Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase
| Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase | |
|
Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase Volume I | |
| 月詠 (Tsukuyomi) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Comedy, Romance, Supernatural |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Keitarō Arima |
| Published by | Wani Books |
| English publisher |
  Madman Entertainment  Tokyopop |
| Demographic | Seinen |
| Magazine | Comic Gum |
| Original run | March 2000 – March 27, 2008 |
| Volumes | 16 |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Akiyuki Shinbo |
| Studio | Shaft |
| Licensed by |
Madman Entertainment FUNimation Revelation Films |
| Network | TV Tokyo, TV Osaka |
| English network |
Select On Demand, AZN Television, FUNimation Channel |
| Original run | October 4, 2004 – March 28, 2005 |
| Episodes | 25 plus omake OVA |
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Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase (月詠 Tsukuyomi) is a manga series by Keitarō Arima about a young vampire girl named Hazuki and a Japanese freelance photographer Kouhei Morioka whom Hazuki attempts to make into her servant.
The manga was adapted into a 25 episode anime TV series by the Shaft studio and aired late night on TV Tokyo from October 4, 2004 to March 28, 2005, followed by an additional 26th episode released only on DVD on February 22, 2006 which featured Art from Type-Moon. The OVA storyline has very little to do with the original series outside of having some of the same characters, and has a completely different storyline which does not fit into anything which came before it.[1]
Tokyopop publishes an English-language version of the manga[2] while Funimation released the English-language version of the anime under the name Moon Phase.[3]
Plot
The story is about the relationship between freelance photographer Kouhei Morioka and Hazuki, a young girl who descends from a royal vampire lineage. At the beginning of the story, Kouhei travels to a castle in Germany to take photographs of paranormal phenomena for his friend Hiromi, who is the editor of an occult magazine. At the castle, Kouhei meets Hazuki, who feeds on Kouhei's blood and claims him as her unwilling servant. Although this "blood pact" is supposed to bind Kouhei to Hazuki as her obedient slave, her act has no effect on Kouhei. Following an action-packed sorcerers' battle in which Kouhei and his cousin manage to free Hazuki from her captivity in the dreary castle, Hazuki travels to Tokyo, and takes up residence with Kouhei in his grandfather's house in Japan. Hazuki claims that, because she fed on his blood, Kouhei is now her servant, but Kouhei continually refuses to obey her, especially when he thinks her requests are unreasonable. Despite their fighting, the relationship between the duo progresses over time — even in the face of repeated attacks by opposing vampires — until Kouhei becomes determined to protect Hazuki from the vampire servants of her family, who are determined to retrieve her by whatever means necessary.
Manga
Tsukuyomi Moon Phase was written by Keitarō Arima, and originally published by Wani Books. Starting with volume one in March 2000, the series has 16 volumes with the last being released in March 2009 in Japan. Tokyopop and Madman Entertainment both had English releases for the manga but due to financial trouble, Tokyopop postponed some of the dates. The manga is licensed in Taiwan by Sharp Point Press.[4] On May 31, 2011 Tokyopop announced that all of their licensed titles would revert to their Japanese owners leaving the series incomplete.
| Volume | Japanese | English | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ISBN | Release Date | ISBN | Release Date | |
| 1 | ISBN 4-8470-3342-6 | March 2000 | ISBN 1-59532-948-X | December 12, 2005 |
| 2 | ISBN 4-8470-3361-2 | September 2000 | ISBN 1-59532-949-8 | March 7, 2006 |
| 3 | ISBN 4-8470-3395-7 | April 2001 | ISBN 1-59532-950-1 | June 13, 2006 |
| 4 | ISBN 4-8470-3423-6 | December 2001 | ISBN 1-59532-951-X | September 12, 2006 |
| 5 | ISBN 4-8470-3432-5 | June 2002 | ISBN 1-59532-952-8 | December 12, 2006 |
| 6 | ISBN 4-8470-3443-0 | February 2003 | ISBN 1-59532-953-6 | March 13, 2007 |
| 7 | ISBN 4-8470-3457-0 | October 24, 2003 | ISBN 1-59532-954-4 | June 12, 2007 |
| 8 | ISBN 4-8470-3469-4 | May 22, 2004 | ISBN 1-59532-955-2 | September 11, 2007 |
| 9 | ISBN 4-8470-3486-4 | December 24, 2004 | ISBN 1-4278-0163-0 | December 11, 2007 |
| 10 | ISBN 4-8470-3509-7 | July 25, 2005 | ISBN 1-4278-0164-9 | April 8, 2008 |
| 11 | ISBN 4-8470-3535-6 | March 25, 2006 | ISBN 1-4278-0726-4 | August 8, 2008 |
| 12 | ISBN 4-8470-3578-X | October 25, 2006 | ISBN 1-4278-0727-2 | November 4, 2008 |
| 13 | ISBN 4-8470-3597-6 | April 25, 2007 | ISBN 1-4278-1161-5 | Postponed By Tokyopop and never released.[5][6] |
| 14 | ISBN 4-8470-3619-0 | November 24, 2007 | - | - |
| 15 | ISBN 4-8470-3647-6 | July 24, 2008 | - | - |
| 16 | ISBN 4-8470-3677-8 | March 24, 2009 | - | - |
Anime
Episodes
The English title listed here are official episode titles and may be different from original Japanese title. Each episode ends with still image drawn by illustrators and listed below as endcards. The series consists of 25 episodes and one OVA.
