Story: The story starts where it left off from Honey and Clover I. Although it has the same feel as the first, the content becomes more melodramatic and leans heavily on unrequited love, drama, pain, and the bittersweet feeling from growing up and growing apart. Though there is some comedy, there is a lot less than the first one and the comedy to drama ratio is fairly low. Don't let that be a deterance though. The story is brilliant as ever. It showcases true emotions and events that most people will face and conveys how each character deals with the problems they are faced. They continue to strive forward, unknowing of what the future holds but just trying their best to live their lives with as little drama and pain as possible. Everyone begins to make more concrete decisions on their lives instead of meandering through with lack of purpose in their lives. Some find happiness while others begin to realize that life is bittersweet and not always kinds. The level of reality and unpredictability is still there (especially the unforeseen fight that had me shocked and laughing out loud). It is a beautifully poignant and realistic anime that offers more closure to the characters than the 1st season because it ends with their graduation and the paths they choose to take. It is slightly open ended but for the most part, the ending is pretty direct about how the final decisions each character makes.
Animation: It is as lovely as it was in the first. There is not much difference in this animation as there was in the first season so I see no point in repeating what I already stated. The quality is just as high and has not decreased.
Sound: As beautiful and moving as it was in the first though there seems to be more music from Suga Shikao which definitely heightened the mood. His music is simply amazing and it really fit the mood of the scenes except when they used "Ringo Juice" in the most inappropriate of times. Other than that flaw, though the music added to the anime's tone. Spitz had insert songs as well, which definitely made the music that much better. The opening and ending were definitely more bittersweet but that really suited the style of this 2nd season. It really conveyed the plot and emotions that all the characters faced.
Characters: More about the character's histories are expressed thankfully. Morita, Hagu, and Rika became more fully developed through flashbacks and their personalities begin to seem more concrete and understandable. There actions and mannerisms were finally explained. The other characters get to show how much they have matured. Ayumi and Shu show through their actions and thoughts that they are beginning to let go of their past lives and live more realistically with the future. Yuta to me was one who really grew the most and understood the pains and happiness of life. The bike trip really made him stronger and he now knows what he wants to do with his life. They are just as great as they were in the 1st season but now they are more fleshed out and have added depth.
Overall: If you've seen the first, you have to watch this as well because this is the true ending for the anime, but if you cry easily, I recommend having a box of tissues on hand. It was so touching and even though I knew that the ending made sense and it was simply meant to be that way, I had some trouble accepting because I have a love for happy endings. For one as a college student, though I found the ending to be beautiful, it was still sad and slightly depressing but in a realistic and emotionally tugging way. This 2nd season is all about conveying the message that all those moments spent together will fade into bittersweet memories which is both enriching and disheartening at the same time but though the times will fade, it is not the same as never having experienced them. This anime truly leaves a lasting impression about real life and the experiences both wanted and not that come with it.
I know I'm being extremely harsh, but you don't make such drastic u-turns on a show. You don't change a characters mannerisms to fit the story, and you certainly **spoiler** don't end the show where NO ONE is happy. This show should have ended with one couple actually being happy about it. Quite the dramatic and unfavorable end. I am powerfully grateful that season 1 and season 2 are separated. Stick to only watching season 1, because season 2 holds nothing good. The animation was still good though. so cheers to that.
Story: It picks up where Honey and Clover left off. Unlike the first, this is more plot driven, although that's not a bad thing. However, there is noticably a lot more drama. There is still a lot of comedy but not as much. That's a given knowing that this season is much shorter and had to tie up a lot of loose endings. It has the same feel of the first season but with more drama. The ending was bittersweet and understandable. Not predictable but it made a lot of sense. Although I didn't like some of the decisions, there were the best ones that the characters could make. It left me feeling sad and happy at the same. If you've seen the first, I would definitely recommend watching this one as well. It does do the first justice but the ending does feel complete. Kind of open ended in a sense but still complete.
Animation: Same as previous.
Sound: Almost the same as before expect an inapproriate song at a dramatic scene. Would have been 10 but that moments really stood out.
Characters: Same as before but with more drama to their characters.
Overall: I loved it and was sad too. However, it was the right ending and I would definitely watch this again and recommend this to anyone who wants a good series about life and love. Sometimes second seasons don't deliver but this one definitely did.
