Tsukuyomi -Moon Phase-
Encyclopedia
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 TV anime
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.
Tokyopop
publishes an English language version of the manga while Funimation released the English language version of the anime under the name Moon Phase. The first season is currently available via the Sony PlayStation 3
video store, Hulu
, Joost
, Funimation's YouTube
account and the iTunes Store
.
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.
Count
and
Artemis ("Arte")
, 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
. On May 31st 2011 Tokyopop announced that all of their licensed titles would revert back to their Japanese owners leaving the series incomplete.
Ending
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".
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series by Keitarō Arima
Keitaro Arima
is a Japanese manga artist. He was a member of the Manga Dōkōkai OB at Kansai University. His pen names include , and .-Works:*Astro Fujo-san *Eromanō...
about a young vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
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 TV anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series by the Shaft
Shaft (company)
is a Japanese animation studio founded on September 1, 1975 by Hiroshi Wakao. They are best known for their unique use of gags and references notably in Pani Poni Dash!, Maria Holic, Sayonara Zetsubō Sensei, Hidamari Sketch, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, and Bakemonogatari series.- History :Shaft was...
studio and aired late night on TV Tokyo
TV Tokyo
is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...
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
TYPE-MOON
is a Japanese game company, best known for their visual novels, co-founded by author Kinoko Nasu and illustrator Takashi Takeuchi. It is also known under the name for its publishing and corporate operations...
. 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.
Tokyopop
Tokyopop
Tokyopop, styled TOKYOPOP, and formerly known as Mixx, is a distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa, and Western manga-style works. The existing German publishing division produces German translations of licensed Japanese properties and original English-language manga, as well...
publishes an English language version of the manga while Funimation released the English language version of the anime under the name Moon Phase. The first season is currently available via the Sony PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
video store, Hulu
Hulu
Hulu is a website and over-the-top subscription service offering ad-supported on-demand streaming video of TV shows, movies, webisodes and other new media, trailers, clips, and behind-the-scenes footage from NBC, Fox, ABC, and Obstacle on October 20th 2011 Nickelodeon and CBS and many other...
, Joost
Joost
Joost is an Internet TV service, created by Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis . During 2007-8 Joost used peer-to-peer TV technology to distribute content to their Mozilla-based desktop player; in late 2008 this was migrated to use a Flash-based Web player instead.Joost began development in 2006...
, Funimation's YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
account and the iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
.
Plot
The story is about the relationship between freelance photographer Kouhei Morioka and Hazuki, a teenager who descends from a royal vampireVampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
lineage. At the beginning of the story, Kouhei travels to a castle in Germany to take photographs of paranormal phenomena
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
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.
Characters
/- A 14-year-old selfish but adorable vampire, Hazuki was separated from her mother and restrained in a castle in Germany. She escapes the castle with Kouhei's help and flees to Japan in search of her mother. She acts as a tsundereTsundereis a Japanese character development process that describes a person who is initially cold and even hostile towards another person before gradually showing their warm side over time. The word is derived from the terms , meaning to turn away in disgust, and meaning to become 'lovey dovey'...
to Kouhei. A vampire's "kiss", the act of drawing blood from a mortal, normally turns the mortal into the feeding vampire's unwilling servant, but Hazuki's attempt on Kouhei fails. According to the storyline, Kouhei is narrated as the "Vampire Lover", and therefore is immune to the binding power of Hazuki's vampiric "kiss". Despite her continuous claims that Kouhei is her slave and must obey her every command, Kouhei refuses to do so. Her family is desperate to retrieve her because she is actually a "daywalker", a vampire who, unlike others of her kind, can withstand sunlight. She is plagued by an alternate personality named Luna that was forced upon her by her vampire relatives to keep her under control.
- Kouhei is a photographer who, due to an accident involving paranormal forces in his early childhood, is oblivious to spirits and the supernatural (which he specializes in photographing). He is an "Ama Lamia" (Vampire Lover), meaning no vampire can make him their servant. Furthermore, vampires who feed on him have their servitude ties with their masters broken, making of him a threat to the vampire society structure. Later, it is revealed that he possesses great spiritual powers which were sealed by his family to allow him to live a normal life, as they were too strong for him to control. In the anime, he once again seals away his Jyougan so that it doesn't affect his relationship with Hazuki. In the manga, he has not sealed away his Jyougan and is currently training to perfect his powers. From their first meeting, he and Hazuki have a tempestuous but affectionate relationship that eventually turns into romance. In the manga, Kouhei's surname is Midou.
