future while Hanamoto looks on worriedly. Morita is also concerned about her but he chooses to brood over it alone instead of talking to Hagu.

Rika goes to Fujiwara Design for work matters and asks Miwako about when Yamada will be here. Miwako gets flustered and tries to sound out why Rika is looking for Yamada. It seems that Rika wants to get Yamada to make some pottery for her but Mayama didn't want to introduce her to Rika by saying that Yamada is busy. As such, Rika has no choice but to go through Miwako instead. Just as Miwako is unsure of what to do, Yamada runs into the agency and exclaims that she made some really nice pieces of pottery. When Rika calls out to Yamada, the latter is surprised by her presence.

Mayama goes to Hanamoto for advice since Rika wants to work with Yamada and he's really uncomfortable with this situation. Miwako had suggested that Mayama should let Yamada see him with Rika so that Yamada may give up. Hanamoto feels that this is a feasible option but Morita pops out from nowhere and says that this won't work since Rika doesn't treat Mayama as a prospective suitor. This will boost Yamada's confidence that she still stands a chance. Mayama clarifies that Miwako's advice wasn't meant to be interpreted like this as she had said that Yamada might get disappointed with him if she sees how hard he's trying to please Rika.

Yamada is thinking about her conversation with Rika and wonders how Mayama speaks of her in front of Rika. At the thought of Mayama expressing sympathy for her, Yamada decides to shake off this pessimistic thought because she knows that he is not this kind of person. In fact, his evasive attitude in preventing Rika and Yamada from meeting should be a gesture of goodwill to make Yamada feel better.

Mayama reveals that he's getting confused about the whole situation where Hanamoto says that this is normal since people may not understand themselves at times. Hanamoto feels that Yamada's obsession with Mayama could be infatuation at first sight but Mayama doesn't know how to change her mindset. Morita suddenly comments that he knows about Mayama's concern for Yamada but it might be in Yamada's best interests for her to learn how to cope. Hanamoto questions Morita for not doing anything to help Hagu which leads the latter to change to his cheeky self and escape from having to answer this question. Hanamoto doesn't understand why Morita has to put up a pretence when he cares for Hagu but nobody knows that Morita is adopting this stand because of Takemoto's presence.

During dinner, Takemoto is elated to see everyone enjoying the food he cooked and feels at ease when he is of use to others. This leads Takemoto to feel that it might be good to stay on so that he can continue to be happy. Suddenly, Rokutaro scolds Takemoto for being a hypocrite by smiling all day long and the latter should have left long ago since he made enough money for the new bicycle. This sours the jovial atmosphere at the dining table where the workers realise that Takemoto should have continued with his journey. Takemoto explains that he didn't have any purpose when he started riding on his bicycle since he was lost about not having any concrete plans about his future. He realises that he can hear the sound of the fridge's motor again just like what prompted him to leave his apartment when he faced the empty fridge.

Rokutaro mocks Takemoto for wasting his good fortune by agonising over such trivial things. In actual fact, Rokutaro had to work since he was 16 and didn't have the time or luxury to think about such things. As such, he gets irritated at the sight of Takemoto since the latter gives him the feeling that he's just a spoilt brat. Just then, the boss returns and stops Rokutaro from ranting further because it is not acceptable to grumble about his circumstances as if the others are living privilleged lives. The boss then tells Takemoto to leave tomorrow so that he can find out how far he can cycle instead of wasting time with them here. Takemoto then thinks of the boss' words about the fact that there might not be an answer waiting for him but he can try to go as far as he likes so that he feels contented.

Shin comes to look for Takemoto at the beach and takes him along for a game to test his guts. They head for a wooden bridge where the spaces between each plank is so wide that someone might fall into the river if he misses his footing. Shin says that Takemoto is scared because he keeps looking downwards. All he has to do in order to overcome his fear would be to look forward but he still has to look at his steps sometimes. Shin compares this walk to stepping on the white lines of the zebra crossing but Takemoto feels that Shin is too relaxed about this. Shin says that he has been walking on this bridge since he was a child. Although he is scared of heights, he actually made himself walk on this bridge while he was young so as to convince himself that he wasn't scared of anything. Shin almost fell from the bridge if not for his school bag which saved him.

