Tsukuyomi Moon Phase

Genre:
Comedy, Mystery, Romance, Supernatural 

Duration: 26 Episodes 

Synopsis:
A photographer renowned for capturing pictures of the supernatural, Morioka Kouhei, becomes fascinated when he stumbles upon a beautiful girl in an ethereal German castle. Known only as Hazuki, she is no ordinary girl. She is a vampire hungry for human blood, and tricks Kouhei to think she is giving him a present. But that ‘present’ is enough to set her free of her spell, thus enabling her to escape the castle. Hazuki then starts living with Kouhei and his grandfather, Ryuuhei. Little does she know that they will start encountering mysterious occurrences due to vampires trying to bring her back to the castle where she is supposed to be held captive in, even though as a Mistress of the Castle. While trying not to get captured, Hazuki fights alongside Kouhei, Ryuuhei, a vampire recruit Elfriede, and Kouhei’s relatives Seiji, Hikaru and Kaoru. 

Story:  8/10
A great anime in terms of storyline and randomness. This is not your everyday vampire anime, where blood and gore are witnessed. Moon Phase develops around a vampire girl Hazuki and her ‘claimed’ servant Kouhei. Their encounters with vampire nemeses are what viewers can look forward to the most, thanks to the animation of spells being casted and vampires flying here and there, you get the idea. The story itself shows enough development, of how Hazuki fights to stay away from her captive place, and humans fighting alongside her to keep her safe. The introduction of new characters along the way brings more life into the anime, as it is like only Kouhei and Hazuki in the beginning. Characters like nemesis-turned-ally Elfriede, and rivals-turned-associates Hikaru and Kaoru, are just what Hazuki needs in order to drive those evil vampires away. Randomness adds flavour, especially washpans. Yes, washpans, those giant pan-shaped containers Japanese people wash their clothes in. In the anime, anyone making a weird statement or said something lame can expect a washpan dropping on their heads. This is similar to the action of falling down with their feet on top whenever someone else tries to be lame but failed in a way. These are what viewers can look forward to when watching the anime. Although the ending can be somewhat predictable, the events leading up to that ending, however, are not. 

Characters:  8.5/10
The characters are what that makes this anime go, actually. There are plenty of unique characters, all with their own abilities and personalities. Starting with the main protagonists, Kouhei and Hazuki both develop well throughout the anime. Kouhei, from someone who cannot sense supernaturalism even though he is from a bloodline of mediums, develops into someone who can blast away the fiercest of spectres with one blow, but that is before he is freed of his spell, which then enables him to see the unbelievable. Watch to find out more. Hazuki, a simple and elegant vampire Mistress of a castle, with the initial name Luna, develops into a noisy and lively little girl, though still a vampire, but more human-like then before. She has come to develop feelings for Kouhei, and vice versa. There is however, one character that stays consistent throughout the anime. That would be Ryuuhei, Kouhei’s grandfather. But, that is still entertaining in itself, because he is lame throughout. Elfriede, vampire nemesis-turned-ally, is initially ordered to bring back Hazuki to the castle. She, however, is set free when she too, sucks blood from Kouhei. She then helps them in their quest to protect Hazuki against any other vampires that may be pursuing her. 

Animation:  8/10
The animation is somewhat similar to other well-drawn animes. The characters have distinct differences which sets them apart. But the main point here is not character animation, but the sequences of the battles fought between the humans and the vampires. Drawn with upmost details and animated with stunning visual effects bring the standards higher, especially for an anime that is not considered ‘action-packed’ because it does not consist of enough ‘Action’ elements. The beginning scene of this anime, which shows an eerie castle with the usual ghastly atmosphere, may make viewers think they are in for some horror and gore. Expect everything but that. Kudos to the animation team for successfully tricking viewers who don’t read the reviews before watching this anime. That being said, Moon Phase sure packs a punch, for a non-Action anime. 

Music:  7/10
Lame and random, and gothic and eerie. These are the words to describe the soundtracks of this anime. Lame and random being a description of its opening scores and gothic and eerie being a description of its ending scores. The opening themes Neko Mimi Mode and Tsuku Yomi Mode are somewhat random, where it is believed that all the items shown have a connection to the word ‘tsuki’, which means ‘moon’ in Japanese. The ending themes are very eerie, and really deprived me of watching the previews of the next episode. The songs for this anime do not click for me, but who knows, it will for many of you, especially those who like randomness and Gothicism. 

Overall: 8/10
Moon Phase is an anime worth watching, since it is not your everyday vampire story. Funny and random, and sometimes sad and depressing, it consists of many elements that makes it one of the most complete animes, and it does not leave viewers hanging, because the anime is finished in a well-mannered way. For those who, like me, prefers Comedy and Romance genres, yes, this is one anime to watch.