Freelance photographer Kouhei Morioka is traveling to a castle in Germany to take photos of paranormal activity for his friend Hiromi Anzai, editor of an occult magazine. Upon entering the castle, he's confronted by a young girl in a white dress and cat ears who calls herself Hazuki. She takes a keen interest in Kouhei and offers him a kiss, but she instead reveals herself to be a vampire, sucks his blood, and turns him into her slave.
Much to Hazuki's dismay, however, Kouhei is unaffected by her bite. Hoping to escape the castle and her possessive butler Vigo, Hazuki instead forces Kouhei to help her. With the help of his powerful exorcist cousin Seiji Midou, the two make it out safely. Finally free, Hazuki flees to Japan in search of her mother. Not long after Kouhei returns home, he discovers Hazuki has nested in his home, where he reluctantly allows her to stay. Meanwhile, other vampires set out to find the missing Hazuki.
Equal parts gothic and adorable, Tsukuyomi: Moonphase is a charming and mystical story where two unlikely allies form a unique bond in an attempt to defy a society of immortals.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
Dorcas_Aurelia
This series is for those who prefer their vampires to be cute as kittens more often than they are dark and brooding. The mood of the series, like Hazuki's personalities, tend to alternate between the two, although it generally works better when emphasizing the moe aspects, which it does a lot. That said, people with an aversion to cat-eared girls and little-sister types are advised to stay far away. The plot tends to switch between stretches of seriousness and levity: the first two episodes deal with Hazuki meeting Kohei and escaping the castle, then settling into a silly daily routine before dealing with more villains afew episodes later. The story has some difficulty balancing character and relationship developments with plot progression unless it separates such things into different episodes. Perhaps this is why, despite several of the tragedies that various characters suffer, there is little emotional draw to them. Also, as with many adaptations of unfinished manga, a number of plot threads are left untied with the series conclusion, although the series does conclude solidly enough.
The cast are entertaining, although some people may find a number of the younger females straddle the line between adorable and irritating. Hazuki starts off as a stubborn and slightly spoiled little girl, but grows into more of a kinder, caring person over the course of the series. Kohei is the typical kind-hearted and honest but unimpressive boy with an unusual ability/curse that you've seen in so many other series. The supporting cast brings a bit of liveliness to the show. Haiji brings a bit of humor as Hazuki's cat-like pet, frequently scolding her master's servant Kohei. Seiji brings a bit of class as the cool-looking and talented relative of Kohei. The best characters, though, are probably Ryuhei and Elfriede, who regularly tease the lead characters, but also connect to each other on a deeper level and share some of the most tender moments in the series.
One can't really talk about Moon Phase without mentioning it's stylistic quirks. As with pretty much any work directed by Akiyuki Shinbo, one should expect interesting and different uses of light and color in many scenes throughout. The typical depiction of the house were much of the story occurs is also diplayed much like a dollhouse, opened up so as to see in all the rooms at once. Also, infamously, yellow washpans are known to come crashing down on various characters for comedic effect.
Designs for the characters are crisp, and backgrounds are appropriately detailed. Action scenes may not be breath-taking, but they are more than adequate for the task they mean to achieve. While the initial television episodes did have a few problems during important scenes, these were all rectified in the DVD release.
Voice work for both languages is well done, although Monica Rial can't quite match the level of cuteness that Chiwa Saito attained playing Hazuki (a minor issue). Background music for the episodes is chosen appropriately for the scene, although it is at times a little overbearing. The dark scenes are supported by haunting and gothic-sounding tones, while the cheery moments are punctuated by spunky and playful tunes. The most catchy song (for good or bad) is absolutely the opening theme, "Neko Mimi Mode De". It's particularly surprising when it drastically interrupts the gloomy introductory scene of the first episode with it's bubbly, sugary tune, simplistic lyrics, and bright colors. The song is devastatingly appropriate for the show. A couple of episodes have an alternate opening song, "Tsukuyomi Mode", that is less syrupy and not so overly energetic, but similar. The closer, on the other hand, is slightly melancholy and more subdued, but leaves little lasting impression.
Moon Phase sets out to be a vampire series built around the concept of "moe", and it largely succeeds. At times, it tries to be something a little more, and it is less definitive in its achievement when attempting this, but rarely strays far from its strength. In all, the series is an entertaining diversion for those looking for something just a little different.
