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月のしっぽ [Tsuki no Shippo] #1
Tail of the Moon, Vol. 1
Usagi is the granddaughter of the leader of a prestigious ninja village, but she's such a klutz that she's never made it out of the kiddie class. Frustrated with Usagi's lack of progress, her grandfather sends her to marry Lord Hanzo and have lots of ninja babies. But the lord has no interest in her or her childbearing potential!
The path to love is never easy, and Usagi has some unexpected competition. It seems that another ninja clan wants to welcome Lord Hanzo into the family, and they've sent the beautiful and talented Yuri to win herself a wedding. Usagi won't be daunted by her rival's looks and skills, but will Lord Hanzo's secret feelings for an off-limits princess be enough to send her away in despair?
The path to love is never easy, and Usagi has some unexpected competition. It seems that another ninja clan wants to welcome Lord Hanzo into the family, and they've sent the beautiful and talented Yuri to win herself a wedding. Usagi won't be daunted by her rival's looks and skills, but will Lord Hanzo's secret feelings for an off-limits princess be enough to send her away in despair?
196 pages, Paperback
First published March 25, 2003
31 people are currently reading
1631 people want to read
About the author
Rinko Ueda
89 books188 followersJapanese name: 上田倫子
She is a Japanese manga artist who does mainly shojo manga. Her works are primarily serialized in Margaret magazine, with series published in collected volumes by Shueisha, though she has also been featured in fellow Shueisha publication Ribon, as well as illustrating the novel adaptation of her own Stepping on Roses series in Cobalt.
She is a Japanese manga artist who does mainly shojo manga. Her works are primarily serialized in Margaret magazine, with series published in collected volumes by Shueisha, though she has also been featured in fellow Shueisha publication Ribon, as well as illustrating the novel adaptation of her own Stepping on Roses series in Cobalt.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews
September 30, 2019
This is one of my favorite shojo manga series ever! It does, however have a slow start. The first few volumes were very good but once you get started, the story really gets moving nicely. Usagi (also referred to as Usa) is the main character who at first almost annoyed me but soon became a fantastic character. And the other characters, too, are memorable.
Usagi goes to marry Hanzo (a ninja and head of the Hattori clan) but is initially pushed away by him. But our heroine is persist and and won't give up on her grandfathers order to marry and bear his children. Usagi grew up to be a ninja but she seems to be physically inept. Her skill in medicine however is remarkable. Her charm and spirit even more so. Her constant companion is young Mamezo. He is much like a foster child to her. Yet he also does his best to protect her. There is also Yuri who is Usagi's competition for Hanzo's heart, Hanzou who is a playboy-type figure with girls and other great friends who will join.
The story takes place during the Tensho era of Japan. I highly recommend this to any shojo manga fan. Its an endearing tale, and one I wish was also an anime but alas that wish is so far denied. So join Usagi on her training to be a ninja and a great bride for Hanzo. Romance, action and determination!
Usagi goes to marry Hanzo (a ninja and head of the Hattori clan) but is initially pushed away by him. But our heroine is persist and and won't give up on her grandfathers order to marry and bear his children. Usagi grew up to be a ninja but she seems to be physically inept. Her skill in medicine however is remarkable. Her charm and spirit even more so. Her constant companion is young Mamezo. He is much like a foster child to her. Yet he also does his best to protect her. There is also Yuri who is Usagi's competition for Hanzo's heart, Hanzou who is a playboy-type figure with girls and other great friends who will join.
The story takes place during the Tensho era of Japan. I highly recommend this to any shojo manga fan. Its an endearing tale, and one I wish was also an anime but alas that wish is so far denied. So join Usagi on her training to be a ninja and a great bride for Hanzo. Romance, action and determination!
August 21, 2018
Taking a quick break from Wing Jones to read this beauty. I can't wait to dive back into this series. :)
Have decided to treat myself. Every 3 books I read I will read a volume of manga. (Taking a break from reading Bleach as well.)