Takemoto and Shin comes to a shrine where the latter tells him to draw a divination lot since Rokutaro has come to pay for him as an apology for what he said during dinner. Rokutaro tries to hide his uneasiness while Takemoto accepts his apology readily. On the way back, Takemoto feels that walking on the bridge is no longer as scary as it seems.

The next day, Takemoto reveals that he plans to go to Wakkanai in Hokkaido (the northern point of Japan) where his colleagues give him some parting gifts. Just as Rokutaro is going to send Takemoto to the shop to pick up his new bicycle, Shin brings his old bicycle fitted with some bags at the side for Takemoto so that he can save his money for his meals. It is revealed that Shin also took part in a self-discovery journey while he was in university which was how he met his current colleagues. Shin also advises him on how to cope with his journey which makes Takemoto feel very grateful and promise to return to see them on the return leg. As he bids farewell to his new friends, Takemoto continues his journey and is not as concerned about finding an answer like he was initially...

As usual, a very good episode with lots of thinking points. First of all, Takemoto's view about feeling happy when he is of value to others strikes a chord. Well, if you do not feel that your work or life is helping anyone or has a value, there is no way you can be happy. It's as if you are living your life in vain. Previously, Takemoto was lost because he didn't feel that his presence mattered to anyone. However, during his work at the shrine, seeing how happy people were when they ate his food convinced him that he's useful after all. I can identify with that to a certain extent but I also think that it's better not to harp on this too much especially in terms of work because nobody is indispensable. From my personal experience, even though I may have been important to a company during my employment there, leaving would not be so serious that the operations come to a stall. As such, I've learnt that it's probably better not to overestimate my importance and not belittle myself too much. It's really hard to strike a balance.

Talking about Morita's attitude towards Hagu, he is concerned for her but he doesn't do anything to help her. Hanamoto cannot understand his attitude but I guess Morita wants to be fair to Takemoto. Morita knows very well that he can take advantage of Takemoto's absence and probably be together with Hagu since they both have feelings for each other. However, Morita treats Takemoto as a close friend so he can't bring himself to make use of Takemoto's weak point for his personal interests. That is why he has to distance himself from Hagu even though he cares and wants to help her. I'm sure he must be torn between friendship and love so he chooses to evade Hanamoto's question even though he was providing advice to Mayama with a serious look just seconds ago.

Last but not least, the bridge seems to be an analogy with reference to life. On one hand, you can't be looking at your feet when you walk since this will make you fearful of progressing. On the other hand, if you look ahead only, you might fall. That is similar to life when you can't be harping on the current situation and should try to move on so that the future holds better prospects. On the other hand, focusing too much on things which have yet to materialise will result in wastage of time in the present which leads to the inability to achieve the things you aspire to do in the future.

Every time I watch Hachikuro, there are so many things to consider and a lot of times, I see a reference to what I'm experiencing at the moment or may have gone through before. Although I'm not involved in any love triangles now, I find the troubles of the characters very real and easy to understand. Anyone who's been through school, love or work should be able to identify with the themes presented in this anime.

Honey and Clover Ep 22

Without a goal, I kept cycling for the past week. I withdrew money from my account and bought all sorts of things from the 100-yen shop. The compass, map and watch are especially useful which allows me to plan my route more systematically. The most surprising thing I discovered through this journey is that I get hungry easily due to cycling. If I don't eat 5 meals a day, I get the feeling that I don't have any energy. To me, the food I consume is as good as gasoline to a car. An unexpected thing is that there are very little places to spend the night in the open. In such a big country, I still find a place beside a tree or wall so as to sleep in peace. This is the first time I've felt this way ever since I embarked on this trip.

Takemoto continues to cycle on his trip to nowhere and has to replenish his water supply at people's houses. To his joy, an old man in the countryside agrees to his request immediately without reservations. On the other hand, people who are more well-to-do tend to view him with suspicions and do not extend a helping hand. After a number of times, Takemoto starts to feel that a person's character can be seen from the house he/she lives in and feels that if he is to be described in the form of a house, he hopes to give people the feeling of warmth.

