The main cast members of director Yoshihiro Fukagawa's "Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora" have been revealed. Actor Sosuke Ikematsu (19) has the starring role, while actress Shiori Kutsuna (16) plays the heroine.

The movie is adapted from Tsumugu Hashimoto's light novel series of the same name, sometimes abbreviated as "Hantsuki." The story tells the romance between two young patients hospitalized for serious illnesses. Ikematsu plays a simple boy named Yuichi who has hepatitis A, while Kutsuna plays a girl named Rika with an incurable heart problem (explained as a weak heart valve in the novel). Yo Oizumi (36) has been cast as a doctor at the hospital.

Filming already ended in June, though the movie will not hit theaters until next spring. The theme song is being sung by Mao Abe and is titled "15 no Kotoba."