Full Moon o Sagashite

Full Moon o Sagashite
File:Full Moon volume 1.jpg Cover of the first volume of the English release of Full Moon o Sagashite
満月をさがして (Furu Mūn o Sagashite)
Genre	Magical girl, Romance, Supernatural
Manga
Written by	Arina Tanemura
Published by	Shueisha
English publisher	Viz Media Madman Entertainment
Magazine	Ribon
Demographic	Shōjo
Original run	January 2002 – June 2004
Volumes	7
Anime
Directed by	Toshiyuki Kato
Studio	Studio Deen
Released	April 06, 2002 – March 29, 2003
Anime
Cute Cute Adventure
Directed by	Bob Shirahata
Studio	Studio Deen
Released	November 2002

Full Moon o Sagashite (満月をさがして, Furu Mūn o Sagashite, lit. "Searching for the Full Moon") is a Japanese shōjo manga by Arina Tanemura. According to the furigana, the kanji 満月 in the title are read furu mūn ("full moon") and not mangetsu or mitsuki, the Japanese words for the full moon. In North America, the series is published as Full Moon, although the full title is given on the front cover.

The manga was published by Shueisha in the magazine Ribon from January 2002 to June 2004 and collected in seven tankobon volumes. The manga is published in North America in English by Viz Media. The series was adapted as an anime television series produced by Nihon Ad Systems, which ended before the manga was completed, plus an OVA distributed with an issue of Ribon. The series was broadcast on TV Tokyo, where it enjoyed high ratings, and is also licensed in North America by Viz Media.

Plot

12-year-old Mitsuki Koyama is a talented singer who dreams of becoming a pop idol, but she is afflicted with sarcoma, which is curable only through a surgery that could cost her vocal cords and her ability to sing. The tumor in her throat also affects her ability to breathe well and sing loudly. On top of that, her grandmother hates music, and is completely opposed to Mitsuki's wish to audition. Her dreams seem impossible to achieve, until one day she is visited by two shinigami whom only she can see. Without knowing Mitsuki can see and hear them, they discuss how she only has one year left to live.

Realizing she cannot wait any longer to fulfill her dream, she runs away from her house and the shinigami to try to audition for a singing competition. However, the shinigami catch her before she is able to audition. Mitsuki moves one of the shinigami, Takuto, to make a deal with her—if she goes quietly when her one year is up, he will help her become a singer so that she may leave the world without any regrets. He gives her the ability to transform into a healthy 16-year-old self who is not encumbered by a throat tumor. Though there is much competition, she is able to win over the judges with her enthusiasm for singing and her excellent voice. To conceal her true identity, she chooses the stage name Fullmoon.

Mitsuki decided to become a singer two years before the shinigami's arrival, when she was 10 years old. She made a promise with Eichi Sakurai, a 16-year-old boy she met in her orphanage, that the next time they met, they would both be closer to their dreams. Eichi wanted to become an astronomer and Mitsuki wanted to become a singer. Shortly after, Eichi was adopted and emigrated to America before Mitsuki could express her feelings for him. Mitsuki hopes that by becoming a famous idol, Eichi will be able to hear her sing and realize her feelings for him.

Shortly after her first audition to become a singer, the plot of the manga and anime of this series separate. The two stories share common themes, but events develop differently as the series advances. In addition, several of the characters in the anime have different histories and personalities from their manga counterparts.

Characters

Humans

Mitsuki Koyama (神山 満月, Kōyama Mitsuki) Voiced by: myco (Japanese), Katie Rowan (English)

A 12-year-old girl who dreams of becoming a pop singer but a tumor in her vocal cords restricts her ability to sing. She is an orphan who grew up in an orphanage, then later went to live with her strict grandmother, Fuzuki, who forbid her from singing. When Mitsuki learned that she would die if her vocal cords were not removed, she refused the surgery, saying that she would rather die than not be able to sing. With Takuto's help, she can transform into Fullmoon (フルムーン, Furumūn), a 16-year-old pop idol, completely free of cancer and able to sing. As Fullmoon, she is discovered by Seed Records during an audition and releases several singles in both the manga and anime; the anime ending theme songs are all supposedly sung by her. Mitsuki chooses the stage name Fullmoon both because mitsuki means "full moon" in Japanese and because her childhood friend, Eichi Sakurai, wants to become an astronomer and the name reminds her of him.

