Full Moon wo Sagashite: More than just a cutesy face

Full Moon Wo Sagashite (Searching For a Full Moon) details the life of 12-year old girl named Kouyama Mitsuki. Although Mitsuki carries a beautiful singing voice, she is unexpectedly diagnosed with throat cancer, detrimental to both her singing and her life. She receives a visit from two Shinigami (roughly "death gods") named Takuto and Meroko who inform her that she is destined to die within one year. The strong willed Mitsuki calmly accepts her fate but pleads with them to allow her to fulfill her dream before her death: to reach her childhood sweetheart Eichi Sakurai through her singing. As the story progresses, the "Negi-Ramen" (Takuto and Meroko) do more than just allow her to pursue her goal.

From the very first episode, I knew that this would soon grow to be one of my favorites. My like for it may have to do with the blatantly-shoujo character designs , or it could have been Mitsuki's ailment that affected my heart; throat cancer is too cruel for a 12-year old aspiring singer. Yet, even after she learns that she has only a year left to live, she holds her determination and continues with her familiar, cute, and airheadedly nice smile, even at times when she is on the verge of breaking down. This alone makes her character very admirable. After all, how many of us can do that?

Lest you think that this anime is all about Mitsuki and her throat cancer, Full Moon Wo Sagashite is a story of so many things more that I might have missed during the course of my watching. As much as this show is about relationships and personal growth, it's also about moving on and knowing how to say farewells. Mitsuki can't stay as her alter-ego, Full Moon, forever, but neither can she be obsessed with Eichi forever. The shinigami surely can't stay with her for eternity.

I found the entire story to be very well-written despite some insignifcant few plot holes not worth mentioning. The story first focuses on Full Moon's singing career and her search for Eichi-kun and then shifts to her impending death and the stand of the people (and shinigami) around her.

Admittedly though, what makes this story great is not the superiority of the plot (which is very simple) but the distinct and very human qualities of the characters. You can always count on Meroko to chase after Takuto, and Takuto always sulking and flying off when Mitsuki is daydreaming aloud about Eichi-kun. The characters are not the least bit static. Mitsuki gradually grows stronger as a person and learns to deal with her "double" life as a loving granddaughter and pop idol, but she can still break down and almost lose her desire to live if not for the people protecting her and the very shinigami who are supposed to take her life.

Since this is a fairly long series at fifty-two episodes, each character is given ample time to develop and experience their own personal growth. Even Full Moon's seemingly evil rival, Wakamatsu Madoka, is given a fair share of screen time.

The music, including the background scores, are all excellent. Although the music did not suit my taste at first (except for Eternal Snow), there was a certain charm in the amount of depth put into the songs to move me.

The animation is only standard. It's not spectacularly eye-catching, but the backgrounds do fit well enough for this type of series.

Overall, Full Moon Wo Sagashite is a very well-balanced shoujo anime series with just the right level of comedy, drama, and romance to suit any audience as long as they give it a chance. As a plus, there's a bishounen or two in this anime for the fangirls.