Nezon
Tsukuyomi -MOON PHASE- is about a photographer who takes pictures of ghosts for a living. Kouhei the protagonist then encounters a vampire, whom tries to force him to become her slave. ______________________________________________________________ Story: The story is quite simple, but isn't your typical romantic comedy anime. It focuses on the relationship between a human and a vampire, which can become pretty interesting if it can deliver it well. Every anime has its villain, and the bad guys really make the story interesting. ______________________________________________________________ Art: The art isn't the best, and it doesn't appeal to the audience. The majority of the anime consists of dark colours, and in someparts the characters and the background look very sketchy. However, the art is still viewable and can still give the audience an entertainment throughout the anime.
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Sound: Alright, the OP and ED doesn't really suit the whole idea of a relationship between a photographer and a vampire or the battle between a good and evil. There aren't many sound effects that enhance the overall anime but that doesn't really kill off the entertainment.
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Character: Tsukuyomi -MOON PHASE- has it all, from jealous twins, perverted grandpa, cute vampires to evil villains. The character development between the cast is at a good standard but what was a big let down was the relationship between the two main characters. Their development starts off pretty slow, and doesn't have a 'climax' in their relationship, which basically means; their relationship never becomes an up and down one, but rather a steady but repetitive one.
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Enjoyment: The whole idea of vampirexhuman gave a pretty good impression on me, but the anime didn't portray it well enough. Most of the things that were shown felt repetitive and boring. Also you can clearly predict cliché moments. However the anime is still 'watch able', but starting from the middle of the series, I just went: "End already, I have better things to watch."
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Overall: Overall, Tsukuyomi -MOON PHASE- isn't necessary a bad anime but nor is it a good one, if you want to watch good and deep romance anime, I would suggest you keep away from this. But if you just want a casual romantic comedy that keeps you busy then pick this up.
mlluu92
Intro: Boy's job is to take pictures of the supernatural. Boy's job leads him to castle to meet girl. Girl has multiple personalities and is a vampire. Boy brings girl home. Story unravels there. Story: The story was actually decent in my mind. It was creative and it included everything one would ask for in an anime. DRAMA, ROMANCE, ACTION, and COMEDY. It although, lacked a decent ending and left a minor amount of questions un-answered, the story fell into place and connected to the next scene of the story. I have nothing really to complain with the story. Art: The art was the noteworthy thing aboutthis anime. The art was detailed yet cute. The characters were nicely drawn. Well, the girls anyway. The guy characters were plain and dull while the girls stood out. The art for the characters however, in my opinion started to go downwards. Either the artist felt lazy or tired, they just stop putting in the effort they did in the beginning. The characters ALL started to look dull. But the scenery and backgrounds, i felt, were very good.
Sound: Nothing really to complain about, yet nothing worthy of an overall compliment. The music and voices of the characters were decent. The theme song started out odd, unique, and annoying but as the anime went on, got catchy. [Well, at least to me anyway. I was singing it.] Again, nothing to complain about and nothing too great to mention.
Characters: Ah, i felt they lacked character growth. I mean, the characters had a history and they grew physically, but it didn't show the depth of what it could of been. The male character is just like any other romance/comedy guy character. It's generic. He's a clutz, weak, and nerdy guy who becomes a total hunk for the girl. The female lead was annoying yet cute, but really annoying in my opinion. she was the main focus of the whole thing, and she just didn't attract me. I felt like she should've spoken lesss. haha. just my opinion. of course, most could feel different. The other characters didn't get much. They were there as people who stood with the mains.
Enjoyment: I started off enjoying this quite a bit. But as it went on, i started to feel annoyed and just all together, found the anime tedious. Usually, as any anime watcher should know, an anime should leave you wanting more and/or thinking: wow, perfect/great ending. I don't even REMEMBER the ending of this anime. And when i found out there was a special, i didn't even want to watch it. I did enjoy the comedy and the action part. I'll give it that.
