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Reviewed by Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane Usagi is the granddaughter of the leader of a prestigious ninja village, but she's such a klutz that she's never made it out of the kiddie class. Frustrated with Usagi's lack of progress, her great-grandfather sends her to marry Lord Hanzo and have lots of ninja babies. But the lord has no interest in her or her childbearing potential! During their search for Mamezo, a downpour forces Usagi and Hanzo to take shelter inside a cave. Though the storm and a dark cave provide a romantic backdrop for the loving couple, something sinister interrupts them--a poisonous ninja star that incapacitates Hanzo! This volume was my first exposure to Tail of the Moon, and it's always a bit of a challenge to get into a series when the story is so advanced. Surprisingly, though, the only thing that was at all jarring was going from the back cover copy ("have lots of ninja babies"? Nothing against babies in fiction, but that's off-putting, not cute) to the actual book...although since the opening scene shows the main characters naked and making out heavily in a cave, it isn't really such a jump from baby-making. Overall, the only aspect of the story I couldn't follow easily was the politics, and given the clarity of the writing, I'm confident that the various alliances and allegiances would make perfect sense to anyone reading the story from the get-go. In this volume, Usagi and Hanzo are attacked on their way to the capital to find Mamezo, a young boy who's been Usagi's friend and companion for years; when Hanzo is poisoned, Usagi, a trained herbalist, has to go on her own to try to find the ingredients she needs for an antidote. Unfortunately, she soon finds herself in the position of choosing whether or not to help an enemy, who may be the very person who attacked them and incapacitated Hanzo. Meanwhile, Mamezo has a chance to find out about his past before Usagi found him--whether he wants to or not. My impression is that this isn't a series I would have hunted down on my own, but this volume was enjoyable enough while I was reading it, and obviously it's an accessible piece of writing. The art has a standard shoujo look to it, but it's pretty well-drawn; my only complaint is that the child characters' ages are very hard to figure out, since they're portrayed as old enough to really be part of the action, but look like toddlers. This volume includes two pages of cultural/translation notes. Review copy provided by VIZ Media. Interested in writing for MangaLife? We're always looking for talented reviewers and columnists, so drop us a line! Charles Webb Editor-in-Chief, MangaLife.com |
1 September 2010
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