Honey and Clover II – ep 11

Damn. This episode was SO GOOD. I wouldn’t have had any grduges even if it ended right here. How many of us cheered Shuuji on when Hagu chose him? I know I did. In a way, it felt weird. Yet it seemed like a very happy thing as well. And Hagu chose him, without know that Shuuji gave his all.

Hagu is dreaming about how one’s lifetime is too short to open up all the boxes that one wants to.

Waking up, Hagu is suddenly horrified to find her hand swollen and unable to move. Crying out to Morita, she wants to go back to the hospital. She cries that if she can’t move her hand, she won’t be able to draw, then she won’t be able to live anymore. More significantly, she cries out for Shuuji. Morita agrees to bring her back to the hospital, where they see Shuuji waiting at the lobby.

Shuuji takes Hagu back to her room, while Morita waits in the corridoors for news. When Shuuji comes out of the room, Morita approaches him. But instead, Shuuji delivers a push/punch to Morita.

Later, Morita climbes into Hagu’s room through the window. Hagu apologises for the scare she gave Morita when they were at Morita’s hideout. Noticing the mark on Morita’s face, hagu enquires about what happened. Morita explains that Shuuji had punched him. But it’s okie, cause he delievered it back three fold. And it’s alright, since luckily for them all, they were already in a hospital.

Morita understands that Hagu has already chosen Shuuji. Hagu asks Morita to wait, and to continue looking at her, for she will get well. Hagu explains that she knows that it’s not a matter of leaving a mark behind. But she really wants to draw, for that’s what her life is about. But she remembers the kind words Morita said the night before, and thanks him for it. In fact, hagu tells him that he should say the same words to his brother when morita finds him.

Ouside, takemoto has arrived, and on seeing Morita, tells him that if Shuuji sees him, he’ll kill Morita. But Morita explains that it’s alright, Shuuji had already hit him. But that’s alright too, since he returned in four folds. But actually on reflection, Morita should have hit Shuuji even more.

Hearing this, Takemoto asks morita to get on his bicycle. takemoto then brings him to Shuuji’s empty office. Morita realises that shuuji has finally chosen to give his everything, while Takemoto explains that shuuji wanted Hagu to make a decision without knowing about him. Morita finally realises that he cannot compete with a guy who is willing to sacrifice everything.

However, the empty office reminds Takemoto of the time they had all spent together, and how it basically is all coming to an end.

Back at the hospital at night, Hagu asks Shuuji if he could hold on to her hand, and that she had a request for him. She wants to know if He would give her life for him. Hagu apologises because she can offer him nothing. However, she really wants to draw, and thus hopes that he’ll remain beside her. It is all too overwhelming for Shuuji, who places his head onto the bed. Hagu apologises and asks if she’s asking for too much. But Shuuji replies that it’s all ok.

A flash back to when Hagu was much younger. Hagu always loved the rain. And when visiting Shuuji’s house one day, his parents tell her that he has returned from Tokyo, and is sleeping. Hagu rushes to his room, and pulls a blanket to cover shuuji with. First watching and reflecting on how much she loved shuuji’s room, and finally lying sleeping beside him. To her, Shuuji was her rain. Like the rain, she felt relief just looking at Shuuji. In fact, shuuji would always look for her whenever she went missing. Shuuji will always be there for her, and like the rain, she can breath in deeply whenever Shuuji’s around.

Next day in the office, Morita and takemoto wake up complaining about the cold and the pain, and totally unsure whether it was dusk or dawn, even though the clock states that it’s 5. Hunger results in the need to get food, and they conclude that it’s morning, since only the convenience shop is open, and the river is sparkling.

Just then, Takemoto sneezes at Morita, to Morita’s horror. Takemoto apologises, but he did sleep without a futon, so having a cold is to be expected. In fact, takemoto feels that Morita should be more concerned, but Morita is only worried about the pepper garlic sausage that Takemoto stole from him.

Takemoto then complains that he is glad that Hagu didn’t choose Morita. When morita asks him to repeat, Takemoto says that in fact, he is glad Hagu chose Shuuji. Takemoto adds that out of the 3 of them, only Shuuji can provide Hagu with happiness. Pissed at the remarks, Morita steals and chomp on Takemoto’s Onigiri.

Grabbing each other’s collar, Morita starts launching a series of kicks at Takemoto. Takemoto is the last person Morita wanted to hear those words from, since she rejected him long ago. Takemoto is happy Morita got rejected too, since he didn’t want Morita taking hagu from her. Morita acuses him of being an unskilled amateur and a pauper. Takemoto admits that’s true, and is glad that Shuuji won. Takemoto would rather lose to someone with compassion and honour rather than someone with talent and money.

Morita is stunned by the mention of the term “talent”, and lets Takemoto land a punch on him, surprising takemoto as well. Morita wonders what’s there to talent. In fact, it can only end up causing hate and vengefulness between people. It felt sad, and Morita simply wanted everything to end. That’s why he wanted to drag Hagu down with him. He had looked to Hagu as an escape, even as she was so damaged herself.

Morita gets up, telling Takemoto that he understands too that Shuuji can provide the most happiness. Just as he is about to punch Takemoto, and say more, they are both bitten by dogs. In fact, they find themselves in the midst of old men gathering with their pets. The old men give them the thumbs up, celebrating the energy of “youth”. Embarassed, the two of them simply pretend they were in a sparing match. They walk away with arms locked together, but still kicking one another secretly.

Back in the uni, Shuuji hears a thump outside his office door. He finds a box full of money, with a note asking to make sure Hagu gets well. Shuji knows immediately that it’s Morita. He calls out of the window to Morita who is walking away, and throws the box back at him. Morita is surprised, and explains that the money is for Hagu. But waving only a couple of wads of money, Shuuji claims that that’s all he needs. In fact, Shuuji will return the money to him. But. He’ll never return Hagu.

Morita tells Shuuji not to think this is the end. Shuuji says he knows, and that he’ll definitely take good care of Hagu. Morita shouts to ask if Shuuji really loves Hagu. Shuuji loudy shouts back yes, he really loves Hagu. Yamada over hears him, immediately blushing, and so do many students and teachers of the university.

Morita walks away, smiling to himself for making Shuuji admit to the whole world. With the words of hagu remaining in his ears, that she’ll be watching him forever, and ever.

Thoughts
I wonder if I totally misread Morita. I always thought of him as the one with oodles of talent, and able to see and achieve things us mortals can’t. But seeing him with kaoru and Hagu… maybe…. he is one who cannot understand why people strive so hard for the things they do. (me neither). In hagu’s case, it’s drawing. Okay. maybe it’s not a case where he doesn’t understand, but it does cause a gap. I typed all that before finishing with the episode. I was all wrong again. I guess people are just too complex to describe with just words. How real.

I don’t think it’s right to just go “ah! Shuuji and HAgu can’t have romantic love”. I think it’s very obvious that Shuuji loves Hagu. But I’m sure Shuuji understand that it’s also different, and with limitations, that he’s content with just taking care of Hagu.

Differences between Morita and Takemoto flared up in this episode, but I think at the end of the day, everybody is still friends. even friends argue right?

Paths of friends are drifing apart. Sigh.