Overall: If you're looking for an anime that is alright enough to keep you busy, this is it. You may end up loving it and you may end up like me, disappointed. We all have different opinions. I've given mine. I'd only say that this anime just was forgettable. Don't expect to be "WOWed"
Maur
This won't be your typical review. There are already plenty of those. Instead I just wanted to share my final thoughts about something usually overlooked about Moonphase. Moonphase/Tsukuyomi is a very strange show. I don't just say that because of its reputation for loli level moe. What I mean is, the series as a whole is hard to summarize. Moonphase is easily the kind of show that can give the somewhat misleading impression of "typical". By no means is it some amazing original masterpiece, but the point I'm going to make isn't meant to slam it or demonize it either. In fact, the sole purposeof this "review" is merely to elaborate on the one thing I did find interesting about it. For the most part Moonphase is a very average show in every way. It's not very exciting but it can be very amusing and endearing (or uncomfortable) depending on your tastes. Mostly it's the ending portion of the show that I think deserves some credible mention.
The show starts off generically enough. Annoying/cute young female character, awkward/clumsy older male character, and fairly familiar supporting character archetypes. The first 13 episodes adhere pretty closely to a story about watching the daily antics of a boy/girl and human/vampire relationship. This is where the show brandishes most of its cuteness and comedy (whether you find any of it funny or cute is another matter). Along the way a plot gradually develops with the climax involving defeating the first major villain. This all develops very slowly mind you, so you should not be watching Moonphase if you are expecting fast paced (or a lot of) vampire action.
Everything about the show is still only slightly interesting and mostly mediocre up to this point. Nothing's unforgivably terrible, but there's also nothing new or noteworthy. If you didn't like the show at the beginning, you wouldn't like it any better yet either. It's somewhere after this though, particularly around episode 17, where things really start to change. Like really change. It doesn't become a completely different show or throw in some crazy plot twist, but the overall atmosphere takes a complete change in course.
The setting changes, for one. The previous situations and conditions you may have grown used to change as well. Even the general tones and styles change. Ending themes get new animation, comedy gags get a little more bizarre and random and characters interact in a more straightforward and developmental way. If you liked the show as it was, this is probably the point in the show where you didn't like it the same anymore. The cuteness theme is toned down and the story gets a little more serious. Or perhaps I should say a lot more serious? Where as the first half of the series was very laid back and casual, the latter arc starts to resemble an actual dedicated plot. New villains are introduced and the regular cast adopt more meaningful roles. The story progresses steadily and is now at the forefront of the show instead of in the background. So the whole look and feel of the last third of the show is significantly different than the rest. By the end it is obvious that there is still more story that could be told but everything that could be wrapped up neatly is, and that's really all one can ask for. I thought the show was actually genuinely funnier and more entertaining, so much that it made me wonder if some new director took over halfway through it.
The funny thing about Moonphase is that I originally watched it because I had very, very low expectations and wanted to bear witness to just how creepy or moe it really was. Although elements of both were present that were a little weird/disturbing, it wasn't nearly as bad as I had been led to believe. So like I said before, it's not really awful, but it is awfully average. It's a shame because I kind of liked what the show had become, so if the whole series began the way it ended Moonphase would've probably been much more well received.
There were some interesting artistic choices, like the whole dollhouse point of view, and the dubbing was good for what they had to work with. The opening/ending themes grow on you, if you can bring yourself to watch more than a few eps. Definitely not for everyone, and I wouldn't recommend to anyone who doesn't really like overly cutesy or silly anime, but there are worse things you could watch...
thousandmaster
Story - 10 - The story is about a human who love a vampire. A world ful of action, comedy, adventure and love. The story revolves around hazuki and kouhei in romantic comedy way, the people who protect hazuki and the world that they choose for being with each other.. Art - 10 - I can say that the anime was really realistic and the fact that the images changes in the story plot. It was really good and I really like the animation.. Sound - 10 - Oh boy, the music in this anime was really good.. I like the theme song that they areusing when kouhei first saw hazuki..=)
Characters - 10 - I really like hazuki and kouhei together.. They blend pretty well. As for the other characters, some of them didnt blend with the story like a vampire with elepant costume or a beetle.. dunno why they are designed like that..
Enjoyment - 10 - I watched this a couple of times and it really makes me laugh. It was really a good anime. I definitely recommend it to everyone..
Overall - 10 - The best anime so far..=)
Luquillo
Sometimes anime really does get on my nerves hard. Anime can take an old concept and add in a few twist which gives it an original feel. In addition, provide a pretty good story for a brief period. Then just completely ruin the whole damn fuckin' thing robbing it of almost all value. Moon Phase so falls into this category to the point where I can run into my corner and cry. I'll begin with the features that immediately grabbed my attention: the animation and artwork. Visually, Moon Phase is outstanding. It displays a great deal of color combinations with a dark and gothic setting. Thebackgrounds and landscapes are incredible. The character designs are just as attractive. The animation team went through quite a bit to even provide some of the characters with a change of clothes. The animation during some of the battles is good, but it does contain a slight use of reused cels and jumpiness. The battles are mainly psychic attacks consisting of magic in the form of energy attacks.
