Crescent Moon, Volume 1

This series is spectacular, not only is the artwork amazing, but the storyline and characters are gripping too! And as to the allegations of this being about a girl being groped by her schoolmates, there is absoloutely no sexual content in there AT ALL. Guys don't be put off, there's plenty of humour and action, I'm not a fan of really girly books either but I looooved this. This series really stands apart from the others, it's worth buying even just for the artwork alone. Even if you just buy a cheap used copy to give it a go, this is a definate must. I guarantee you'll be hooked!

I got this book at first because I was semi-interested. In finishing the book I was left wanting more. Though it is confusing as to who is what character at times I still greatly enjoyed the plot and the characters (even if I wasn't exactly sure who they were). After reading it I lent it to a few of my friends, and all that have read it are begging me to get the rest of the series as soon as possible. I highly recomend it to anyone who is looking for a good fantastical manga.

So now that you've clicked on the link above, read over what the book is about, and (hopefully) looked at some sample pages, you're probably asking yourself "should I buy this manga?" My answer to you then would be a resounding "YES!!!" This is a great series, especially if you are a big fan of Inu-Yasha and Fruits Basket. (Like I am.:) ) The characters are endearing, and the storyline is highly addictive. (I'm such a nut, I stayed up until 3am reading through the first five books! I just couldn't put them down!) The only thing that bothered me at first was the style of the artist. After getting over my "Takahashi is the best manga-ka ever!" prejudice though, I was thoroughly able to enjoy the books. It was actually Akira that inspired me to buy the entire series (so far). Not many books, including manga, have a lovable werewolf as one of the main characters.:) So, to sum everything up, here are the main reasons why the Crescent Moon series should be a permanent addition to your manga collection: 1. Great (and addictive) storyline with fantastic character developement 2. Amazing (although different) and beautiful art (I love Misoka when he's transformed!) 3. Lovable and endearing characters (buy it for Akira, if nothing else! :D )

The reviews of Crescent Moon all seem a little tepid to me, so I'd like to right that by writing a properly effusive review of this truly superb manga. First of all, Haruko Iida's art is gorgeous and highly reminiscent - but not derivative - of Brian Froud. I can't understand the reviews that state the art is "too cutesy" (it is actually less cutesy than typical shojo manga) or that the characters "sure aren't good-looking" - again, the style is different from usual shojo, but the characters all have features that connect them to their demon selves (such as Misoka the fox spirit, with his long slits for eyes), and many of the characters have a delicate, ethereal beauty that threatens to float off the page and fly into the heavens! The story, by Takamura Matsuda, is somewhat archetypal, but that's the beauty of it. Mahiru was orphaned very young and ever since has been haunted by recurring dreams and visions. When she's a high school junior, she finally discovers why: she's a descendant of the Lunar Princess and is destined to help the Lunar Race recover the Teardrops of the Moon that were stolen by the humans many years ago. The demons are the good guys! Mahiru must come to terms with her newly-found powers while gaining confidence in herself and learning about her people's past. Meanwhile, the reader comes to know a charming rogue's gallery of characters, such as Nozomu the vampire and Mitsura the tegura (a sort of Japanese ogre with command of the winds). Akira the werewolf is the most endearing werewolf you will ever meet! The demons' names, personalities, and physical characteristics all reflect their demon selves (for instance, Nozomu means "desire that never ends"). The story has depth but isn't confusing, and action is deftly interpolated with touching and humorous moments. Run, don't walk, to get ahold of the four currently-published volumes of Crescent Moon. You'll be glad you did!

This book was great, mostly it's a girl manga but a guy would like it too. It's about Mahiru a girl with extremely bad luck, but while her luck sucks other people get good luck if they touch her, she has a recurring dream about a demon, a princess, and a song. (I am leaving out details) She meets the Lunar Race a band of monster bandits. A vampire, a werewolf, a tengu and a fox, they tell her she is the Descendant of the Princess and must help them steal back the teardrops of the moon.-If you like the summary the book is better!-The first one'll get you hooked, you'll wanna know more! I especially like the art in the book, it's all cute at first but it gets more serious when they transform, I also like the idea that the demons/monsters look just like humans (so cute) until they transform. Buy this book, I know you'll LOVE it and want the rest!