Review by Holly Ellingwood
Published March 17, 2008

Based on the hit manga Tsukuyomi Moon Phase by Keitaro Arima, the anime offers a fun supernatural fantasy series about a human and a vampire falling in love. Comedic yet filled with suspense, the show is an energetic blend of both aspects, offering very dramatic twists to an otherwise criss-crossed humorous romance. Hazuki is incredibly cute and adorable as the vampire in question. She's bratty, she's demanding, and has made the psychically dense Kouhei into her slave. At least that was her plan. But Kouhei is so clueless when it comes to supernatural effects that he's immune to her compulsion. So now Hazuki is stuck with a human slave who doesn't have to do a single thing she says. Both stubborn, both thick headed, they're the perfect couple except for that nagging itty bitty problem: she's a vampire and he's human.

That's not the only obstacle facing them. When they first meet, she's a prisoner in a strange castle. After he accidentally frees the cute vampire, she follows him home to Tokyo. But so do the powers that be that had sealed her in the castle. Now Kouhei and his family, being the kind hearted types, open their arms to the homeless Hazuki while unknowingly opening their doors to attacks from various and dangerous mystical creatures. First comes Elfriede. She's a servant of the count who wants Hazuki for his own purposes. It seems the more powerful a vampire becomes they can suck the power of another vampire along with their blood. And amnesiac Hazuki has one of the most coveted of all vampiric powers. The TV series builds to the tremendous battle between the count and Hazuki with Kouhei, but this isn't the end of the story. Far from it. Events unfold and in the pivotal episode 17, Elfriede shares her tragic past just before the Mido household is brutally attacked. From there, just like in the manga, the show jumps to nearly a year later with Kouhei and Hazuki training up in the mountains at the Mido temple. Each is trying to become stronger. The main goal is to awaken Kouhei's long sealed away psychic abilities, but in doing so, it may very well tear the odd couple apart. This all occurs just when a new enemy attacks, a vampire with a personal grudge against Hazuki, named Artemis. With her formidable henchmen that are all sinister creatures, the Midos along with Hazuki must face attacks on all fronts, including from one of their own.  

The conclusion is climatic, full of back-story and great supernatural action. However the story doesn't quite end there. The two very last episodes that follow it serve as an epilogue, showing what is happening to the surviving characters and is very off-the-wall and has a lot of the energetic comedy the show began with. It serves as a fun easing of the tension that had built with the finale.

The TV show follows the manga fairly closely, naturally having to set aside much of the secondary stories and supporting members' back stories in respect to the time sensitive nature of a TV series. Whether it ends similarly to the manga I can't yet say as the manga being released by Tokyopop has not yet finished its run at the time of this review. So far though, it stays fairly true to the story. The animation follows suit, doing an excellent job of capturing the flow and feel of the manga designs while adding an all new mystical flair through the use of color and superb music scores that enhance the haunting feeling the show imparts at times. It is a lush animation, very glossy. It has impressively textured backgrounds. When the story turns dramatic, scenes are often washed over in eerie greens, or violets or crimson. Each imparts a different supernatural aura when the show turns nearly monochromatic, adding to a sense of anticipation.

The music holds an uncommon diversity by having a perky and utterly addictive opening theme. This is contrasted beautifully by the breathy ballad at the end. The dichotomy between super cute and haunting suits the dichotomous anime perfectly.

IN SUMMARY:
The cutest vampire in anime falls in love with a human and danger ensues in this entertaining anime. Part comedy, part paranormal adventure, all kinds of intrigue.