Have decided to treat myself. Every 3 books I read I will read a volume of manga. (Taking a break from reading Bleach as well.)
June 22, 2014
Seriously. What possessed me to read this manga?
It's pretty much a lesson in the superficial. Usagi literally wants to marry Hanzo because he's hot. I find that his ass-hole-like tendencies outdid any positive qualities he might have (this includes his defining feature of "being hot"). Hanzo doesn't really have anything else going for him. Just looks. I seriously can sum him up as, "Hot guy, bit of jack ass, is only nice when we need to remind the reader that he and Usagi are meant for each other."
Usagi's not much better. She's supposed to be training to be a ninja, but she sucks at it. In fact, she sucks at most things. She's seriously too stupid to live. The only thing she's good at is making medicine. She's naive, blindly trusts people, sucks at being a ninja (and yet is convinced she can go on real missions). Hell, she can't even properly seduce one guy, which it is made clear near the end of the volume that ninja should be able to do this too. She drove me nuts because she followed Hanzo around like a puppy dog despite him being a dick and fawned over him even when he kept telling her to get lost.
We also have two "romantic rivals." I put that in quotes because unlike Satoshi or Red from Pokemon, in the "real world" Usagi wouldn't stand a chance against them (but this is shoujo manga, so we all know Hanzo's going to end up choosing her for some reason I can't possibly fathom). Anyway, these romantic rivals include "rich bitch" (who even goes so far as trying to poison the competition) and "better than you at everything but is such a wonderfully amazingly great person that you can't hold it against her" princess who is so perfect it's almost sickening. They pretty much exist to show all of Usagi's flaws and I guess to make her work harder or add some drama or something. While I liked the princess (if only because she's actually capable of survival, unlike our heroine), I did not like rich bitch one bit. And princess bothered me because she's all, "Oh noes! Usagi left because she thinks she broke me and my boyfriend up!" when it's obvious she left because Hanzo was totally in love with said princess.
It's like, ugh.
Seriously, why did I even try to read this one? Whyyyyy?
It's pretty much a lesson in the superficial. Usagi literally wants to marry Hanzo because he's hot. I find that his ass-hole-like tendencies outdid any positive qualities he might have (this includes his defining feature of "being hot"). Hanzo doesn't really have anything else going for him. Just looks. I seriously can sum him up as, "Hot guy, bit of jack ass, is only nice when we need to remind the reader that he and Usagi are meant for each other."
Usagi's not much better. She's supposed to be training to be a ninja, but she sucks at it. In fact, she sucks at most things. She's seriously too stupid to live. The only thing she's good at is making medicine. She's naive, blindly trusts people, sucks at being a ninja (and yet is convinced she can go on real missions). Hell, she can't even properly seduce one guy, which it is made clear near the end of the volume that ninja should be able to do this too. She drove me nuts because she followed Hanzo around like a puppy dog despite him being a dick and fawned over him even when he kept telling her to get lost.
We also have two "romantic rivals." I put that in quotes because unlike Satoshi or Red from Pokemon, in the "real world" Usagi wouldn't stand a chance against them (but this is shoujo manga, so we all know Hanzo's going to end up choosing her for some reason I can't possibly fathom). Anyway, these romantic rivals include "rich bitch" (who even goes so far as trying to poison the competition) and "better than you at everything but is such a wonderfully amazingly great person that you can't hold it against her" princess who is so perfect it's almost sickening. They pretty much exist to show all of Usagi's flaws and I guess to make her work harder or add some drama or something. While I liked the princess (if only because she's actually capable of survival, unlike our heroine), I did not like rich bitch one bit. And princess bothered me because she's all, "Oh noes! Usagi left because she thinks she broke me and my boyfriend up!" when it's obvious she left because Hanzo was totally in love with said princess.
It's like, ugh.
Seriously, why did I even try to read this one? Whyyyyy?