- Ryuuhei is Kouhei's grandfather and a powerful spiritualist. Kouhei lives in his household, which is located in an antique shop. He agrees to take Hazuki in out of kindness, though he appears to have other motives for it as well; such as ascertaining the whereabouts of his daughter Shizuru and Kouhei's mother. Later in the tale, Ryuuhei develops a relationship with Elfriede.
- Kouhei's cousin and a powerful exorcist in his own right. Later in the series it is revealed that despite training his entire life, his powers are no match for Kouhei's latent potential. Apparently, Kouhei is a Jyougan, or a psychic that can see and interact with spirits, and will them to go away by claiming that there is no spirit. His family sealed off his psychic abilities, so he couldn't see the spirits. Because of this, he is slightly jealous of Kouhei. is his writer's namePen nameA pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
.
- Haiji is Hazuki's guardian spirit. Haiji originally belonged to Kouhei's mother Shizuru, but the spirit guardian lost most of her memories of Kouhei's mother when she was reassigned to Hazuki. Her name was "Akuda" and she had the form of a cat when she belonged to Shizuru. In the last episode of the anime it's reveal that she wears very embarrassing underwear.
Count
- One of the minions of Hazuki's family, Count Kinkell tries to kill Kouhei and retrieve Hazuki, but is defeated by them with Elfriede's help. He is able to control and bend light which allows him to create illusions and walk under daylight.
- Elfriede is Kinkell's daughter and servant. She is also a Ludo, a human who was converted into a vampire. His control over her was nullified when she fed on Kouhei's blood, and since then she joined his and Hazuki's side. She is able to summon creatures and monsters.
- Hiromi is a childhood friend and co-worker of Kouhei's, assigning various photo jobs to him. Has a notable crush on Seiji. She is also a horrible driver. Her relationship with Hazuki is much like a doting older sister.
and
- Hikaru
- Kaoru
- Hikaru and Kaoru are two girls who, despite being younger than Hazuki, are pledged by their parents to marry Seiji and Kouhei respectively when they grow up. Hikaru is more outgoing and is the one who constantly picks fights with Hazuki, which she usually wins because Kouhei takes her side. While Hikaru is engaged to Seiji, Kaoru is engaged to Kouhei. Kaoru is more quiet and shy and can be a crybaby at times. Despite her shyness, she can also be quite mean to Hazuki, but this might be possibly that she is jealous of Hazuki due to the fact that she lives with Kouhei.
- Yayoi is a powerful exorcist from the Midō family. He becomes Kouhei's sensei when Kouhei decides to become an exorcist like his relatives in order to be able to protect Hazuki.
Artemis ("Arte")
- Hazuki's younger half-sister, they were born to different mothers. Artemis envies her because of the attention their family dedicates to her older sister, and because of it Arte is determined to deprive Hazuki of everything and everyone she truly cares for, taking by force or destroying completely. In the series finale, she is taken into Morioka's family after the death of her guardian and grandfather, Fargus. Kouhei manages to reach out to her and convinces her to open up to a new life with caring friends and family. She is a Shadow User. This means she can use her shadow, and turn it into a scythe, or a replica of her, etc. In the manga, she has been forcefully rejected by her father and taken into the care of Kouhei's father to act as a "replacement" in Hazuki's absence.
Manga
Tsukuyomi Moon Phase was written by Keitarō ArimaKeitaro Arima
is a Japanese manga artist. He was a member of the Manga Dōkōkai OB at Kansai University. His pen names include , and .-Works:*Astro Fujo-san *Eromanō...
, 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
Tokyopop
Tokyopop, styled TOKYOPOP, and formerly known as Mixx, is a distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa, and Western manga-style works. The existing German publishing division produces German translations of licensed Japanese properties and original English-language manga, as well...
and Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment is an Australian company that distributes international films as well as Japanese anime and manga in Australia and New Zealand. The company is owned by Funtastic Limited and is one of the major entertainment companies in Australia. It employs 130 people and has an annual...
