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ender85's Full Moon wo Sagashite Tv Review

Full Moon wo Sagashite

Full Moon wo Sagashite tv Review

Twelve-year-old Kouyama Mitsuki was devastated when she was diagnosed with a malignant tumor of the throat. She had made a promise to the boy she loves that she would one day become a singer, but her illness made singing impossible. To make matters even worse, two angels of death, Takuto and Meroko, appeared to Mitsuki and informed her that she only had one year left to live! This news provides an even greater motivation for Mitsuki to fulfill her dreams, and with a little bit of divine intervention, she begins her quest to become a professional singer so she can be reunited with Eichi before time runs out.

Synopsis: MizzDorKeeAznGurRl

Story & Characters

On the surface, Full Moon wo Sagashite is a happy show about an idol singer that should only appeal to girls under 14. However, under the surface, it is a show about a number of serious issues including death, love, and living life to the fullest that can have value to both genders and all ages. I should know, I'm a 19 year old guy.

In the begining we are introduced to Mitsuki, a twelve year old girl with throat cancer, and two rather unusual shinigami (gods of death), Takuto and Meroko, who have come to watch over her because she only has one year to live. Mitsuki wants above all else to become a singer to fufill a promise to a boy she loves named Eichi. She's been separated from him since he moved to America two years ago and sees singing as her only means of finding him. Despite her cancer, she refuses surgery so she can become a singer.

Many of the early episodes are happy and hint only sightly to the serious nature of Mitsuki's condition. As the series progresses, it moves away from the silly beginning episodes and moves more into the problem of Mitsuki's remaining life span. The final quarter of episodes are what really make this series into the masterpiece that it is. It is depressing at some points and uplifting at others, but the most important thing is that you realize at some point you started caring about what happens to the characters. That's what makes it a great story.

Rating: 10

Art

The art of Full Moon wo Sagashite is not particularly special. The characters, backgrounds, and animation are all well done but not spectacular. There was nothing in the artwork that made me notice how great or terrible it was. The focus in Full Moon wo Sagashite obviously wasn't the art, but it still does its job. The characters are well drawn. Mitsuki is cute. Enough said. Looking back, I don't really care that much about the quality of the artwork for the series. It doesn't seem as important compared to the storyline for this kind of anime.

Rating: 6

Sound

The music of Full Moon wo Sagashite is very good. Myco, Mitsuki's normal voice and singing voice, has a voice that you don't get tired of very easily. This is a good thing because, while the songs are good, you have to listen to the same songs many times throughout the series. The songs are extremely good and they express Mitsuki's feelings very well. Even after the series is over, you will want the OST. Of course, if you don't like the songs, the anime will start to annoy you.

Overall, the music is what shapes this anime. If you like the music, it greatly enhances the experience. If you don't like the music, you will probably never even make it past the first few episodes.

Rating: 9

Presentation

Full Moon wo Sagashite is a great story and I recommend everyone watch it. I enjoyed it and I still listen to the songs. It is tedious in the beginning, but you'll be glad you endured it if you watch it through to the end. It is unique in its balance of playfulness and the seriousness of the issues it raises. The first half lets you get to know the characters, then the second half dumps a bucket of ice water on your head as the characters face increasingly serious problems.

The result of this is set up is a situation where you want Mitsuki to fulfill her dream. You want a happy ending, and you want to know what’s going to happen. This is a series where you can watch knowing they are trying to manipulate you, and it works anyway.

For myself, I still listen to the songs. They seem to have feelings imbedded in them. I do not speak Japanese, but I still know the words of the songs. They mean something to me. One of the things that makes this series so highly rated is the reality of the issues it raises. No one here is visited by shinigami, but everyone must deal with the fear of death. The problems Mitsuki faces and the strength with which she confronts them are inspiring. Her struggle is our struggle, and we want her to succeed, even if it's impossible.

Rating: 9

Final Verdict

8.8333 (very good)

Reviewed by ender85, Sep 17, 2005

Comments

  1. Aisu-Kitsune Sep 19, 2005

    Nice review. *nods* Full Moon is one of my favorite series. The anime is great and I recommend reading the manga, too, because the endings are different (plus the manga has extra background info on the characters). ^_^

  2. HopelessDreamer1124 Sep 24, 2005

    I <3 <3 <3 FMwS! ^______^ I lent my friends the mangas and they adore the story line and the characters. yay!!! My boyfriend wants to cosplay as Takuto if we ever go to a convention. o_0

    So far, I haven't heard anyone bad mouthing it so it's great ^_^

  3. strawberrt Oct 18, 2005

    Full Moon wo Sagashite is a great anime. But people say that the manga is better, since they changed a bit of the storyline in the anime. And the manga goes into more detail. And i disagree about the art. The artwork must be at least 8/10. If you buy some of the artbooks of Full Moon, you will see how detailed it is. litterally. I tried extracting an image of full moon once, and it took me 2-3 hours. Thats how detailed it is.

  4. ange-argente Jan 26, 2006

    Nice review. I don't agree with all your grading, but it's very thorough, and definitely a reflection of your opinion. I thought the story actually started out ridiculously slow, but the end is definitely worth the wait. I would've given the art a little bit of a higher grade 'cause it wasn't bad. Everything else, I can agree with, although I found Myco's voice acting a little trying at times, and it took some getting used to.

    Oh, and if you enjoyed the anime, I highly recommend the manga 'cause it's different from the anime, a lot darker, but it's still good, if not better.

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