Mitsuki wants to become a singer because she wants to tell Eichi that she loves him. However, the shinigami eventually discover that Eichi is dead. In the manga, they realize that Mitsuki knew all along; in the anime, Mitsuki learns of his death during a trip to America. Both the manga and anime revolve around Mitsuki dealing with Eichi's death, as well as her eventual feelings for Takuto.It is believed that Mitsuki has killed at least 60 people in order of the chinese zodiac. Along with her uncle, Jeffrey Dahmer AKA "Uncle Jeff" She has released new hit songs, such as " New victim " and " Eternal Blood " Mitsuki, sadly, kicked the bucket at the end of the show after her surgery, failed. Mitsuki now has possessed many people and forced them to continue her long line of brutle murders.

Eichi Sakurai (桜井 英知, Sakurai Eichi) Voiced by: Ryohei Kimura (Japanese); Graden Gant (English)

Mitsuki's childhood friend and first love. After his parents died, Eichi lived with his grandfather, then when he died as well, Eichi moved to the orphanage where he met Mitsuki. They became fast friends, and he eventually falls in love with her, confessing his feelings just before moving to America. Mitsuki was heartbroken when he left, as she could not yet confess her true feelings to him. Part of the reason she wants to become a singer is to find him. In the manga, Eichi dies when his flight to America crashes; in the anime, Eichi dies in a car accident a few months after moving.

In the manga, Takuto's first assignment was taking Eichi's soul, but Eichi refused to depart the world and instead stays near Mitsuki as a spirit, which gives her the power to see shinigami. He stays with her until the end of the manga, when he leaves after seeing that she is now happy and wants to live on, and no longer needs his presence.

Fuzuki Koyama (神山 文月, Kōyama Fuzuki) Voiced by: Kazuko Sugiyama (Japanese); Maureen Jones (English)

Mitsuki's grandmother. She initially hates music because she believes that it has stolen everyone she has loved. She becomes angry when Mitsuki sings in her house. After Mitsuki runs away from home to become Fullmoon, Fuzuki constantly worries about her and gradually realizes she cannot keep Mitsuki from music, and the two reconcile.

In the manga, as a young woman Fuzuki was friends with Moe Rikyou (the human who became Meroko) and they both fell in love with a violinist, Seijuro Koga. He chose Fuzuki as his fiancée, but broke off the engagement after Moe committed suicide in despair. Fuzuki later married someone else and had Hazuki, who became Mitsuki's mother. At the end of the manga, Fuzuki reunites with Seijuro and they attend Mitsuki's concert together.

In the anime, Fuzuki was engaged to a man who wanted to become a famous pianist. He became obsessed with practicing the piano, and when she suggested that he should relax a bit, he said she did not understand and left Japan, breaking Fuzuki's heart.

Yoneya "Yone" Tanaka (田中 よね, Tanaka Yone) Voiced by: Mayumi Akado (Japanese); Suzette Mattar (English)

Fuzuki's maid. She acts silly at times, but cares deeply for both Fuzuki and Mitsuki. Tanaka is skilled at cooking, cleaning, shopping, and appears to take pride in her abilities as a maid. She is also something of a snoop and often eavesdrops on conversations.

In the anime, Tanaka is shown as loving music and she has a radio with headphones so that she can listen without Fuzuki knowing; Mitsuki sometimes uses this to blackmail Tanaka. Tanaka also has a crush on Wakaoji and is jealous of Oshige, mistakenly believing her to be Wakaoji's fiancée. In one episode, she challenges Oshige to a contest to see which of the two would make a better bride. Although Tanaka wins all events, she concedes contest when she sees Wakaoji and Oshige laughing together, believing the two are in love.

Keiichi Wakaoji (若王子 圭一, Wakaōji Keiichi) Voiced by: Teruaki Ogawa (Japanese); Gerrick Winston (English)

Mitsuki's doctor. He played keyboard in the band ROUTE:L along with Mitsuki's father, Aoi Koga, and Takuto Kira, but he quit after Aoi's death. Fans called him the "Prince of ROUTE:L" because wakaōji means "young prince" in Japanese.

In the manga, Wakaoji performed the surgery on Takuto to remove the tumor in his vocal cords and witnessed Takuto's suicide. Mitsuki learns that Wakaoji loved her mother because of a letter he thought she had written him, but Wakaoji falls in love with Oshige when he discovers the letter was from her. In a side story, he asks Oshige to marry him and she accepts.

