I want to start this blog with the first series that I ever read, Crescent Moon. The series that started it all for me!
image from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crescent_Moon_(manga)
I actually own this series, so I will be reading the official English translation rather than reading from a website.
The back cover reads:
“Mahiru Shiraishi has an uncanny ability to bring good luck to everyone she touches -except herself. She’s constantly haunted by a recurring nightmare that ushers her to a dreamworld. There, she encounters a tribe of demons -a werewolf, vampire, fox, and bat- called the Lunar Race. Destiny calls when they need her help to recover their source of power, the stolen “Teardrops of the Moon”. In this fantasy adventure, Mahiru must battle the rage between the human race and the Lunar Race, whose powers are awakened by the dark side of the moon.”
Crescent Moon has 25 chapters through 6 volumes. My review will be below, and if you continue reading below the stars, you will see my explanation and my recounting of what I read.
Every post past this point will be a spoiler, so please read ahead with caution!
Review time!
Plot: 1 Star. The manga has a single main plot of finding and recovering the Teardrops of the Moon. Since they do this, they earn a full star.
Art: 1/2 Star. I love the art in this manga. The designs, expressions, variations of features, effects, and use of shading are all wonderful! Unfortunately, despite how many times I’ve read this, I can’t always tell what is happening, who is talking, or what is a thought versus spoken word.
Story Progression: 1 Star. Every moment that happens has a reason, even if it’s small, so there’s never a dull moment.
Genre: 1 Star. This is definitely a shoujo, fantasy manga what with the strong female lead, spells, barriers, transformations, and other dimension. On sites, it may also be listed as romance or comedy, but I believe those fit as well. Since they weren’t sited on Wikipedia, though, I’ll just stick with shoujo fantasy.
Enjoyment: 1 Star. This is my all time favorite manga because it was the first one I read, and it introduced me to so many new things. I still love this take on demons and how it combines Eastern and Western demons to make up the Lunar Race. I like the depictions of the demons, and though I’m not a fan of Dawn’s Venus, the human aspect is well explained as well. There’s only two plot points I didn’t like, and they were minor (read below to find out what they were); everything else is wonderful. After all these years, I still love this manga, and there’s a reason I’ve read it more than a dozen times.
So even though this series does not have five stars, I still highly recommend it,
so I’m going to put it on the “Recommended Manga!” page.
If you’d like to read my full review, please click here.
Completed Manga Review 