NIce review! (first comment ^^)
Full Moon wo Sagashite tv,manga 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 & Playability
Kouyama Mitsuki is a 12 year old girl who dreams about being a singer because of a promise that she made with a childhood lover named Eichi. However, Mitsuki is sick with throat cancer. One day two shinigami (essentially death gods) named Takuto and Meroko pops into her room and informs Mitsuki that she has a year left to live. Unwilling to let her sickness (or her strict grandmother) stop her from becoming a singer, she convinces Takuto to transform her into a 16 year old so that she can enter a singing competition and fulfill her dreams of reuniting with Eichi...
Both the manga and the anime appears lighthearted on the surface, but also takes a deep look at darker themes behind life, love, and death. Arina Tanemura does a marvelous job weaving these themes together in the manga as the plot spirals into the unexpected. Full Moon wo Sagashite is probably one of her best works in terms of plot, because she manages to weave the darker aspects of the story with a lot of hope. The emotional undercurrents are very raw and believable, and she does an excellent job in fleshing out the background stories of most of the main characters.
While the anime also examines many similar themes, it deviates considerably from the manga plot by introducing a lot of new characters in many filler episodes. Despite running for 52 episodes the anime managed to exclude many of the most compelling side plots that Arina Tanemura developed in the manga, particularly for Izumi (another shinigami) but also many other characters. With this regard, many of the characters in the anime lack the depth that they have in the manga. Some characters like Meroko become a lot sillier, which makes me wonder if the anime aimed at targeting a much younger audience than the manga. The closing episodes of the anime manage to capture much of the raw emotions in the manga, but the plot for the anime could have been much more compelling and should have been cut to about half its length.
Rating:
Graphics
As always, Arina Tanemura's artwork is filled with exquisite details and excellent character designs... cute girls and cute guys afterthe traditional shoujo style. The anime pales in comparison to the manga with regards to art, mostly because it's not possible to duplicate the details of the original artwork. In any case, the anime is plot-driven rather than art-driven. The bright colors fit (and slightly exaggerate) the pop-idol theme, and certain (repetitious) special-effects transformation scenes calls Sailor Moon to mind more than anything else. Overall the anime art is not horrible, but not terrific, and can be slightly cheesy at times.
Rating:
Sound
The OST for the anime is probably one of the redeeming characteristics for the series. Since the plot centers around music, being able to actually hear some of Mitsuki's songs adds a lot to the story. J-Pop star Myco sings the songs incredibly well. Her speaking voice sounded a little too forced and cute for Mitsuki (12), but sounded ok for Mitsuki (16). The rest of the seiyuu cast did a fairly solid job. The Mitsuki songs are very J-pop and incredibly catchy (and also sounds very different from Mitsuki's usual speaking voice), although several of the main songs got overplayed to death: once-twice in the actual episode, and again for the opening/ending. The fact that I was able to enjoy those songs after having had them drilled into my ears is a tribute to the series' songs. If you like J-Pop, you'll like the sound for this series. The rest of the OST was fairly average in terms of background music... nothing that will particularly grab your attention.
Rating:
Fun
The manga made for a very enjoyable and compelling read... probably one of my favorites to date. The engaging plot grabbed my attention from beginning to end and Arina Tanemura did an excellent job of working the characters and tying up all the loose ends. Arina Tanemura definitely takes the readers on an emotional rollercoaster ride with this series in a way that's rather reminiscent of Kodomo no Omocha (manga). If you're looking for a sweet shoujo series that deals with more than the usual shoujo themes and will make you think (and maybe make you cry), you'll probably really enjoy this manga.
I found the anime on the other hand to be completely overrated. 52 episodes is a long time to sit through and because I enjoyed the manga plot so much, I failed to appreciate all the filler episodes and deviations from the plot, most of which failed to reveal the deeper sides of the characters. The ending episodes were quite powerful and moving... made up for a lot of the earlier episodes' lapses in this regard, but I personally felt like sitting through the previous 40+ episodes just to get to the ending (which also deviated a lot from the original manga plot in a sort of annoying way) didn't prove to be the best use of my time.
