Honobono Log - Reviews

For only two minutes per episode, this anime hits hard. Honobono log offers little snippets of everyday life for us to experience through the eyes of the characters. Thinking retrospectively these small moment are beautiful and hits home when you are least expecting it.

Completely underwhelming at times, but every now and again you can clearly see the beauty of the events.

This was an interesting watch and rate due to the lack of actual time in the show. I would have to say that, after watching a lot of romantic anime and Slice of Life anime, it didn't deliver on a lot. The main problem is that it is really hard to do much with 2 minute clips of 10 different relationships. The characters are cute in the show and it does reflect different aspects of a relationship / family attributes, yet there isn't any real plot development. There wasn't much substance though, and awkward pauses sometimes between lines that were offputing in this show. There wasn't much sound except for the opener (which also happens to be the closer) and some talking so... kind of hard to give it a high rating. The animation was decent but nothing that left me in jaw dropping stage. Overall, this show was mediocore, yet good enough to at least give a watch if you enjoy romantic shorts.

Reviewed as part of DAMC (Daily Anime Marathon Club)

Normally, with an anime this short, I tend to rate middle of the road. The length of the episodes alone would make me wary for a decently high rating, mainly because I usually feel like there isn't enough content to warrent that much praise. But Honobono Log hit me in just the right time, with just the right impact, that this is now one of my favorite short form anime out there. 

Story: Each episode delivers a short story of each relationship succinctly in a little under two minutes. You will delve into friendship, familial, and especially romance partnerships. Each story has its specific plot that doesn't really blur into others. If food focused episodes aren't your thing there is really only one or two that even mention this need of humans. I liked that the show branched out in this way, because if your whole premise is various love stories, sticking with a theme is just boring. 

Animation: The animation for this anime was solid. Nothing too grand for something of its nature. You have the standard two frames for talking, while the subtle movements such as turning a book, coyly blocking a path, etc. being where the real effort comes in. 

Sound: Barely nothing to really note here. The main song was the only piece used in the entire show, even making a cameo as a ringtone for a character. The opening was also repeated for the ending and while it is a beautiful tune, it isn't enough to cause strong feelings. I personally would listen to it just to feel these warm fuzzies again, but its nothing to base this shows strengths on. 

Characters: This is where I truly feel the show went above the bar for what I thought I would be getting myself into. They feel like genuine people, with realistic emotions and reactions. I wouldn't be surprised if the creators opened up submissions for people to send in their own experiances. That is how true to human nature they are. 

Overall: I really feel like this show is better than its runtime presents itself as being. Those two minutes an episode are jam-packed with genuine lines, movements, and inflections. I know that my own personal experiance is also impacting my praise of this anime so to avoid hiding behind my bias: my long distance boyfriend was just able to visit me after 3 years of waiting. So when I saw episode 2, when something extremely similar happened to us just a few days ago, my mood skyrocketed. I recommend anyone into cute wholesome romance anime to at least check this one out. It's a diamond in the rough, in my own opinion  

(and yes, I know my numbers don't average out to be 10 but it trancends it :P )

Honobono Log is a nice, short anime about mundane situations between couples. It's a very simple anime but it's a calm, relaxing little thing.

Story and Characters

This is all barebones. We don't really know anything about the characters and there is no story. We instead get several situations, one per episode, of different couples doing something normal, something we can see in everyday life. They are a nice depiction of such situations.

Of course the downside is the lack of substance. There is not really much to it other than showing said mundane scenarios with different romantic partners. The pacing is fine, it's very short and never feels like it drags on.

The Technical Stuff

It uses a simplistic art style. There is not a lot of detailing present but the characters are well defined enough to be distinguishable and the overall look of the show is quite pleasant.

Conclusion

This is certainly a 'heart-warming' series. Some lovely, little scenes with different couples makes for a decent time. If you are looking for something with a lot of meat on its bones then look elsewhere as this show has about as much meat in it as a chicken mcnugget.

SpanglishJC's Honobono Log 'Short Review'

Daily Anime Marathon #5 Review

Honobono Log is very cute, but that's kind of it really. Each new 2 minute episode tells a different story, which is both its strength and weakness. On the one hand, it means that the stories individually are done very well, you don't get very bored, and if you don't like a set of characters, it doesn't matter, as they'll be gone by the next episode. On the other hand, you can't really get attached to any of the characters, and your favourite characters will be gone by the next episode. I know there were a couple of stories I'd have liked to see a bit more of.

The animation is very minimalistic as well, which I thought worked well with this. When there's not much going on in the background, you can really focus on the story.

If you're after a bit of cuteness to relax to, or want something to watch without having to really thinking about it, then this would be perfect for you. If you like a bit more of a running story, however, or at least the same characters every episodes, try something else.

Review for February 2017 DAMC