Full Moon o Sagashite

Plot

Twelve-year-old Mitsuki Koyama dreams of becoming a singer to reunite with her first love, Eichi Sakurai, who she met in an orphanage when they were younger. However, she is afflicted with throat sarcoma, which affects her ability to breathe well and sing loudly. Her tumor can be cured only through a surgery that could damage her vocal cords. At the same time, her grandmother is completely against Mitsuki's wish to audition. Mitsuki's dreams seem impossible to achieve until she is visited by two shinigami, Takuto and Meroko, whom only she could see. Takuto and Meroko reveal that Mitsuki has only one year left to live, and, realizing she cannot wait any longer to fulfill her dream, Mitsuki moves Takuto to agree to a compromise: if he helps her become a singer, she will allow him to take her soul once the year is over. Takuto gives her the ability to transform into a 16-year-old, so that she could meet the age requirements of the audition and sing. Mitsuki wins over the judges, sealing a contract with Seed Records. To conceal her true identity, she chooses the stage name "Full Moon".

As Mitsuki gains a presence in the music industry, she runs away from home. Over time, Mitsuki begins to become more acquainted with Takuto and Meroko, as well as Izumi, Meroko's former partner. However, Mitsuki's career causes Takuto to regain his memories as a singer who was previously part of her father's band, and that he had attempted to die by suicide after a surgery to remove his throat sarcoma left him unable to sing. Through this, Mitsuki learns that all shinigami had been humans in their previous life who had died by suicide. Later, the shinigami discover that Eichi had died shortly after leaving the orphanage, and Mitsuki had kept secret about his death out of regret for not being able to confess to him. Takuto, realizing he is in love with Mitsuki, helps her come to terms over his death.

Soon after, Mitsuki admits to Takuto that she wants to return home and decides to undergo surgery to remove her tumor. Izumi discovers Jonathan's true identity is Sheldan, the head of the shinigami pediatrics ward, who has decided to forcefully take Mitsuki's soul. Takuto and Meroko travel to the underworld; however, Mitsuki is able to free Izumi and confronts Sheldan and the Death Master. Sheldan and the Death Master reveal that ever since Mitsuki met the shinigami, she was no longer fated to die, and Eichi's soul had protected her from them. After returning, Mitsuki attends her final concert as Full Moon and retires. Four years later, Mitsuki has resumed her singing career under her true identity and holds a concert that is viewed by her friends and family. During the concert, she reunites with Takuto, who has awoken from his coma and his throat healed by Sheldan, and confesses her feelings to him. Realizing Mitsuki no longer needs him, Eichi's soul finally ascends to heaven.

Characters

Main characters

Mitsuki Kōyama (神山 満月, Kōyama Mitsuki)

Voiced by: Myco (Japanese); Katie Rowan (English)

Mitsuki is a 12-year-old girl who dreams of becoming a pop singer, but she has a tumor in her vocal cords which restricts her ability to sing. With Takuto's help, she transforms into Full Moon (フルムーン, Furu Mūn), a 16-year-old idol, completely cancer-free and able to sing. Mitsuki eventually learns that Eichi died after leaving to move to America, and despite being distraught at first, Takuto helps her cope and realize that she must live her life to the fullest.

Through the series, Mitsuki realizes that she loves Takuto, but feels guilty for it because she is afraid of forgetting Eichi. Mitsuki decides that she loves both of them and confesses to Takuto, as well as accept that Eichi would like her to be happy. Near the end, her illness is cured with her being able to pursue a singing career and relationship with Takuto, but keeps Eichi in a special place in her heart.

Takuto Kira (タクト・キラ)

Voiced by: Yakkun Sakurazuka (Japanese); Jeffrey Watson (English)

Takuto is a trainee shinigami partnered with Meroko in the team Negi Ramen. Takuto is capable of transforming into an anthropomorphic cat stuffed toy. Despite being assigned to take Mitsuki's soul, he is moved by her plight and transforms her into Full Moon. Takuto falls in love with Mitsuki as the series progresses, and he remembers his past as Takuto Kira (吉良 托人, Kira Takuto), the lead singer of Route:L, the band that both Mitsuki's father and her doctor were in. After a malignant tumor in his throat took his voice, he attempted suicide and remained in a coma for the next two years. At the end of the series, Takuto saves Mitsuki's life, violating fate and his duty as a shinigami.

