mariprosa

Full Moon wo Sagashite might very well be one of the best shoujo series to carry a heavy theme within it in such a bittersweet and lighthearted way - merging drama, romance, some comedy and a predominant musical thematic.  There are few series that handle the overall presentation as well as Full Moon does, but the downside is that this may not be a series for everyone, as it's a series that goes well over 20 episodes and may strike some as repetitive with some of the same musical themes used throughout, character utterance (Mitsuki's "Echi-kun" might find itself old after some time) and its episodic progression until it hits heavy with some of the revelations, and one important twist that comes about midway through the series - which honestly, I didn't see coming.

Yet, even with the anime series over the years that I've seen, I still have a fondness for Full Moon with respect to the story and characters presented, and I'll admit it, it's a nicely presented guilty pleasure.  The story revolves around 12-year old Misuki, a girl diagnosed with throat cancer, and with a tumor that not only makes it painful to talk, the only treatment available would mean for her to lose her voice...and lose her greatest passion, singing. To make matters more complicated, her strict grandmother forbids Misuki to sing, not only in her concern for Misuki's health, but as those who watch the series progressively note, she holds a bitterness towards music for a personal pain.

To take the story further, two shinigami or death gods, Takuto and Meroko, give Mitsuki a revelation, one in which Misuki passionately wishes to become a singer before that revelation comes to pass-and in turn, Takuto grants Mitsuki the ability to transform into a 15 year old singing sensation: Full Moon. Full Moon undergoes many trials and tribulations in the realm of singing, from becoming a start to hiding her identity and, off and on, Mitsuki dealing with the pain of her cancer among other trials that befall her. While I'm apt to say that it does follow episodic progressions, it's never unbefitting for its intended audience, and actually quite cute.

In retrospect, I appreciated Full Moon while, if you watch many shoujo series and have seen some like Fancy Lala or even the elder series Magical Girl Creamy Mami and Magical Emi (all of which I have seen, at least in part, to date), you may be tempted to write this off as your standard "transfomer idol" series.  Yet, Full Moon gives enough substantiated weight in its characterization that makes you, at the very least, care for the characters, and root for some of the romantic relationships that come to pass.  I wouldn't call Full Moon one of the best series I've seen in retrospect, but there are times when it's not only very funny (Takuto and Meroko's exchanges are often hilarious) but also quite sad and sweet-and it deserves a place in the shoujo classic realm. The ending to Full Moon was probably one of a few series where I actually felt like I could shed tears in the end.  It does tend to be overly, and quite sugary, sentimental in points, but I wouldn't say it takes away from the story overall.

The intended audience for Full Moon are those who are more into the shoujo romance/drama and some situational comedy.  Those who want action/adventure, it's safe to say you're in the wrong boat for watching this series.  A downside to Full Moon is that I disliked points are which some of the themes are recycled, and it might not come across well to all because its idolized J-Pop, but it's one of the series that put Myco/Changing My Life on the map.  Suffice to say, in my own opinion, I actually did enjoy the musical atmosphere of the series alongside the story.

The animation for Full Moon pales in comparison to some animation standards, but I actually give it higher because it adapts the manga counterpart rather well in character and setting design. Unfortunately, visually it only conducts itself as average compared to contemporary series, and shows its age quite distinctly.  Those who typically watch shoujo series probably wouldn't give it much notice though, as its intention is to be very "cute" and it does succeed in doing so.

The musical atmosphere of Full Moon is, indubitibly, a strong one, and if you consider other series as of late where music is a central focus (the darker, shounen central BECK, the josei, mature oriented NANA, and even other series like Chance Pop Central or Lemon Angel Project), Full Moon manages to suit it well. Yet, it's a give and take. The first opening theme "I <3 U" by the Scanty, is a fun theme that it's hard not to find it as cute and catchy, I enjoyed it more than the second OP "Rock and Roll Princess", but I'd give the second theme credit for going well with the sequence and the instrumentation.  The endings are considerably stronger and more idol J-Pop.  Of the endings, my favorites were "Myself" and "New Future", but one might notice that the quality of the songs may not necessarily differ in overall stylistic.  Luckily, there are a few insert themes that give a bit more diversity, such as the Route L version of "Eternal Snow", and actually excels as my favorite over the original.

 The voice acting actually was what made me grade it down a little more than what I wanted to. Mitsuki's Japanese voice sounds considerably more mature than a normal 12 year old girl, but she does get into the heart of her character, and her performance is never forced.  Takuto and Meroko's VAs, as well as the supporting cast are well suited for their roles.  I did see only a portion of the English dubbed counterpart, and while I didn't feel the dub was up to the quality of the original, one VA I'd like to note is Mitsuki's (Katie Rowan), she does a decent job, but at the same time, I think the English VA work doesn't quite get into the emotional range as the original. To give due credit, however, the quality of the English version has improved tremendously with subsequent installments in the series.

Characterization in this series was quite good and made Full Moon more of an enjoyable watch for me. I did end up falling in love with the characters and they had enough development and stance where you could feel for their situations and see the chemistry among them. Mitsuki is a sweet character, and despite some points where she might be oversaturated in emotion, she's a sweetheart. She's relatable and well-developed over the course of the series, as are Takuto and Meroko, whom are more than simply side characters, but are actually given equal weight to Mitsuki for their roles and relationships. I was particulary impressed with the weight that Takuto's character received in his backstory, and he comes to have more of a sentimental role in the series with his relationship to Mitsuki, sharing both a musical past and despite his exterior, really cares for her.  Meroko might seem annoying at first with her attitude and reluctance to help Mitsuki, but you gradually warm up to her as the series progresses.

The side characters are enjoyable to watch in their own relations with the main three, and in retrospect, there were only one of the characters whom I found mildly annoying, but luckily he had only a short arc in which to develop him.  Although I can't say Full Moon does the best job at character development, they are given enough weight to fuel the atmosphere of the series.

All in all, I loved Full Moon as a collective series, despite its overall cons.  it's a series that was well worth the watch and certainly among my favorite shoujo classics in its own regard.