Tooth-Rottingly Sweet

Movie: Honey and Clover

My Rating: 3 stars

I saw a preview for this film on a DVD of another movie that I really liked.  I’ve forgotten which one it was now—probably Taste of Tea or Linda Linda Linda—but, I’ve found that this is usually a really good way of finding new favorite films.  The movie stars many of my favorite actors from other movies, like Yu Aoi from Hanaand Alice and Hula Girls, or Yusuke Iseya from 13 Assassins and Sukiyaki Western Django.  Oh, and that cute chef from The Chef of South Polar even has a small role as a teacher.  But somehow, this film just doesn’t have quite the same charm.  It was enough to make me remove the anime version from my Netflix queue.  (Both the film and anime version are based on a popular shojo-manga series from Japan.)  Although, perhaps my doing this wasn’t very fair.  Anime interpretation are usually much better than live action retellings of the same story.  So, maybe I owe it to this franchise to give the animated version a second shot.

The problem is that I objected to the subject matter more than anything else in the film.  The acting, the production value, and plot pacing are all just fine.  I was just kinda bored by watching all the whiny, artistic types making such a fuss about love and the purity of their craft.  Snooze-o-rama.  Although, focusing on this element could have been a directorial decision, rather than the driving theme of the original story.  I’ll take a quick peek at the other versions out there before I make a final decision.  And, I’ll definitely get back to you on that.

This movie is one of those sentimental melodramas about the joys and sorrows of one’s school days.  These things are really popular in Japan.  They focus on themes like friendship, and youthful enthusiasm for life.  It’s almost too much sweetness to take.  The story is set in a small art college, so the characters are particularly sensitive and tortured souls. Of course, all the characters are played by unnaturally pretty actors, so that adds its own appeal and romantic intrigue to the mix.  The kids are trying to make sense of their lives and their futures—love and careers.  But, the point of the plot never gets more specific than this.  We just see all the characters struggling to make sense of things as best they can for being the willful teenagers that they are.

But, hey, I enjoy watching films for lots of different reasons.  I don’t have to have enjoyed it to have found watching it worthwhile.  I really like following the careers of my favorite actors and directors.  So, I was glad to add this pretty important piece to my bank of knowledge.  Still, unless you’re as obsessed with thoroughness as I am, I’d steer you toward other films from this same genre, or by these same actors, before you try to make sense of this one.  But, I’ll give the animated series a shot—maybe one or two episodes—then I’ll make up my mind about the whole thing.