Moon Phase also features a very good soundtrack with some great background music, and two very good end theme songs, which are Kanoshi Yokan and Just For My Love. On the flip side, the opening theme has to be the absolute worst I have ever heard. The lyrics are absolutely ridiculous along with the tunes, and the opening itself is just too gothic lolicon for me. The voice acting is very good with the English language being the most fun to me. Some of the dialogue in the first half had me cracking up.
The first half of this series was great. In fact, had the series continued in this vein or ended right there. Moon Phase could have very well been the best vampire anime I've ever seen. Everything flowed well from go; the characters were being developed with careful precision, and they actually seemed headed towards some type of growth. Interesting plot devices were well used and provided a great deal of suspense, plus a very good final battle with the first lead villain.
This battle is among the best vampire battles I have seen in just about anything vampire related. I'm talking an excellent and well thought out battle with a very powerful, and crafty vampire named Count Kinkel. This character is ruthless, and is exactly everything that makes a great antagonist. In addition, the drama and comedy always hit the mark, and was a welcome addition each time. Unfortunately, after episode 13 to be exact, Moon Phase begins to take the biggest dive I can remember.
A good portion of the story centers around the building relationship of Kouhei and Hazuki. They begin with the typical shonen personality: two characters whom don't want to admit that they are in love. The first half did a good job handling this. The second half handled things very poorly. Even the new villains introduced appeared to be nothing more than filler characters.
The series never regains its former glory in my view, and has about as much balance as a three legged cat. Plot devices are poorly used in every angle, and the comedy overplays itself heavily. Plus, it clashes badly with the action, drama, and romance, to the point where it could no longer be taken seriously. I almost thought this was Elfen Lied.
There's a comedic gimmick that takes place that I don't want to spoil. In the beginning, it worked out well considering what was taking place at the time. Towards the end, it happened constantly at all of the wrong times. I really don't know what was the writers intentions.
When the series headed towards the end each and every last one of the battles were way below average at best, with the final battle being cheesy beyond all belief. I honestly couldn't believe I was watching the same show. The story is wrapped up before the final episode. At least one question is left hanging and I really didn't mind it at first, until I saw just how worthless the final episode was despite having its funny moments. Without adding a spoiler, I'll just say the episode could have been better used.
Despite how I feel about the series overall. It's very hard for me to completely hate it, because numerous times the comedy along with the drama worked. The first half was too good. However, the series really did lose its focus and it was very clumsy while it dabbled between comedy, drama, and romance. Had Moon Phase been a straight comedy at heart, and never attempted to take itself too seriously, the second half would probably be forgivable; but the series takes steps to push it further towards a drama even more, and the genres begin to clash all over. This is the reason why I'm so disappointed overall, and in all honesty, I didn't like the second half at all.
Moon Phase has its good moments, and also has characters that are easy to like; but someone whom demands a lot from their anime will more than likely come away from this feeling burned. I definitely felt burned when this was over. In the end, sloppy writing held back material with classic potential, and that's all there is to it.
Highs: Very nice visuals and soundtrack, excellent first half
Lows: Rotten second half that jumps the shark very bad
PankiePea
Despite the bad score I gave this show, I don't think it's completely irredeemable. I actually really enjoyed some episodes individually, but as an overall experience though from start to finish I'm not sure I can recommend it. The first thing we see in episode 1 is a gothic castle, shrouded in mist that really sets a creepy, atmospheric tone that I found pretty enchanting. By the 3rd episode the tone completely shifts and we're getting cutesy arguments between the tsundere main vampire girl, Hazuki, and Kouhei, her unlikely rescuer. It's actually hard to believe it's even the same show at that point, and theseries continues to flip-flop between these two tones. The episodes vary greatly: comedy, drama, slice-of-life, romance, and action.
The plot of the show tends to come to a stand-still when the show is tackling more lighthearted themes, but I think these are actually probably the best episodes. These are the episodes where we see Hazuki and Kouhei develop as characters the most, and they were the ones I found myself the most emotionally invested in. The side characters are mostly good too, with Hazuki's guardian spirit, Haiji, stealing the show (though I'm sure some people will find her extremely annoying). None of the side-characters are ever developed very much though, unfortunately, and because of that I found myself massively preferring the episodes that centered on Hazuki and Kouhei.