Meanwhile, Yamada brings her new pottery creations to Fujiwara Design where Miwako marvels that she has improved again. Just then, Miwako receives an email from Nomiya which gives Yamada a startle at the mention of his name. Miwako remarks that Nomiya is being bogged down with work and tells Yamada to send an encouragement email to him. However, Yamada doesn't have a handphone so Miwako offers to type the email on her behalf. Yamada offers her encouragement to Nomiya and tells him to take care of his health. Upon hearing this, Miwako remarks that it's boring and says that she can question Nomiya why he left for Tottori without telling her. Yamada grumbles that Nomiya should have told her about his transfer when they last met but she suddenly realises that Miwako has typed her grouses into the email and is unable to stop her from sending it to Nomiya. When Nomiya reads the email from Yamada, he smiles sweetly but when he receives a subsequent email from Miwako who mocks him for liking a young girl i.e. Yamada, he blushes upon reading that it's not a hopeless situation for them (since Yamada does care about him) which leads Yamazaki to think that something is wrong with him.

Hagu is alone in her studio as she recalls how her professors were angry to know that she was not taking part in some competitions or going overseas for further studies. Kouda-sensei even scolded Hagu for being selfish as she chose to waste her talent by returning to her hometown after graduation. With response to that, Hanamoto stood up for Hagu and defended her choice. He later explained to Hagu that Kouda-sensei responded violently to her choice because she did not achieve her goal to be a painter despite putting in a lot of effort. As such, Hanamoto said that it's OK for Hagu to choose what she wants to do as long as she's willing to take up responsibility for what may come as a result. Unknown to Hagu, Morita is standing outside silently. When she senses that someone else is around, she turns back but cannot find Morita anymore.

Takemoto is wondering what he should do as he has used up almost half of his savings and he cannot proceed further without money. When he sees how some people are responding to his untidy appearance, he starts to recall why he set out on this journey and what he was trying to achieve. He finally decides to return home since he is not sure why he is spending time on this trip to nowhere.

Takemoto comes to Matsushima which is the first tourism spot so far during his journey. He feels proud about making it this far since he has to take a train under normal circumstances to come here. Takemoto wants to enter Buiganji Shrine for a look but drops the idea as the entrance ticket costs 700 yen. This makes him realise that he has not bothered to look at the scenery around him since he was focused on cycling throughout the journey. Just as he makes up his mind to visit some shrines, his bicycle's chain breaks and Takemoto can't believe his bad luck.

Takemoto falls asleep at a shrine and later finds himself surrounded by a group of workers who are having lunch. He is very embarrassed when his stomach growls at the sight of their food. One of the workers, Shin-san offers part of his lunchbox to Takemoto but his co-worker, Rokutaro tries to stop him since he made them. This leads everyone to complain about Rokutaro's lunchboxes. Despite Takemoto's reservations, Shin-san still offers the food to him.

Shin-san explains that they are restoration workers who work on shrines in need of repairs so they do not stay in a place for long. As their boss has gone out, Shin-san has taken over the role of the supervisor. Takemoto offers to clean up the mess after lunch and asks Shin-san for a job since he needs money to repair his bicycle.

Shin-san declares that it's probably impossible to repair the bicycle and is surprised to know that Takemoto had cycled from Tokyo to Sendai. The boss returns at this moment and tells the crew that some of them have to go to Kyoto tomorrow due to something cropping up. This will result in a shortage of manpower for the crew in Sendai. Takemoto suddenly asks the boss if he can be hired but Rokutaro objects to it. The boss gives Shin-san the authority to decide since he has been made the site supervisor. Shin-san agrees to Takemoto's request but reminds him that the work here is tough and the salary is little.

Meanwhile, Hagu asks Hanamoto if Takemoto is fine. Hanamoto says that he's not sure about that. When Hagu remarks that she wishes Takemoto will not feel lonely during the journey, Hanamoto comments that this is impossible since loneliness is like waves which come and go where everyone will feel it at some point in their lives. Hanamoto feels that Takemoto keeps reminding him of his past and thinks to himself that he's probably been feeling lonely for a long time since Harada died.

One day, Yamada is going to Fujiwara Design when she bumps into Rika in the lift and doesn't know how she should react. Upon seeing them together, Miwako gets flustered. Yamada breaks the ice and asks about Mayama who is out for a meeting. This makes Rika realise who Yamada is while the latter is rejoicing deep down that she doesn't have to see them together. Rika is praising the quality of Yamada's creations when one of her high heels break. Yamada mends it for her and Rika says that she will bring it for repairs tomorrow. Upon seeing how Rika treasures her pair of shoes, Yamada starts to feel uneasy when she thinks of Mayama helping her to mend them in the past.