| # | Title | Endcard | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | "Big Brother, Be My Slave" "Onii-sama,Watashi no Shimobe ni Narinasai♥" (おにいさま、私のシモベになりなさい♥) | October 4, 2004 | ||
| 02 | "Call Me Mistress" "Go-shujin-sama to Oyobinasai♥" (御主人様とおよびなさい♥) | Nono Ahara | October 11, 2004 | |
| 03 | "Big Brother, Let's Live Together" "Onii-sama, Atashi to Issho ni Kurashite Kudasai ne♥" (おにいさま、私といっしょに暮らしてくださいね♥) | Suzunari Shimokitazawa | October 18, 2004 | |
| 04 | "Big Brother, I Feel Like Kissing" "Onii-sama, ...Kisu Shitakunacchatta♥" (おにいさま、...キスしたくなっちゃた♥) | POP | October 25, 2004 | |
| 05 | "Big Brother, It's a Full Full Full Moon" "Onii-sama, Furufurufurumūn♥" (おにいさま、ふるふるふるむーん♥) | Nobuyuki Takagi | November 1, 2004 | |
| 06 | "Heart Throbs in Kyoto" "Onii-sama to Kyoto de ...ufu♥ Wakuwaku♥♥" (おにいさまと京都で...うふ♥ わくわく♥♥) | Yasuhito Kawamura | November 8, 2004 | |
| 07 | "Well, I Wanted It..." "......Datte Hoshikattandamon♥" (......だって欲しかったんだもん♥) | Humikane Shimada | November 15, 2004 | |
| 08 | "Mother Came to See Me! Happy!" "Okaa-sama ga Kitekureta! Ureshii♥" (母様がきてくれた! うれしい♥) | GotoP | November 22, 2004 | |
| 09 | "Save Me From This Dream" "Onii-sama, Atashi wo Yume kara Tasukete... Onegai" (おにいさま、私を夢から助けて...おねがい) | Takehito Harada | November 29, 2004 | |
| 10 | "You're My Slave and I won't Forgive You" "Yurusanai... Hajimete no Shimobe no Kuse ni" (ゆるさない...初めてのシモベのくせに) | Bukichi Nadeara | December 6, 2004 | |
| 11 | "Big Brother, Get Some Rest!" "Onii-sama, Ansei ni Shitenakya Dame♥" (おにいさま、安静にしてなきゃダメ♥) | Dr.Moro | December 13, 2004 | |
| 12 | "I'll Never Forgive Him!" "Yurusenai no, Aitsu Dake wa...!" (ゆるせないの、あいつだけは...!) | NIΘ, Ringo Kick (Nitroplus) | December 20, 2004 | |
| 13 | "Let's Defeat the Count!" "Onii-sama, Minna de Hakushaku wo Taoshimashō ne♥" (おにいさま、みんなで伯爵を倒しましょうね♥) | E=mc² | December 27, 2004 | |
| 14 | "Big Brother, Will You Walk with Me?" "Onii-sama to Issho ni...... Osanpo shitai desu♥" (おにいさまといっしょに......お散歩したいです♥) | Bow Ditama | January 10, 2005 | |
| 15 | "It's More Than a Responsibility!" "Onii-sama, "Sekinin"-totte Kudasai ne♥" (おにいさま、"せきにん"とってくださいね♥) | Noizi Ito | January 17, 2005 | |
| 16 | "I Have to Eat Cat-Ear Buns!" "Onii-sama, Doushitemo Furufurudou no Nekomimi Manju Janakucha Dame nandesu♥" (おにいさま、どうしてもふるふる堂のネコミミ饅頭じゃなくちゃだめなんです♥) | Ōji | January 24, 2005 | |
| 17 | "Big Brother, Why Is This Happening?" "Onii-sama, Nande Konna Koto ni Naruwake?" (おにいさま、なんでこんなことになるわけ!?) | Higashiguchi Chūō | January 31, 2005 | |
| 18 | "Yahoo! I'll See You Soon!" "Yahho♥ Haiho♥ Ima, Ai ni Yukimasu ne♥" (ヤッホー♥ ハイホー♥ 今、会いに行きますネ♥) | Gayarō | February 7, 2005 | |
| 19 | "Day on the Mountain, Monkey in the Spa, the Cat's Whiskers... And Who Are You?" "Oyama no Hi Yukemuri no Saru Neko ni Hige ...de, Antatachi Dare?" (お山の日 湯けむりのサル ねこのヒゲ♥ ...で、あんたたち誰?) | Kengō Yagumo | February 14, 2005 | |
| 20 | "Grandfather, Why Are You Dressed Like That?" "Ojii-sama, Doshite sonna Kakkō shiterun desuka?" (おじいさま、どーしてそんな格好してるんですか?) | CHOCO | February 21, 2005 | |
