Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora
Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora logo.
半分の月がのぼる空 (The rising half-moon in the sky)
Genre	Drama, Romance
Light novel
Author	Tsumugu Hashimoto
Illustrator	Keiji Yamamoto
Publisher	Dengeki Bunko
Other publishers: Kadokawa Media Haksan Publishing
Demographic	Male
Serialized in	Dengeki hp
Published	October 10, 2003 – August 10, 2006
Volumes	8
Manga
Author	B.Tarō
Publisher	MediaWorks
Demographic	Seinen
Magazine	Dengeki Comic Gao!
Original run	August 27, 2005 – November 27, 2006
Volumes	2
TV anime
Director	Yukihiro Matsushita
Studio	Group TAC
Licensor	Bost Digital Entertainment
Network	WOWOW
Original run	January 12, 2006 – February 23, 2006
Episodes	6
TV drama
Network	TV Tokyo
Studio	MediaWorks
Original run	October 3, 2006 – December 26, 2006
Episodes	13

Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora (半分の月がのぼる空, lit. The rising half-moon in the sky^?), subtitled looking up at the half-moon and also known as Hantsuki, is a Japanese seinen romance light novel series written by Japanese author Tsumugu Hashimoto and illustrated by Keiji Yamamoto centering around two hospitalized children aged seventeen and the love they begin to share. The series was originally serialized in MediaWorks' now-defunct light novel magazine Dengeki hp and spanned eight volumes released between October 2003 and August 2006. An anime was adapted from the novels and aired in Japan on the WOWOW television network between January 12, 2006 and February 23, 2006 with a total of six episodes. A manga series by B.Tarō was serialized in MediaWorks' shōnen manga magazine Dengeki Comic Gao! between August 2005 and November 2006; two volumes were released. A set of five drama CDs were produced between October 2006 and August 2007 by Wayuta. Finally, a live action drama of the series was aired on TV Tokyo between October and December 2006.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Characters 2.1 Hospital patients 2.2 Hospital staff 2.3 Yūichi's friends 3 Media 3.1 Light novels 3.2 Manga 3.3 Anime 3.3.1 Episodes 3.4 Music and audio CDs 3.5 TV drama 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Plot

The story of Hantsuki focuses on the budding relationship between the seventeen years old Yūichi Ezaki and Rika Akiba. Both are hospitalized in Yūichi's home town for their respective conditions. Yūichi has hepatitis A, while Rika has problems with a weak heart valve. These teens would then fall in love while they spend time with one another. The story is based in Ise, Mie prefecture as implied by the "Welcome to Ise" sign shown after the opening sequence in the first episode of the anime series.

[edit] Characters

[edit] Hospital patients

Yūichi Ezaki (戎崎 裕一, Ezaki Yūichi^?)

Voiced by: Kenichi Suzumura ; played by: Atsushi Hashimoto (live action)

A seventeen-year-old high school student who is hospitalized for hepatitis A. He notices a beautiful girl, Rika, in the east wing of the hospital and is later encouraged by the nurse Akiko to befriend her. Within minutes Yūichi enrages Rika by lying about having read her favorite book, but Rika offers to forgive Yūichi if he were to obey her wishes. Eager to gain that forgiveness, he agrees. As they spend time together, Yūichi begins to fall in love with Rika.

Rika Akiba (秋庭 里香, Akiba Rika^?)

Voiced by: Mikako Takahashi ; played by: Miku Ishida (live action)

Rika is a seventeen-year-old girl, but has been hospitalized throughout most of her life due to a weak heart valve that also affected her father and ultimately killed him. Due to this prolonged hospitalization, she is without friends and spends her time reading books by her favorite author, Ryūnosuke Akutagawa. She has a close relationship with Dr. Natsume, which is a source of tension in her relationship with Yūichi.

Yoshizō Tada (多田 吉蔵, Tada Yoshizō^?)