The "plot" episodes tend to be more focused on action and are... not so good. There is very little explanation of how magic works in this universe, so the viewer is mostly left in the dark on what the hell is actually happening in any given fight scene. The show also has some problems with consistency. Characters randomly gain and lose abilities, and rules that are made early on for combat are later broken. The story is pretty nonsensical in general though, certain plot elements are never explained properly, and it was hard for me to get invested in it.
As far as romance goes, there is VERY little. Hazuki and Kouhei mostly have an older brother/younger sister type relationship. Though they do toe the line on a couple instances. It's a bit awkward since Kouhei is older and Hazuki is like 14.
The comedy is hit-or-miss. There are a couple of pretty funny moments, but it massively overuses random objects (usually wash-bins) falling on characters heads.
The worst part of this show is after episode 16/17 though. The last 8 episodes are extremely bad. Characters make decisions that border on nonsensical, villains randomly appear and then disappear, and there is a whole lot of extremely forced drama. The ending is extremely unsatisfying and leaves massive plot holes and unanswered questions. There are also none of the lighthearted episodes we previously saw in the series in this last batch. I actually wish I had skipped these ones because they left a bad taste in my mouth about the series overall.
The art is pretty okay for an anime from this time period, and I massively prefer the art-style of the anime to the manga. The music is actually pretty great. It's suitably creepy when the atmosphere demands it, and whimsical when something comedic is happening. The opening, "Nekomimi Mode," will probably be hit-or-miss for most people. I personally don't like it but it is extremely memorable at the very least.
Overall, it's an OK show, but I'm not sure I can recommend it. If you do watch it, I strongly advise you don't watch the last 8-ish episodes, due to the severe drop in quality.
bearvarine
I really enjoyed this series. It is one of the few I have actually watched twice. The thing about this series is that it is almost more interesting as a survey of the Japanese Occult than for the story itself. The story is about Kohei Morioka who is a photographer for hire. He investigates a castle in Germany but while there, becomes ensnared with Hazuki, a young vampiress. She bites him and tries to make Kohei her slave, but something goes wrong with her magic and she cannot control him, a fact that enfuriates her. In fact, he takes pity on her andtries to help her, unaware of the bigger mysteries behind how she came to be a vampire.
It takes time to develop a liking for the two main characters - Kohei and Hazuki. Kohei is way too over-patient with his impetuous and willful charge Hazuki, and Hazuki is a pretty selfish girl. But as the two adventure together, slowly a connection is made which becomes key in the final episodes. It is cute and humorous, and an enjoyable watch, but not necessarily the best there is in this genre of anime. Definitely an enjoyable watch though.
Vamwolf1
To be honest the reason I decided to write this review was because everyone was mainly putting down all the bad stuff about this anime instead of keeping a open mind about it. When I first looked at this I thought "oh probably another fan service type of anime", but I completely misjudged it. In fact the most fan service it had were the neko ears. Story: I can't say the story was outstanding, because if it was I wouldn't be craving for more. In fact I would be quite satisfied with the ending results. I'm not saying it was bad or that it leftalot of loose ends, but they could have maybe stretched things out more. (it felt like a cliff hanger) But overall it was honestly good and it had the perfect right amount of everything.
Art: I am EXTREMELY picky when it comes to art. I don't care how great the story is. If they don't look good then I'm not watching it. Because of this, it was obviously pretty satisfying to the eyes and therefore wasn't a eyesore.
Sound: Okay to get started with this one I'm just gonna say that I watched the English Dubbed ones and they were just perfect! None of the voices were annoying and everything was as clear as a bell! That's all I got to say ;)
Character: The characters could have had more depth, but sadly the character had a limit to how much they were given. It showed a little something about all the characters, even the supporting ones. The main characters though were brought out quite perfectly to the point were I loved them all. Talking about is a tricky thing, but I'll just be blunt with you. If you are able to imagine what they are feeling then they will be considered perfect to you. (of course they won't be flawless)
Enjoyment: Ah, yes I think this one helps the least for people with different taste. Hmm well I put it into groups.
If your the type that like a good anime that has many genres then this will be quite enjoyable to you.
