H&C is already a little-known anime, but all the H&C fans I’ve known just seem to like watching the romantic subplots and think its just an anime like NANA. Only on the internet can I find H&C fans who can see the deeper points, the comments on human nature which are so astute and so honest.

But as I was saying earlier, it is subtly, suggested that these 2 have
extraordinary skills. In the episode with Tatsuo, it is Tsukasa himself that while working
in the office and giving Tatsuo permission to buy more stock, says that I’m leaving this
to you as I’m not good with these sort of things. The reason I bring this up, is because
had this line and scene been placed at some other time, its impact might have been
mitigated, but it seems explicitly placed right before the moment of betrayal and while
Tatsuo’s motives are being revealed through interior monologue in parallel. The contrast is effective and it points out that perhaps, without the financial skills of his friend, Tsukasa couldn’t have applied his great mind to begin with. And this too is an aspect of life where many great people lack other skills that would have prohibited them completely from reaching those heights. The sad part is that these men in the shadow, not receiving the recognition that our society only bestows on some skills, doubt their own purpose in life.

The writer goes on to mirror this episode in the story of the two brothers, but note the
catharsis that we uncover at the end of this story. Upon leaving for his own self-discovery journey, Morita is told by one of his brother’s associates that Kaoru will be
fine, because he has great imagination, talent and energy… and let’s face it – to have
built such an empire and systems that swindle 50 yen from all the children in the world it takes skills. In retrospect, Kaoru and Morita are reenacting Tsukasa’s and Tatsuo’s parts, on a larger scale and in a different timeline. They also bear with them the knowledge of what has happened and that’s what is saving them. They have only different skills, it’s not a matter of who is worst or better, just a matter of perspective. Morita is great at doing jobs that require a lot of talent, but all the organizing and leadership were Kaoru’s.

On the other side, Morita himself understands this and battles the notion of talent, in
the name of which people love, hate and generally throw any other emotion they can muster at you . In a moment of existentialist philosophy, he tells Hagu that a man mustn’t necessarily leave anything behind, just living is enough… well, it also turns out that moment was one of weakness for him, but he does raise a point… there’s little purpose in doing anything that does not bring fulfilment to you… if you’re going to paint, paint because you can’t live without painting, because it gives purpose to your life, like Hagu does, and not because you want to prove a point, or otherwise. In finding this activity that gives purpose and meaning to one’s life, it can generally be assumed that you have also found your forte, the light that will not fade no matter what, as Tatsuo calls it.

Sorry for the long comment, but I really felt like writing it after reading your review
and I thought it might help if you ever get a chance to read it. The episode is truly a
magnificent display of storytelling in the medium of animation.

On another note, thank you so much for the fugainaiya (soundtrack version) piano score sheet. It would have been great if you had the split soundtrack version as well – that does incidentally appear in episode 7 when Tatsuo gives Kaoru the news of his company being taken over and then faints with the smile on his face… beautiful scene, beautiful pacing, beautiful music … I love the ball falling from the sky, almost as a ball of light, and him turned away, the intercuts, the color palette, the mise en scene… ah but there’s too much to say and this is just a comment.

So don’t worry too much, there is no actual split in the road, it’s just us humans that creates it. You can arrange music for piano, I can’t. But I can do other things.

In reality, this is what people, including myself, feel the same as Tatsuo felt. Some sort of insecurity is growing to a person who seem ‘behind’ or incompetent as compared to some people who are gifted enough and surrounded by people who love them. Nevertheless, this served as an ‘eye-opener’ to me.

This anime is truly realistic. People who are melancholic in nature should watch this, although I’m not sure if this would inspire or destruct their lives. I won’t go further into details anymore ’cause you have elaborated and reflected well on the episode.

How I wish I get to know more movie and series, not only limited to anime, which come with the same genre/theme. Cheers!

I think you have written Tatsuo’s motivations very well. In my post I wrote that he wanted to see if Morita Sr. was truly a human like him with all the same weaknesses, and you’re right, he wanted to bring Morita-san to his level, to lose everything, and discover if Morita would succumb to the same feelings which plagued Tatsuo. Of course, he did not. You know what the strange thing about the Morita storyline is? If you grew up in North America, the phrase of “go towards the light” has become a cliche that is used for laughs. Yet I never felt this way when I was watching Honey and Clover, just because of how well-done it was. Like Tatsuo, Kaoru wasn’t able to willingly go “towards the light”, because unlike his father, he couldn’t shed his inner feelings of resentment and simply move on. Morita Sr. knew that harboring over your negative feelings produces nothing worthwhile.

I also think it’s really interesting to look back at the first few episodes, when Morita left for Los Angeles, and Takemoto followed him in Kaoru’s car. Kaoru seemed like such a different character back then, but remember when he asks Takemoto, “Do you want him to come back? Or do you want him not to come back?” Takemoto wonders why Kaoru asked him such a question. Knowing now what we know about Kaoru and his relationship with Shinobu, it’s interesting to think about his question, isn’t it? Perhaps he could see a bit of himself in Takemoto as well.

Back in the days when I participated in Honey and Clover discussions as the show was airing, a lot of people seemed to really skip over a lot of the Kaoru storyline, I guess because he wasn’t a “main character”. I think the Morita-Kaoru story is one of my favourites, no matter how “minor” it is, in any anime. By the way, if you haven’t already, you might want to check out the other post I wrote about Honey and Clover, it’s rather long =)

As you said, Episode 7 has got to be my favourite episode of the second season. Some people think that Honey and Clover is just your average romance anime, but there’s just so many other themes it explores. Surprisingly enough, my favourite parts of the anime isin’t the love triangles, but the other human themes it explores. Takemoto’s confusion about his direction in life, Hagu’s talent, and its effects on her , Kaoru’s inferiority complex, Shuu’s grief about Harada, and how he’s trying to fill the void that he left behind….to say it was just a romantic comedy would be ignorant.

There’s this line Tatsuo says , “Break me completely and return me to the mud” or something along those lines. Here’s how I view the episode (I hope you don’t mind me rambling, I can barely find anybody to talk Honey and Clover with. I’m about 18, and most of the people about my age I know find this series incredibly boring or “emo”)

I think why Tatsuo decided to betray Tsukasa was because he wanted to bring him down to the same level as Tatsuo was. He wanted to see how Tsukasa would react when he had lost everything, in a similar state as Tatsuo. And I felt that he was crushed at the way Tsukasa reacted. While Tatsuo reacted blindly to his feelings, betraying the man who had always been his friend, Tsukasa didn’t stoop to his level, even when Tsukasa lost his company. He continued to be the “light” he had always been, and thats what I think Tsukasa meant when he told his children to run to the light, and not let the dark feelings overcome them. There’s a few lines that stuck to me for a long time even after watching the episode. “I feel like I can sleep forever now” or something like that. This, coupled with the other line, showed how Tatsuo felt. That he realized that Tsukasa was a truly great man, and I think that really crushed him. And I agree with you about Kaoru. He saw his own reflection in Tatsuo, and I loved the way that the same scenario was repeated, albeit in a slightly different way. Kaoru was consumed by revenge, and the need to prove himself, that he became obsessed with buying back his father’s company. But he, like Tatsuo, felt hollow after the “victory”. But, the difference between the two was that Kaoru got the chance for redemption, by giving his father’s old house to the company’s owner.

The “where do the paths split” part really resonated with me. When he turned around, and when he thought that maybe everything was decided since birth, I knew that this would be the one episode I will remember, even when all the others have left my memory.

*Sorry for the super long comment. I just felt I needed to share this with someone who loved this episode as much as I did. =D Do contact me if you want to discuss further =)