I don’t remember what Ferris Bueller did on his day off, but I imagine he wouldn’t mind my using his wild escapades as a less-than-apt metaphor for a certain infamous series by a certain infamous director.
Tsukuyomi -Moon Phase- is an old show (old enough to be subbed by ADTRW!), so I won’t talk about it for long.
That said, I don’t think it’s the kind of show that can be discussed at length to begin with. It’s fairly typical when you think about it: a lighthearted vampire story with a few cool fights and a bit of cute, slightly illegal romance. Presumably, it was the “slightly illegal” aspect that earned the show its reputation and saved it from being forgotten over the years.
In retrospect, though, I don’t think it’s right to claim that Tsukuyomi was mislabeled as otaku-pandering. It’s actually quite the opposite. The show goes out of its way to turn Hazuki into a deliciously moe vampire, often breaking the fourth wall for viewers who are familiar with the fandom. The nekomimi also have to be noted here, considering that they appear everywhere from Hazuki’s head (for no apparent reason) to the top of the mountains in the background (for even less of a reason).
I’m not sure how much of this was Shinbo’s doing and how much was courtesy of the original mangaka, but there are more than enough eccentric shots to separate the show from your average vampire fetish cash-in. I mean, I can understand making the girls wear nekomimi headbands for no particular reason, but the hills? And what about the whole “Neko Mimi Modo de~!” from the OP? It’s not unintentional, but it’s not pure fanservice either. It’s intentional fanservice, but not in the same vein as shows like Kanokon that just couldn’t be bothered with wearing a mask. Shinbo’s fanservice and otaku-pandering are intentional, but they’re infused with his quirky style, allowing them to come off as refreshing to fans and non-fans alike.
That’s why, looking back, Tsukuyomi feels a bit like Akiyuki Shinbo’s day off. He’s responsible for the anime adaptations of some of the best fast-paced comedies and intense dramas of recent years, but with a show like this, he can kick back and take it easy. Instead of forcing comedy and fanservice into an already comedic and fanservice-y story, and instead of forcing a plot into a redundant setting, he chose to break the fourth wall, fiddle with some stuff, and produce a laid-back otaku-targeted shounen that skips the jarring clichés and doesn’t feel stale even to a loli vampire aficionado.
(Disclaimer: I am not a loli vampire aficionado. Really.)
~ ETERNAL
つづく