If your the type that likes to be totally amazed and blown away into a freaking twilight zone then YOU my friend are gonna have to continue looking!
If your the type that are into super-serious-need-tissues-type then neh this is not for you.
Either way I was enjoying this anime to the point that I finished it in one day. And that says alot.
Overall: IT WAS AWESOME TO WATCH! HOPEFULLY THEY WILL MAGICALLY DECIDE TO MAKE A SECOND SEASON!
Well that's all I got to say. ;)
K8TBenoit
I had originally been introduced to "Tsukuyomi ~Moon Phase~" when I was still using GaiaOnline and was pleasantly surprised at the combination of humor and supernatural elements. In this day and age where we have so many serious vampire series, it's good to see one that doesn't take itself too seriously. This series can move slow at times, and the near-constant arguments between Kouhei and Hazuki can be annoying from time to time. I enjoyed the latter half of the series immensely, but it took me forever to get through the first half because of these. In the end, I found it to be avery entertaining series and the climax - and total randomness of the last 2 episodes after the main arc is resolved - is not to be missed and worth slogging through the first half of the series to get to.
Cyberwoman
Being a fan of vampires and the gothic all my life I had to check this anime out when I heard about it, and while it is far from a classic, it’s an enjoyable romp of an adventure for sure. Moon Phase is at its heart an adventure/romance/comedic anime and it mostly works very well in all its fields and while the series may look light and fluffy on its surface (And most of the time it is quite light) it holds some dark settings and events which will surprise you. The central story is engaging enough and develops well at the start, yet as it progressesit starts to feel a little hollow, especially near the end of the series when things speed up in pace but lose a lot of substance and things go haywire in terms of plot. In addition to that, the story feels far too stretched for a 25 episode series and even by then there is a lot left in the plot that needs to be solved which I found frustrating!
Despite these drawbacks fans of the gothic and vampires stories will find a lot to enjoy, I was surprised at how deep they made the shows mythology, even thinking up a brilliant way of how Vampires can deal with the sun which I have yet to seen in any other vampire lore. The show also dose well at showing an interesting and engaging love story develop between the main leads.
The cast of characters is great with quite a bit of verity. Hazuki makes for an entertaining lead and it’s good that we see her grow from this annoying spoilt little brat in the first few episodes to something more by the end. Kouhei is your average male lead and is average at best during the series run, but he gets some surprisingly big developments near the final stages of the anime which helps add a little more to his character.
The supporting cast is fine too but most have little development apart from the brilliant Elfriede who is given a surprisingly dark background and a sweet relationship with Kouhei’s grandfather Ryuuhei. The villains are a particularly joy to watch and they nicely range from the vile, if slightly camp, Count Kinkel to the innocent looking but deadly Artemis.
The animation is mostly very good, with some stunning scenes of beautiful gothic imagery and countryside landscapes but it fails a little in the city scenes which can be quite bland and feel limp compared to the beauty of the rest. The main characters are well animated but the crowd scenes annoyed me (They are just paper stick figures!) and it would have been nice to see more verity in the various monsters that appear as they seem quite plain and not well thought out. The fights scenes are normally fun to watch but can also be a little bland and unengaging as time comes by.
I have only watched the series of the Dub so far but they do a good job with a nice cast but it’s nothing very special. The incidental music throughout the series is very nice and atmospheric. The opening team itself is very jolly and fits Hazuki’s personality perfectly while the ending song is very moving and has a far more gothic feel to it which I like.
All and all, if you want something a little bit different, a little bit gothic and a little bit mad then this is a good choice. Tsukuyomi -MOON PHASE- is a fun if sometimes empty anime but one which deserves a watch and another series (Even if it’s just to sort out the lose ends!)
ggultra2764
Moon Phase seemed like a series that wasn't sure what kind of story it wanted to tell, mixing rom-com and vampire drama in its focus on male lead Kouhei's interactions with 14-year old vampire gal Hozuki, though both elements are still lackluster. The comedy and drama to the series comes from Hozuki adjusting to living life outside her castle while Kouhei puts up with her antics and Kouhei's family trying to protect her from other vampires trying to drive her back to the castle. The comedy was mostly lackluster for me since it relied on many of the same gags such as Hozuki's obnoxious tsunderecharacter and waterpans randomly falling on the cast for whatever reason during both mundane and serious moments. It also occasionally gets in the rather annoying habit of pandering to the audience as some scenes in the series only serve to feature the younger cast members of Moon Phase striking cute poses, having their idiosyncrasies and wearing various clothes or costumes.
