Thursday, October 27, 2011

Manga: Sleeping Moon

Sleeping Moon by Kano Miyamoto is one of my early favorites mystery-horror-superstition manga. It shows the Japanese era where superstition and religion strongly influenced the lifestyle of Japanese. But what I love most are the 3 characters involved in the story.

This is a story of a family curse, from 100 years ago and 2 cousins searching for ways to stop it. One of them happened to go back in the past and met an ancestor. It's a story of incest, a sinful emotion is love but love can conquer anything, right? It doesn't matter if you agree with me or not, hehe. But for sure this manga is memorable and I treasure it. I consider this as light yaoi although there are smut scenes and seductions. Enjoy!



 Odagawa Akihiko (Uke)
 Akihiko went back to his father's town for a month stay. It's been 17 years since he last visited it. His ancestors are the Sakaki family and there's a curse that only affects the male descendants. Odagawa's grandfather died in his 20's, while his dad at 35 due to a car accident. But he never believed it was due to an accident that's why he returned to the countryside in hope to lift the curse. Instead he stumbled upon unexpected events, including meeting one of his ancestors through a "time slip". He is next in line to die so he wanted to be saved or at least end the curse with him. 

In his return awaits his twin cousins and Aunt. The boy is Ren and the girl is Eri. Ren became infatuated about him. The two of them are the ones that can feel and see the supernatural occurrences around the house. They are also the remaining male descendants of the Sakaki family so they decided to help each other in lifting the curse by finding clues about the past of their ancestors. Only Akihiko can travel in the past where he met Eitarou, the ancestor that wrote the diary of the "Ghost of the Tsukimidai". He informed Eitarou that they are trying to get rid of the curse and asked for his help to find information what happened before that.

Akihiko is also protected by a Fox God. The Sakaki family worships a Fox God. When his grandfather died 17 years ago, he and his dad returned in town for the funeral.

Age: 
27
Citizenship:
Japanese
Hair: 
Short/Black

Physical Attributes and Personality:
Slim and tall. He looks frail and nerdy but he's actually a hard working person. Whenever he wants to protect someone, he would do anything to the extent of offering his own life.

Activities/Hobbies:
He studies comparative religion.



Sakaki Ren (Seme)
 One of the twin cousins of Akihiko. Like Akihiko, he can also see ghosts and spirits, so as feel them too. He has a sister called "Eri", a weak girl. Just like Akihiko, he also wants to stop the curse inflicted to their family. While helping his older cousin to stop the curse, he developed feelings for him so he would do anything to protect Akihiko from dying. Together, they encounter the mystery of their family house  and uncover the secrets it carries for hundred of years.

Age: 
21
Citizenship:
Japanese
Hair: 
Long, straight/Blonde

Physical Attributes and Personality:
Tall and attractive. He is a quiet person because he sees weird things that no one can see and he would think about them often. He talks alot when he is with his beloved cousin. He seems to be famous with girls and male professors in school and took advantage of that to pass his classes. A considerable young man, although sometimes he needs to be pushed to do something or else he will slack. 

Activities/Hobbies:
A university student and he majors in History. He also smokes. Sometimes more, sometimes less.


Shinjou Eitarou (Seme)

The ancestor of Akihiko and Ren. He saw a ghost during a full moon and wrote about him on his diary. Later on, when Akihiko found his diary, they met in person through a "time slip" where you return to the past event. He lives in a Meiji era, Taisho Period, a hundred years after the Sakaki family curse started. He learned that Akihiko is the ghost that he saw. He gave Akihiko a bell to ring whenever they want to see each other.

Eitarou developed feelings for Akihiko but he didn't tell him until the last time they saw each other. They have to stop seeing each other or Akihiko will eventually disappear in both worlds. When they weren't seeing each other anymore, he continued his "time slip" travel. Sometimes he would be gone for days from his real world. In the future, he impregnated his cousin that looks like Akihiko but they never got married because he slipped away and never returned. She bore a boy but it got adopted by her elder brother. That boy is the grandfather of Ren.

He is the son of Akihiko's great grandfather's sister.

There is a separate story of him travelling to the exact time when the curse begun and he met a beautiful male prostitute.


-E.N.D.-

~Happy Halloween~
Thank you Liquid Passion for the beautiful scanlation!