At the end of the manga, he is seen as a human again in the hospital, having lost three months of memories. Three years later, he reunites with Mitsuki during her concert. In the anime, he dies from a motorcycle accident, and after being given a second chance at life, Takuto is reborn as a human with no memories of his former lives, but still carries the cat charm Mitsuki gave him.

Recurring characters

Eichi Sakurai (桜井 英知, Sakurai Eichi)

Voiced by: Ryohei Kimura (Japanese); Graden Gant (English)

Eichi is Mitsuki's childhood friend and her first love. He is a kind and gentle boy, but resents the moon after being reminded about the death of his grandfather. However, after meeting Mitsuki at the orphanage, Eichi grows to love the moon again and dreams of becoming an astronomer. Before moving to America, Eichi tells Mitsuki that he loves her, but she cannot reply by the time he leaves. Shortly after leaving, he dies in a fatal accident.

At the end of the manga, Mitsuki learns that Takuto's first assignment was taking Eichi's soul, but Eichi refused to depart the world because of her. He becomes a ghost and watches over her, which gives her the power to see shinigami. He stays with her until the end, when he sees that Mitsuki is happy with her career and with Takuto.

Fuzuki Kōyama (神山 文月, Kōyama Fuzuki)

Voiced by: Kazuko Sugiyama (Japanese); Maureen Jones (English)

Fuzuki is Mitsuki's maternal grandmother who adopted Mitsuki when she was 10 years old. She hates music because she believes that it has stolen everyone she has loved. After Mitsuki runs away from home, disappearing from her life, Fuzuki gradually accepts the fact that she cannot keep Mitsuki from music, and the two reconcile.

In the manga, Fuzuki was best friends with Moe Rikyo, and they both fell in love with Seijuro Koga. He chose Fuzuki as his fiancée, but Fuzuki refused the engagement out of loyalty to Moe. She later married another man. At the end, Fuzuki reunites with a widowed Seijuro.

In the anime, Fuzuki was engaged to a man who wanted to become a famous pianist. He became obsessed with practicing the piano. When Fuzuki suggested he should rest, he ended their relationship.

Shinigami

The shinigami are the spirits of humans that committed suicide, who are then punished with the task of collecting souls. If a shinigami fully remembers his or her past life before becoming a full shinigami, he or she disappears and becomes a ghost to wander about.

Jonathan (ジョナサン, Jonasan)

Voiced by: Norihisa Mori (Japanese); Tommy James (English)

Jonathan is Izumi's current partner who acts whimsical at first glance. Later in the manga, secretly attempts to harm Mitsuki and reveals himself to be Sheldan (シェルダン部長, Sherudan-buchō), the head of the pediatrics ward and the second shinigami to come into existence. He attempts to take Mitsuki's life, but is stopped by Takuto, Meroko, and Izumi. In the final chapter, he uses up all his powers to heal Takuto's throat and give him his voice back, and disappears along with Mystere.

Tanemura conceived Jonathan's character design based on a sketch she drew of what she believed Peeves from Harry Potter looked like.

Death Master (死神主人, Desu Masutā)

The Death Master, also called Mystere (ミスティア, Misutia), is the first human soul to descend to the Underworld and crowned queen of the Underworld. When Meroko enters her room to erase Mitsuki's name from the rolls of the dead, Mystere gives her the keys to save Takuto. At the end of the manga, when Mystere and Sheldan disappear after using up their power healing Takuto's throat, they seem to show great affection for each other.

Minor characters

Tomoe Maejima (前島 巴, Maejima Tomoe)

Voiced by: Mariko Nagahama (Japanese); Marcy Lannan (English)

Tomoe is Mitsuki's best friend.

Kumi Sagimiya (鷺宮 クミ, Sagimiya Kumi)

Voiced by: Akiko Kobayashi

Kumi is Mitsuki and Tomoe's other friend from school who takes Judo lessons. Despite her tomboyish personality, she has romantic feelings for Mochida.

