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Now in Japan
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Written by maehara
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Wednesday, 08 March 2006 00:00 |
 I'm a sucker for a good romance. Not very manly in Western terms, perhaps, but it's something the Japanese do really well. Hanbun no Tsuki ga Norobu Sora (that's Looking Up at the Half Moon in English, or HanTsuki for short) is the latest variation on the theme, and has the two lovebirds in hospital where a potentially fatal condition could well cut their romance short - and that's assuming one of the doctors doesn't kill the love before it starts...
1 - Akiko-san, the Girl, and Ryuunosuke Akutagawa
Yuuichi Ezaki is an acute hepatitis sufferer, and he's meant to be confined to hospital and taking it easy if he wants to recover. Unfortunately for him, he's not the type to sit still and do what he's told, despite the efforts of ward nurse Akiko to keep him under control - the boredom of being stuck in his room with nothing to do is just too much for him to handle. One possible bright spot is the arrival in the ward of Rika Akiba - seventeen years old, the same as Yuuichi, and just transferred in from another hospital. When Akiko offers to maybe let him sneak out once or twice if he befriends Rika, Yuuichi's not about to refuse - that's two good things for the price of one - but Rika turns out to be more of a handful to deal with than he was expecting...
2 - Inheriting the Tada Collection
Yuuichi's trip up the mountain has lead to a worsening in his condition - meaning he'll be stuck in hospital for a good while longer. At least that gives him the opportunity to spend some more time with Rika, who he's fallen for, hard. Unfortunately, he doesn't remember telling her that he loved her, but it's something she's not about to forget. Just as it looks like things are taking off, though, Rika discovers the collection of porn that he'd inherited from Tada-san, and that does not go down well. Later, Rika's long-term doctor, Natsume-sensei, arrives at the hospital, and seems determined that Yuuichi and Rika shouldn't get any further than just being friends - although since she's still not talking to him, "friends" would be a definite improvement...
Rika's a demanding little madam, and right from the start is only to happy too make use of
Yuuichi to get what she wants. She also has a very well-developed cruel streak that poor Yuuichi ends up on the wrong side of, several times. You almost want to give her a slap and tell her to catch herself on - except there's just something about her personality and the way she's presented that makes her oh-so-adorable and makes you forgive all her foibles. There's a certain amount of sympathy in there as well after you learn her condition could well turn out to be terminal. Yuuichi, on the other hand, is your typical anime male - could use a bit of backbone, but in general he's likeable enough.
What surprised me here was seeing Yuuichi's confession of love coming so early in the series - for a while I had my hopes up that this would be one of those rare shows where the relationship is set up & stable from the word go, but alas it wasn't to be. The real bastard of the piece - Rika's doctor Natsume-sensei - soon appears on the scene and begins playing with Yuuichi as though his feelings - and by association, Rika's feelings - are his personal playthings. Rika doesn't see it, yet - Natsume's the nearest she's had to a friend until Yuuichi appeared on the scene (you have to wonder how much of a part Natsume played in that) and it's quite possible her feelings for him go beyond admiration or friendship - but that looks set to be a major theme as the story plays out, and I for one can't wait to see him get what he deserves.
It's not all serious stuff, though - there are some good comedy moments here as well, mostly springing from Rika's ability to gain revenge on Yuuichi in a variety of painful ways. It's cruel, but it breaks up the story a little bit and prevents things from becoming to heavy.
These first episodes of HanTsuki have really impressed me - I can't remember the last time I was able to connect with characters so quickly, both in good ways and bad, and this is definitely a series I want to see more of, quickly. Even if romantic mush isn't usually your thing, this is one series you really should try.
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