Ranked #560

Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora

“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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5 WORDS OR LESS REVIEW: BITTERSWEET

The simplest way I could described Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora (or simply HanTsuki) is by saying that it’s bittersweet. I’m sure that the people who have watched this would have a similar opinion.

The reason why it’s so bittersweet for me is that even with the fun, happy comedic moments (a stack of porn and zebra man), I still get the feeling that something will go wrong, and it does happen. Even if it’s like that, I still think it couldn’t have gone in the better way, because if things went the way you wanted it to, wouldn’t that be boring (hey this applies to real life too, huh)? It doesn’t sugarcoat anything (specifically Rika’s condition) and I guess in that way, it’s realistic.

As for the two main characters, I have to say Yuichi and Rika is the best anime couple I’ve ever seen. They have chemistry, and I love their individual characters. They’re both so different, but they go well with each other. Akiko the nurse was also hilarious, and I hated Doctor Natsume at first, thinking he was some sort of lolicon, but in the end I understood why he was so protective of Rika.

From one shonen romance to another, Kenichi Suzumara (Kyoichi Kanzaki from Boys Be…) played the male protagonist of HanTsuki very well. I thought his voice was gentle, yet it had a hint of mischief in it, which is perfect for Yuichi’s character. Mikako Takahashi (Rika) is another familiar name for me, but her voice was different this time. Her voice was tinier (but resilient). Maybe it’s because of Rika’s loli and slight tsundere character.

Visuals were okay. There wasn’t really anything that I haven’t seen before in other series, except maybe for the shiny (possibly oily) faces. It kind of bothered me that the characters looked chubby though, but I guess that’s part of the cute look they were going for.

The music was okay too. It’s your typical shoujo music, except this time it’s for a shonen romance. I’m not a fan of mellow music, but it wasn’t really that mellow.

The greatest strength of this anime is its story and the character interactions. I overlooked all the other details and focused on the relationship of Yuichi and Rika, and the circumstances around them. That is why I was entertained from beginning to finish. read more