Haven’t nominated anything in a while but I’ve been thinking of re-reading this in JP and thought It’d be a nice fit for this club.
満月をさがして
Summary
Twelve-year-old Mitsuki Koyama dreams of becoming a singer to reunite with her first love, Eichi Sakurai. However, she is afflicted with sarcoma (a cancerous tumor in her throat), which affects her ability to breathe well and sing loudly. Her tumor is curable only through a surgery that could damage her vocal cords. At the same time, her grandmother hates music and is completely opposed to Mitsuki’s wish to audition. Mitsuki’s dreams seem impossible to achieve, until one day she is visited by two shinigami, Takuto and Meroko, whom only she could see. Takuto and Meroko inadvertently tip Mitsuki off that she has only one year left to live.
Availability
Physical: Amazon JP | CD Japan
Digital: Kobo | BookWalker | Kindle | EbookJapan
Personal Opinion
I enjoyed this manga in my native language when I was little and considering the target audience and what I’ve glimpsed from the Japanese edition it should be on a good level for this club. Despite the somewhat tragic circumstances of the main character (see summary) it is a light-hearted and upbeat story with both funny and touching moments. Although it isn’t slice of life and has a plot as well as some fantasy elements, the vocabulary doesn’t stray far from the everyday and is very manageable. I personally love this author’s characteristic art style even though it might not be everyone’s cup of tea.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Full furigana
- It has an (easy to follow) plot and fantasy elements for anyone who isn’t so fond of slice-of-life while keeping to a simple everyday-ish vocabulary.
- The full series is only 7 volumes (or 4 in the physical reprint) in case someone wants to see the story to the end.
- Likeable characters in cute outfits. Emotional mayhem. Animal plushies.
Cons
- Might not be for you if you are looking for an adult oriented story.
- The art style could seem dated if you prefer more modern styles.
Pictures
Difficulty Poll
How much effort would you need to read this book?
- 1 - No effort at all
- 2 - Minimal effort
- 3 - Moderate effort
- 4 - Substantial effort
- 5 - So much effort my head might explode
- I don’t know
0 voters