Fullmoon wo Sagashite – Overview

Disclaimer:- This part review is based on volume 1 of the series, which is all I have at the moment. I have ordered the currently available volumes and will write a fuller review once they arrive, and I’ve read them.

About the Mangaka

Arina-sensei has become well known for two pieces of work, Full Moon wo Sagashite, and Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne, both of which have been licensed and released in the west. She only works on shoujo manga, and to date all of her works have been serialized in Ribbon Magazine, which is released in several countries. Both Full Moon and Kamikaze have been converted to anime, and both anime have also been licensed and released in the west.

About the Manga

At first glance Full Moon appears to be nothing more than a generic angst filled shoujo manga, however as one reads further into it it’s revealed as having a deeper undertone to it. The art isn’t anything spectacular, but it does have a charm to it that makes it worth following. The characters are cute, especially Mitsuki, both as her 12 year old self, and as her 16 year old self.

Another reviewer has already said that one of the flaws of the series is that the male characters all look the same, with different hair and clothes. Artistically, this is true. It’s easy to see how they are similar, however, that is only if you base it on the art. When you follow the story and get into the personalities of the characters, the art takes a different feel and look to it.

However it does suffer from a large flaw, it has a habit of doing jumps from one scene to another with no smooth transition. It’s not a huge issue, however it is an annoyance. It also ruins the mood that had been building, such as when Mitsuki decides to leave home. This is probably due to the shortness of the series, although it’s seven volumes long, it’s only thirty chapters. A few more chapters, an extra volume or two would of allowed the Arina-sensei time to spread her wings a bit more, and have allowed her to fully follow the scenes through to completion.

Like all musical manga that’s around singing, Full Moon suffers from not being able to hear the music and singing. As has been said elsewhere this series is heavy on the angst, at times it’s a bit to much, but mostly i like it. The angst adds to the atmosphere of the story, and is what connects all of the characters.

The story follows Koyama Mitsuki who is a 12 year old who dreams of becoming a singer. Sadly two things \are preventing her from fulfilling her dream, her grandmother; who hates music with a passion, and the tumor in her throat. If she has the operation she’ll lose her voice and the ability to sing, and so decides never to have it.

However, when two shinigami, Takuto and Mereko, turn up and tell her she’s going to die in a years time she decides to take action.Heading to an audition, she makes a deal with Takuto, that makes her temporarily 16 years old. When she wins the audition, her journey begins, a journey to find the boy she loves Eichi, and to fulfil her dreams of being a singer. Many obstacles are in her way however, including Mereko who loves Takuto, and two other shinigami who come to cause their own breed of trouble.

Where to buy

• Manga – The Book Depository
• Anime – UK Version not available yet, US Version from Amazon

~ by Tiamat's Disciple on October 30, 2007.