Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase Special

One of things that bothered me about Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase was the mood. When a show opens with Neko Mimi Mode, an incredibly silly and lighthearted song with such silly animation, along with all the falling basins added for comedy effect, you wouldn't expect the dark atmosphere the show had. What makes this special enjoyable is that from the outright, it lets the viewer know that it's not meant to be taken seriously. For me, it was a pleasant way to end the series after the awkwardly dark tone of the main series.

Story 9/10.
You want a story? The Tsukuyomi cast is lost at sea in ... their house, the Marumi, which somehow became able to float. Why? Because. That's why. It's obvious that this show has thrown out the plot and is just being plain silly. Aside from Hazuki and Art solidifying their sisterly relationship even further, this special doesn't really provide much for the Tsukuyomi universe.

Art 7/10. Sound 6/10.
Having seen a few SHAFT works already, I already knew what kind of things to expect artwise. It's nice to see that Shinbo and SHAFT still had their surrealism even in their early days. Other than that, I didn't particularly care for the art and sound one way or the other.

Character 9/10.
It's nice to see the cast of Tsukuyomi when they aren't fighting THE FORCES OF EVIL as they're quite funny and likable. The best characterization in this special is the breakdown of Seiij: He is the sole voice of reason when everyone is carrying on their daily lives as if being stuck on a floating house in the middle of the sea is nothing. Other than that, it's nice to see what I thought was the best part of Tsukuyomi remain mostly unchanged where as some other comedy specials throw out the main personalities of the characters in an attempt for comedic effect.

Enjoyment 9/10.
Mileage will vary on this one. Those who found the dark and brooding mood of Tsukuyomi to be one of its best part will be disappointed. Those who enjoy a good laugh, such as I, will find this special to be quite enjoyable. It doesn't take itself seriously for the most part and will keep on finding ways for the viewer to wonder what the hell just happened. From Grandpa's experience with Octopus, to Anzai's surprise appearance, to the battleship full of Vigos, this special will keep you cracking up.

Overall 8/10.
At the end of the day, all this special will be is just a silly thing to laugh at. It provides nothing new or substantial in relation to the main plot of Tsukuyomi. Those who found the end of the series to be unsatisfying won't find what they're looking for in this special. Those looking for just a little more Tsukuyomi or just a good, lighthearted laugh will satisfy their desire in this special.

I have to admit I did not really enjoy this special as much as I did the series. The artwork seemed to be very different to what I had seen previously, and they did use some strange techniques in the special. Gladly the characters were still recognisable, except for Seiji who seems to have aged considerably.

There were some odd moments, especially with grandfather and Elfried and an octopus (dont tell anybody), and poor Haiji gets the short end of the stick from Art. I did like Haiji as a character throughout the series and I had to admire her pluckiness once again.

The Twinns are ... still complete opposites and if Hazuki had not overshadowed everybody else in kawaii factor they would easily have come out tops.

Hazuki... what can we say? still a brat, still cute and still precocious but she seemed so much different to the anime and manga in this special. I did feel she matured a lot from before, and she was very likeable. But, being Hazuki she does drift from one extreme to another.

The story is medicocre, the ending lousy, and there is very little that makes this a closing of the series. When viewed on its own it is barely watchable, when viewed as episode 26 of the series it is pretty poor.

I can't recommend this episode at all, it's bizarre to the point of being incoherent. I'm guessing that it's supposed to be "funny" but it completely misses the mark. And that's saying something as I actually sorta liked the humor in the original show. If you were hoping it would expand on or develop the characters more, it doesn't. It doesn't have the same charm a lot of the original slice-of-life episodes have, which is really disappointing since I think that was the strong suit of this series.

The only reason I'm not rating this a 1 is because I understand some people might ... like the whimsical nature of this episode. Also there is one nice moment between Hazuki and Arte (who was horribly underdeveloped in the original series) but that's pretty much it.

It left a bad taste in my mouth about the series as a whole though. Bad note to end on.