Animation in America is considered happy entertainment for the whole family. It’s something you can put on the TV and walk away. There were a few exceptions although mostly they were made by the great Ralph Bakshi (Fritz The Cat & Wizards). Otherwise people didn’t expect animation to get too serious in the story telling. Thankfully nobody told the Japanese this. They didn’t mind watching an animated story that was jarring and bleak. Hotori – Simply Wishing For Hope is about two kids, but they aren’t having an extremely fun time.
Things start out dark as one of the kids enters the house while fireworks are going off in the sky. A gun is raised the title card appears. This isn’t for people who think the latest Minions movie is too edgy. Suzu is a boy robot who is being trained to be more human at facility. If all goes right, he will join a family that lost their son like a robotic clone. One day while playing catch, his ball rolls inside the front door of a nearby mansion. He enters and meets Hotori, a young girl. She’s amazed to see her new guest is a robot. He talks about how he is receiving memory injections of another person. She’s suffering from a disease that is making her lose memories and her mind. He wonder why she can’t get her memories injected back into her. But that’s just something for robots. As this short film evolves, the girl and the robot becoming tight friends. Hotori makes Suzu promise something that’s never been part of a Disney film.
Hotori – Simply Wishing For Hope originally was a TV special that aired back in 2005 in Japan. I’m guessing the show was videotaped by a few fans since it never had a formal home video release in Japan. Yet it’s had a cult following online by fans. This Blu-ray is the first time the film has been available in physical media. AnimEgo produced an English dub for this release so you can hear the characters instead of read them. The subject of memory loss has grown over the last 20 years as dementia and Alzheimer’s cases get more notice. Drug companies (and supplements) keep trying to introduce the next cure for losing your memories. This film has a proper science fiction feel that works for today. The animation gives the glow necessary for a film about a relationship between a girl and her robot friend. The movie seems right for the Ruined Childhood series because these aren’t kids that are having a carefree time together. There is a heaviness to their lives. Hotori – Simply Wishing For Hope is a film that doesn’t want you to forget the characters at its core.
The Video is 1.33:1 full frame. The transfer is a new HD restoration that brings out the details in the artwork. The Audio is English LPCM 2.0 Stereo and Japanese LPCM 2.0 Stereo. The English dub sounds great. The movie is subtitled in English. You can also watch with an option for the subtitles to only translate the Signs & Songs.
Audio Commentary with English ADR Director Hayden Davis gets into what it takes to make a proper sounding English track for the film.
English Dub Cast Interviews (22:39) has the voice actors talking from their vocal booths. They talk about their characters and how it informed their tone. This reminds me of a panel at an Anime Con.
US Blu-ray Trailer (0:51) has the characters speaking English.
US Blu-ray Trailer (0:51) has the characters speaking Japanese with English subtitles.
AnimEgo presents Hotori – Simply Wishing For Hope (Ruined Childhood). Directed by Takashi Annō. Screenplay by Maya Miyazaki. Starring the Voices of: Sky Santacruz, Mana T. Johnson, Danielle Ferguson, Freddie Heinz, Joseph DuVall, Betty BAT and Hunter Peterson. Running Time: 43 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: June 9, 2026.
