Yu Aoi as Hagumi Hanamoto in Honey and Clover live action movie

Even before the term 'mori girl' was coined, Yu Aoi (a mori girl icon herself) played Hagumi Hanamoto, whose creation by manga artist Chica Umino seems to have foreshadowed the explosion of the mori girl aesthetic.

I read the manga before watching the movie, and I have to say that the casting was fantastic. I thought Hagu would be a difficult character to portray, but Yu Aoi made the role her own. She was every bit as elusive and quietly ethereal as I would imagine Hagu to be in the flesh.

Hagu's wardrobe in the film was delightful as well. Comprised mainly of long dresses worn over brightly coloured tshirts and jeans, the clothing was brightly quirky, yet managed to retain a girlishly bashful feel.

 

This has got to be my favourite dress from the movie. Love the colour combinations and how they styled the same dress a little differently at different parts of the movie.

I wouldn't have thought of pairing a floral sundress with a sporty tshirt like that, but somehow it looks right on Hagu.

Another sporty tshirt-floral dress combo worn over jeans.

This time, Hagu layers a dress over a green tshirt which is in turn layered over a purple long sleeved tshirt. This is something only Yu Aoi could pull off.

One of the floral dresses we saw earlier, this time worn with a red tshirt and pink cardigan.

You can't see it in this picture, but Hagu is actually wearing a below-the-knee dress with black maryjanes. This dress is very Marimekko, don't you think?

Hagu painting cherry blossom trees outside. Notice how even her dress has cherry blossoms all over it!

Few other actresses could have pulled off these clothes. Yu Aoi's natural and thoroughly unpretentious air makes her look at ease in the quirkiest of outfits.

If you want to watch the Honey and Clover live action movie, getting it from my affiliate link would make me really happy!

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Featured Mori Girl: Hagumi Hanamoto from Honey and Clover manga

Hagumi Hanamoto (花本 はぐみ) from the Japanese manga Honey and Clover (ハチミツとクローバー) has often been cited as the archetypal mori girl. Although she is 18 years old at the start of the manga, her appearance is extremely childlike, often leading to her being mistaken for a middle school student.

Hagu is usually depicted in the manga as wearing long, rather baggy looking dresses, sometimes layered with long-sleeved tops or cardigans, and flat shoes. The whole mori girl aesthetic seems to have been modelled on this extremely comfortable, feminine yet childlike style.

 Hagu's hair appears long, wavy and rather unkempt, and is sometimes left loose and adorned with hairpins or flowers. At other times, she adopts cute hairstyles such as two high buns perched on either side of her head, or wearing half her hair in two small knobs with the rest of the hair left loose.

Appearance aside, Hagu's character and personality possess qualities that make her a mori girl through and through. A first year student at an art college at the start of the manga, she is an extremely talented artist who has already had works exhibited despite her young age. In the D-I-Y spirit of the mori girls, her enjoys making clothes both for herself and her dolls, and she also enjoys playing with clay. She keeps a scrapbook in which she sticks pictures of clothing and accessories she wishes she could afford.

 

 Hagu has an extremely curious and childlike personality, often delighting in things adults show little interest in such as Christmas parties. While she is painfully shy at the start of the series, she starts to open up later on and becomes more independent. She is often seen doing comical things like drinking non-alcoholic champagne meant for kids while the other characters are drinking beer.

However, the quality that is most inspiring to mori girls is Hagu's commitment to her passion for art. She is extremely motivated and never tires of creating things, finding inspiration in everything in her environment.

I think we can all learn something from Hagu's boundless curiosity and endless inspiration. One of the things I remember most is a part where Hagu is asked how she bought snacks or clothes in high school without earning extra money through a part-time job. She responds that she picked berries, fruits and nuts from the surrounding greenery and sewed her own clothes.

On top of all that, her behaviour is super cute and funny! You have to read the manga before you realise this.

If you want to read this manga (one of the best and most genuine in my opinion), getting it from my affiliate links will help me continue contributing this site, for which I will be very, very grateful!

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