Crescent Moon Volume 6 (Crescent Moon (Tokyopop)) (v. 6) by Haruko Iida (2005)

This was a short-lived, but fun little adventure, involving supernatural creatures of the night (vampires, werewolves, demons, etc), but presented in a way that was strangely refreshing. Not necessarily original, but a breath of fresh air compared to the hundreds of vampiric modern-day lore that has been dominating YA shelves for the past decade or so...

Basically, what I'm trying to say is though, yes, there's a teen girl who gets involved with these "monsters" and helps to hide their identity/help save their species, yes, there's a handsome vampire, and yes, there is romance, it is NOT between the girl and the vampire. Not even close. Though Nozomu (vampire boy) is kind to Mahiru (human girl; protagonist), they don't even share romantic tension in the series. Which was SUCH A RELIEF, YOU HAVE NO IDEA. Instead, Mahiru is thrust at Mitsuru, a cynical and rude Tengu boy. Oddly enough, though I usually have a soft spot for the "bickering couple" trope (ie, Han x Leia, Ron x Hermione, Inuyasha x Kagome, etc), these two didn't cut it for me. But the series was only 6 volumes long and it didn't prolong any bullshit jealousy/drama plot lines.

Which brings me to the biggest strength of the series: the STORY and the CHARACTERS are focused on getting back the "teardrops of the moon," without many sidetracks, but all the while, still grow and build up one another. On the down side, it is rather rushed and not as fleshed out as it could have been, but it certainly did its best, given the shorter amount of volumes. Still, I enjoyed this, but it's not one I'd be itching to reread anytime soon. It's funny, cute, and adventurous, but not a fave. I give it a higher rating for good artwork and for at least keeping my interest.

Mahiru has enemies now both among the Lunar Race and the humans. With the death of the Empress, the political situation has collapsed---and Mitsuru can't help but do his own thing whenever possible, which is ruining everyone's plans. Meanwhile, back on Earth, Nozomu has located the last remaining teardrop. Getting it, however, will be their biggest hurdle yet . . .

I found myself rather underwhelmed by how this ends. The story rushes from plot point to plot point in these last few chapters---from Misoka's aunt finally losing it and pushing to eliminate all humans, to Mitsuru kidnapping Shirogane and Mahiru away from the mess, to the final teardrop's hiding place. There's something like half a chapter buildup, then a confrontation, then everything gets resolved in a page, and we're on to the next thing. It feels kind of disjointed, like the pacing is off.

I'm also still not sure what actually HAPPENED at the end. There was a song, and then the tears reacted---it's unclear to me if the monster melted because of the magic or because the song somehow changed her mind. Because it kind of looked like it killed her, though some kind of past possession exerting present influence.

Overall, there are still some loose ends (Dawn's Venus and the messy relationships there being the most prominent), but this does wrap up the main story. And given the number of series I've read that were just cut off, I suppose having an actual ending is still something pretty good. If you've been reading this far you might as well finish. I rate this book Recommended.

This one is my favorite! A lot happens but you finally get to see some of Mahiru and Mitsuru's relationship.

This book was a great ending for a great series. I love all the characters except nozomu, who is shallow and a huge smoothie bomb. This review will have lots of spoilers, FYI. My fave characters in this series are mitsuru and Akita. I like them because they are like a unwilling team. Akira pesters mitsuru, mitsuru tries to kill Akira. It's a perfect chemistry. The only thing I didn't get was the big white floating dinosaur in the end. I mean, come on. It's a giant white floating dinosaur in the last panel!! Who wasn't confused by that!? If you can help me with my predicament, please respond to this comment.