The continuation of Honey and Clover, directed now by Tatsuyuki Nagai, who gets right down to business: the climax of the relationships between the characters is almost immediately dealt with. While Mayama confronts Rika with her desire to push everyone away, Yamada is attacked with a surprise confession from Nomiya. Meanwhile, Hagu experiences a life-changing event that forces Takemoto and Morita to take action…
With subtle character design changes and musical shifts, Honey and Clover II is still at heart the same story simply ramped up to its inevitable conclusion. While comedy is still present, it mostly takes a backseat to the plot climaxes and the ultimate result of the friendships between characters as they all truly begin the next stage of their lives. The pacing is faster and gets to the point much quicker, sacrificing much of the airy quality of the show for dramatic tension and release. Ultimately, however, the show is still a mere extension of the first and the quality certainly does not change in the interim space.
As a series, this show will both make you tear your hair out over character choices while at the same time laughing your ass off at the left-field moments of humor. You will feel happy for some, angry at others, and wistful for what could be, all of which is the entire point of the show.
Only, you’ll be doing it without hair or an ass.
What can i say about this anime that i haven't already?Well as it turns out i can say some more things and not all of them are good.So if you're differentopinion intolerant read someone else's review.
Now this season of H&C picks up after the events of season 1...No that's not it right?This starts by showing a recap of the 1 season...What for?In case there's someone in the audience who has Alzheimer's disease?12 eps in total and that's how you start?
That "little" detail set the tone for the rest of the anime really.No new ideas,no interesting way to play those same ideas out..It's stuck between the samehumor rock and the loveoctagons hard place.It's dragging it's bottom like a dog that's been on an accident.Now i have to say that they did put some thought into this season cause they wanted to make it better,no matter what the cost.The end result is.....Appaling.Just like that.
For starters going into ep 2 you start to pick up clues that the characters are different....Now how in the name of that's holy did they change?And why?And when?In a space of a month or two the lightbulb went on and thought "know what i am now older and wiser and i have to change"?But the most drastic change came with Hagu..You know,the midget that's supposedly 20yrs old but in all truth she was intended to be 8 but it was illegal to portray an 8 yr old having the hots for some men 15 yrs older than her or in some cases even more?Yeah that Hagu that every time she spoke she sounded like a retard?Weelll in this season Hagu magically grew out of this speaking pattern of hers and started sounding more...Like the age we're told she is.
Now,i've read many reviews and in NO review have i read this little detail.That huge change just passed them down the hallway..Where's the fucking sense of continuity?So overnight she turned from an 8yr old to 80yr old?Overnight she started sounding AND acting like someone else?I think that what happened here was,that the writers read some reviews and saw that Hagu didn't fit the description..So they went and changed every single damn thing about her.And that's nice,i'm all about evolving..But evolving comes not overnight.It comes through experiences and over years of habiting this planet...Not in anime it seems..Cause in anime you can do whatever the fuck you want..Add some drama or moe factor and hope people won't notice..Well people didn't notice or even if they did they were too absorbed in this moedramatic glutinous mess.
Aside from that obvious illegal U-turn things are somewhat different-ish..Takemoto is still riding his bike,Yamada still wets her pussy every time she even thinks of the widowfucker,the widowfucker has at least some believable growth and still wants to bone the widow,Nomiya has more hots for Yamada than ever before,the midgetfucker sensei still wants to fuck the midget but some accident the midget had put his plans on hold and as for Shinobu...Well he got downgraded big time.This ray of sunshine in this dark misery has gone soft.In the first season he was a joy to look at.Every time he hit the screen he did so with some fireworks..Maybe the storage that the fireworks were in flooded and the fireworks got destroyed?All there's to know is that he's been neutered.
All of these "changes" had a purpose though...To make this a long wrap up..11 eps long wrap up...God give me strength.
The good thing is that this wrap up was half the bulk of the 1st season.The bad thing is that things go faster than a headless chicken.You can sense they wanted to be done with it so they can move on to other projects.Every episode very conviniently goes where they want it to go.Who cares if the story is believable or down to earth?Well some viewers might give a shit about those things you know..
Then there's the issue of melodramatic moments..They're so out of place it beggars belief.Add injury to insult they make even heavier use of melodramatic music to enhance the effect.But like i said they wanted to be done with it so those minor details were of no concern.
Animation this time round was a tad better..Mind you,that doesn't say much..That's like saying "i survived the nuclear holocaust apart from my head,that's been turned to radioactive dust just outside".
As for opening and closing credits....They managed to make them even fucking worse.The opening especially is so irritating i wanted to find the one singing the song and rip her head off.
All in all it was bad.And thank god i won't watch this again and hopefully in a week's time i won't remember anything that has to do with this anime.It's not bad just for a sequel it's bad as an anime all round.At least it doesn't have any supernatural shit in it!