Ranked #346

Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora

Before I start, I would like to take this time to implore that this is my first time writing a review. Please bare with me because I don't expect a lot comming from this review. I am also proud to be writing my first review on this anime because I personally thought this anime was well done.

Story
Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora had a simple story with no real twists to it. A boy meets a girl but both are very ill.The relationship between the two beings to change both of their lives. Something we have not heard before in romance animes unless you do not watch a lot of this genre.

Since the story was short, I thought the change from one mood to another was too sudden. That gives away from the previous mood making the viewer uncomfortable. However, this anime did a good job conveying one mood to another. There was a purpose for all the events and obviously no fillers (Yay). The ending of the anime was also very good. One could expect a open cheap ending for such a short anime but I thought it was very satisfying.

Art
Overall i thought the art was well made. The character design was ok, not great nor was it bad. Nothing original about the character designs. The hair styles were a bit more thicker than normal but I saw this in one other anime. There was also some minor defects in that anime. Since they are minor, it did not have a big impact. The only noticeable thing about the art in this anime was the scenery, which looked more realistic the further one gets into the anime

Sound
The sound effects effectively and beautifully amplifies the mood of the movie. The theme songs was not too outstanding. It felt like just another theme song one can find from another anime. It was hard for me not to skip it, unfortunately i ended up skipping the intros. The closing song was much more noticeable than the intro. The songs played in the end had a nice feel to it and smoothly matched the ideas of the anime. The voice acting was decent although there were some moments where it felt like the show is skipping scenes due to the voices. Maybe it might the the video I was watching, well I can't be 100% sure at the moment.

Character
I think the main characters, Akiba, Rika and Ezaki, Yuuichi characters were nicely developed. All the characters had their own unique problems which applied each others problems making the story more deep in meaning. Natsume, Goro played a huge role in this anime supporting the thesis. Although he might sometimes be portrayed as the antagonist, he is a necessity in making the ending the way it is. The The Third degree characters such as Miyuki Mizutani were very poorly developed even for third degree characters. It would be nice to learn more about them and examine their relation with the main characters. I blame it on the producers for making this anime so short.

Enjoyment
This anime was quite enjoying from start to finish. There was sad moods, happy moods, ecchi moods and moods that make you reminisce. I highly doubt there would be a second season with the current amount of people happy with the overall outcome. The ending gives out a bundle of emotions at once. There was no "I want more" or "emptiness" in the ending. The anime made me want to watch one after the other due to lack of dullness. Watching this anime felt shorter than it actually was because of how entertaining it was.

Overall
This anime was nicely done for a 6 episode anime. I think it could use one or two more episodes but it was good non the less. I would say this anime would get a higher rank if supporting characters were also developed more deeply but i guess this anime did not intend on doing that from the start. Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora would be highly recommended for ages 13+ who is just thinking of starting to watch animes. read more

“Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora” or “Hantsuki”, as I will call it from now on, is yet another drama and romance anime. It’s a really happy and sad anime at the same time, which spans over only 6 episodes. That paradox feeling one gets is quite unique to this series.

Story:
Though Hantsuki is limited to only 6 episodes, its still a wonderful story which leaves no questions open. The story is about a boy, Yuichi, who is hospitalized due to hepatitis over the winter. He’s really just bored having to stay in this hospital the whole time and keeps on trying to escape, thus having to run away from and deal with the nurse. While in the hospital he encounters a girl called Rika. Amazed by her beauty he kind of falls for her, but she keeps on acting very selfish. After Yuichi figures out why Rika is in the hospital, he begins to understand and feel sorry for her - she doesn’t have very long to live.
That said, the story goes through how the doctor of Yuichi had a similar relationship with a girl quite some time ago and gets mad at Yuichi because he sees himself in him. It even gets to the point where he lashes out and beats him up. Other then that, the story is all about Yuichi and Rika finding their love. It’s really interesting though how, although Rika is acting really mean and selfish towards Yuichi, you still begin to like her character.
The story ends both very happy and very tragic, which makes the perfect ending for this show, though it is very short.
BTW: Be careful to watch past the ending of the last show.

Animation:
The animation is very well done. I found the characters to be designed in a very “realistic” way, making it easier to identify with them. I don’t really now what else to say, except the animation at no point bothered me.

Sound:
The sound, as in most romance/ drama anime, is made to fit the mood perfectly and make the experience more immersive. This show succeeds in doing so.

Characters:
All but 1 character (the friend of the nurse) are very easy to sympathize with. At the end of the show you don’t really hold a grudge against any character, since they all had their reasons for doing what they had done.
I found the characters to be very well fleshed out, especially Rika. The show also does a good job showing the situation Rika is in - already ready to die, but yet falling in love.

Enjoyment:
I enjoyed this show very much. I think that 6 episodes is the perfect length for this series, since it is really fast paced and doesn’t “dick around” as many other senseless romance/ drama anime do. I’d maybe only like to see an OVA showing how life is after the hospital or after Rikas death. Still, I highly recommend this show!

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