The drama to the series is just as underwhelming. It does offer a decent amount of character development with Hozuki and Kouhei with the former learning to better interact socially with others while searching for her mother and Kouhei wanting to protect her from vampire threats, though the majority of secondary characters and villains don't get as much fleshing out limiting how much one could care for them. There is emphasis on strategizing against vampire threats with Kouhei's family as they are spiritualists, but these are mostly pointless as each vampire threat gets conveniently dealt with through whatever random power upgrade that Hozuki or Kouhei gain. The romance that Moon Phase also tries to play up between Hozuki and Kouhei (along with his two younger female cousins) may make some viewers uneasy considering their younger age as Kouhei is a young adult and the girls in question are barely teenagers, with their character designs making them look even younger. Even when not factoring this possibly uncomfortable fact, I am not a fan of our two leads as a pairing due to Hozuki's rather obnoxious tsundere character.
Visually, Moon Phase is rather average for a mid-2000s title. Scenery and character designs have a good amount of detail and shading to them. The animation isn't too heavy on fluid movements like KURAU Phantom Memory or Paranoia Agent, but depicts enough to move the anime along. Shaft fans may be surprised to know that this is one of the acclaimed studio's earlier works they did without having a joint production with other animation studios, considering the studio's rep in recent years for creating highly detailed and avant-garde visuals with works like the Monogatari franchise, Madoka Magica and the two TV anime adaptations of ef.
Nonetheless, I wouldn't really find myself recommending Moon Phase due to having a number of flaws to its comedy and drama, as well as seeming like it was trying too hard at points to pander to its audience. Either stick to the studio's more recent works or if you want a vampire series, try hunting down more better quality titles like Blood+ or Hellsing Ultimate.
brent_starks
At first look, Tsukuyomi appears to be a loli type anime. If you thought this...well you would be incredibly wrong on so many levels. story: (spoiler free) The story is based on a young photographer named Kouhei who happens to see a beautiful girl on a haunted castle...he later finds out she is a vampire who wants to escape her castle and be free.. art: fantastic. I loved the character designs. A few problems with the noses occasionally. sound: not bad, but nothing memorable outside the opening song. character: Really great. Kouhei and Hazuki grow so much over the story. Side characters are interesting as well. enjoyment: I really enjoyedit. Glad I Bought it.
overall: 8 I recommend this to fans of vampire, mystery, and romance.
HazukiSama
Story:I really enjoyed Tsukuyomi "Moon Phase" I watched when I was younger,so I didn't understand the whole concept of moe all I knew was that It had my two favorite things Vampires and Cats,even now I still enjoy it and I've watched a lot of animes and it is still one of my favorites.I also enjoyed the opening,most of the time I tend not to like cutesy songs that repeat over and over but when I first saw it I fell in love with the song I also like the little details that change in very opening and the things that fall on the charactersheads,overall if you like cute things,vampires and neko mimi you should watch it.The end of the anime personally left me with some questions,but it was an acceptable ed still felt like more things could happen,but then I had to take in account that the manga isn't finished just like with the series of Full Metal Alchemist.
Art:Okay at the start of the series the art gives you a sort of misterious feeling,after the first two episodes the art is quite the same but now it can be felt more relaxed,give the eviroment,the misterious feelig given to the art is only or mostly shown when the villains of the story.
Music:I love the music many different songs for everything happy and sad moments,the music is well put out with the mood of the scenes,don't expect anything extraordinary,but it does have good music.
Characters:I thought the characters were quite original imo,mostly because in animes with girls telling the boy thay are their slave,the boys are weak and sucumb,but in this anime the boy just keeps saying that he doesn't belong to her,which makes for really funny arguments between Kouhei and Hazuki.The characters also mature,well mostly the Hazuki and Kouhei,so you can see development,not a great one as such in Junni Kokuki,but still some.
