@andrewgr-0
Even after several years I have not yet lost hope for this work, I just hope not to die before... no seriously I liked it so much that it would be a shame not to add it to my collection.
Main light novel Info
Synonyms: Moonlight
Japanese: 月光
Type: Light Novel
Volumes: 1
Chapters: 11
Status: Finished
Published: Sep 10, 2010 by ASCII Media Works (Dengeki Bunko)
Genre: Comedy, Mystery, Psychological, Romance, School Life
Demographic: Shounen
Serialization: Dengeki Bunko Magazine (ASCII Media Works)
Authors: Natsuki Mamiya (Story), Shiromiso (Art)
some Illustration of volume 1
spoiler
Illustration of Gekkou: Some Observations Regarding the Common Cold
spoiler
Illustration of Gekkou: The Crescent Moon Who Hates to Lose
spoiler
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.