April 4, 2010
love this manga hanzo one of those cool silent types and usagi the one that splashes some love on him
December 6, 2021
As always this is an overview of the entire series and may contain spoilers as I speak at length about the story as a whole.
A newer work by this author, Stepping on Roses, Vol. 1, is a series I consider a favorite, but I actually think this older work of hers did some things much better than in Stepping on Roses and overall feel that it's a testament to how good of an artist and writer Rinko Ueda can be, especially when focusing on more historical stories.
Tail of the Moon is set in the 1500s and tells the story of Usagi, a fifteen year old girl from a ninja clan and her journey to woo and marry the young head of the Hattori family, a man named Hanzo, and bear his children--an assignment given to her by her great-grandfather when it's clear the lazy, clumsy Usagi is more suited to making herbal remedies and goofing off than becoming a competent ninja.
The story mostly focuses on Usagi's attempts to win over Hanzo, her growth as a person through her trials, and the various political matters of feudal Japan in the 1500s, like the warring between ninja clans and daimyo like Oda Nobunaga.
The first few chapters (I'd say the first 10-15 chapters, so the first volume or two) are sort of rough.
Usagi comes across as pretty unlikable because she's depicted as a bratty, naive glutton who doesn't want to do chores and is swayed by things like the promise of a handsome husband--giving her the air of being shallow and quick to choose the path she thinks involves less work on her part.
What also works against the story in these first few volumes is that it doesn't give the impression that there's going to be much depth. It presents almost in an episodic way, where Usagi is shown to constantly try different ways to woo Hanzo and fail miserably until her earnestness and sweet naivete start winning him over. I think it was done somewhat for a comedic effect and to keep the tone light, but I can see some people reading 1 or 2 volumes with her like this or assume the story isn't going to offer more and then quitting, but things do improve, so definitely don't give up too quick!
After getting to the end, I can safely say that the story ends up very nicely layered with lots of interesting conflict and side characters that are woven into the narrative, with the effect being a decent emotional edge. The plot, despite its simple premise, had a lot of comedy and action and romance, so it remained very interesting and engaging throughout its run, once it hits its stride a few volumes in.
I liked how Usagi has a lot of growth as a person--she loses a lot of her brattiness and becomes more of a cheerful, bright sort of character instead, not losing the comedy, but becoming much more likeable and relatable. I found Hanzo a likeable love interest as a straight-man who becomes softened and impassioned by Usagi's bouncy personality and adamant attempts at proving herself to be good wife material. Goemon was a nice addition to add in a bit of romantic tension. Ranmaru was a pretty good antagonist to introduce as a more personal threat to our characters than Nobunaga, who was a looming figure but not as directly involved in any conflicts as you'd imagine he might be.
As usual, the artist has a pretty nice style with these detailed eyes that make it appropriate for a shoujo title, but still have a nice elegant appeal with the way the anatomy is structured. I can't speak much to the historical accuracy of this title, since feudal Japanese history isn't my forte (my best reference would be what I see in Inuyasha, if I'm being honest) but it feels very atmospheric and lot of detail went into the scenes and character designs.
Unlike Stepping on Roses, despite there being some nudity (not detailed, mostly just the general idea of nudity with the appropriate "scandalous" bits covered at all times) and violence and vague references to sex and making babies and what not, it remains a much less explicit title in my opinion and it also didn't rely on as many overly dramatic soap-opera-like plot points to be entertaining, so it has a more realistic punch to it (Ranmaru, for example, is a bit similar to Nobu from Stepping on Roses, but he works more subtly and comes across more effectively as a believable antagonist despite the lesser menace).
The author was even able to work in multiple men being interested in Usagi that didn't quite come across as a rinse-and-repeat of the same song and dance that a lot of other series have fallen prey to. The way our main four all interact with her and her relationships with them are all different enough that it's believable that they could all be attracted to her and want to be with her despite her not being shown as this magnificent beauty that everyone admires.