Masami Oshige (大重 正実, Ōshige Masami) Voiced by: Tomomi Seo (Japanese); Kris Rundle (English)

Fullmoon's manager, and a former avid fangirl of ROUTE:L, especially Wakaoji. She started out as an unsuccessful idol singer, under the stage name Yuina Hanakazari (花飾 結菜, Hanakazari Yuina), before moving to management. In the manga, she has an affair with her boss out of loneliness despite his being married, but she eventually starts dating Wakaoji. At the end of the manga, Oshige marries Wakaoji. In the anime, however, Wakaoji and Oshige have no romantic relationship and are merely friends.

Madoka Wakamatsu (若松 円, Wakamatsu Madoka) Voiced by: Kana (Japanese), Carol-Anne Day (English)

Madoka Wakamatsu is the stage name of Chisato Kurebayashi (暮林 千暁, Kurebayashi Chisato). She is Fullmoon's rival in the music industry, who at the same time befriends 12-year-old Mitsuki. While talented, she is constantly upstaged by Fullmoon because she initially lacks the heart Mitsuki gives her songs. In addition, she is insecure because she had plastic surgery to make herself beautiful as a celebrity and was disowned by her family as a result. Madoka has a small pig called Gut-chan (ぐっちゃん), who worships her; although she sometimes takes out her anger on him, she is genuinely fond of him.

In the manga, Madoka is shown as having pride as well as ambition: she refuses to cheat to win over Fullmoon, even once resigning a commercial offer to Fullmoon when she realizes that Fullmoon would have won if Madoka hadn't inadvertantly stolen her lyrics. In the anime, Madoka is not above using underhanded tactics to best Fullmoon and does so several times.

Aoi Koga (古雅 葵, Koga Aoi) Voiced by: Hiroki Takahashi

Mitsuki's dead father, and former guitarist and songwriter for the band ROUTE:L. He acted as a father figure for the orphaned Takuto. In the manga, he died in an accident while driving Hazuki to the hospital to give birth to Mitsuki; in the anime, he died when Mitsuki was one year old.

In the manga, Aoi is shown as a laid-back, cool-tempered man. Arina Tanemura states that "He loves wearing Buddhist priest work clothes!" Aoi was very close to his bandmates and friends, Keiichi Wakaoji and Takuto Kira. He asked Takuto to name his daughter, and Takuto decided on Mitsuki. He is only briefly seen in the anime, including a scene where he gives a music box to Hazuki when she named their daughter Mitsuki.

Nachi (那智, Nachi)

The lead singer of the duo OZ, who befriends Mitsuki (as Fullmoon) because she was the first person in the music industry to genuinely smile as she spoke to him. He cherishes her friendship and takes it upon himself to find a stalker hurting people close to her. Nachi and Madoka fall in love, though Gut-chan is jealous of him. When Madoka finds he has an old photo of her with her unattractive childhood fiancée, Soichiro Shido (紫堂 総一郎, Shidō Sōichirō), she assumes Nachi is Soichiro's friend, pretending to love her to get revenge for Soichiro for rejecting him hurtfully. Madoka apologizes to Soichiro's mother and asks to break off the engagement because she loves Nachi, only to discover Soichiro is Nachi, after having plastic surgery to become an idol in hopes of making her love him. In the end, they remain engaged.

Hikari Hayashi (林 光理, Hayashi Hikari)

She was Takuto's girlfriend while he was alive. Takuto discovered that she was cheating on him and the two were on the verge of breaking up when Takuto attempted suicide and went into a coma, after which Hikari realized that she still loved him. She later sees Takuto (visible to humans while on a date with Mitsuki) and attempts to revive their relationship, which causes problems between Takuto and Mitsuki.

Shinigami

The shinigami are the spirits of humans who committed suicide and are punished with the task of collecting souls. The manga gives details about the shinigami's past lives; in the anime, only Takuto's is covered. If a shinigami fully remembers his or her past life before becoming a full shinigami, he or she disappears and becomes a ghost.

Takuto Kira (タクト・キラ, Takuto Kira) Voiced by: Yakkun Sakurazuka (Japanese); Jeffrey Watson (English)

Takuto is Meroko's partner and trainee, and they are assigned to take Mitsuki's soul. His shinigami costume is a cat outfit plus a backpack with wings without which, as a trainee shinigami, he cannot fly. Takuto is capable of transforming into an anthropomorphic cat plushie. Moved by Mitsuki's plight, he transforms her into the 16-year-old Fullmoon to let her audition as a singer, and develops romantic feelings for her. He becomes depressed at times, especially when Mitsuki talks about Eichi, the boy she loves. At the end of the series, Takuto saves Mitsuki's life, violating fate and his duty as a shinigami.

