Crescent Moon

    (Tokyopop, 2004-2005)
™ and © 2004 Tokyopop
Graphic novel; reads left to right; B&W

Odd, unconventional art combined with interesting characters and unusual storytelling helps to elevate this one above a dodgy patchwork plot. That plot comprises equal parts of epic fantasy and disconcerting horror.

It involves Mahiru, the only girl in the world who can help a band of demons from The Lunar Race. (The band consists of a vampire, a werewolf, a were-fox, and a were-bat.) The bunch of them must recover a mystic gem called “The Drops of the Moon” that’s the source of their power.

That almost seems as though it would provide enough plot for a series, but there’s more. They’re all being relentlessly pursued by police officers Kasukabe and Youhei, who believe they’re criminals (all of which sounds more than a little like the old Gargoyles TV series). It’s all pretty standard stuff but, for all of that, it’s got an unpredictable, offbeat rhythm and interesting characters interacting in original ways. As a result, viewers will find that some of the “seen it all before” situations will come across as a little less trite.

—S.A. Bennett
Jump to issue:
  NotesWriterArtist