Fullmoon (満月をさがして; Fullmoon o sagashite) is the magical alter ego of Mitsuki, a girl with throat cancer whose only dream is to become a singer. Forbidden to have anything to do with music by her domineering grandmother, she submits a demo to a record company’s talent contest and wins a spot – only to be locked up by said grandmother and have a pair of shinigami come through the wall to take her soul.
This was actually the first manga I ever read in English by Arina Tanemura, which is why I thought it best to start off the week. I had heard of Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne some years back and picked my way through some untranslated chapters in Ribon but nothing serious. I was surprised to find that Fullmoon had a much more serious-sounding premise and was interested from the start, even though it took me almost three full volumes to really get into it.
Tanemura-sensei has a master at writing series that seem to be very fluffy and optimistic but have a dark, sad side lurking just under the surface. Though the ending itself is happy, the last scene where we finally see Mitsuki’s first love, is so heartwrenchingly sad that I tear up just thinking about it. Some of the plot points, though, are admittedly confusing and seem as if they were tossed in as an afterthought or an excuse to draw another gorgeous man with long hair. The good far outweighs the mediocre, however, and I would recommend this to fans of both shōjo and the cute, sparkly versions of shinigami.
Filed under: manga Tagged: | arina tanemura, fullmoon, fullmoon o sagashite, manga, otaku week, shōjo
