Review of Moon Phase: Phase 5

Introduction

Getting an early look at the penultimate volume of Moon Phase would have been a tantalising prospect two or three volumes ago, as I had come to appreciate this curiously interesting show, a blend of cuteness and spookiness that promised to charm viewers into liking it. It`s your usual anime fish out of water premise, with a cute teenage vampire living with a family renowned for defeating supernatural phenomenon. What was impressive about Moon Phase was the balance it had created between the comedy and the serious arc of the story, a balance that seemed finely judged and highly entertaining. Entertaining that is until volume 4, when everything shifted out of kilter. All of a sudden, we got a glut of pointless comic mayhem, before a quite stunning development in the drama, which was neutered by an eight-month jump in narrative. All of a sudden, Moon Phase was looking clumsy and inelegant. With just two volumes to go, here`s hoping that volume 5 can quickly get things back on track.

Kouhei Morioka is a psychic photographer who works for a paranormal magazine. He comes from a family of exorcists, but is unique in that he has an immunity to psychic phenomenon. His life changes when he goes on assignment to a mysterious castle in Germany, and winds up releasing from her imprisonment, a teenage vampire named Hazuki with a penchant for wearing kitten ears.

The next four episodes of Moon Phase are presented on this fifth volume from Revelation. Previously, the vampire Mario destroyed Ryuuhei`s antiques shop, which left Kouhei and Hazuki fleeing for their lives amidst their grief. Finding shelter at the Mido family shrine, Kouhei began training in earnest, in order to become strong enough to protect Hazuki.

19. Day on the Mountain, Monkey in the Spa, the Cat`s Whiskers… And Who Are You?
Kouhei`s training progresses, but the one day a month that Hazuki gets to be with her slave offers an opportunity to unwind. Hikaru and Kaoru gatecrash the picnic though, and when Kaoru sees Hazuki stealing a kiss, and a quart of blood from Kouhei, she gets jealous and wants in on the vampire action. Soon Hazuki has a rival in the cute cat ears stakes. Trouble looms though, as three more vampires arrive to take back Lady Luna a.k.a. Hazuki.

20. Grandfather, Why Are You Dressed Like That?
It seems that all training requires climbing a mountain, but Kouhei`s is unique in that falling is part of the curriculum too. But training, and healing from broken bones has to be set aside when vampires Jeda, Artemis and Vargas brush aside the magical barriers protecting the Mido shrine. Master Yayoi races to get help from Hazuki for the fractured Kouhei, and all the while, an ominous masked figure watches proceedings.

21. Brother, Where Is This Nursery Rhyme From?
Battle has been joined, and while Vargas faces off against the others, Artemis has Kouhei all to herself. She heals his injuries only in order to torture him using her special abilities. She has a special connection to Hazuki, one that inspires irrational jealousy. It only gets worse when Kouhei refuses to become her slave and remains loyal to Hazuki. The vampires are quickly on the back foot, and it`s only a bit of last minute sneakiness that leaves them in a position of strength.

22. I Didn`t Know You Were Like That
Hazuki is feeling guilty about their loss, but with a month to go until they can mount a rescue, Kouhei`s all the more determined to complete his training. It`s time for the Mido legacy to be revealed, something that has been hidden from Kouhei since he was a little child. Mastering it means not seeing Hazuki however, and Seiji is acting out of sorts.

Video

Moon Phase gets a 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer consistent with most modern anime series, and given that it is barely three years old, there is little to complain about with the original source material. The transfer itself is adequate, there are little of the NTSC-PAL symptoms immediately apparent, and the image is clear and sharp most of the time. There are odd moments of indistinctness when the scene gets particularly dark and misty, but nothing too noteworthy. The credit sequences still suffer from aliasing though. Fortunately there are textless credits in the extras so you can see them unsullied.

Moon Phase has a toned down palette suitable for its more gothic subject matter, although the cute character designs are at odds with this. The animation varies from average to impressive, with some dynamic animation offering a different perspective on the characters, and also following through to the action sequences. While the average comedy scene will have the straightforward animation that you would expect from the genre, there is a lot of moody animation that goes with the spooky feel. There is a greater tendency to experiment with the animation style, and it certainly holds the attention.

Audio

You get a choice of DD 5.1 and 2.0 English, DD 2.0 Japanese, all supplemented by a translated English subtitle track, or a signs only track. You know you are entering cute territory as soon as you hear the infuriatingly catchy theme tune, "Neko Mimi Mode". In my opinion, as practically always, the original Japanese track is the way to go, and the stereo track offered here has no problems. The dialogue is clear, and the action gets a decent amount of separation. The 5.1 track does offer more in terms of ambience and directionality, but it is still predominately a front-focussed affair. The English dub is accomplished and easy to listen to, although some Japanese phrases like `bento` or `neko mimi` aren`t translated, requiring a little familiarity with Japanese culture (or you can just work it out from the context).

Features

You get the jaggie free textless credit sequences (including a new end theme), as well as trailers for Beck and School Rumble. There is also a set of updated character profiles, eight in total, although once again the size of the text is a little hard on the eyes.

Conclusion

Moon Phase has lost its charm for me quite frankly, due to a middle stretch of episodes that squandered much of what had been built up in the first three volumes. Volume 5 does little to remedy that state of affairs in my view. Moon Phase has gone from being a special series that I looked forward to, to just another run of the mill anime series, fun to watch, and a pleasing diversion, but one without any lasting impact.

That imbalance of tone I mentioned continues here with the first few episodes on the disc, all played heavily for laughs, and succeeding too, but at the expense of any dramatic tension. There should be dramatic tension, as perhaps the strongest group of vampires yet, arrive to retrieve Lady Luna, and all the while in the background of the story, they are stalking their way through the forest, heading for the showdown with Kouhei and Hazuki. But invariably we switch to a comic moment, or a sight gag, and the tension is immediately dissipated.

Also at this point, the Moon Phase formula begins to pall. Since Hazuki`s arrival in Kouhei`s life, the story has followed a set pattern of successively stronger foes arriving to recapture Hazuki, only to be defeated. Then a comedy episode or three interleave these adventures. So with the arrival of the latest bunch, and despite the novelty value of Artemis` identity, it all seems achingly familiar, including the twist at the end of their first confrontation.

But, the characters are all likeable, and Moon Phase accomplishes its story with enough energy and verve to keep it entertaining. There are flaws in the story and the pacing, but it`s never enough to mar the experience, and while there is the annoying aftertaste of a wasted premise, watching the show is still as fun as ever.

We`re also definitely into the closing straight, and you can see the signs of loose ends being gathered in preparation for the final granny knot. The last episode on this disc goes a good way towards setting this up, with the big reveal about Kouhei`s true nature. It turns out that he is spiritually dense for a reason, and he may indeed be the strongest of family Mido`s exorcists, but what this entails for his relationship with Hazuki has something of a tragic tone to it.

Moon Phase is an enjoyable anime show; just not as good as I hoped it would be 5 volumes ago. With just the final volume to come, maybe it can pull out all the stops for a good finale. Here`s hoping…