To be honest, there's not much I can say that's negative about this series outside of the somewhat rocky start it has.
There is a 5 year age gap approximately between Usagi and Hanzo that doesn't quite sit with me, but I suppose if you want to go "historical accuracy" it's not especially strange for that sort of gap to exist in the 1500s. Ultimately, the age difference isn't super apparent in the story, as Usagi and Hanzo's ages aren't generally discussed, nor do I ever feel like Hanzo likes Usagi for her more childish qualities (which a lot of manga leads end up doing--eww), but rather that she's just always cheerful and trying hard.
Though, as a history nerd, I do want to say that our idea of historical matches happening when girls are very, very young is widely a misconception. Royalty and nobility were generally the only people practicing the marriage of children and per-adolescents for political alliances, but everyday people tended to not marry until 16-20, because most of them weren't actually able to bear children until they were much older as a result of less nutrition. Besides, parents usually befitted more from an extra pair of hands on the farm and in the house to do chores or help watch younger children, so getting rid of daughters too soon wasn't practical.
Overall, a very enjoyable read! I got through all the volumes in a single sitting (took me maybe 7 or 8 hours?) so it's a very digestible story to get lost in if you find feudal Japan an interesting setting.
A newer work by this author, Stepping on Roses, Vol. 1, is a series I consider a favorite, but I actually think this older work of hers did some things much better than in Stepping on Roses and overall feel that it's a testament to how good of an artist and writer Rinko Ueda can be, especially when focusing on more historical stories.
Tail of the Moon is set in the 1500s and tells the story of Usagi, a fifteen year old girl from a ninja clan and her journey to woo and marry the young head of the Hattori family, a man named Hanzo, and bear his children--an assignment given to her by her great-grandfather when it's clear the lazy, clumsy Usagi is more suited to making herbal remedies and goofing off than becoming a competent ninja.
The story mostly focuses on Usagi's attempts to win over Hanzo, her growth as a person through her trials, and the various political matters of feudal Japan in the 1500s, like the warring between ninja clans and daimyo like Oda Nobunaga.
The first few chapters (I'd say the first 10-15 chapters, so the first volume or two) are sort of rough.
Usagi comes across as pretty unlikable because she's depicted as a bratty, naive glutton who doesn't want to do chores and is swayed by things like the promise of a handsome husband--giving her the air of being shallow and quick to choose the path she thinks involves less work on her part.
What also works against the story in these first few volumes is that it doesn't give the impression that there's going to be much depth. It presents almost in an episodic way, where Usagi is shown to constantly try different ways to woo Hanzo and fail miserably until her earnestness and sweet naivete start winning him over. I think it was done somewhat for a comedic effect and to keep the tone light, but I can see some people reading 1 or 2 volumes with her like this or assume the story isn't going to offer more and then quitting, but things do improve, so definitely don't give up too quick!
After getting to the end, I can safely say that the story ends up very nicely layered with lots of interesting conflict and side characters that are woven into the narrative, with the effect being a decent emotional edge. The plot, despite its simple premise, had a lot of comedy and action and romance, so it remained very interesting and engaging throughout its run, once it hits its stride a few volumes in.
I liked how Usagi has a lot of growth as a person--she loses a lot of her brattiness and becomes more of a cheerful, bright sort of character instead, not losing the comedy, but becoming much more likeable and relatable. I found Hanzo a likeable love interest as a straight-man who becomes softened and impassioned by Usagi's bouncy personality and adamant attempts at proving herself to be good wife material. Goemon was a nice addition to add in a bit of romantic tension. Ranmaru was a pretty good antagonist to introduce as a more personal threat to our characters than Nobunaga, who was a looming figure but not as directly involved in any conflicts as you'd imagine he might be.
As usual, the artist has a pretty nice style with these detailed eyes that make it appropriate for a shoujo title, but still have a nice elegant appeal with the way the anatomy is structured. I can't speak much to the historical accuracy of this title, since feudal Japanese history isn't my forte (my best reference would be what I see in Inuyasha, if I'm being honest) but it feels very atmospheric and lot of detail went into the scenes and character designs.