Yamada goes to look for Hanamoto and comments that Rika doesn't seem to be taking care of herself. He says that this can't be helped since Rika can't bear to throw away those high heels as they were a gift from Harada. Yamada feels sorry for Rika who is so pretty and yet she seems to be covered with scars after Harada's demise...

Takemoto's observation about people's characters being shown in how their houses look seems realistic. I guess with more things you possess, the more you will be unwilling to let go or trust people. That is why the rich lady did not offer any water to Takemoto as she was worried about him having evil designs while the old lady in the countryside even parted with food although he only asked for water. To Takemoto, he feels that he aspires to be someone who can offer warmth and assistance to those who needs it thus this seems like a sign that he is starting to know what he aspires to be in future.

For Hagu, it must be tough living up to the expectations of others. She feels sorry about disappointing those who believe in her but she's not prepared to give up her own ideals to compromise. Like what Hanamoto says, there is no such thing as a correct answer but as long as you are prepared to bear the consequences of your choice, nothing should stop you from doing what you want.

With regards to Nomiya and Yamada, I get the feel that they might turn out to be a compatible couple in future. They seem to be able to connect at the psychological level despite their pretences on the surface. When Nomiya blushed at seeing Miwako's remarks, he was so cute! I hope the manga will explore the development of their relationship when he returns from Tottori.

Last but not least, I pity Yamada who had to bear the uneasy feeling of seeing Rika and can understand how relieved she was at not seeing Mayama with her. I think that might have been too much for her to bear since she still has feelings for Mayama. However, Yamada can't help but feel sorry for Rika even though she should treat her with animosity since Rika is one of the reasons why things cannot work out between her and Mayama. I doubt I can hate Rika if I am in Yamada's shoes. It just seems as if Rika is living in so much misery so there's no way I can dislike someone who is constantly in anguish.

Honey and Clover Ep 21

When I was a child, I used to ride my blue bicycle everywhere I went. Once, I started to think about how far I could go if I rode on without turning back. I still think of this question now. What was I trying to test at that time?

Takemoto returns to Hanamoto's office where he announces that he has failed another job interview. Just then, he sees a visitor inside who introduces himself as Usui and is a graduate from the university. Hanamoto says that Usui was his student and is now managing a made-to-order furniture business. Takemoto spots a revolving cabinet which Hanamoto is using to store his spray can paints. Hanamoto asks Usui how much he should pay for it and the latter changes the price from 500,000 yen to 20,000 yen at will when Hanamoto remarks that it is expensive. As such, this leads Hanamoto to remark if Usui can sustain his business like this but he says that he gets by. Usui sees that Takemoto is fascinated with the cabinet and asks the latter if he's interested to join his company. At the mention of a job, Takemoto agrees to it without further thought even though Hanamoto says that he should find out more first before deciding.

That night, a celebration party for Takemoto finding a job is held at Hanamoto's apartment. Everyone is happy for Takemoto who had been rejected numerous times to date. Hanamoto says that although Usui's company is small, it takes on interesting projects like building a ninja-style house with a maze in the garden. Just then, the phone rings. When Hanamoto answers the call from Usui, he is horrified to find out that the client who built the ninja house has run away without paying up which leads to the collapse of Usui's company. As such, Takemoto has returned to square one again which makes him very disheartened.

Hanamoto mentions to Yamada that Takemoto is feeling very down and he doesn't know how to cheer him up. He asks Yamada what she is making where she replies that it's a sample which Nomiya asked her to make. Hanamoto remarks that she has done very well but she doesn't think that she has achieved much.

The Fujiwara brothers patch up which leads to the transfer of operations from Tottori back to Tokyo. This creates chaos as Miwako, Yamazaki and Nomiya have to juggle projects from Tottori in addition to their existing work. Given that there is a sizeable number of projects to complete in Tottori, Nomiya and Yamazaki decide to go there for the time being and finish the work.

Nomiya passes his apartment keys to Miwako for safekeeping where she remarks that he should get Yamada to do it. However, he says that he doesn't want his apartment to reek of alcohol when he returns. Yamazaki also wants to give his keys to Miwako but she says that she will use his house for Leader or rent it out for money to spend on spas. Nomiya consoles Yamazaki who feels upset at the way Miwako is treating him.

