OP Sequence

OP: 「ふがいないや」 (Fugainaiya) by YUKI
Watch the OP!: Mirror 1 Mirror 2

Summary:
Takemoto remembers back to the time when the group searched the fields for the four-leaf clover, a time that they won’t forget. The important things from back then include:
-meeting Hagu for the first time
-Yamada’s one-sided love for Mayama
-Hagu’s trip to the art shop with Morita that ended in tears
-Morita giving Hagu his scarf and kissing her
-Morita leaving for America
-Nomiya trying to win Yamada over
-Mayama’s relationship with Rika
-Takemoto’s soul-searching journey on his bike
-Takemoto returning home and confessing to Hagu that he likes her
It seems that in the present, Takemoto has been learning to drive and has received his driving license. To Takemoto, they have started to turn again.

ED Sequence

ED: 「スプリット」(Split) by スネオヘアー (Suneohair)
Watch the ED! Mirror 1 Mirror 2
So I’ve honestly never been much of a YUKI fan, but the OP song isn’t bad – an average YUKI song. The animation sequence this time doesn’t involve food but rather has a spinning statue of a unicorn, a lion, a poodle, and a bird. That statue changes into various forms, from being made up of money to flowers to honey. The honey drips down onto a pancake labeled Honey and Clover. It’s keeping true to the honey and clover theme, much like the PV for YUKI’s Dramatic from last year. 🙂 The ending sequence meanwhile is very reminiscent of Waltz‘s, but with the character’s outlines featured. I like the song Split, and I want to hear more of it.

Preview:

So this turned out to be mostly a recap episode with some new material at the end where we see Takemoto getting a drivers’ license. I honestly didn’t have much of a problem with the first episode being recap, despite my high expectations. I was still excited to see the new OP and ED, and the recap meant that I didn’t need to rewatch the first series again lol. I really liked Takemoto’s line at the end saying that they’ve started to turn because one of this series recurring themes is things turning (the bicycle wheels, the rooster weathervane, etc). It gives a sense of “some things haven’t changed” along with “and here we start again.”
There was an insert song this episode, played during the scene showing Takemoto’s soul-searching journey, Spitz‘s 「仲良し」 (Nakayoshi). It’s been uploaded at its usual location (if anyone still remembers from last year). The song is originally from Spitz’s 「運命の人」 (Unmei no Hito) single from 1997.
And so next week starts the new material. The preview during the credits makes it look like it’ll be focused back on Yamada, Mayama, and Rika. Something to look forward to in another week 🙂

31 Comments

  1. Really looking forward to this season, i loved season one and i really hope this one is great too… now.. about teh insert songs you know i am new for the blog, anyone know where i can find them? (this season and the first season insert songs too) plz plz

    Pabli
  2. Noodlehead – strong pronouncement to make on a series which hasn’t even really begun yet.
    It’s like declaring that Haruhi would be a total bomb both overseas and in Japan, while a show like Kiba or Soul Link would completely dominate the blogosphere because of the latter’s h-game origins and because it was being taken care of by the same group that did Shuffle. 😀

    It’s too early to say if Season 2’s worse than Season 1 – but Season 2 has its work cut out for it by the high expectations Season 1’s set.

    Haesslich
  3. I wasn’t saying that the first season will be better, I said that you should watch the first season BEFORE you watch the second season because it would be more worth it. You would know the characters more and be able able to connect with the show more for the second season.

    That’s why I wrote “first season first”. My wording was a little iffy, I apologize for that.

    ~ Noodlehead

    Noodlehead
  4. And just as a side note, I’m really excited about this second season. =) I try not to be overly expectant, since I know that setting expectations too high usually leaves one biased. But I’m fairly sure that they’ll be able to pull it off well, maybe better than the first season. So I guess you could say I’m cautiously optimistic.

    ~ Noodlehead

    Noodlehead
  5. And just as a side note, I’m really excited about this second season. =) I try not to be overly expectant, since I know that setting expectations too high usually leaves one biased. But I’m fairly sure that they’ll be able to pull it off well, maybe better than the first season. So I guess you could say I’m cautiously optimistic.

    That’s the way I try to approach shows too, just so that I won’t let myself be too disappointed by anything.

  6. I can deal with a recap. Good thing I didn’t really rewatch the first season like I planned to last week to refresh myself since they did it anyway. I’m really liking both OP & ED songs too. Hopefully, we get some headway into the love triangle action happening in here.

    paperlights
  7. Looks like we will see its grand finale on Chorus magazine in nearly future.(maybe one or two more issues)
    Since the animation staff mentioned that they are going to handle and finish whole H&C manga eps in this season, I had no complainment about they brought a recap to care new (and old) audiences.
    I believe some of eps will be DVD-Exclusive though.

    toypop
  8. I liked this first recap episode, if only because it included the laugh-out-loud moment of Morita kissing Hagu and then freaking out and fleeing. Every time I see that I crack up. lol

    I dunno about the new opening … maybe it’ll grow on me, who knows. For now it’s kinda ‘eh’. The new ED is pretty good though. It’s no WALTZ, but I’m glad it has a abrupt start like WALTZ did … they use it so well in the episodes to really signify that the episode is ending and make the moment more poignant than it already is. Additionally, I’m REALLY glad they decided to get the same people to do the OP and ED themes, as well as more Spitz as insert songs. Familiarity is so nice!

    BTW Omni, glad you’re back in commission again after all that hospital stuff!

    Dervish
  9. Yay! Hagu-chan is back! I like the new opening and ending a lot. I also don’t mind that the first episode is recap. That way, japanese fans who only see it on the tv and don’t bother to buy the DVD, can be reminded of what happened.

    BoarInMe
  10. Hoping for more stuff on the Nomiya and Yamada relationship! but the first season ended with Nomiya out in Tottori, so i wonder how much screen time nomiya and yamada will get.

    hurray for honey and clover II =D

    shia
  11. So looking forward to this series when news of a second season was announced, so I don’t really much mind if the first ep is a recap. Just eager to watch the next ep, which would start the story proper, and I think the OP and ED are really nice, good thing they let the same people handle the songs again.

    shojo
  12. I’m actually really really happy about the first episode. n_n It was much easier to get inside the serie again, when there was a recap. I had already forgotten some stuff, and now I’m looking forward the serie more than ever! And of course, it’s easier to start for those who haven’t seen the first season by seeing something first that has happened before.
    Opening and endisg songs were really great, I can’t wait to get them. ^w^

    Really looking forward to the next episode!

  13. A major spoiler is ahead.

    Show Spoiler ▼

    The manga is nearing its end. This is also the final installment of Honey and Clover; the manga may end a month or two before the anime does, but a thing is relatively certain: Umino Chica has her ending already prepared and packaged. 🙂

  14. can someone upload the first season’s insert songs into a big torrent file? i never got the chance to download them, and now they all have zero seeds :\

    thanks omni, for s2e1’s insert song!

    Rain
  15. ok! i know this might sound stupid , but how the hell do i download the episodes here??

    i mean i see the links to the OP and ED links to download but not the episode itself

    Sandman

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