Unlike Stepping on Roses, despite there being some nudity (not detailed, mostly just the general idea of nudity with the appropriate "scandalous" bits covered at all times) and violence and vague references to sex and making babies and what not, it remains a much less explicit title in my opinion and it also didn't rely on as many overly dramatic soap-opera-like plot points to be entertaining, so it has a more realistic punch to it (Ranmaru, for example, is a bit similar to Nobu from Stepping on Roses, but he works more subtly and comes across more effectively as a believable antagonist despite the lesser menace).
The author was even able to work in multiple men being interested in Usagi that didn't quite come across as a rinse-and-repeat of the same song and dance that a lot of other series have fallen prey to. The way our main four all interact with her and her relationships with them are all different enough that it's believable that they could all be attracted to her and want to be with her despite her not being shown as this magnificent beauty that everyone admires.
To be honest, there's not much I can say that's negative about this series outside of the somewhat rocky start it has.
There is a 5 year age gap approximately between Usagi and Hanzo that doesn't quite sit with me, but I suppose if you want to go "historical accuracy" it's not especially strange for that sort of gap to exist in the 1500s. Ultimately, the age difference isn't super apparent in the story, as Usagi and Hanzo's ages aren't generally discussed, nor do I ever feel like Hanzo likes Usagi for her more childish qualities (which a lot of manga leads end up doing--eww), but rather that she's just always cheerful and trying hard.
Though, as a history nerd, I do want to say that our idea of historical matches happening when girls are very, very young is widely a misconception. Royalty and nobility were generally the only people practicing the marriage of children and per-adolescents for political alliances, but everyday people tended to not marry until 16-20, because most of them weren't actually able to bear children until they were much older as a result of less nutrition. Besides, parents usually befitted more from an extra pair of hands on the farm and in the house to do chores or help watch younger children, so getting rid of daughters too soon wasn't practical.
Overall, a very enjoyable read! I got through all the volumes in a single sitting (took me maybe 7 or 8 hours?) so it's a very digestible story to get lost in if you find feudal Japan an interesting setting.
May 9, 2020
It was thanks to watching MangaTuber DynamicDylan's videos that I even heard of this series in the first place, and I'm not sure if he has a GR profile or not to link back to with the "who recommended it to me" section, but his videos are a lot of fun and I'm glad that I picked up this first volume after watching his full series review for Tail of the Moon. [EDIT: THANK YOU FOR THE ADD, YAS QUEEN, THIS HAS MADE MY ENTIRE WEEKEND, BEING ABLE TO CREDIT YOU AS THE PERSON WHO MADE ME AWARE OF THIS SERIES!!]
I definitely wasn't expecting this to be as upbeat and comedic as it is, and I'm hoping that it retains some of its comedic aspects as the series goes on, because I do feel like it made the read far more enjoyable and not as stiff as it potentially could have been. This definitely has a historical setting, and I feel like the further I read into this series, the more tempted I'll be to research more in-depth about the time period it's set in.
As for the characters, so far I really love all of them. The story feels a little basic and maybe a tiny bit contrived, but the characters are all entertaining and pretty solid, so I really adore this already and I need to get started on the next volume soon! I believe this is a 15 book series (plus one prequel volume) but I think most of it is available through Thriftbooks and RightStuf, so I look forward to collecting it all!
I definitely wasn't expecting this to be as upbeat and comedic as it is, and I'm hoping that it retains some of its comedic aspects as the series goes on, because I do feel like it made the read far more enjoyable and not as stiff as it potentially could have been. This definitely has a historical setting, and I feel like the further I read into this series, the more tempted I'll be to research more in-depth about the time period it's set in.
