Full Moon wo Sagashite

Searching for the Full Moon

Also Known As: Fuuru Muun wo Sagashite, Mangetsu wo Sagashite, FMwS

Genre: Drama/Romance

Length: 7 Volumes

Allegiance: Shueisha

Mangaka: Tanemura Arina

Vintage: 2002-2004

Intelligence Agency Report by: Kuzu Ryu Sen

Kouyama Mitsuki is a 12 year old girl who lives with her very strict grandmother and her maid in an old fashioned Japanese house. The reason: Mitsuki has a malignant tumour in her throat. However, surgery is out of the question for Mitsuki, for it threatens to kill her dream of becoming a singer, so she must remain home and be careful not to overexert her body or her voice. One day, everything changes when the Shinigami Combi Negi Ramen arrive bearing news that Mitsuki only has a year to live. This spurs Mitsuki into action, and she rushes desperately to the Seed Records New Artists Audition with Negi Ramen in hot pursuit. Can she achieve her dreams before her year is out, or will the immense odds stacked against her crush her childish ambition?

Research Agent Report by: Kuzu Ryu Sen

Plot
Characters
Impact
Visual

6.00
9.50
8.00
6.50

Overall

7.75

(not an average)

Tanemura Arina isn't exactly a well known artist in the world of shoujo manga, with her only other prominent work being Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne. However, Full Moon wo Sagashite has gained quite a bit of popularity, thanks to a very well crafted anime adaptation. However, the manga is drastically different, being much darker, much more serious, and having a much faster pace.

Full Moon wo Sagashite's plot and characterization is a definite mixed bag. On the one hand, secondary characters such as Izumi Rio, Wakamatsu Madoka, and even Jonathan get much more attention than in the anime, without too much noticeable detriment to Mitsuki, Takuto, Eichi, and company. However, the presentation is lacking, particularly in the middle volumes, where Tanemura just throws in one side story after another until the reader is enticed to forget that Mitsuki is actually the main character. Although the manga contains not a single page of filler, the pacing is frenetic, which leads to very poor transitions, introductions, with the end result being a very messy story. The dialogue is nothing overly special either, often using pointless, flowery monologues that mark the genre.

Where Full Moon wo Sagashite does manage to shine though, is in the last third. Much like the anime, the manga finishes very strongly (no coincidence methinks). The organization and pacing straighten themselves out quite nicely, and the spotlight is thankfully placed back onto Mitsuki and her singing career. It doesn't quite make up for everything that had happened before, nor does it really have the same emotional impact without audio, and it bears an uncanny similarity to the anime adaptation's ending (which had aired a year prior). In this way, at least the reader end the story on a high note.

In terms of art, Tanemura's character designs are excellent, with great attention to detail, even if the basic face design of a lot of male characters are a tad too similar to each other. However, her backgrounds are sorely lacking, or even absent most of the time. Maybe it's just the nature of the genre, but the massive use of shades instead of actual drawings does not good art make.

In the end Full Moon wo Sagashite is by itself a pretty good read and a must for anyone who enjoyed the TV series. The serious mood and darker overtones may put off some people used to the cheery overly optimistic atmosphere of the anime, but the additional character development supplied is a must for any fan of the franchise. It's a pity that the organization is so poor because despite a healthy dose of melodrama, Full Moon wo Sagashite really did have all the ingredients to be a fantastic story, one that even surpasses the excellent anime.

Research Agent Report by: Orax

Plot
Characters
Impact
Visual

7.50
9.25
8.50
8.50

Overall

8.25

(not an average)

I postponed reading Full Moon wo Sagashite thinking that it would just be a retelling of the anime, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. More romance, more complete character background, and even different plot events made this manga a surprise and an exciting read despite having watched the anime already.

For the most part, the manga had a more serious overtone to it which was quite appreciated, but there was one problem I found quite silly. The manga went too far in trying to portray Mitsuki as someone who could convey the feelings of a song to an audience. After all, when Mitsuki begins to sing in a language that she is completely unfamiliar with, it does more than just make me raise an eyebrow. As for the other characters, they were well developed and many of the characters whose backgrounds weren’t revealed in the anime get the attention they deserve here. I personally found the secondary characters more interesting and enjoyable than the main ones, and herein lay a flaw with the plot. So much focus was put on the secondary characters that Mitsuki’s singing career only surfaces mostly at the beginning and at the end. When the manga mentioned that there was to be an upcoming concert, I was literally surprised that I forgot Mitsuki was still a pop idol.

Despite these character problems, the manga still remains emotionally strong. Instead of plot events, it relies on its strong characters to move the audience. As a result, the magic that made the anime a hit is still quite present in the manga. Toward the end, it’ll be obvious that the manga borrowed some aspects from the anime, but it only helped the mood.

The franchise of Full Moon wo Sagashiteremains strong and highly enjoyable. The fact that the manga was more serious in tone than the anime was refreshing and much preferred. Unfortunately, some plot problems hindered the manga diminished the appeal of plot events that should have been dramatic and powerful. Regardless, even if you’re not a fan of Full Moon wo Sagashite, this a solid shoujo romance worthy of anyone’s time.