Voiced by: Kōji Yada

A perverted old man who has an enormous pornography collection that he amassed during his stay in the hospital. He advises Yūichi to go after Rika if he loves her, because he will later regret it if he does not. Tada then says that he was stupid and lived a life of painful regret because he did not go after the person that he loved. Upon his sudden death, he offers his last will to Akiko, which is to pass his porno collection on to Yūichi.

[edit] Hospital staff

Akiko Tanizaki (谷崎 亜希子, Tanizaki Akiko^?)

Voiced by: Yuki Kodaira ; played by: Kimika Yoshino

The nurse that tends to Yūichi is a tough woman who will not hesitate to hit Yūichi or make fun of him when he deserves it, but has her tender moments and truly cares about her patients. She particularly cares about the relationship between Yūichi and Rika because she understands that Rika might not have much time to live anymore.

Gorō Natsume (夏目 吾郎, Natsume Gorō^?)

Voiced by: Hiroaki Hirata ; played by: Kohki Okada

The doctor that is in charge of Rika's care. He used to take care of her at another hospital but was transferred to the one in Ise. Rika then transferred to the same hospital so that he could still be her physician. He harbors some feelings for Rika and tries to sabotage Rika and Yūichi's relationship. Natsume is doing this because his wife died from a condition similar to that of Rika, and doesn't want Yūichi to experience the same thing.

[edit] Yūichi's friends

Tsukasa Sekoguchi (世古口 司, Sekoguchi Tsukasa^?)

Voiced by: Nobuyuki Kobushi ; played by: Takuya Nakayama

He comes to visit him occasionally and helps him with secret missions that will help Yūichi's relationship with Rika. During these missions, he wears a Zebra Mask to hide his identity and give him a sense of strength.

Tamotsu Yamanishi (山西 保, Yamanishi Tamotsu^?)

Voiced by: Akira Sasanuma ; played by: Shingo Nakagawa

He visits Yūichi when he finds out about his inheritance of the porno collection. This ultimately gets Yūichi in trouble with Rika.

Miyuki Mizutani (水谷 みゆき, Mizutani Miyuki^?)

Voiced by: Yuki Matsuoka ; played by: Takayo Kashiwagi

She is the one who loans the school uniform to Rika and takes her around the school. She asks Rika about her condition numerous times.

[edit] Media

[edit] Light novels

The series began as a light novel series written by Tsumugu Takahashi with illustrations by that was first serialized in the Japanese light novel magazine Dengeki hp. There were eight volumes released between October 10, 2003, and August 10, 2006. The novels were published by MediaWorks under their Dengeki Bunko light novel label.

[edit] Manga

A manga illustrated by B.Tarō based on the novel was serialized in the Japanese manga magazine Dengeki Comic Gao! between August 27, 2005 and November 27, 2006, published by MediaWorks.^[1][2] Two bound volumes were later released, the first on February 27, 2006, and the second on December 16, 2006. The volumes are published by MediaWorks under their Dengeki Comics label.

[edit] Anime

A short anime adaptation aired in Japan between January 12, 2006 and February 23, 2006; there were six episodes.^[3] The anime was produced by the Japanese animation studio Group TAC and was aired on the WOWOW television network. Three DVDs were originally released, each containing two episodes, between April 19, 2006 and June 21, 2006. The premium DVD box set containing the six episodes was released on January 16, 2008. The anime has been licensed by Japanese-based company Bost Digital Entertainment for distribution through their video streaming website Bost TV.^[4] The episodes are available only to Australia and New Zealand for the price of US$1.99 per episode.^[4]

