ハチミツとクローバー (Live Action Dorama) Ep. 04

SPOILER Summary: Takemoto, Morita, Hagu-chan, and Ayumi are assisting the Shopping District for Christmas business, but Ayumi’s father objects to the costumes Morita has made. During the struggle, Takemoto takes a beating and accidentally breaks several expensive bottles of wine. Now, Yamada-san owns him until he can repay the debt. Back home, Mayama comes home and since he has a job, he buys them all take-out Chinese. However, when it arrives, Takemoto doesn’t get rice with his meal, but “ice” (ice cream). He’s told he should have asked for gohan (Japanese term for rice) rather than use the English word “rice.” He’s not enthused to eat it until Hagu-chan thinks it might be good to eat spicy with sweet.

Sometime later, Mayama meets with Ayumi to borrow some of her pottery work for a project he’s working on at his job. She agrees. Meanwhile, Hagu-chan finds her inspiration to paint is gone. This causes Hanamoto-sensei’s superior to be very unhappy about this. Rika-san pops by to borrow some books and the two remember their time in school along with her deceased husband. Meanwhile, Morita is paid a visit by Teramobori-san about his art.

At his part-time job, Takemoto observes Ayumi and Hagu-chan dressed in Santa gear and he’s observed by Yamada-san. As they go to make a delivery, they discuss Christmas and the fact that it is currently Christmas Eve. Meanwhile, Mayama is told by Miwako that she’s most impressed with the pottery works and wants his friend to come by to help them on the project. He agrees to tell Ayumi. Back at the shopping district, Ayumi apologizes to Hagu-chan for making Hagu-chan work selling Christmas cakes. Shouda-sensei approaches them and has a letter from his child addressed to Santa-san. Unfortunately, the letter asks for a new father. Ayumi gets a call from Mayama asking her to come to Fujiwara Design on the following day because of her work. She agrees to do so.

In Mayama’s room, he and Takemoto are relaxing and watching TV when they see Morita making a commotion in the background of a live, remote broadcast. The two talk about Christmas for a bit before Takemoto hangs a wish for what he wants for Christmas on a tree outside, where the others have also hung wishes (looking like bookmarks). That night, Lohmeyer-senpai comes in dressed as Santa. Since Takemoto had earlier confronted Morita about his tokei (watch) that Morita had long ago borrowed (or something like that), Lohmeyer-senpai is delivering a tokei, only it is a cuckoo clock (tokei means “clock” and “watch”). Takemoto pretends to be asleep during this, but when the cuckoo “cuckoo’s,” Lohmeyer-senpai leaves it, and then makes a retreat out Takemoto’s window.

Christmas day at Fujiwara Design, the discussion is on Christmas and gifts, and how women love the thought behind a present. At his part-time job, Takemoto and Yamada-san are making booze deliveries (including to a karaoke place where Takemoto sees Shouda-sensei in one of the booths). Yamada-san tells Takemoto about getting gifts for Ayumi every year and the importance of gift-giving.

Elsewhere, Teramobori-san and a westerner have a contract for Morita to come to New York.

Mayama is sent to take some things to the printers and decides to get a gift for Rika-san. Ayumi takes off and arrives at Fujiwara Design to meet with the staff about her pottery work. Takemoto is released from his job early by Yamada-san and even given a pay-packet for the work he did above and beyond what he owed on the debt. Takemoto decides to buy a gift for Hagu-chan, who’s going through a very difficult time dealing with her feelings for Morita, which is still interfering with her artistic work. Takemoto brings to gift to Hagu-chan and Hanamoto-sensei’s place, but he finds he’s unable to give it to her as she takes off. As such, he ends up wandering the streets and pondering Christmas.

As Ayumi prepares to leave the Fujiwara Design office, she asks where Mayama’s desk is. They point it out to her and she leaves him a couple of small presents. The others are amused by this, causing her to get embarrassed and proclaim that they are only friends before she flees the scene. For his part, Mayama has stopped by Rika-san’s place to find her not there. However, as he returns to the street level, he sees her walking to her building. They talk for a bit about his job and such and he vows to return to her side someday. When she goes up to her apartment, she finds the gift he’d purchased for her in a gift bag on her doorknob.

Hagu-chan goes to find Morita. She confesses that she is in love with him (really likes him to be precise) and that he’s the reason she can’t get any artwork done. He has a cavalier response to her confession and tells her that she inspires him, but that he considers her a rival and he wants her to continue her work.

The following morning, Takemoto awakens to find one of his socks, which was hung to dry, has a pocket watch in it and a note from Morita saying he’s going to New York. Takemoto rushes out and runs to the bus stop where the shuttle to the airport is. He finds Morita about to get on board and demands to know about what he’s going to do about Hagu-chan’s feelings for him. Morita reminds Takemoto that he and Hagu-chan aren’t married, then gives him a hug and gives a departure greeting to hopefully see each other again. With that, he’s on the bus and gone. Takemoto returns to Hagu-chan’s place and finds her busy painting. He tells her about Morita and is surprised that she’s not only OK with him going to New York, but wants him to do so. With that, she continues painting and Takemoto realizes that Morita has given Hagu-chan what he could not.

Thoughts: For some reason, this episode seemed to drag quite a bit for me. I think it was too much introspection about Christmas and love. Still, it wasn’t a bad episode, just not quite as good as previous ones to me.

One thing kind of frustrating about this series is that the writers clearly expect fans of the manga and anime series to be the only ones who watch. For example, Shouda-sensei has been seen every episode thus far, yet has been mentioned by name once. Teramobori-san? The same thing. I think the two main people at Fujiwara Design have been named once. That doesn’t make a lot of sense to me to not have their names mentioned so as to help stick in your mind.