Not a bad review overall but you do seem to get lazier as you get deeper into it. To go from the rather detailed "Story & Character" portion to the "Sound" and "Presention" that doesn't even add up to that amount, just seems a bit lazy to me. Granted you seemed to post like 1000 reviews today so I could see why one would be a bit tired.
Tsukuyomi Moon Phase tv Review
Kouhei Morioka is a freelance photographer working for a supernatural magazine with the gift (some would call it a "curse") of having spirits show up in nearly every photo he takes. His colleague, Hiromi Anzai, and their editor, Seiji Midou, take Kouhei to investigate a haunted castle in Germany. There he spots a mysterious girl sitting on one of the parapets who poses for him. He takes several shots, but she does not show up in any of the photos!
They go back to investigate and break into the castle, freeing the vampire princess Hazuki, the girl who posed on the parapet for Kouhei. Afterwards she disappears and they all head back to Japan... only to discover that Hazuki has followed them there and is staying at Kouhei's house!
Written by Question.
Story & Characters
Story is fairly interesting. Most of it revolves around Hazuki and Kouhei's interaction, how the vampires try to get Hazuki back, and how the characters protect her. I cant really go into detail about the storyline, what makes it a good anime is the drama and comedy, and those are things that you have to see to experience it, you cant be told about it. The premise for the show is definately above-average however, and aside from a few confusing situations in the 2nd half of the series(where it generally as a whole, felt rushed), it fit together pretty well. Some things like the mysterious charm embedded in Ryuhei's chest are never properly explained however, leaving the viewer scratching his head as to what the heck is going on.
One point that i felt wasnt particularly well done was the self-sacrifice of 2 major characters at the end of the first season. Not long afterwards we start seeing hints that they didnt die at all, its not VERY obvious at first, although one can easily guess, but when i saw one of the characters in a black victorian dress with a veil, i couldnt help but go "Okay, could this be any MORE obvious?". It didnt help that it was never explained how they survived, and it looked like they simply showed up to lend a hand to the surviving characters from behind the scences.
There was also one portion where we see some vampires standing among the ruins of the Midou main house. The viewer's reaction is naturally "Wait...i thought it was the antique shop that got burnt down? Wait...when did the midou main house get burnt down?". This part wasnt well explained either.
The whole part with Hazuki's mother suddenly seemed to get completley dropped...it felt a letdown when it was never resolved. This is probably because the manga simply hadnt gotten to that point yet, and the anime series diverged at a certain point to conclude with an original ending, so it wasnt really the anime company's fault.
However the series as a whole does not suffer from the use of plot devices and plot holes...which is a blessing, considering how many anime series out there resorts to those to come up with highly unlikely scenarios. Characters develop fairly realistically, especially Kouhei and Hazuki's relationship.
Rating:
Art
One thing to be said about the character design is : Hazuki in her white Gothic Lolita outfit is just irrestibly cute. Unfornately she wears it very few times in the show, mainly in the opening 2 episodes, and then sporadically throughout the show which is a shame. Elfriede is drawn pretty well as well. Artemis has an interesting design, basically a serious Hazuki with the color red instead of white. The vampires that show up throughout the show are of a wide variety. The masks they wear are really weird though.
Fight scences are nothing spectacular, as expected from a non-shounen anime. However most of them felt like let-downs, they are usually concluded too quickly, and often "off screen". Most of the attacks the characters uses feels really weak for some reason, ranging from Elfriede's bats to the charms the exorcists uses. And even though Hazuki is supposed to become really strong after she drinks blood, the viewer cant really notice much difference in her powers...its certaintly not demonstrated very well.
Rating:
Sound
One thing to be said about this is that it has wonderful music. The OST is another must buy. Of particular note is the piece that plays during the first 2 episodes where Kouhei is trying to rescue Hazuki, as well as one catchy track that isnt played anywhere in the series, "Just for my love", sung by the 2 seiyuus of the mido twins. There are also a lot of nice classical tracks on the OST. Throughout the series the music that is played fits quite well with the scences and of the general mood of the show. The 2 ED songs, Kanashi Yokan and Pressentiment triste are one of the best ive heard, Kanashi Yokan being the japanese version of the latter, and seems to really fit the mood of the show. There is one other ED song that isnt played as often, but still very good, Nami No Toriko ni naru you.
Voicing is fairly decent. The seiyuu of Hazuki does a good job voicing her playful side(hazuki) and her serious, moody side(luna). I love the sound effects of the wash basins hitting the characters. PIANG.
Rating:
Presentation
Well as a comedy/drama, Tsukuyomi delivers. Its just lovely watching Kouhei and Hazuki argue, the comedy bits with the "wash basin in the face" special effects, its a delightful mixture of laughter and family drama. The 2nd season of the series sees a noticeable departure from the usual laughter and antics of the characters to a more serious atmosphere, but the drama is still there, and there are still comedic moments. The 2nd season definately seems rushed though, and that kind of affects its quality.
One thing of note is that the OP sequence for the series has to be the most surreal ive seen. I dont know how else to describe it. Its liable to stun first time viewers. Im not sure if this is a good or bad thing.
Rating:
Final Verdict
7.0000 (above average)
Reviewed by Question, Feb 03, 2007
Comments
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shoujoboy Feb 04, 2007
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Question Feb 04, 2007
The only thing that really stuck in my mind from the series sound and presentation was the OST and how they did the comedic bits really. Hmm i forgot to mention the OP sequence...
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starcraft2 Sep 21, 2008
I'm quite confused on it whether it is real story or just a comedy play because you ca acually see some film shooting equipments there but I like the series cause it also makes me laugh
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SchRita Jan 15, 2010
Thanks for the review!
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back07 Sep 16, 2012
thanks for the nice review
merged: 09-16-2012 ~ 06:28am
thanks for the nice reviewmerged: 09-16-2012 ~ 06:31am
thanks for the nice review
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