Full Moon O Sagashite is REALLY good but you also kind of need to know what you are going in for otherwise it might disappoint if you are not expecting its direction.

The basic way to explain it combines the fluffiest elements of shoujo and magical girl stories with sad undertones and backstories for most of the character cast. It isn't like Madoka Magica at all and doesn't have horror or action elements, but instead has twists that are moderately sad or depressing.

This genre subversion or even fusion is executed very well especially on the visual level. Costumes and art are over the top, and the shinigamis' cute animal forms are effective in creating a younger-shoujo, vaguely magical girl atmosphere. The main character is full of unfounded happiness and cheer, and her rise to idoldom is perhaps too easy- but that's all intentional as it makes the twists and turns even more effective. Because each sad reveal strikes such discord against the cheery shojo atmosphere the author has worked hard to create.

That being said, some twists are more effective than others. The BEST twist by far, the one that will live in my memory, is the Eichi reveal. That reveal combined with the MC's backstory surrounding it, and the shinigami's vague recollections around the time of the reveal was just unbelievably good.
Izumi's backstory was fantastic as well. I loved that the author tied his backstory to seemingly innocuous clues in his outfit. Some of the twists in the first volume were executed perfectly as well.

Other twists aren't executed as well. Both main shinigamis' backstories were bs and were too convenient. BOTH had ill-explained connections to the MC's family that didn't need to be in the story, I would even say SHOULDN'T have been written that way. I was expecting a lot more, especially from the female shinigami whose personality seemed to hint at things in her backstory that didn't actually pan out.
I also thought the Jonathan twist was... weird? It seemed like something the editor should have shot down. It was kind of stupid.

Overall Full Moon is a fantastic, unique work that will leave an impression. Most of the twists are hands down amazing, and the ones that don't work can still kind of be forgiven (I just headcanon a different backstory for both of the shinigami lol). If you enjoy a twist on the normal shojo format or a work that is deeper than it initially appears I would definitely give this a read.

Mostly

Full moon is the story of a 12 year old girl trying to become a singer because of a promise she made to someone she loves. However her grandma hates music. She also has throat cancer. She also never went to school. Her dad was also a top tier singer. Also 2 death reapers try to reap her soul since she is supposed to die in 1 year. But she convinces them to help her instead so she is now this model looking woman who is now an idol.

Its a very fast paced story which is for the better. If you stop and actually thought about the series you'd notice how shallow majority of the characters are. Most of the woman are just motivated by the male organ. The heart. Every single character is like in love. And it feels very superficial. Some of them get the very needed backstory but some of them feel incredibly vain.

Despite this I did like most of the series to my own surprise. Combined with the art the author is able to convey the right emotion albeit barely. Like i've said due to the somewhat shallow behavior of the heroines and heroes the dramatic moments feel a bit hollow. But the art is good enough for me to still be gut punched by it at least initially.

The story is also interesting for the most part. It gets a bit convoluted near the end. But the author does a good job of grabbing you by balls and tugging you along. If you can't tell the series is a sad story. But it never overwhelms the reader. Lightheartedness and playfulness is throughout the manga. The cheery atmosphere just adds to the gut punching later on but the gut punching also adds to the levity the series has.

TLDR: I enjoyed this series. Despite 4/5 heroines being major simps, the art is good enough, the story is interesting enough and the characters are likable enough to make me wanna keep reading. 7/10

At the tender age of 11 this really blew my mind at how beautiful human relationships and feelings were portrayed throughout the story. It gets confusing at times but not to the point where you can't catch up. It has it flaws though, as a lot is unclear even to the end. The strong points of Tanemura-Sensei are her beautiful art (idgaf if they all look the same, they're distinguishable enough), srong characters with well-written backgorund and portrayal of emotions.
If you are interested or a fan of her works, this is a must-read. The anime was also enjoyable with actual songs, though of course it differs from the manga, it has a nice ending.

Arina Tanemura draws some of the most beautiful shojo manga out there, but her stories are very weak comparatively. I don't know if it's because she's restricted by the editors she's had making manga for children's magazines (she tries to touch on adult issues but she can't seem to pull them off effectively) or because she's just weak at characterization and story telling.
Full Moon is touching in some ways, especially if you share the religious point of view that those who have passed on are always with us. Still, it's just so quirky and all over the place that the emotional moments aren't as effective as they could have been...

Honestly, I wanted to like this manga. I really did. It's foundation seemed promising, dark even, but instead of taking the more realistic ending (which, I admit, would have probably contradicted the "shoujo" label this was given) the author chose instead to supply us with a halfhearted, "everything is awesome now!"

One point I'd like to make, before I talk about the other issues with this manga, is the sheer difficulty I had following the story. It was always jumping around from one thing to the next, with no transition. Also, though this is more of a technical thing, the scanlations weren't the best.