If you've read the manga first and you really liked it, you'll probably enjoy the anime a lot less (which was what happened to me). But if you haven't read the manga before watching the anime you'll probably find the anime to be quite enjoyable. Just be prepared for a lot of song repetition and quite a fair number of silly filler episodes, especially towards the beginning.
Rating:
Final Verdict
7.0000 (above average)
Reviewed by flyindreams, Nov 10, 2005
Comments
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hunterkiller03 Nov 10, 2005
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Mabui Nov 10, 2005
Nice review.. But a overall 7? O.o; If I'd make it it would be at least 8 or 9. I don't really like how you compare the anime art with the manga art considering it's impossible to be as detailed in an animated series as in a manga.
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flyindreams Nov 10, 2005
Lol... I acknowledged that in the review
Quote by meThe anime pales in comparison to the manga with regards to art, mostly because it's not possible to duplicate the details of the original artwork.
That wasn't the main reason why I gave that score for art though =P
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ShinoMatrix Nov 10, 2005
Review good... scoring of the show, well, I wouldn't agree with you since I still hold Full Moon wo Sagashite among my favourite anime, but still of course, that is your opinion.
What I would say though is that perhaps, the comparison to manga was not really needed (that's just my opinion). I see "anime" reviews as being informative and objective of the anime as it is, not in comparison with the book version (which all too often is commonly agreed as better anyway). Perhaps if you really needed to compare it to anything else, compare it to anime with a similar context.
Anyway, good job.
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shinsengumi Retired Moderator Nov 10, 2005
Excellently-written review, flyindreams. You not only gave what seem to be very fair and objective scores to each of the categories, but you also more than adequately justified the scores that you assigned.
Quote by Mabui Nice review.. But a overall 7? O.o
As a rule of thumb, ignore the letter grades, as they are misleading. Scores should be considered as follows: Average should float between 5 and 6. Therefore, 7 corresponds to good or above average, 8 corresponds to great, 9 corresponds to excellent, and 10 represents something akin to the pinnacle of human achievement.
Quote by ShinoMatrixI see "anime" reviews as being informative and objective of the anime as it is, not in comparison with the book version
There is nothing wrong with drawing a comparison between a work in question (in this case, the anime) and the work that it is based on (the manga). Whether or not such a comparison is made is really up to the preference of the reviewer, if he or she deems it appropriate or necessary. Besides, many of those who may be interested in watching the anime could very well be those who have read the manga in the past, so such a comparison could be very useful.
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rgnk Nov 10, 2005
the review is good, but not quite as it is. more like a comparison than an anime review, and little bit of disappointment and biased.
yes the manga is better, i personally agree with that. however, the anime has its own qualities lacking in the manga. we got to hear mitsuki sing, see her live performances, and actually follow her struggles as a singer. the anime is different for having its own plot, and it deserves an independent review not subjected to the manga.
(at first i do notice the deviation, but after seeing it through the end, i am surprised the anime manage to pull an entirely different story. i really appreciate that.)
you mention about filler episodes in your review that actually are not fillers. those are the anime's original plot that shows mitsuki's development as a singer and entirely leads a non-manga ending. fillers should be more like the "sumo guy" episode in kenshin or the weird epsiodes in naruto, or dbz, you got the idea.
no offense, i do think your review is a good comparison and fair. cheers.
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MaKenShii Restricted Member Nov 10, 2005
The review was good, but personally i would of given this at least an 8 or 9. Yes some of the earlier episodes were indeed fillers but like rgnk said, the anime actually manages to come up with a plot
of it's own, and most of these episodes contribute to the storyline for the anime greatly not to mention that we get to hear Mitsuki sing which really expresses her emotion i dare say more powerful than in the manga, bringing the songs to life. -
Angeling Nov 11, 2005
i've only watched the anime and haf yet to read the manga... but i will hafta disagree on the art part since i feel that the anime drawing seems much nicer than the manga ones (given wat i haf seen from the artbooks) and is one of the main reasons why i haven read the manga even though i rather liked the anime... i second that the soundtrack is really good though... in fact it is one of my faves and i like the fact that the anime blended the song into the plot too... overall the plot is not too bad for the anime IMO and since it differs for the manga i will definitely try to read it before making ani comparisons... for the anime i would gif it abt 7.5... :)
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justducky Nov 12, 2005
Full Moon Wo Sagashite is a memorable series for me. Most of all I love the artwork. Your rating on Arina Tanemura's artwork is low T_T I think she does a splendid job with it all. It might seem cheesy to you but there is something special for each work :) i thought the sound of the anime was amazing! Compared to any anime I've heard XD I think the bg music was wonderful and it really helped sent the mood at the time, brought me to tears XD I've watched the anime first and read the manga and you're right whichever you pick first you end up loving more. I loved that FullMoon was long and only wished it was longer. I'd give it a 8.5 or maybe even an 9 but a 7 seems harsh. I'm glad you didn't push it futher down I would have cried, haha. Anyway a decent review, nice work.
