Anime #16- Full Moon Wo Sagashite

Introduction [Contains some Spoilers!]

Kouyama Mitsuki lost both parents at a very early age. She lived in an orphanage for a short while before finally moving in with her maternal grandmother, and austere woman who was never able to resolve her differences with her daughter and Mitsuki's mother, Hazuki. Mitsuki loves to sing, but for some reason, her grandmother forbids music in the house.

Not very long after, Mitsuki was diagnosed with throat cancer. With this, it prevented her from raising her voice too much, let alone sing too much. A very bishounen (handsome) doctor, Wakaouji-sensei, looked after her and even made house calls because her grandmother wanted her to stay in the house as much a possible. One day, Mitsuki was sitting in her room, depressed, because she passed the first stage of the new Seed Records artist audition but couldn't go to the second stage because her grandmother wouldn't let her out of the house --;.

Suddenly, two strange people popped out of Mitsuki's wall. One is a guy with cat ears, and the other is a girl with bunny ears. Both of them have wings. What's even more odd, is that they started talking with the sense of her not even being there. When she finally got their attention, they appeared freaked. Apparently, they weren't supposed to be seen. The two strange "people" introduced themselves as Takuto (the guy with cat ears) and Meroko (the girl with bunny ears). They are a shinigami team named Negi Ramen. Shinigami means gods of angels of death, while Negi Ramen bluntly translates to onion noodles xD. The hilarity of their team name outweighed their ominous sense of their shinigami nature, while Mitsuki laughs her head off.

When Mitsuki started playing with their weird ears (she stopped taking them seriously after the Negi Ramen thing), Takuto and Meroko explained they had to dress that way because they were on a pediatric's case. That immediately sobered things up. Takuto and Meroko then broke the news to Mitsuki, telling her she only had a year left of living. With renewed resolve, she dashed off to her audition, leaving Takuto and Meroko scrambling after her. She wanted to achieve her dreams of becoming a singer so her childhood sweetheart, Echi-Kun, could find her again. Mitsuki met Echi-Kun in the orphanage, but he was adopted and moved with his new parents to the U.S.

Takuto decided to help Mitsuki achieve her dreams of becoming a singer by transforming her into her 16-year-old self (auditions have age limits^^). Naturally, after the judges heard her sing, they immediatelyended the auditions and selected her as their next star. It was the start of Mitsuki's double life as a dutiful granddaughter and a rising star. Their general strategy involved having Meroko stay at home as Mitsuki, as she can change her appearance. Takuto goes with Mitsuki and her manager, Ooshige-san. Later in the anime, Takuto and Mitsuki let Wakaouji-sensei and Ooshige-san in on their secret. It was not long before Mitsuki had four people helping her achieve her dreams.

Full Moon wo Sagashite chronicled Mitsuki's rise to fame and how she dealt with various challenges along the way. Her professional obstacles involved doubts about her abilities and her envious rivals who would sabotage her career at every possible opportunity. At home, Mitsuki's relationship with her grandmother became even more strained, especially as she learned more about her parents. Her 12-year-old health went on a decline as the cancer spread more. Through it all, Mitsuki never lost faith that she would meet Eichi-kun again, but that too took a dark turn after she crossed the Pacific in search for him.

The story isn't just about Mitsuki, but also about Takuto and Meroko. They were mostly in the background when the story first started, but they soon became very important characters with their own issues. Meroko is so in love with Takuto that she had confessed to him about 57 times already xP. Takuto, however, has bigger problems. Soon he found himself falling in love with Mitsuki, and it bugged the hell out of him whenever she talked about Eichi-kun. Even worse, memories of when he was alive was returning to him, which had serious implications.

Characters [Contains Spoilers!]

Mitsuki is a 12-year-old girl with a strong passion for singing. Ever since she was a young girl, she has dreamt about becoming a famous singer. However, there are many obstacles that stand in her way. She is currently suffering from throat cancer, making it not only painful to sing, but fatal to her health. On top of that, she lives with her very strict grandmother, who would do almost anything in her power to prevent Mitsuki from leaving the house.
Becoming a singer is not only a dream for Mitsuki , but also a promise she made many years ago. When she was much younger, a dear friend of hers had left for America to pursue his dream to become an astronaut. Before he left, he told Mitsuki that he would find her again one day, him as an astronaut, and her as a singer. In order to fulfill this promise, Mitsuki is determined to sing. Even if it means death.
Mitsuki is a kind young girl with an innocent soul. Despite all the problems she must face, she is still able to continue smiling for the world. Although tis has become one of her draw backs, she is easily pushed around by loved ones, and often fails to find the energy to to fight for herself. She has the tendency to put other people's happiness before her own. She may be only 12-years-old, but Mitsuki is a very mature girl.

Takuto is one of the "Gods of Death" Mitsuki encounters in her room while plotting a plan to escape from her house. They are invisible to all humans, but for some reason, Mitsuki can see them. It was later discovered that the reason for this was because Mitsuki only had a year left of life. Takuto has the ability to change into the form of a stuffed toy cat.
Takuto is very empathic towards Mitsuki because in his past life, he too, was a singer. Throughout the course of this series, his empathy slowly turns into strong feelings, perhaps even into the extent of love. Despite his role, he does have a soft spot for Mitsuki, often helping her in times of need.

Meroko is Takuto's partner in the "Gods of Death". The two accompany each other on jobs. Meroko makes it well known that she cares very deeply for Takuto - whether he takes her fits of confession serious or not is another thing. She easily gets jealous when Takuto doesn't pay attention to her. She instantly sees Mitsuki as a threat to their "romance", yet she still helps Mitsuki become a singer. She has the ability to turn into a stuffed toy rabbit, which she becomes to assist Takuto on their jobs.

Eichi can be referred to as either Mitsuki's first love, or perhaps simply a close friend. I personally prefer the former. Eichi is the one who Mitsuki made her promise with. Little is known about him, except that Mitsuki cares deeply for him. She goes through extreme extents to ensure his happiness. Eichi has a deep interest in space, and hopes to become an astronaut one day. He currently resides in America, pursuing his dreams.

Wakaouji-sensei is Mitsuki's private doctor. He visits her house on a regular basis to make sure she isn't straining her voice too much. Unlike Mitsuki's grandmother, Wakaouji is very caring and understanding of Mitsuki's position and dreams. Most of the time, he is willing to do everything in his power to protect and make Mitsuki happy, however, the only thing he doesn't approve of her is her singing. He realizes that Mitsuki's singing will only make Mitsuki's cancer worse, therefore, he never accepts it. He is also a close family friend, particularly towards Mitsuki's father, Aoi. This is probably why he treats Mitsuki like his own daughter.

Mitsuki's Grandmother gives the impression of a very mean and stern person. She seems cold and unsympathetic towards Mitsuki's dreams and passion. She is constantly trying to prevent Mitsuki from being a singer, and would even go to the extent of locking Mitsuki into a room!
The truth is, Mitsuki's grandmother is very over protective. With Mitsuki as her only granddaughter, and perhaps only relative left, she wishes that Mitsuki lives a long life. With the knowledge that singing could actually shorten Mitsuki's life span, she will do everything in her power to keep Mitsuki alive. Unfortunately, Mitsuki doesn't always see her grandmother's actions from this angle.

Ooshige is Mitsuki's very cheerful and enthusiastic manager. She strives to her very best to get Mitsuki noticed under the spotlight. She loves working hard to ensure Mitsuki's success. She is your average "happy-go-lucky" sort of person. She cares for both Mitsuki and her singing career, doing her best to always assist Mitsuki in any way she can.