That being said, the below has several spoilers. Proceed with caution.

The biggest problem I had with this manga is the inconsistency. The lighthearted tone of the manga didn't match with the dark premise. Despite this, the ending was so sugar coated that I almost got diabetes. They had an explanation for everything, which isn't always good, especially when it comes in the form of deus ex machina.

And the ending... my god, don't get me started on the ending. It makes NO sense with the rest of the story.



So, it is with great pain that I have to give this manga such a low score. It might be great for the readers who love perfect endings, even at the cost of their own brain cells, but for someone like me... I couldn't help but call bullshit, even if I wanted a good ending.

... Last updated on April 27th, 2013, 7:29pm

This series was mu very first shoujo when I was just getting into manga. Its also the series that gave me the passion to draw as well.

I absolutely love the story, it's tragic, sweet, and heartpounding. My favorite line of Mitsukis was "I've always wanted to try dying once." it's a line that stuck with me through the series. The fact that: was a great originsl touch even though she said where she got thr inspiration from. Another thing I like is all the characters are connected, so there all important to Dr.Wakioji to her grandmother.

Honestly, I did skim through a lot of this manga because I think for the most part I've outgrown super sparkly, and fluffy shoujos but heck, it's now or never.

The art can at many times be pretty but I do think it's just not my taste. I agree that the somewhat depressing and death-related plot didn't really match the 'magical princess' aura the whole story gave out (pretty much the WHOLE time). But then again, the main character is 12... so I'm not sure if that should be expected (or if the age was a mistake from the beginning). Despite that, the happy and cute disposition did work to level out anything really dampering. If you want something almost deep, then go for this story. Anything more than that? I don't think this will be able to deliver it well. Granted there were some good themes about never giving up, and suggestions about suicide but it was pretty grazed over with all those sparkles and tears in the mix.

The ending however surprised me a bit.
For a kid shoujo, it was alright. Wasn't bad, wasn't great.

Character dynamics - 7
Art - 8
Theme - 7
Plot - 8

... Last updated on December 26th, 2012, 3:48am

I really enjoyed the manga aspect of this, there was enough comedy to balance the sadness. And the anime aspect was wonderful, and it left a deeper impression on me than the manga...however, it goes to show that [m]Full Moon wo Sageshite[/m] is best, either way.

This manga was really difficult to review because of my conflicting emotions towards it. I guess it’s easier to split it up into pros and cons.

Pros: The art is extremely detailed and beautiful. You will be staring at many panels for a long time just to have it sink in. Also, there is actually a theme to this story. It’s not just some blank love story – it’s backed by a young girl’s determination to fulfill her dream of becoming a singer even if she were to pay for it with her life. I think the questions it offers resonates with everyone. I’m sure you’ve all had a dream like that at one point, or had something you wanted to do no matter what setbacks you’d face. But with Mitsuki’s case, she has throat cancer at the age of 12. Somehow Arina managed to turn a really cute, sugary shoujo into a meaningful, sad tragedy with lessons to learn (though it’s still cute and sugary). The characters aren’t bad though I like most of the side characters a lot more, especially Izumi and Keiichi. There are also some extremely gorgeous moments, ones that aren’t just draw well but are filled with emotion. This story is deeper than most and quite touching at parts. The ending was a bit too perfect but it had a holistic, happy feeling so most wouldn’t complain about that. The last line and the last spread page really left a strong impression on me.

Cons: The art is too sugary, mainly the bulging eyes, but you get used to it. As for the story itself, Arina tends to oversimplify or make serious topics seem too “cute”. Full Moon is so cute yet depressing it almost doesn’t seem appropriate. (And I personally prefer the anime since it’s not as overkill and you hear the music.) Granted the heroine is 12 so maybe that’s why this story lacks a down-to-earth, more realistic feeling but I swear sometimes Mitsuki acts like a brat and something about the way she’s portrayed makes me doubt her real strength (the heroine in 1 Liter of Tears is a similar age in a similar situation but is much stronger imo but that’s a jdrama). Also, her childhood love serves more as a plot device than a real character since he barely has a personality. But anyways, there were many parts in the story that had me cringing just a little from the cheesiness but other parts I must admit were beautifully done. Kinda one after the other so they even out in a way.

Overall, I do recommend you read this. It’s different and takes things to the extreme (of sadness) so it’s good to explore. This is Arina’s best series overall so it would be nice to check it out.

This is a manga that speaks to all ages, I suggest this to preteens and young adults alike. There's tragedy, romance, childish dreams, and endearing situations. The romance doesn't smack you in the face in the beginning like so many shoujo mangas, but comes along gradually. Well, as gradually as it can in about 30 chapters. The main character's dream to sing is really inspiring, and I think it's a sacrifice that a lot of people could come to understand. Once again, a great read!