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merelie Nov 13, 2005
Full Moon Wo Sagashite is a series that i liked, not only for the beautiful art but also for the underlying expose of dark(er) human nature. Death is something to be afraid of, yes, but it is also a part of life, so to speak. Arina Tanemura's work has always been among my favourite and this series is no exception. I think you've done an excellent job of reviewing and I don't believe that your manga comparison is unwarranted. Overall, i found it informative and well thought out.
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sorachan93 Nov 13, 2005
i loved Full Moon. The manga was absolute genius but the anime kinda disapointed meh..... lol i love a little drama and this tottally delivered. I think the author deserved a bettter rating because her artwork is so nice ^^ lol it happened to me too.... the manga made me so excited to watch the anime, but the anime was a little disapointing.... nice review ^^
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seandreea Nov 14, 2005
Thanks for the review. I was looking for a good review on the series to see if it is worth downloading or not. Guess I will read it ;)
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ender85 Nov 14, 2005
Full Moon wo Sagashite is a great anime. The anime is powerful, moving, and has great music. I tried to read the manga afterward, but found it lacking.
The differences between the manga and anime are frustrating. I think this is a series where you like the one you see first, because both stories are emotional and leave a lasting impression. When you switch to the other (manga/anime), you find a different story and don't like it as much.
Both the anime and the manga have great stories but they are significantly different from each other. That said, I think if you have a choice, you should watch the anime first. I love the music.
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renki Nov 17, 2005
I like this animation very much.
I always look. -
almina Nov 18, 2005
"The anime pales in comparison to the anime " <- is a mistake, isn't it ?
Well, that's incredible how I agree with you. Except that I don't wonder if the anime was aimed for a younger audience, it is without a doubt. I have enjoyed the anime... well more the end cause I was ready to give up after 13 episodes since the story is so diluted.
It is a really fair review.
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flyindreams Nov 18, 2005
...^^;; fixed, thanks for catching that :)
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sukie Dec 01, 2005
mmm...it think you gave it what it deserved...this isn;t really a very nice anime...the plot was poor...the and the bg art not so hot...
love your review!
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fishmeerx Dec 16, 2005
FULL MOON is very pretty~
it's a gorgeous anime~ -
SYMONE15 Dec 22, 2005
I agree with u fishmeerx. Full moon IS very gorgeous. i never got to watch it, but i read the manga, and it's AWESOME! ~_~
merged: 12-23-2005 ~ 07:28am
I think eechi is really cute and really sweet, but i also love TAKUTO! -
Countess-D Jun 08, 2006
At first glance it sounds like this one will have a bitter end. Thanks for the honest review (it saves people from adquiring the anime, and go directly to the manga and on tghis case, OST's); it sucks when a good story gets violated into something different, on this case not as good, as the original =_=
I tend to avoid shoujo's but Tanemura does manages to capture my attention =)
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Mnemosyne Oct 12, 2006
I dunno... I was going to review this one myself, now that I've finished the manga... Actually, I saw the anime first and loved it, then read the manga and loved it... and then watched the anime again and loved it even more...
You really have to view the anime world and the manga world as two completely different things, though... rather than comparing them... because the characters are too different and the story is too different for you to compare them... it's kind of like comparing FMA to Monk or Sailor Moon to Hotaru no Haka...
but I'm probably rambling by now, because that tends to happen when I start talking about Full Moon... ^^
it was a good review anyway!
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