igutmann - 2013-03-19 09:20:08

Disclaimer: This was the first anime I owned on DVD, and I watched it when I was 15. There may be minor spoilers, but they are completely unintended.

Story 7 - 

Tsukuyomi: MoonPhase is a romance/fantasy series in which Kouhei Morioka, a paranormal photographer, visits a castle in Germany and finds a young girl named Hazuki living there. 

She's confined to the castle against her will, but Kouhei helps her and  she later follows him to Japan, intent on finding her missing mother.

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At this point, an anime from 2005 is quite cliche. Many other vampire series were converted into anime around the same time, reducing the impact of a story about a little vampire girl obsessed with cat ears and gothic lolita fashion. 

However, as a mid-teen, I really enjoyed it and marathoned the show each time I got a new DVD. The settings and the kookiness of the story really appealed to me, as there were some dark and sad/slow parts of the series tied with the story. 

I suppose that's why this deserves a 7. It was a fun series that held me interest throughout. The 26th episode was stupid, though.

~*~

Animation 8 - 

To this day, I still think the animation style is really attractive. Everyone was in proportion to each other throughout the show, and props to everyone having to animate all the lace and ruffles on Hazuki's clothing. I loved the parts when the house was shown as a cross section, so you could see where everyone was.

One downside is that they definitely abused the "shadow over the eyes" when a character is angry or sad. 

~*~

Sound 9 - 

I absolutely love the soundtrack. The second opening, first, second and third ending are great as well. The theme of the series is powerful and thrilling, with an immediate  feeling of danger. Considering the element of comedy, the music melds better as it contains some light-hearted songs. Definitely a must-have soundtrack, for me at least.

~*~

Character 8 -

There are many characters beyond Hazuki and Kouhei. Ryuuji and Seiji, Kouhei's grandfather and cousin, respectively, and his friend and co-worker Hiromi, play some important (albeit smaller) roles in the series. 

In the show, we learn that Hazuki is extremely lonely and desperate for a friend. She has a fractured relationship with her family and no friends before meeting Kouhei. This causes her to abuse and manipulate her friends testing to see how much they really care for her. Hazuki grows and develops until, once the viewer has completed it, they realise that beyond her slight-Tsundere behaviour and whiny personality, she's grown into a good character that can be appreciated even after the show ends. 

Kouhei is the butt of family jokes and has a love/hate relationship with Hazuki in the span of the show. He has a short temper when pointed as the laughing stock, but is really hardworking and friendly. I think he's possibly one of the more boring characters in MoonPhase, but he still develops as much as Hazuki. 

~*~

Enjoyment 8 - 

I liked it when I was younger, but seeing it again by myself isn't something I could do. I'd probably watch it with someone else. It is 26 episodes long, anyway.

~*~

Overall 8 - 

I think this series deserves an 8. It introduced me into the world of anime (past what Poke'mon and other childhood shows did), and acted like the roots of a tree which grew as I branched out into different genres.

To summarise, Tsukuyomi: MoonPhase is a good series for younger girls interested in a comedy/romance with some dark story elements.