Hachimitsu to Clover (Honey & Clover)
Downloaded this on a whim via BitTorrent without knowing anything at all about it and it's turned out to be quite a pleasant surprise. Man, fansubbing sure has come a ways since our college days. I remember when fansubs were basically done with LDs (or even VHS tapes) of older anime series but now, fansubbers are releasing current series, sometimes within a week of the Japanese air date.
Anyways, HachiKuro reminds me of the old classic, Koko wa Greenwood, which unfortunately never reached its full potential as an anime series. When I first saw Yamada from HachiKuro I was eerily reminded of the long-haired boy, Shun, from Greenwood. I guess probably cause both titles have their roots in shoujo manga. Even the artwork is similar, with more muted and pastel colors, although HachiKuro has more detailed work throughout. Quite beautiful for a tv series.
As for the story, it's a romantic comedy drama slice of life series starring a group of art students that by far is one of the best, ever. It's clearly evident that the producer and writers are highly devoted to doing a top-notch job on this title. From the OP to the ED and everything in between, everything just... fits. I won't waste time espousing all the virtues of this anime (just google the title if you want more info) but suffice to say, download it and watch it. Each episode is riveting, there's no fluff anywhere and I keep checking AnimeSuki every day in anticipation of the next episode. It's just damn good.
