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This was a surprisingly powerful TV special despite its rather short length. Hotori explores the interactions between a human girl with a terminal illness (Hotori) and an android in the form of a boy (Suzu) who interact with one another as they share the problems they both share with memories, the former whose illness is destroying her memory and the latter whose memories are being formatted to resemble the dead child of a couple looking to adopt him. The special retains a melancholic mood throughout its run in depicting the interactions between the two as they contemplate their individual situations and try coming to some understanding on how to approach them as understanding the human experience is new to android Suzu as he interacts with Hotori, whom puts on a strong front to cover up her own fears of losing the memories of her family to her illness. The exploration of how machines try to comprehend the human condition in sci-fi/ cyberpunk titles is nothing new in anime. But Hotori: The Simple Hope for Joy's exploration of this focus is quite grounded, simple and more relatable to follow. The ending to the anime, which I won't spoil here, goes for a bittersweet approach which while predictable, is still heartwarming when things conclude with the special.
The animation for Hotori is solid featuring a great amount of detail in the designs of scenery and characters with subdued color tones that enhance the dramatic mood given off by the series. While animation isn't the prominent focus for the special, movements within scenes seemed natural and I didn't notice any shortcuts or errors within the 40 minute run of Hotori. Music for the anime consisted mostly of piano and light musical pieces that did their part to enhance dramatic moments within the series, though there was nothing that greatly stuck out for me with the title's soundtrack.
Considering the lack of action, complex animated sequences and large focus on human drama found within Hotori, this won't be a title for fans of more popular and mainstream anime titles or anything more optimistic with its mood. But if you are looking for something out of the ordinary for an anime and have interest in titles delving into elements of the human condition, Hotori: The Simple Hope for Joy is a definite watch in my personal opinion.
