General · EdgepediaOctober 3, 20264 min read

Hal (ハル) (2013 film)

Hal (ハル) is a 2013 Japanese theatrical medium-length animated romance-science fiction film set in near-future Kyoto, where a humanoid robot is remade in the likeness of a young woman's dead boyfriend to help her recover from grief. It was produced by WIT Studio, distributed by Shochiku, and released in Japanese theaters on June 8, 2013.¹^•²

Key fact	Detail
Release	June 8, 2013 (Japan), distributed by Shochiku; rated G¹^•³
Studio	WIT Studio's first theatrical film; the studio had split from Production I.G in 2012¹
Director	Ryotaro Makihara, his directorial debut⁴
Key staff	Screenplay by Izumi Kizara; character original design by manga artist Io Sakisaka; music by Michiru Oshima⁵
Runtime	Reported as 50 minutes by Filmarks, Rakuten, and Shochiku's database, and as 60 minutes by Eiga.com, allcinema, and IMDb⁶^•¹
Main cast	Yoshimasa Hosoya (Hal), Yoko Hikasa (Kurumi), Mamoru Miyano (Ryuu), Shinpachi Tsuji (Aranami), Tamio Oki (Tokio)⁷
Reception	IMDb rating 6.6/10 from about 2,200 users; Filmarks user score 3.3 of 5 from 1,781 reviews⁷^•⁶

Spoilers

Story

The film is set in near-future Kyoto. Kurumi, a young woman, has quarreled with her beloved Hal, and before they can reconcile she dies in a plane crash, though Hal—consumed by grief and denial—believes that he was the one who died and that she survived.¹⁶ She loses the will to live, stops eating and sleeping, and shuts herself inside her room, living in her closet. Her grandfather Tokio, worried about her, has Q01 (Kyuichi), a work robot at the factory he runs, remade into an android resembling Hal, and sends this "Robo-Hal" to live with her. Robo-Hal struggles to respond to her feelings, and the withdrawn Kurumi gradually opens up to him.²^•³

As the story progresses, Kurumi begins talking to "Q01 Hal" about the past, and the robot comes to understand how both she and the original Hal felt, aided by futuristic devices that show people's memories and by details such as the Rubik's Cubes on which the couple wrote their dreams. The relationship between Hal and Kurumi before the crash is shown as imperfect and under real stress from their differing backgrounds, rather than an idealized romance.⁸^•⁹ The film ends with a twist that reviewers describe as surprising and emotionally effective, though some found it overdone or under-explained.⁸^•¹⁰

Production

WIT Studio, which had become independent from Production I.G in 2012, made Hal as its first theatrical work, and it marked the directorial debut of Ryotaro Makihara, who had previously worked as a storyboard artist and episode director on series such as Fractal and Gildiclown and as a key animator on Summer Wars and The Tatami Galaxy.¹^•⁴^•⁸

The character designs carry the style of Io Sakisaka, the manga artist known for Strobe Edge and Ao Haru Ride, who served as original character designer; the animation character design and chief animation direction were by Kazuhiko Kitada. The screenplay is by Izumi Kizara, the writing team behind the television drama Nobuta wo Produce, and the score is by composer Michiru Oshima.³^•⁵ The theme song, "Owaranai Uta" (終わらない詩), is performed by Yoko Hikasa, the voice of Kurumi.¹¹ DandeLion Animation Studio contributed CG direction and CG production.¹²

Release and availability

The film opened in Japan on June 8, 2013, distributed by Shochiku, with the tagline "Zutto issho da to omotte ita" ("I always thought we would be together").¹^•³ It screened internationally as a 50-minute feature at festivals such as Scotland Loves Anime in 2013.⁸

Funimation acquired the North American rights and announced a dub and home video release scheduled for September 2, 2014; Anime Limited held the United Kingdom rights.¹³^•⁸ As of 2026, the film is available in Japan only as a digital rental, listed at 600 yen on Prime Video and 330 yen through a JustWatch-linked rental, with no free streaming option.¹⁴^•¹⁵

Reception

On IMDb the film holds a 6.6/10 rating from about 2,200 users.⁷ On Filmarks it scores 3.3 out of 5 from 1,781 user reviews, with 53 percent of reviews falling in the 3.1 to 4.0 band.⁶ Rotten Tomatoes lists no critic reviews on its Tomatometer and fewer than 50 audience ratings on its Popcornmeter.¹⁰

Critics praised the animation as colorful and well detailed, the compact 60-minute structure, and the treatment of grief and rebuilding, while noting that some elements, such as Hal's dark past and the robot's creation, are touched on only briefly, and that the late twist divides opinion.⁸^•¹³^•⁹ A retrospective published around the film's tenth anniversary described it as a high-quality 60-minute film that has since become known mainly to enthusiasts, and framed it as a milestone in the careers of WIT Studio and Makihara.⁴

References

Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Films by genre, form, and subject › Animated and short films › Japanese anime features › Released 1999 to 2013

Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026

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