In the manga, he remembers his past as the lead singer of ROUTE:L, the band that both Mitsuki's father and doctor were in. While alive, he named Mitsuki and met her when she was four years old. He developed a malignant tumor in his throat, just as Mitsuki later did, and lost his voice. Unable to bear the thought of being unable to sing, Takuto jumped from the top floor of the hospital and became a shinigami. In the anime, he instead drove his motorbike off a cliff when he first learns about the tumor. At the end of the series, it is revealed he was never dead, merely in a coma, which is why he could never be successful as a shinigami. In the manga, Takuto only lost his memories for 3 months when he woke up at the hospital. After three years, during Mitsuki's concert, he and Mitsuki reunited in which Mitsuki finally confessed her feelings to him. In the anime, Takuto is brought back to life in the final episode and at first had no memories, but seems to remember something when Mitsuki yells for him. His name as a human was Kira Takuto.

Meroko Yui (めろこ・ユイ, Meroko Yui) Voiced by: Chieko Honda (Japanese); Leda Davies (English)

Meroko is a rabbit shinigami with long ears, capable of transforming into an anthropomorphic bunny stuffed toy. In the anime, she is fond of changing her appearance into other characters using the catchphrase "Mero Mero Change!" Meroko is Takuto's partner and is infatuated with him, though her love is unrequited. She is jealous of Takuto's affection for Mitsuki, and fears that being around Mitsuki will cause Takuto to remember his past, and thus become a ghost. Meroko was Izumi's former partner and was infatuated with him; when Izumi grew tired of her frequent declarations of love, he tricked her into training newcomer Takuto in his place. Although Meroko tries to fall in love with Takuto, she eventually realizes that she loved Izumi all along.

When Meroko was alive, she was Mitsuki's grandmother's best friend, Moe Rikyo (里匡萌, Rikyō Moe) (of which her shinigami name is an anagram). Mitsuki's grandmother, Fuzuki, was engaged to be married when they both met, and fell in love with a violinist, Seijuro Koga. He loved Fuzuki, however, and eventually became engaged to her, whereupon her former fiancée was passed on to Moe. When Moe caught Fuzuki and the violinist kissing, she ran into the rain and committed suicide by slitting her wrists. Meroko is often linked to rain, and it is used as a symbol in the manga.

Izumi Rio (いずみ・リオ, Izumi Rio) Voiced by: Megumi Ogata

Izumi is a cold and distant shinigami assigned the Pediatrics Ward. He can transform into an anthropomorphic dog plushie, but rarely does so because it takes a lot of energy. He likes to call other characters by nicknames. In the manga, he first appears in Chapter 5; in the anime, he appears later, roughly halfway through the series.

In the manga, he is a tragic figure: in his human life, he was a six-year-old boy named Lio Izumi (泉利緒, Izumi Lio) whose mother beat him because he looked like his dead father. To make his mother happy for once, he threw himself in front of a train, and while he saw his mother smile as he was hit, it did not satisfy him. Eventually, Mitsuki's gentleness makes Izumi realize that he had wanted his mother to call him back from the tracks. At the end of the manga, he and Meroko team up again as angels.

In the anime, Izumi's background is not mentioned and he is portrayed as a cold-hearted antagonist. He makes several attempts to steal Mitsuki's soul, and although he claims to love Meroko, he only seems to do things that cause her pain, as Takuto points out. He is responsible for Takuto and Meroko being assigned to Mitsuki, to get Takuto to remember his past life as a human by taking the soul of his former friend's daughter.

Jonathan (ジョナサン, Jonasan) Voiced by: Norihisa Mori

Jonathan is the shinigami who becomes Izumi's partner after Meroko leaves. He wears a top hat and often speaks in English. Jonathan has a large role in the manga. He reveals to Mitsuki that the shinigami knew that Eichi had died, and later becomes a fanatic who tries to harm Fullmoon and her friends. Near the end of the manga, he reveals his true form: Sheldan (シェルダン部長, Sherudan-buchō), the head of the pediatrics ward, and attempts to take Mitsuki's life before being stopped by Takuto, Meroko, and Izumi. He was the second shinigami, after Mystere, and appears to show her great affection. In the final chapter, he uses up all his powers with Mystere to heal Takuto's throat and give him his voice back, and disappears along with Mystere.