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
Sharp Point Press
Sharp Point Press is a Taiwanese publisher of manga and music. It was founded in June 1982.-History:*1982 - Company established. Mainly publishes military and models related books.*1985 - Started publishing annual Zodiac fortune telling handbook....
. On May 31st 2011 Tokyopop announced that all of their licensed titles would revert back 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 1-42780-163-0 | 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. |
| 14 | ISBN 4-8470-3619-0 | November 24, 2007 | ISBN | - |
| 15 | ISBN 4-8470-3647-6 | July 24, 2008 | ISBN | - |
| 16 | ISBN 4-8470-3677-4 | March 24, 2009 | ISBN | - |
Anime
Staff:- Original Story: Keitarō ArimaKeitaro Arimais a Japanese manga artist. He was a member of the Manga Dōkōkai OB at Kansai University. His pen names include , and .-Works:*Astro Fujo-san *Eromanō...
- Director: Akiyuki ShinbōAkiyuki Shinbo, born September 27, 1961 in Fukushima, Japan, is a Japanese animation director. Shinbo started his career as an animator in 1981 at Studio One Pattern. He then made his directorial debut with Metal Fighter Miku in 1994. He is most notable for his involvement in a number of Shaft works since 2004...
- Series Supervisor: Mayori Sekijima
- Character Design: Masahiro Aizawa
- Visual Director: Nobuyuki Takeuchi
- Art Director: Satoru Kuwabara
- Editor: Kazuhiko Seki
- Sound Director: Toshiki Kameyama
- Music: Daisaku Kume
- Animation Production: ShaftShaft (company)is a Japanese animation studio founded on September 1, 1975 by Hiroshi Wakao. They are best known for their unique use of gags and references notably in Pani Poni Dash!, Maria Holic, Sayonara Zetsubō Sensei, Hidamari Sketch, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, and Bakemonogatari series.- History :Shaft was...
- Produced by: Victor EntertainmentVictor Entertainmentis a subsidiary of Japan Victor Company that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It was formerly known as...
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Theme music
Opening- "Neko Mimi Mode" by Dimitri from ParisDimitri from ParisDimitri from Paris is a French music producer and DJ of Greek origins. His musical influences are rooted in 1970s funk and disco sounds that spawned contemporary house music, as well as original soundtracks from 50s and 60s cult movies such as Breakfast at Tiffany's, La Dolce Vita and The Party,...
(eps 1–8, 10–13, 15–24) - "Tsuku Yomi Mode" by Dimitri from ParisDimitri from ParisDimitri from Paris is a French music producer and DJ of Greek origins. His musical influences are rooted in 1970s funk and disco sounds that spawned contemporary house music, as well as original soundtracks from 50s and 60s cult movies such as Breakfast at Tiffany's, La Dolce Vita and The Party,...
(eps 9, 14)
Ending
- "Kanashii Yokan"
- Lyrics, Composition, and Arrangement: Yukari HashimotoYukari Hashimotois a Japanese female composer and arranger.Collaboration with Yukari Tamura include arranging some tracks on the album Gin no Senritsu, Kioku no Mizuoto.. She composed and arranged the music for the song "Cutie ♥ Cutie" on Yukari Tamura's single Spiritual Garden and the track Princess Rose...
- Vocals: Marianne Amplifier, featuring Yuka
- Lyrics, Composition, and Arrangement: Yukari Hashimoto
- "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 ParisDimitri from ParisDimitri from Paris is a French music producer and DJ of Greek origins. His musical influences are rooted in 1970s funk and disco sounds that spawned contemporary house music, as well as original soundtracks from 50s and 60s cult movies such as Breakfast at Tiffany's, La Dolce Vita and The Party,...
(ep 25)
Reception
HyperHyper (magazine)
Hyper is a multi-platform Australian video game magazine. Australia's longest running gaming magazine, it has been in publication since 1993, and was released the same month as the better known UK magazine Edge...
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".