[edit] Episodes

#	Title	Original air date
01	"Akiko-san, the Girl and Ryūnosuke Akutagawa" "Akiko-san to Shōjo to Akutagawa Ryuunosuke" (亜希子さんと少女と芥川龍之介)	January 12, 2006
Yūichi constantly sneaks out at night, and to cut his habit, his nurse Akiko barricades his door to prevent him from leaving. However, she strikes a deal that if he is able to become friends with a new patient, she will lift her restriction. The new patient turns out to be Rika, a seventeen-year-old girl in the eastern ward who enjoys reading the works of Ryūnosuke Akutagawa. At first, Yūichi, with the assistance of Akiko, lies about reading the same book, but Rika easily sees through this act and demands that in exchange for her forgiveness, he must do what she wants. One day, Rika requests to go up to Mount Hōdai despite her weak, sickly condition because it was the same place her father hiked up before he died, and she believed if she is able to do the same, she will lose her fear of dying. Yūichi sneaks her out of the hospital with much success and realizes that he is doing favors not because she tells him to, and when he tries to tell her his true intent of assisting her, he faints.
02	"The Inheritance of the Tada Collection" "Tada Korekushon no Sōzoku" (多田コレクションの相続)	January 26, 2006
Earlier, Tada had died and left Yūichi all of his pornographic magazines in his will. Rika discovers this secret and becomes furious. Although Yūichi becomes remorseful and searches for opportunities to apologize to her, Rika only responds with pranks and resentful actions. After Rika locks Yūichi on the hospital roof, he falls ill and becomes a patient of Dr. Natsume, who had recently returned from a vacation. When Yūichi recovers, Akiko creates an opportunity for him to apologize. However, while waiting, he encounters Dr. Natsume and learns that he had been treating Rika for six years and only transferred to the hospital to keep watch of her. Dr. Natsume is surprised that Rika had told Yūichi about her illness since she had never done so in the past, nor had she ever made a friend. He gives Yūichi a pornographic magazine, and Rika catches him perusing through the magazine and again locks him outside; meanwhile, Akiko realizes that Dr. Natsume had purposely caused this because he found it "entertaining". Eventually, Rika and Yūichi get back on friendlier terms, but Yūichi becomes offended when Rika states that the only reason she wanted to apologize was because of Dr. Natsume's influence. In response, he harshly expresses his contempt of the doctor, and Rika throws her book at him. The book turns out to be both her father's and her prized possession, and lands on the top of a window.
03	"The End of the Ezaki Collection" "Ezaki Korekushon no Shūen~Soshite" (戎崎コレクションの終焉～そして)	February 2, 2006
With the help of his friend Tsukasa, Yūichi is able to rescue the book from the rain, but consequently develops a fever. He dreams that he and Rika reconcile — which turns out to be real, as Rika visits his room in his feverish state. When Yūichi recovers from his illness, Dr. Natsume sees him burning all of the pornography Tada had left him. Yūichi explains that Rika will only forgive him if he burns the "Tada Collection", and Dr. Natsume becomes quite surprised of how the two are getting along so well. The next time Yūichi visits Rika, she lends him Night of the Galactic Railroad; meanwhile, Dr. Natsume shares a recent discovery to Rika's mother that Rika's condition is growing worse. When night falls, Yūichi finds a drunk Dr. Natsume who tells him that his friendship with Rika will not last. Yūichi accuses Dr. Natsume of jealousy, but Dr. Natsume only assaults him physically. Later, Yūichi reads Night of the Galactic Railroad again and reads about Campanella, Rika's "character", dying. Through this, he discovers why Dr. Natsume was angry and mourns over the destiny that would await Rika.
04	"A Single Day of School Life" "Ichinichi Dake no Sukūru Raifu" (一日だけのスクールライフ)	February 9, 2006