Wakana Kimura (木村 若菜, Kimura Wakana), Emi Yamano (山野 エミ, Yamano Emi), and Mayumi Hashimoto (橋本 まゆみ, Hashimoto Mayumi)

Voiced by: Naomi Orikasa (Wakana), Mika Sakenobe (Emi), and Yukiko Sawada (Mayumi) (Japanese); Jayna Mitchell (Wakana), Jasmine Berg (Emi), and Leah Dubbin-Steckel (Mayumi) (English)

Wakana, Emi, and Mayumi are classmates of Mitsuki and her friends.

Hasegawa (長谷川) and Mochida (町田)

Voiced by: Makoto Ueki (Hasegawa), Ryō Naitō (Mochida) (Japanese); Graham Ko (Hasegawa), Cole Howard (Mochida) (English)

Hasegawa is a male student in Mitsuki's class.

Taiki (大樹くん, Taiki-kun)

Voiced by: Junko Takeuchi (Japanese); Idan Wolach (English)

Taiki is an orphan attending Hiiragi Preschool (柊幼稚園, Hiiragi Yōchien) which is also an orphanage. He is a close friend of Sora, a little girl a few years younger than him who later on becomes his adopted sister.

Production

As a fan of idol singers, Tanemura created the series out of desire to write lyrics. Her previous series, Time Stranger Kyoko, was cut short due to the main protagonist, Kyoko, having a strong personality, which failed to appeal to her editors and reader demographic. As a result of this, Tanemura decided to give Mitsuki a more subdued personality and later had the idea of making her sickly to explain her shy behavior. Mitsuki is modeled after one of Tanemura's assistants, Airi Teito, and her corkscrew hairstyle was inspired by then-Morning Musume member Ai Kago.

Media

Manga

Full Moon o Sagashite was published by Shueisha in the magazine Ribon from January 2002 to June 2004 and collected in seven tankōbon volumes under the Ribon Mascot Comics imprint. Contributing assistants to the manga were Ai Minase, Airi Teito, Akoko Asakura, Kanan Kiseki, Kayoru Asano, Konako, Kyakya Asano, Megumi Nakamura, Miwa Sawakami, Niki Seisou, Noriko Funaki, Rina Asuka, Ruka Kaduki, and Saori Hinano. Volume 2 also included an unrelated short story titled Gin-yu Meika (吟遊名華), which originally appeared in the November 2001 issue of Ribon. First-print editions of each volume came with a collectible card.

Starting in January 2012, Full Moon o Sagashite was reprinted in four bunkoban volumes with new covers. The manga is licensed in North America in English by Viz Media as Full Moon, although the full Japanese title is given on the front cover.

Under the pseudonym "Meguro Teikoku", Tanemura has also self-published unofficial doujinshi of the series and sold limited copies exclusively at Comiket in August 2015.

Anime

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. Because the anime adaptation was broadcast while the manga was still ongoing, several characters have different backgrounds and personalities, and the story ended with a different resolution.

The television series was licensed by Viz Media, who released seven DVDs (the first 28 episodes), under the title Full Moon before putting further releases on indefinite hold, citing low sales potential. The English dub was provided by Blue Water Studios. The songs are subtitled only, resulting in a dub that switches between English dialogue and Japanese singing. On August 3, 2024, AnimEigo announced their license to the anime and will re-release the series on Blu-ray in 2025. They later announced that the complete Viz English dub had been recovered and would be on the Blu-ray release.

Full Moon o Sagashite has two opening themes and four ending themes. "I Love U" by The Scanty is used as the opening theme for the first 26 episodes, while the group's song "Rock 'n' Roll Princess" is used for the rest. Changin' My Life performs all four ending themes: "New Future" used for the first six episodes, episode 52, and final episode; "Myself" is used for episodes 7–26; "Eternal Snow" is used for episodes 27–42; "Love Chronicle" is used for episodes 43–51.

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. Myco and Chieko Honda reprise their respective roles of Mitsuki and Meroko from the anime, and Hiromi Ōtsuda voices 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 at home while rushing to work.

Art book

On April 15, 2004, Shueisha published a seventy-page art book for the series entitled The Arina Tanemura Collection: The Art of Full Moon (満月をさがしてイラスト集種村有菜COLLECTION, Furu Mūn O Sagashite: Irasuto Shū Tanemura Arina Collection). Viz Media published an English language edition in North America on October 21, 2008.