Green Bicycle

I used to like this very cute, funny anime, when Animax was free in Astro (I've blogged about it two years ago) called Honey and Clover.

I never knew the meaning of Honey and Clover, until I looked in Wikipedia. But I was so attracted to the lives of these five characters, mainly art college students, each trying to hide their true feelings about each other.

There's sentimental Takemoto, overly introvert Hagumi, logical leader Mayama, crazy innocent princess Ayumi, and lastly, quirky, idiotic Morita.

They were all art students, and are able to express themselves, absorbing themselves wholly into their artistic world, but they found it so hard to conceal their own feelings for each other.

Ayumi likes Mayama, and Hagumi, Morita and Takemoto are entangled in a love triangle. A lot of narrations were done through Takemoto.

Out of all the characters, I like Takemoto the most. He's very sentimental, he loves his art, and loves Hagumi. Such a romantic guy.

Okay la, you had to forgive me, I was a very lonely forlorn girl, and I haven't met Ephy, but I was very into anime, and Animax was for free.

But what I like most was the questions of life that he posted in most of the episodes. The beautiful little things in their bustling life of Tokyo, made me think a lot of what I'd like to do with myself.

One episode that really got my heart was the time when he decides to go on a bicycle expedition, after finding out that the contents inside his fridge was empty. Okay, might sound stupid, but he'd been dreaming about that bicycle expedition after he repeatedly failed in his job interviews after graduating from college.

I still remember the exact words.

"When I was young, Papa gave me a green bicycle. It was a very nice bicycle. I liked to ride it. And as I rode...and rode...I asked myself. How far can I go without turning back?"

I kept asking myself, if I was given a simple tool, a bicycle, or heck, a car, given Malaysia's circumstances of not really having a bicycle policy, how far can I go, without having a handphone, without informing my family, without letting anyone knowing where I'd go.

How far can I go without turning back?

How far can I go and find something, and then turn back?

His close relationship with his late father was also touching, as once during the expedition, he tried to cycle and chase the train with a star shaped logo, just because his father said "look for the star". Well, normal people won't try to chase a train with just a bike.

He fell down from being too fast, and cried. But he knew, his father's memories will always be there.

I love that show, it really made me think a lot about life, escapism, and questions about simplicity.

I'm blogging about this because I recently felt like wanting to be alone and isolated. Haha.





Akanai mabuta kosutte mieru
Looking through closed eyelids

Pastel moyou no mirai ni
At a pastel patterened future

Chiribamerareta kigou wo tadoru
Persuing scattered codes

Taburi yoseta hyoujou
Pulling up facial expressions

Nee, nandakke sagashiteita mono
Hey, what was it that we were looking for again?

Are wa sou ne itsudakke
That's right, exactly when were those days

Bokura ga inryoku ni sakarainagara deatta koro
when we used to meet,
denying the attraction that was forming between us?

Sore wa waltz no youda ne fushigi sa
It was like a waltz, mysterious

Sasayaku youna komorebi no kousaten de
Like a whispering at the criss-crossing of sunbeams

Futari waltz no youni ne mawarinagara
While they spun around as if waltzing

Egakidashite yuku mono
They were expressing something

Atatamesugita omoi wo zenbu
All their thoughts were beyond warm

Hakidashite mieru landscape
The spit out landscape has been

Hantoshi ijou kusuburaseteru
Smoldering for over half a year

Image ni hi wo tomoshite
Bring light to the image

Nandakke nakushite shimatta mono
What was it you lost

Sore demo iindatte
But still it's ok

Bokura no inryoku de hikiai motome au no darou
Our gravity allows us to seek the comparisons

Sore wa waltz no youda ne suteki sa
That was like a waltz, beautiful

Tsubuyaku youna saezuri kikinagara
While listening to some muttered chirps

Maru de waltz no youni ne futari ga
It was like a waltz as those two

Egakidashite yuku mono
Were expressing something

Aa, toboketa genjitsu mo
Ah,
Reality is playing dumb

Genshoku de nurikaete shimae
as we repaint it in primary colors

Hikiyosete ageru kara nee
I'll bring it closer to you

Soko kara odori tsudzukeyou
From there let's continue dancing

Futari dake no waltz
A waltz just for us

Sore wa waltz no youda ne fushigi sa
It was like a waltz, mysterious

Sasayaku youna komorebi no kousaten de
Like a whispering at the criss-crossing of sunbeams

Futari waltz no youni ne mawarinagara
While they spun around as if waltzing

Egakidashite yuku mono
They were expressing something

Credits to Gendou Anime for the lyrics.