Gekkou

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So before I start this review, I just want to say that this is my first time to do such a thing and please go easy on me :P.

Now, let's get started:

Gekkou was the 3rd LN I've ever read, and to date it is probably my most favorite LN of all time. I've always favored manga and LN over anime, and my special favorites was romance. However, I've been known to enjoy some oddballs and in this case, Gekkou definitely fits the mark.

Now, I use the term "oddball" as a compliment in this situation: Gekkou is probably the most unique mix of romance and mystery ... I have ever experienced.

Story: 9/10.

As I read this on BT, the entire novel was presented in a full pdf file as opposed to other big name LNs (such as Campione, SAO, etc.) with multiple volumes. In this respect, the plot felt very short to me. However, the story is one of the most unique I've ever read; the male and female MC meets through a "murder recipe". While that short preview itself initially lent me to believe that this was a mix of murder, mystery that leads to a gruesome romance, it was instead a light, psychological romantic novel. I won't spoil the ending for anyone, but I guarantee that this novel provokes the mind through the facade of an innocent romance story, has several tricks up its sleeve, and the ending makes me yearn for more. In fact, while I was initially unsatisfied with the ending, I do understand the appeal of the mysteriousness of the novel as a whole and I do hope that sequels will be in place.

Character: 10/10

Here is where I believe the story truly shines. Character development's not as good as Berserk, but it is damn a lot better than I expected. With such a short plot, Gekkou somehow manages to present characters that I can relate to, but also seems to have a mysterious side to them that I could never reach. To be honest, each character and his/her actions aren't realistic at all, yet as I read I can imagine myself performing the actions with the MCs. Character development in such a short story compared to normal, serialized LNs was very well done in my opinion.

Art:

I can't comment on art because I never really pay too much attention it in LNs, but the few pictures I see seem very well done.

Enjoyment: 9/10

Overall, Gekkou was a great short LN that I read one day while I was relaxing in the summer. At first, i went from expecting it to be a typical rom com to then suspecting some sort of School Days gruesome plot (especially since the preview mentioned a "murder recipe"). I was pleasantly surprised when I was met with a mysterious and tricky plot that definitely tickled my mind and made me think. I greatly enjoyed the novel and while I wished for a more traditional ending, I do believe that the ending suits the style of the story itself. I do hope for a sequel and I will gladly recommend Gekkou to anybody interested in a light romance mystery novel!

Gekkou ("Moonlight") is about the relationship of a pessimistic boy and a 'perfect' girl, who are united from a murder case. Nonoymia, the male lead, is trying to escape his boring and orthodox life, with his only comfort being his imagination. Whereas Tsukimori, female lead, is the well renowned and school-beauty. Nonomiya finds a notebook belonging to Tsukimori, which contains a scrap piece of paper titled ‘Murder Recipe’. But these ‘recipes’ are just scenarios that may or may not lead to fatal accidents. Upon planning to dismiss the ‘recipe’, Tsukimori’s father dies from an accident. On the surface, Gekkou is about a fatal misfortune leading ... into a murder case. As progression occurs the plot moves away from its initial intentions and voyeurs into something different.

One point that makes the novel interesting and unique is the lack of universal morals and laws. The characters act out of personal reasoning as there is no 'wrong' answer, if they can justify their actions. Because of this the characters have a sense of maturity despite still being growing children. For Nonomiya, the typical thing would be to not take the idea of ‘perfect girl’ Tsukimori, being related to the murder recipe seriously. But for him, the ‘murder recipe’ couldn’t have been better, since it’s the first time something out of the ordinary has happened in his life. As well as the truth that no one else knows the unknown side of Tsukimori. Their relationship of the two is founded from the initial case which changes from anonymities to a sense of affinity between them. Rather than the changing in ethics and morals, the characters go through conflictions of their own beliefs. Conflictions are overcome by fighting for their own sense of righteousness. Individually each character is an enjoyment to read, but their true personalities shine when they are together; by talking metaphorically and witty there is never a dull moment.

There are only three secondary characters worth mentioning; Usami, Samejima and Konan. Usami, she is a straight forward and ordinary classmate of Nonomiya’s. Samejima is a female senior at Nonomiya’s workplace, but has an abrasive and self-cantered personality. Konan is a detective and due to his similar thought patterns with Nonomiya, they become rivals. These secondary characters are all likeable and advance the plot in different ways. They all have different relationships with Nonomiya, which gives him more insight of the world around to base his decisions from. There is only a single character acting as the law and that is Konan. His job is to find the murderer of Tsukimori’s father, but becomes more interested in Nonomiya. They drift off from the typical murder investigation to a battle of wits and survivability. Tsukimori also benefits from these side characters, as they give hints to Nonomiya’s personality.

While the plot is intriguing, the characters overshadow the plot at times. Not to say that the plot is inconsistent, but rather the characters become more than the plot, which is enough to lose focal on the story at times. The murder plot doesn’t essentially revolve around the murder, but instead the protagonists involved. Thus the characters become of a greater relevance to the murder case than the actual mystery, making it appear that the characters have a greater priority. While this isn’t an issue, it’s just to say that Gekkou isn’t plot driven.

The writing style is concise with short explanations and uses the bare minimum to engage one into the story. The novel is short despite many events occurring and thus immense detail is cut into shorter and more abridged sentences, usually containing metaphors. For example, the concept that Usami is the ‘orange juice’, while Tsukimori is the ‘wine’, says a great deal. While some might not be able to take it all in one sitting, reflecting over the ideas presented is pleasant. The reader is pushed to the focal point of the story since each argumentative point for solving the case is countered. Because it breaks logic of society to some extent, it is obvious author is aiming to break into a specific ending to satisfy the audience.

There are still a few unsolved mysteries at the end, which may be dissatisfying to some. The overall development keeps the reader’s mind attentive and imaginative throughout the course of the novel. While it is short, the style of writing is concise and every page is entertaining. Highly recommended, especially since the light novel has been translated into English and other languages.

I am disappointed. I was very interested in this novel after reading reviews.

The beginning of the novella is really amazing. The intrigue, suspense, tangled relationships between people: all of which allowed me to read more than half the book in a day. A gripping detective story, overflowing with teenage feelings and romantic moments.
And it was all very promising until I was confronted with the ending.

At first I didn't even realize the book was over. So crumpled, ridiculous and illogical is the ending that destroys all the excitement of the first half.

thanks to the artist for the quality, beautiful art