2009 has been an interesting year, though it was probably more interesting for me than it was for anime. Between finishing up some personal projects, broadening my scope of anime and media consumption, and delving deeper into my selected niche of visual novels, the distance between my last Christmas and this one is vast. Of course, aside from all of the personal growth that I could go on and on about, there was something quite significant that occurred this year, and it’s the only thing befitting the number 1 spot.
It goes by the name of Honey and Clover.
I wrote about the show when I finished rewatching it, pouring everything that I could think of into a single post. Thankfully, I wasn’t the only one. It was quite an experience, tackling one of my favourite anime of all-time to properly re-examine it and solidify its place on my favourites list. I was only partially surprised when I found that the rewatch also solidified its place in my heart.
If there’s one thing that the blogosphere’s writing and my later rumination on the show has taught me, it’s that there is no correct answer to Honey and Clover. There are symbols, motifs, and implied themes, but to label a specific meaning to the show is just as foolish as labeling a specific meaning to life
Quite simply, H&C is life. That’s what causes it to resound so deeply with some viewers, what causes the different interpretations and reactions. We all find something different to relate to, something to project ourselves into – the mind unconsciously clings to whichever situation it finds most relatable. It’s like a magical item from a fantasy novel, a mirror that reflects the heart: the feelings that the show conjures are nothing more than the feelings from our own experiences. It does not create or tell; it simply stirs what’s already there.
Looking back, I believe that’s why I fell for Honey and Clover three years ago, and why I fell for it all over again last summer. As the other bloggers and viewers can attest to, each viewer leaves the show with a different feeling, with a different view of the central theme – but in reality, I don’t think that theme existed in the first place. It’s simply a memoir, a personal reflection done to perfection. Because of that, everyone will watch the final episode and find a different answer, a different “truth” about life… but nothing can change the fact that the show stirs the heart of all who open up to it.
And just like the ferris wheel that never stopped spinning, the summer weeks of 2009 that I spent revisiting this series will never disappear; they will continue revolving forever as my bittersweet memory.
~ ETERNAL
つづく
