Tag Archives: Moon Phase

Anime Review - MoonPhase: 88%

Friday, July 18, 2008 – 10:00 am

The Essentials

Name: MoonPhase
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Episodes: 26
Released: October 4, 2004 - March 23, 2005
Based On: Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase manga by Keitaro Arima
Director: Akiyuki Shinbo
Produced By: Victor Entertainment, SHAFT
US Distribution By: Funimation

Major Japanese Cast

Hazuki/Luna: Chiwa Saito
Kohei Morioka: Hiroshi Kamiya
Ryuhei Mido: Mugihito
Seiji Mido: Takahiro Sakurai
Elfriede: Yumi Kakazu
Hiromi Anzai: Michiko Neya
Haiji: Vanilla Yamazaki
Kaoru Mido: Miyu Matsuki
Hikaru Mido: Mai Kadowaki

Major English Cast

Hazuki/Luna: Monica Rial
Kohei Morioka: Jason Liebrecht
Ryuhei Mido: Randy Tallman
Seiji Mido: Sonny Strait
Elfriede: Stephanie Young
Hiromi Anzai: Laura Bailey
Haiji, Hikaru Mido: Luci Christian
Kaoru Mido: Brina Palencia

Scores

Animation: 8/10 (x 4 = 32 pts)
Story: 9/10 (x 4 = 36 pts)
Music: 9/10 (x 4 = 36 pts)
Coherence/Story Arc: 9/10 (x 2 = 18 pts)
English Dubs: 9/10 (x 1 = 9 pts)
Gut Score: 9/10 (x 5 = 45 pts)

Total: 176/200 (88%)

Review

MoonPhase is about a young female vampire, Hazuki, who is being held in a castle in Germany by her father and by his servant Vigo. One day, Kohei, who has an amazing ability to photograph supernatural phenomena despite the fact that he can’t sense them at all himself, spots Hazuki and her alter-ego Luna as he is taking pictures of the castle. Kohei goes back to the castle along with Seiji, who knows how to use ancient magic, to take more pictures when Hazuki. However, when Kohei finally meets Hazuki, she bites him, under the belief that biting him will put him under her control and help her escape the castle. However, supernatural things having absolutely no affect on Kohei, the bite has no such result. In the end, Kohei helps Hazuki escape the castle anyway, and she ends up coming to Japan to live with Kohei and his grandfather Ryuhei.

From there, Hazuki gets help from Kohei to try to find out what happened to her mother, while at the same time forces of Hazuki’s father marshal up in order to try to return Hazuki to the castle. The reason for this being that Hazuki has a secret: she is a true day walker - a vampire who can walk in daylight. If other vampires found out about this ability, they would rush to Hazuki to take that power for themselves. However, minions attempting to recapture Hazuki find another important reason to succeed: Kohei himself is revealed to be the mythical vampire lover - a human whom, if a vampire bites them, will free that vampire from any blood bonds which they may be constrained by (such as by being bitten and turned into a vampire by another vampire).

However, despite the pretty hefty-sounding description, MoonPhase still has a pretty good amount of comedy in it, with the continuing interaction between Kohei and Hazuki, as well as between Kohei and Ryuhei almost always ending in laughs. However, on top of the comedy, this series also contains several drama and action-intensive stints as well, which I have to say are usually very well done as well. Some of the sub-plots may get a little drawn out at times, but the story still moves as a pretty reasonable pace.

As for technical aspects, the animation is probably above average, and the music is pretty good, if not unusual for an anime series. The dubbing is also very good as far as I could tell.

In the end, if you’re looking for a very well made supernatural/vampire series or an otherwise character-driven series, I think you should definitely give MoonPhase a shot.

First Watched: August 2007 - January 2008
Do I Own: Yes
Do I Recommend: Yes

By Josh | Posted in Anime Reviews | Tagged | Comments (0)

Two years of Anime

Monday, August 6, 2007 – 2:18 am

Two years ago today, I received the first disc in my then-new Blockbuster Online rental subscription. I stuck the disc into my DVD player, not really knowing what to expect. This was my first time, after all.

U.S. Manga Corp’s animated M.D. Geist flashed on the screen and then the music of Blurry Eyes by L’Arc~en~Ciel started playing on the DVD menu for Volume of DNA2, and thus my journey down the road of anime began.

I went back and looked at some of the stats I wrote up in the One Year post I did, well, one year ago, and this is what I came up with:

So, how far have I gotten in 1 year? I’ve rated 17 anime series or movies (of course, this site has only been up for the last 6 of those 12 months). I’ve completed 14 others, and I’m currently watching 9 more.

If my counting is correct, in the past year I have watched 503 anime episodes or movies for a total of something around 200 to 215 hours of shows (or between 8 and 9 days).

I own 9 anime series and part of another as well as 2 movies

Well, that list of 17 reviewed series has now turned into 55 reviewed series. 31 completed anime series has turned into 67 completed series, and the 40 series that I’ve seen in whole or in part has expanded to 83 series (not including series I’ve only seen 1 episode of).

My anime library’s has continued to grow as well, going from the 9 series and 2 movies from a year ago to 21 complete series and 4 movies with 2 series in progress.

At this time last year, I estimated I had watched 503 episodes or movies, for a total of 200 to 215 hours of total shows watched. Now, I estimate that I’ve seen (if my math is correct, and not counting series I’ve only seen one episode of) 1,167 episodes or movies for a total of 470 to 475 hours (or 19 to 20 days) of total anime hours (not counting watching a series more than once).

Actually, at this pace, within 2 or 3 full season series, I should break 500 hours of non-repeated anime hours watched. I’m not sure I should be happy or sad about that though lol.

In any case, I also came up with this list last time around too:

There are also several shows on my to-get list:

Not finished, but I know I’ll buy it
Cardcaptor Sakura - Sakura Book
I”s Pure

It’s either still too expensive or I just haven’t gotten around to buying it
Howl’s Moving Castle
Princess Mononoke
Spirited Away

Licenced but not released
Rumbling Hearts (Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien)

Not licenced yet
I”s Pure
Kashimashi ~Girl Meets Girl~
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

Well, obviously Melancholy has been licensed, and so has Kashimashi, and those, incidentally, are the two series I’m in the middle of collecting. I”s Pure still hasn’t been licensed, and I have indeed bought the rest of the Cardcaptor Sakura series, as well as Rumbling Hearts. I still haven’t bought any of those 2 movies, though (the two new movies from last year are the two CCS movies).

At first, I thought my list this year would be smaller, but I guess it’s not, really:

I’m not sure if anything is in the “not finished but I know I’ll buy” category. If I had to pick a couple, I’d say Moonphase and Idolmaster Xenoglossia.

Other than that, in the “not licensed yet” category, I’d definitely put Kanon 2006, and I”s Pure would stay there, of course.

In the “too expensive to buy” category, I’d probably put Fullmetal Alchemist and Shakugan no Shana, and I just as well throw in Ah! My Goddess and Kaleido Star New Wings as well (though New Wings is coming out in a thinpack box set in September, so I should be able to afford it then).

In any case, that is my two year of anime wrapup post. I’ll probably put another post like this up next year…which will actually be the day before I would leave to go to Otakon 2008, now that I think of it. Otakon 2008 will essentially be a 3 year of anime celebration for me I guess.

By Josh | Posted in Shakugan no Shana, Various | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)