In Volume 1 of Takagami Yuriko’s Tsuki to Sekai to Etoile (月と世界とエトワール), we were introduced to the Gekkoukan, an exclusive all girls music school, in which skill in singing and music writing translates to rank among the student body  – and pairs of songwriters and singers are known as Etoile and Chevalier. Yozora is an new student, but has already become “engaged” to Sekai, her songwriter. Yozora and Sekai have become a threat to the established top star couple, Umiyuri and Towa.

Volume 2 shows us that behind their beauty, Umiyuri and Towa are not nice people. They’ve been responsible for the destruction of one girl’s musical career already and are clearly, despite their smiles and kind words, gunning for Yozora.  Despite their interference, Yozora persists and, while she loses to them in the big competition, it’s clear that she poses a threat to their rank.

Volume 3 begins as summer vacation looms. Yozora learns that Sekai does not go home, so she invites her Chevalier to join her. We meet Yozora’s grandmother and learn the not-at-all-shocking fact that she and Sekai’s grandmother were once Etoile and Chevalier as well. Sekai decides to return home and deal with her family for the first time in a while.

Missing Sekai deeply, Yozora returns to school, where she is embroiled in some new cockamamie scheme by Umiyuri and Towa to crush her spirit, only to be rescued by Sekai who has come back. Umiyuri asks Yozora to accompany her to a performance, again to make her fail, but Yozora, bolstered by Sekai’s belief in her and her feelings for her Chevalier, rises to the challenge.

As the volume ends, the next performance festival is around the corner and Yozora and Sekai will surely face more outright competition from the school’s star couple.

I had purchased this volume before I left for Tokyo in October. While shopping in Comic Zin, I came across a doujinshi for this series. I scooped it up, with a comment to my wife that if the doujinshi artist was not the actual series creator, it had to be an assistant, the art was that similar.

As it turns out, it was indeed by Takagami-sensei, a fanfic of her own world, which made me quite happy. The story takes place a few years before Sekai and Yozora meet. Sekai manages to help a classmate who keeps cracking under performance pressure. And it sets Sekai up as a bit of a playgirl, as well. ^_^ Yozora isn’t her first girl, after all.

Ratings:

Art – 7
Story – 7
Characters – 7
Yuri –7 More kisses and some actual affection
Service – 1, on principle

Overall – 7

This story is growing on me. And it looks like it’ll be one of the first 4-volume series from  Yuri Hime Comics (along with Citrus) that has actual Yuri. This volume is also available on JP Kindle.