Yamada happens to bump into Nomiya as she's heading for Fujiwara Design to submit the samples. However, he does not tell her that he's going to Tottori for 6 months due to work. When Yamada meets Miwako, she is surprised to know about Nomiya's temporary transfer to Tottori and wonders why he did not tell her about this just now.

Takemoto stares at his empty fridge and realises that the sound from the running motor is what he has been hearing all along in his mind. He then goes cycling without telling anyone...

Mayama returns home but finds Takemoto missing from his room...

Meanwhile, Takemoto finds himself at an unknown beach after cycling for a long time...

Mayama tells Hanamoto and the rest about Takemoto's disappearance without a word where they are worried about his safety. Given that he has experienced a series of setbacks due to his graduation project and finding employment, Mayama and Hanamoto wonder if Takemoto will commit suicide but they refrain from talking about this possibility. Yamada mentions that Takemoto could have gone on a journey to find his true self but Morita doesn't understand why he must do that. Hagu wonders if it's fine not to look for Takemoto but Hanamoto says that this will be of no use until Takemoto feels that he has achieved his aim. They find out later from Tokudaiji-sensei that Hanamoto is speaking from experience as he had gone on a self-searching trip for 7 times but he always had to turn back because Harada and Rika were worried and managed to find him every time. Hanamoto says that Takemoto should be fine at the moment so they should drop the issue now as he doesn't want to be reminded of his unsuccessful trips.

Takemoto has spent the night in the open for 2 nights and wonders what he is doing. He realises that he has not contacted his friends who must be worried for him. When he sees a family playing happily on the beach, he feels like crying but his stomach growls due to hunger. Takemoto laments that he can still feel hungry despite being on the verge of tears.

Mayama, Morita and Hanamoto go to the post office and find out that Takemoto had withdrawn cash from his account by updating his passbook. Hanamoto remarks that it's just like Takemoto to have saved so much money since he doesn't dabble in alcohol, gambling, smoking or women. At the mention that Takemoto doesn't have a girlfriend, this is also reflective of Hanamoto and Mayama's situation and this makes them pity themselves. Hanamoto deposits some money into Takemoto's account and says that this is his salary for this month as the latter has been helping him with work. However, Mayama says that helping Takemoto too much will make him lose the meaning of this journey. Meanwhile, Takemoto notices that his balance has seemed to increase but he doesn't think much about this and proceeds to buy some food.

As Takemoto is riding through a tunnel, he keeps pondering over the meaning of his actions. When trucks pass him by at a close distance, Takemoto realises that he has been living in fear of not knowing what to do in future and letting the days pass by aimlessly. Takemoto sees the light at the end of the tunnel after riding for some time. This gives him the idea that he can continue riding which may help him see what he wants to do...

I can understand how Takemoto feels. Apprehensive over what the future holds, being rejected at job interviews and yet worried about letting the days pass by just like that. Although I may not be able to do something like a self-discovery journey at the moment, I do admire Takemoto's courage to proceed further even though he wasn't sure of why he had embarked on the trip in the first place. Continue riding in order to find his goal...this seems to be applicable to real life where many people go with the flow for the time being and see if they can find something they want to do along the way. I can't say that this is a definite answer to the question of apprehension over one's future but it's an alternative other than doing nothing at the moment. In my case, I haven't found what I'm searching for yet so I'm switching tracks now. I don't regret compromising my expectations or ideals during the process but I do think of the possibilities that would have arisen if I carried on searching for something which I don't know in the first place. This issue really hit me hard and caused me to think about what I've been doing.

Yamada seems to mind the fact that Nomiya did not tell her about his transfer. I think her opinion of Nomiya changed after the night they spent together in Yokohama and he might be the answer to cure Yamada of her pining for Mayama. That is not to say that Nomiya is a substitute for Mayama but rather, he knows Yamada's thoughts and help her to see herself better. This level of self-realisation is important because Yamada does need someone to knock some sense into her. And Nomiya has proven himself to be a deeper person than what Mayama had thought and the impression that he's a playboy who's not serious at all. However, he seems to be keeping a distance from Yamada as he doesn't want her to come close just to take him as a substitute for Mayama. In this case, Nomiya may be serious about Yamada but he's not sure whether she will like him as he is or come to him out of loneliness. Maybe that's why he didn't tell Yamada personally about his transfer.