XP-Muzzy
For me, this show should have gotten much higher scores than I gave it. The first two episodes absolutely blew me away, and I couldn’t wait to continue the series. Then I hit episode three, and the show changed so quickly I felt like I had gotten slapped across the face. Tension of a romance brewing between a 14 year old girl and a grown man became the major focus. Normally in anime the girl looks mature enough that her age is basically forgotten, but Hazuki cannot ever seem anything but a little kid. It irritates me every time I see it. Though it is abig one, that is really my only complaint. Wrapped around it is a very fresh and different take on vampire mythology. And when the sexual tension isn’t being forced in as the major focus the plot line is actually very good.There are many great action scenes and several climaxes that keep you on the edge of your seat for episodes. Overall a good watch, but it makes me want to cry when I see how the writers trashed what should have been an easy 9 or 10.
As for the tangibles, the show's artwork was very detailed and color was well used for the darkness and shadow that is always an element. Music was good too, especially at the very beginning of the first episode and during the most dramatic moments. The opening theme is really silly and kinda irritated me, while the ending was beautiful, different, and fit pretty well.
gwern
This anime left me a little nonplussed. Animation isn't in general as good as I expect from Shaft, and the show is peculiarly fetish-y. As well, I'm heavily reminded of _Bakemonogatari_ and _Kure-nai_ - and not necessarily in a good way. (I wish I remembered why I decided to watch it.) The episode where they drive to the confrontation with Count Kinkel was visually beautiful & stylish, comparing well with other series like _Tatami Galaxy_. But the story... I was right in my first comment, it's basically _Kure-nai_ with vampires - cute high-class purple-eyed loli who battens onto good-hearted nebbish with special ability who willprotect her against the mean creatures who want her back. And of course, with plenty of cheap story-telling moves (oh, grandpa & Elfriede & Seiji are actually alive! Oh, Hazuki is a day-walker and can act exactly like a cute loli who drinks blood just once a month! Oh, Kouhei is actually the most powerful psychic around, it was just sealed away!) with a roughly status-quo ending.
The humor did grow on me albeit the over-use of teakettles/washpans grated, and I appreciated the fairly unique cinematography of a far shot of a cut-away section of the household, which worked very nicely and kept things more comprehensible than most interior shots do. Reading through the ANN reviews of the series as I like to do *after* watching something, I agree with the ANN reviewers - the Kinkel arc was decently suspenseful (for what is a predetermined outcome of course), the animation style kept my interest, and the later fight scenes in the final arc were likewise interesting. Likewise, I agree the dub didn't do Hazuki any favors, and Hazuki actually turns out a better character than I had expected, the odd lack of combat on her part side (she's supposed to be a powerful vampire who can even withstand the sun, daughter of the most powerful vampire/entity in the world!) - I wound up liking her more than I did Murasaki in _Kure-nai_. (The creepy loli aspect was mercifully toned down after the first 10 episodes or so.)
So, leaving it at 7. Somewhat funny, somewhat dramatic, but nothing particularly memorable in any respect, although not mediocre enough that I regret watching it.
Destron
I'm not sure how I felt about this series to be honest. I think if I had to describe it with one sentence it would be "it was ok" - I agree with the review that said Phase Moon didn't seem to know what story it wanted to tell because it was trying to be a mixture of a vampire story and a rom/com which on the surface isn't bad, but I don't think they executed it well enough. I want to talk about Hazuki for a moment as she is the main part of the show. For the most part I found her tobe fairly unlikable. I may be slightly biased in this opinion as Hazuki came across as a Tsundere character and I personally don't like Tsundere characters. The only one I do like is Asaka Taiga from Toradora. A lot of the times I found her to be loud and annoying. Lashing out when a lot of the time it wasn't necessary. She did have her moments in which she was sweet and actually a solid character, but then she would over shadow that by acting like her normal self again. It just got tiresome after a while. For the most part she came across as a brat which you could say is normal for a teenager. However, to say Kouhei did so much for her, she was way too ungrateful which really did not come across well.
The first episode and few after that was really good. I was really getting hooked on the story it was telling. A mysterious vampire girl trapped in a castle, trying to escape a demon keeping her hostage when she wants to escape to go find her mother and lead a normal life again, all whilst having an alternate persona. I thought it was really interesting and I was really looking forward to where the story was going. Then it turned into more of a comedy anime. The last 8ish episodes of the series also felt pretty forgettable too and I found myself not caring as much towards the end which is a shame as I felt like it had a strong start.
Overall, I didn't hate this anime but I wouldn't watch it again. I watched the OVA after just so I could say I've finished the series and even that was just ok at best. Slightly disappointed as I've wanted to watch this for a while and the last Vampire anime I watched was Seraph of the End which I loved.
6/10