Since Rika expresses her desire to have her photos taken, Yūichi and Akiko return to Yūichi's house to find a camera. As Yūichi is taking photos of Rika, she asks him about school. Rika expresses envy that Yūichi is able to go to school while she has never been to one in her life. Yūichi receives an idea that just for one day, the two could pretend Rika is going to school. With the help of Yūichi's friends, Rika borrows a schoolgirl's uniform and enters school grounds; however, a teacher catches them. Rika realizes that Yūichi may end up in trouble, but the boys have already knocked the teacher unconscious. In a classroom, Rika tells Miyuki that she is not afraid of dying, but makes her keep it a secret from Yūichi. Upon their return to the hospital, Rika and Yūichi get into trouble and are punished. While sitting out their punishment together, Rika gives Yūichi a book titled Les Thibault and orders him not to read it until she tells him to. When Yūichi speaks plans of observing the flowers blooming, Rika suddenly falls unconscious.
05	"One Frozen Minute" "Tomerareta Ippun" (とめられた一分)	February 16, 2006
Rika is admitted into the intensive care unit, and Yūichi is only able to see her for one minute in secret. Dazed and depressed, Yūichi encounters Akiko's friend, Misako, who immediately seduces him. Fortunately, Akiko quickly figures out her doings and angrily reprimands Yūichi. She notifies him that he must never tell Rika about this event or else Rika's condition will falter more. The next day, Dr. Natsume comforts Yūichi on the hospital roof, understanding his situation seeing as he was put into a similar one when his wife was dying of cardiomyopathy. Dr. Natsume is practicing for the operation and tells Yūichi that out of all the years he had known Rika, this was the first time Rika had been earnest about receiving the operation. Before Rika's operation, she tells him that Yūichi is able to read Les Thibault. While patiently waiting for her operation to be over, Akiko tells Yūichi that the reason why Rika brought up the idea of photos was because Akiko had showed her a photo of Yūichi. Rika had it taped to her leg as a luck charm. Eventually, Yūichi reads Les Thibault, and ultimately discovers a parallel from the ending of the book — it is Rika's confession of love to him.
06	"Our Two Hands" "Bokutachi no Ryōte wa" (僕たちの両手は)	February 23, 2006
Rika's surgery is over and she is well enough to return back to the eastern ward. However, Yūichi is forbidden to see her again. Dr. Natsume reminds Yūichi that while he has a future, Rika may not, and soon Yūichi may have to choose between his dreams and Rika. Later, Dr. Natsume tells Yūichi that he can do anything he wants, helping Rika included, but confides to Akiko that he had blinded Yūichi with this optimism. He shares the fate of his wife's life and mentions that he was once pitted in a situation in which he had to choose between her or his work, and he does not want Yūichi to suffer under the same circumstances. Secretly, Yūichi overhears their conversation and decides that no matter what, he will stay by Rika. With the help of his friends, he enters Rika's room despite warnings in order to promise her that he will always be with her. At the same time, Akiko asks Dr. Natsume if his happiness is more important than that of his loved one. She goes on to say that, "Rika smiles and laughs now. It is better for Rika to be happy with Yuichi than for her to go back to the way she was before she met him."

[edit] Music and audio CDs

The anime's opening theme was "Aoi Kōfuku" and the ending theme was "Kioku no Kakera"; both songs were sung by Nobuko and written and composed by Macado. The maxi single containing the opening and ending themes was released on February 15, 2006. The Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora Original Soundtrack for the anime version was released on March 15, 2006. The live action drama's opening theme was "Endless Loop" (エンドレス・ループ, Endoresu Rūpu^?), sung by Sacra, and the ending theme was "Sunshine Of Your Love" by I-lulu. A set of five drama CDs based on the series were released between October 4, 2006 and August 24, 2007, produced by Wayuta.^[5]

[edit] TV drama

A live action television drama adaptation ran on TV Tokyo from October 3, 2006 to December 26, 2006, containing thirteen episodes.^[6][7] A DVD boxset was later released on February 23, 2007.^[8] Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora was the first novel series under Dengeki Bunko to receive a TV drama adaptation.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official website (Japanese)
• MediaWorks' official Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora website (Japanese)
• Live action drama official website (Japanese)
• Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora at Tokyo MX (Japanese)
• Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora at Bost TV
• Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia