Guest Review: Honey and Clover, Volume 8

Guest Review: Honey and Clover, Vol. 8
By Chica Umino
Published by Viz Media

Review by Lorena Nava Ruggero

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Love triangles abound in this slapstick-happy manga that mixes comedy with a wistful thoughtfulness that can only be indulged in while attending college. Tiny Hagu gets a bad case of the hiccups and the men in her life try to help her, but only Takemoto’s trick stops the hiccups. A parallel is then drawn to another relationship when Mayama helps Rika with her own case of the hiccups. Despite Mayama’s desperate attempts otherwise, Rika is still aloof with him. But, when notification of an important project comes through–the last project Rika’s late husband had planned–things between them change.

Later, with help from Fujiwara Design co-workers Miwako and Yamazaki, Nomiya finds out just how much he cares for Yamada. Meanwhile, Yamada is busier than ever thanks to her ever-growing clientele. Unfortunately, much of the work keeps her close to Rika and Mayama, and watching them together is slowly killing her inside even as Nomiya tries to distract her from the pain.

This is another well done volume, with an overarching theme of how we try to help one another through pain of one kind or another–whether it’s the pain of the hiccups, pain from love or the pain of living, each of the characters in this volume are trying to help one another in some way. Umino portrays this theme both humorously and with an emotional depth I’ve come to expect from this series. There are several different narrators throughout this volume, all of them lovesick from Takemoto and Nomiya to Mayama and Yamada. While Nomiya and Takemoto are mostly at peace with their feelings, Mayama and Yamada are more desperate and visceral about it. The parallels and juxtaposition provide an interesting perspective.

There’s more exploration of the secondary cast of characters in this volume, specifically Miwako. In one chapter, Miwako takes Yamada to “Health Land,” a spa wonderland of sorts, to help her decompress and forget about Mayama for a few hours. The trip shows just how much of an “old woman” Miwako is, from her love of fruit-flavored baths to massages. It also provides an interesting moment for philosophical thought: according to Miwako, Health Land is egalitarian since it reduces everyone to the same floral muumuu, thus removing class barriers and even gender differences!

As far as artwork goes, it’s much of the same as before–a mix of Umino’s trademark schizophrenic sketching with delicate linework that communicates the characters’ fragile, yet, extreme emotional states. Lucky for readers, there’s also another beautiful vista in the sand dunes of northern Japan, where Nomiya and Yamazaki are working on a project in Tottori. It’s a nice change from what we’ve seen thus far. However, Umino’s true skill is shown when she draws comedy. Whether it’s the pack of unicorns protecting the ever-oblivious Yamada’s maiden virtue, the tropical delights of Health Land or Takemoto’s painfully hungry examination of flowering kale, laughs are surely soon to follow. There’s an undeniable and deliberate joy in these panels that is hard to ignore.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again–Honey and Clover is not only one of my favorite josei series, but it’s also one of my favorite manga series. There’s abundant physical comedy and an entertaining cast of characters, as well as an emotional vulnerability and thoughtfulness that come together in such an endearing way that it’s hard to not like this series.

Review copy provided by the publisher. To read more reviews by Lorena Nava Ruggero, visit her manga review blog, i ♥ manga.

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