I couldn’t resist including just one more anime episode (from one of my favorite series). Enjoy!
Honey and Clover
Episode 4, “Actually, I don’t like Christmas all that much…/The boy and girl are swayed”
The Christmas Story
The episode begins with reminiscing – Takumi thinks about Rika, and Rika and Shuji think about their past time together. Hagu, meanwhile, is feeling pressure to succeed in her art and becomes ill. Yuta helps her and finds out she’s been physically ailing lately because of the stress. Later, Shinobu, dressed as Santa, deliver invitations to a party on Christmas Eve. Yuta and Hagu go out to shop for the party, and he relates to her that he doesn’t like Christmas much, as he spent many of them in the hospital with him mom, a nurse. At the party, Takumi arrives late and speaks to Shuji about Rika, who is visiting her husband’s grave. After the party ends, Shuji takes the girls home, Takumi and Shinobu have a drink, and Yuta sleeps, dreaming of being young and celebrating Christmas with Hagu.
For all the Santas I mentioned in these series of posts, might favorite is probably the mysterious (and hilarious) Shinobu Santa. There are also decorations, a Christmas cake, and a Christmas party. Oh yeah, and evil demonic Christmas trees that haunt Yuta’s mind. Yikes.
The true meaning of Christmas is…
Finding a bit of happiness in the hardships of life. I mentioned in my post about Toradora! that it’s Christmas shows helped me think of those who weren’t having a Merry Christmas – Honey and Clover goes even further. Their characters are suffering from illness, heavy expectations, broken hearts, unrequited love, death of loved ones and the effects of growing up in a single parent household. Honey and Clover is about as realistic as anime gets, and that’s part of why it’s just so good. If you’re one of those without a happy home life, I hope that at least you had a bit of joy around Christmas. There is hope, and it’s found in the reason for the season.
On the day after Christmas, anime gave to me:
Ill-fated romance,
Keitaro on crutches,
Fossilized limestone,
Santa Urd shining shoes,
a bloody day and silent night,
Broken hearts and ornaments,
Mio’s darling dresses,
Chiyo’s dad as Santa,
Haruka crushing,
a blonde Santa Claus,
a Christmas tree comet,
Paper Sisters birthday,
and Sakura knitting a nerdy dollie.