| 21 | "Big Brother, Where Is This Nursery Rhyme From?" "Onii-sama, Sorette Doko no Chihō no Temari Uta?" (おにいさま、それってどこの地方の手まり唄?) | Misato Mitsumi | February 28, 2005 | |
| 22 | "I Didn't Know You Were Like That!" "Onii-sama, Sonna Hito dattandesuka!?" (おにいさま、そんな人だったんですか!?) | Nishida | March 7, 2005 | |
| 23 | "Big Brother, Am I That Scary?" "Onii-sama, Watashitte Sonna ni Hen desuka?" (おにいさま、わたしってそんなにヘンですか?) | Takashi Takeuchi, Takao Aotsuki | March 14, 2005 | |
| 24 | "Good-bye Big Brother... I'm Going Back? I'm Really Going Back?" "Sayonara, Onii-sama...... Watashi, Honto ni Kaecchau yo? Kaecchau yo?" (サヨナラ、おにいさま......私、ホントに帰っちゃうよ? 帰っちゃうよ?) | Yoshitsune Izuna | March 21, 2005 | |
| 25 | "Big Brother, They Say It's The End! Will You Always Be My Slave?" "Onii-sama, Saishūkai dasō desuyo♥ Zutto Watashi no Shimobe de Itekudasai ne♥♥♥" (おにいさま、最終回だそうですよ♥ ずっと私のシモベでいてくださいね♥♥♥) | Keitarō Arima | March 28, 2005 | |
| 26 (Omake) | "Up and Down, In the Sun, Floating Away... What Is It?" "Onii-sama, Yurayura Kirakira Donburako Korette, Nānda?" (おにいさま、ゆらゆらきらきらどんぶらこ これって、なーんだ?) | February 22, 2006 | ||
Theme music
- Opening
- "Neko Mimi Mode" by Dimitri from Paris (eps 1–8, 10–13, 15–24)
- "Tsuku Yomi Mode" by Dimitri from Paris (eps 9, 14)
- Ending
- "Kanashii Yokan"
- Lyrics, Composition, and Arrangement: Yukari Hashimoto
- Vocals: Marianne Amplifier, featuring Yuka
- "Nami no Toriko ni naru you ni" (ep 7)
- Lyrics: Kenzō Saeki
- Composition and Arrangement: Naruyoshi Kikuchi
- Vocals: Noriko Ogawa
- "Pressentiment triste" by Marianne Amplifier featuring Yuka (ep 19)
- "Neko Mimi Mode" by Dimitri From Paris (ep 25)
Reception
Hyper commends the anime for its "character design and animation which are uniformly quite good and the series boasts some very nice Gothic background art". The scripting is criticised for being "too cluttered to allow any immersion".[7]
References
- ↑ Beveridge, Chris (May 17, 2007). "Moon Phase Vol. #6 (of 6)". AnimeonDVD.com. Retrieved January 1, 2008.
Episode twenty-six however just goes over the top in trying to be an outright comedy that makes no sense.
- ↑ "Tokyopop License Updates". Anime News Network. August 5, 2005. Retrieved June 17, 2006.
- ↑ "Funimation Announces Rights for Moon Phase". Anime News Network. October 28, 2005. Retrieved June 17, 2006.
- ↑ "月詠Moon Phase (01)" (in Chinese). Sharp Point Press. Retrieved 2009-10-04.
- ↑ "TokyoPop Moon Phase #13 Release Information". Animenewsnetwork. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
- ↑ "TokyoPop licenses revert back to Japanese owners". Animenewsnetwork. Retrieved 2011-10-18.
- ↑ "Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase". Hyper (Next Media) (166): 84. August 2007. ISSN 1320-7458.
External links
- Japanese Official site (Japanese)
- TV Tokyo official site (Japanese)
- Official Tokyopop site
- The Official MOONPHASE Anime Website from FUNimation
- Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
- Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia