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Tsukuyomi:
Moon Phase is, bar none, one of my all time favorite Anime.
It has almost everything a fan could ask for. A fun yet
compelling story, attractive character designs, comedy,
a dab of action, romance and drama. Wrap all that up into
a light gothic horror backdrop and you have Tsukuyomi: Moon
Phase.
A
young professional photographer by the name of Kouhei is
sent to a German castle for an investigation into the reports
of supernatural phenomenon occurring near the castle. Kouhei
is a freelance photographer that works for Forest Magazine,
a magazine focusing on supernatural occurrences. Part of
Kouhei's ability is that whenever he clicks the shutter
he manages to capture an image of a ghost or other supernatural
phenomenon, while before his very eyes he sees absolutely
nothing.
Joining
in this adventure is the full time Forest employee and long
time friend of Kouhei, Hiromi and his cousin Seiji. Seiji,
and nearly all of Kouhei's family with the exception of
Kouhei, have special abilities when it comes to the supernatural.
They are descendants of a long line of priests and priestesses
that can create shikigami, use protective wards and banish
evil.
While
snapping pictures of the castle one night, Kouhei is captivated
by a young girl sitting upon one of the castle's parapets
who seems to be posing for Kouhei's frantic shots. The next
morning, upon developing the film Kouhei is disappointed
to find she isn't in any of the photos.
That
evening the three decide to investigate the castle, though
only Kouhei actually enters the grounds. It turns out that
once Kouhei has left, Seiji shows Hiromi that even if the
two of them wanted to follow him, a supernatural barrier
would prevent this. Kouhei's "ability" put him
at an advantage… if you want to look at it that way.
Inside
the castle, Kouhei meets the young girl from the evening
before and is pulled further into her grasp because of her
polite manner and the fact that she is extremely cute. Little
does he know that Hazuki is a vampire who makes Kouhei her
first victim! Of course, given Kouhei's penchant for missing
out on anything supernatural, we find that her bite doesn't
make him her slave, nor do her vampire abilities affect
him at all! Out of kindness Kouhei frees her from the castle
(causing a rather large stir) which has essentially become
her prison.
When
Kouhei returns from Germany to Japan, he is shocked to find
that Hazuki is there waiting for him in his grandfather's
house, claiming he is her servant!
The
rest of the series involves Kouhei, along with his friends
and family, protecting Hazuki from those that wish to use
her power for ill conceived purposes, while he falls even
further for her.
The
ending, if you go by episode 25 being the ending, closes
off 90% of the story, though there are still some mysteries
to explore as the final credits scroll (I guess they want
you to read the Manga). Episode 26 is a bonus episode, available
only on DVD and given this fact I was surprised that they
didn't skimp in any area. The bonus episode is as well produced
as the previous 25 but is a tad higher on the comedic value
and doesn't really do much to close anything off in terms
of storylines. |
