In my fevered anticipation for The Moon on a Rainy Night, Volume 1 coming from Kodansha next week, I was thrilled to have the newest volume of the series in Japanese, Amayo no Tsuki, Volume 5 (雨夜の月) to read this week. This volume is full of wondrous scenes, amazing transformations and an uncomfortable lesson.
At the end of Volume 4, we left Kanon determined – for the first time in many years – to be an active participant in her class’s culture festival activities. Why she’s closed herself off has become more and more apparent as we get to know her and understand her circumstances. But Saki, unwilling to accept those circumstances as the end to the story, has been instrumental in assisting Kanon to break down the walls she’s built. This is a key point because while Saki is convinced that the walls should come down, she is not doing any of that herself. She’s allowing Kanon to find ways to do it herself; Saki is there when Kanon needs support, holding the doors open, but never does Saki force Kanon to do anything. This is not an inspiration porn story, about “achievement despite the odds” – this is a story about finding ways to support one’s friends with an open heart and mind.
And, so… Kanon and Saki accompany their enthusiastic otaku classmate ‘Nabe to pick out maid costumes for the class cafe. ^_^ Kanon’s mother takes on a new student – their teacher’s daughter, which gives Kanon’s mother and the teacher a chance to have an adult heart-to-heart about hardships of being a parent.
Artistically, I really enjoy Kuzushiro’s way of expressing people’s energy through expression and body language. ‘Nabe-chan and Haruka-chan are high-energy people and we can tell from the art, the text, the way they move and speak. It’s pretty great.
And then…we learn what happened to Tomita, the girl who apparently could not stand Kanon or Saki and who, with her friends, have been whispering about them in class. (I called them bullies in earlier reviews and I stand by that. Bullying can be passive as well as active. Anyone undermining someone else’s peaceful existence is, IMHO, a bully. Whispering and staring is a form of othering meant to make the other person feel unwelcome.) Tomita had volunteered to conduct the choir then appeared to bail on Saki, leaving her to handle the whole thing herself. It turns out that there are a number of factors in her dislike of Kanon….and some complicating factors to her life now. As with Kanon’s middle-school issues, sometimes there are things you just cannot fix yourself, even if you were aware of them. Life, Saki and Kanon are finding out, is more complicated that we’re aware of.
As the story winds down, Kanon gets a glimpse into the secret Saki has been hiding from her….and it throws them both for a loop.
Kanon, having been alone for so long, now finds herself surrounded by people with whom she would like to interact. But now, having broken down those walls…Kanon and Saki will have to address what they are to one another. Whatever the outcome – I can’t wait!
Ratings:
Art – 9
Story – 9
Characters – 9
Service – 2 Maid costumes and animal ears
Yuri – 4
Overall – 9
This was a great volume of a great series, running full stop with high energy. I am so, so happy that you’ll get to read it!