In the anime, Jonathan's role is minor, limited to following Izumi around, to Izumi's annoyance.

Death Master (死神主人, Desu Masutā)

Appears only in the manga. She was the first human soul to descend to the Underworld, and is known as the "Death Master" and was crowned queen of the Underworld. She is also called Mystere (ミスティア, Misutia). After discovering she could take the souls of humans, she encountered a dying young girl who asked her if she was a shinigami, and convinced herself that she is one. She is a very fragile and sentimental person and apparently is one of the most powerful of the shinigami. When Meroko enters her room to erase Mitsuki's name from the rolls of the dead, Mystere gives her the keys to free Takuto, and later she listens with a smile to Mitsuki's final performance as Fullmoon. At the end of the manga, when Mystere and Sheldon disappear after using up their power healing Takuto's throat, they appear to show great affection for each other, and Mystere says that unlike the last time she died, she has no regrets about it.

Production

• In an author's freetalk in the manga, Tanemura mentions that one day with her friends, she drew a picture of what she thought Peeves from Harry Potter looked like. She showed it to friends, who laughed and said it did not look anything like Peeves. Tanemura decided not to waste it, and used the sketch as the design of Jonathan in ghost form.

• Mitsuki's corkscrew hairstyle is taken from Ai Kago from the group Morning Musume. Mitsuki herself is modeled on one of Arina Tanemura's assistants, Airi Teito.

Media

Manga

Full Moon o Sagashite was published by Shueisha in the magazine Ribon from January 2002 to June 2004 and collected in seven tankobon volumes. The manga is licensed in North America in English by Viz Media as Full Moon, although the full title is given on the front cover.

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	North America release date	North America ISBN
1	June 14, 2002	978-4-08-856380-0	July 5, 2005	978-1-59116-928-4
2	October 15, 2002	978-4-08-856408-1	August 23, 2005	978-1-4215-0036-2
3	March 14, 2003	978-4-08-856445-6	October 4, 2005	978-1-4215-0059-1
4	August 8, 2003	978-4-08-856483-8	December 6, 2005	978-1-4215-0125-3
5	January 15, 2004	978-4-08-856514-9	April 4, 2006	978-1-4215-0266-3
6	June 15, 2004	978-4-08-856542-2	July 5, 2006	978-1-4215-0397-4
7	July 15, 2004	978-4-08-856549-1	October 3, 2006	978-1-4215-0476-6

Anime

Further information: [[:List of Full Moon o Sagashite episodes]]

The series was adapted as a 52-episode anime television series by Studio Deen, directed by Toshiyuki Kato. It was broadcast on TV Tokyo from April 6, 2002 to March 29, 2003. The adaption follows the manga closely until Mitsuki's first audition as a singer, before diverging. Several characters have different histories and personalities, and the television series concluded before the manga did, with a different resolution.

The television series is licensed by Viz Media, which has released seven DVDs under the title Full Moon as of December 2007. The songs are subtitled only, resulting in a dub that switches between English dialogue and Japanese singing.

OVA

Full Moon o Sagashite: Cute Cute Adventure (満月をさがして かわいいかわいい大冒険, Furu Mūn o Sagashite Kawaii Kawaii Daibōken) is a ten-minute anime OVA that was distributed with the November 2002 issue of Ribon, the magazine in which the manga was serialized. It was produced by Studio Deen, and stars myco as Mitsuki and Chieko Honda as Meroko, as in the television series, but Hiromi Ōtsuda as Takuto. Set before the series ends, it features Takuto and Meroko trying to make their way to the studio in stuffed animal forms after Mitsuki accidentally leaves them home while rushing to work.

Art book

On April 15, 2004, Shueisha released the seventy-page art book Furu Mūn o Sagashite: Irasuto Shū Tanemura Arina COLLECTION (満月をさがしてイラスト集種村有菜COLLECTION). Viz Media released it as The Art of Full Moon o Sagashite on October 21, 2008.

External links

• Shueisha's Official Full Moon o Sagashite website Template:Ja icon
• Viz Media's Official Full Moon o Sagashite manga website
• Full Moon o Sagashite ({{{type}}}) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Viz Media's Official Full Moon o Sagashite anime website
• Full Moon o Sagashite ({{{type}}}) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia