Saturday, March 24, 2007

Moon Phase - Phase 3


The adventures of Kouhei, a photographer for an occult magazine, and Hazuki, a young vampire girl who claims she is his master, continue in volume 3 of "Moon Phase" from FUNimation.

Hazuki has moved in and made herself at home with Kouhei's spiritually gifted family after following him to Japan. She first met Kouhei at her castle in Germany, where she was trapped by sinister forces. Kouhei, in spite of being from such a magically inclined family, is spiritually dense. Magic and occult powers don't work on him. This unusual ability, along with another unique quality hidden in his blood, enable him to free Hazuki from the confines of the castle.

Hazuki settles into daily life with Kouhei's family fairly easily. Her bratty and immature personality drives Kouhei crazy, but they end up forming a strange, but closely knit group. Hazuki has a huge brother-complex crush on Kouhei, and is dismayed to discover he has a young fiancee with powers of her own. The fiancee isn't too pleased to learn about Hazuki either, but when times get tough, they nevertheless put aside their differences to help the family. I worried that there would be some kind of harem effect with everyone falling for Kouhei, but fortunately, this series avoids that common plot device.

Meanwhile, the forces that kept Hazuki trapped in the German castle aren't too happy about her escape. Count Kinkel, an evil and powerful vampire, arrives to bring Hazuki back. He has so much power, and has so many hidden skills, that a battle against him is sure to take a toll on Hazuki and her new family. None of her friends are safe from his terrible threat.

The question of Hazuki's alter ego Luna is also addressed this volume, as are the unusual powers Hazuki displays while in "Luna Mode". The fight with Kinkel produces some unexpected fallout that changes Hazuki and her relationship with Kouhei.

"Moon Phase" Volume 3 contains episodes 11-14 of this 26-episode series. This is the best volume of the series out so far. Episode 11 wraps up some of the aftermath from Volume 2, while episodes 12-14 feature a great, plot-intense story arc that really fleshes out the characters and strengthens their relationships. The lolita fan-service is toned down considerably – except for a ridiculous bath scene in episode 14 - and the plot takes center stage at last. More of the vampire mythology that the series relies on is explained, and a new, greater, enemy is revealed. When the characters aren't actively facing a threat or conflict, the show has a tendency to revert to silly fan-service. Fortunately, this volume is about a major conflict. I am enjoying this series more and more as it moves along and the plot takes over.

As with previous volumes, while the lolita fanservice initially turned me off from this show, there are still several things I do like about it. I was pleasantly surprised that Kouhei does not immediately succumb to Hazuki's lolita charm, and in fact, treats her like an annoying kid sister. I like the fact that the show is not slapstick comedy. The art is extremely cute and the character designs are attractive. Volume 3 has another adorable DVD cover.

The adventures of Kouhei, a photographer for an occult magazine, and Hazuki, a young vampire girl who claims she is his master, continue in volume 3 of "Moon Phase" from FUNimation.

Hazuki has moved in and made herself at home with Kouhei's spiritually gifted family after following him to Japan. She first met Kouhei at her castle in Germany, where she was trapped by sinister forces. Kouhei, in spite of being from such a magically inclined family, is spiritually dense. Magic and occult powers don't work on him. This unusual ability, along with another unique quality hidden in his blood, enable him to free Hazuki from the confines of the castle.

Hazuki settles into daily life with Kouhei's family fairly easily. Her bratty and immature personality drives Kouhei crazy, but they end up forming a strange, but closely knit group. Hazuki has a huge brother-complex crush on Kouhei, and is dismayed to discover he has a young fiancee with powers of her own. The fiancee isn't too pleased to learn about Hazuki either, but when times get tough, they nevertheless put aside their differences to help the family. I worried that there would be some kind of harem effect with everyone falling for Kouhei, but fortunately, this series avoids that common plot device.

Meanwhile, the forces that kept Hazuki trapped in the German castle aren't too happy about her escape. Count Kinkel, an evil and powerful vampire, arrives to bring Hazuki back. He has so much power, and has so many hidden skills, that a battle against him is sure to take a toll on Hazuki and her new family. None of her friends are safe from his terrible threat.

The question of Hazuki's alter ego Luna is also addressed this volume, as are the unusual powers Hazuki displays while in "Luna Mode". The fight with Kinkel produces some unexpected fallout that changes Hazuki and her relationship with Kouhei.

"Moon Phase" Volume 3 contains episodes 11-14 of this 26-episode series. This is the best volume of the series out so far. Episode 11 wraps up some of the aftermath from Volume 2, while episodes 12-14 feature a great, plot-intense story arc that really fleshes out the characters and strengthens their relationships. The lolita fan-service is toned down considerably – except for a ridiculous bath scene in episode 14 - and the plot takes center stage at last. More of the vampire mythology that the series relies on is explained, and a new, greater, enemy is revealed. When the characters aren't actively facing a threat or conflict, the show has a tendency to revert to silly fan-service. Fortunately, this volume is about a major conflict. I am enjoying this series more and more as it moves along and the plot takes over.

As with previous volumes, while the lolita fanservice initially turned me off from this show, there are still several things I do like about it. I was pleasantly surprised that Kouhei does not immediately succumb to Hazuki's lolita charm, and in fact, treats her like an annoying kid sister. I like the fact that the show is not slapstick comedy. The art is extremely cute and the character designs are attractive. Volume 3 has another adorable DVD cover.

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