As for the characters, so far I really love all of them. The story feels a little basic and maybe a tiny bit contrived, but the characters are all entertaining and pretty solid, so I really adore this already and I need to get started on the next volume soon! I believe this is a 15 book series (plus one prequel volume) but I think most of it is available through Thriftbooks and RightStuf, so I look forward to collecting it all!
July 22, 2012
When I first picked up the first 3 volumes I wasn't expecting much,to me it looked like every other girly manga I've ever seen as ne'er read. I mean SERIOUSLY a romantic ninja adventure?!? You've GOT to be kidding me :|
It was so super cute I absolutely loved it!!!! ^.^
Usagi is this hopeless ninja clan who's been sent to marry and bear Hanzo a child. The thing is, Hanzo just eats to be left alone. As soon as Usagi sees him she's smitten and falls head over heels for him but he seems unattainable. Hanzo is an Elite ninja and she's a lazy clutz who can't even qualify to be a ninja. He's in love with a ninja Princess (who's deeply in love with Hanzuo, A relative of Hanzo)
Oh and to top it all off Usagi has an adorable sidekick named Mamezo. Mamezo is a little kid who's terrified of dogs and has a pet piglet that Usagi caught for him. He wears a good luck rabbit tail on his bum so that he can run fast (princess has one too)
So what's the point of all of this? Well Hanzo has agreed to let Usagi live in his house and train to qualify as a ninja within the year. If she fails she'll be sent back to her village. So what's stopping her? Well she's a terrible ninja, Goemon, her ex-fiancé, wants her to marry him now but she won't, and she's an amazing herbalist that everyone wants to help them.
As everyone's relationships grow and the character development flourishes it really becomes a cute ninja romantic adventure and I love it! I don't think it could compare to Fairy Tail or any really popular manga but Tail of a Moon is great in it's own special way and you'll just have to read it to know what I'm talking about!
It was so super cute I absolutely loved it!!!! ^.^
Usagi is this hopeless ninja clan who's been sent to marry and bear Hanzo a child. The thing is, Hanzo just eats to be left alone. As soon as Usagi sees him she's smitten and falls head over heels for him but he seems unattainable. Hanzo is an Elite ninja and she's a lazy clutz who can't even qualify to be a ninja. He's in love with a ninja Princess (who's deeply in love with Hanzuo, A relative of Hanzo)
Oh and to top it all off Usagi has an adorable sidekick named Mamezo. Mamezo is a little kid who's terrified of dogs and has a pet piglet that Usagi caught for him. He wears a good luck rabbit tail on his bum so that he can run fast (princess has one too)
So what's the point of all of this? Well Hanzo has agreed to let Usagi live in his house and train to qualify as a ninja within the year. If she fails she'll be sent back to her village. So what's stopping her? Well she's a terrible ninja, Goemon, her ex-fiancé, wants her to marry him now but she won't, and she's an amazing herbalist that everyone wants to help them.
As everyone's relationships grow and the character development flourishes it really becomes a cute ninja romantic adventure and I love it! I don't think it could compare to Fairy Tail or any really popular manga but Tail of a Moon is great in it's own special way and you'll just have to read it to know what I'm talking about!
November 29, 2010
It started out okay, just like most of them do or can. I liked the idea, of course, but it seems like this one was just once cliche after another. She fell in love based on looks, before she even knew the guy, and pretty much everything after that went downhill.
I understand that heroines in most shoujo are usually the same: klutzy, eats a lot, innocent, always needing to be saved, etc. Only a few manga stories have ever pulled that off. This was not one of them.
I understand that heroines in most shoujo are usually the same: klutzy, eats a lot, innocent, always needing to be saved, etc. Only a few manga stories have ever pulled that off. This was not one of them.
May 28, 2008
It started off fantastically, cute and lovable, but as the series dragged on, it became really obvious the mangaka didn't really have any large plot in mind. The characters are sweet and likable, but the whole setup seemed kind of cliched to me.
I read up to 8 and gave up. Ryo is better, and I wished they would just license it already Xd.
I read up to 8 and gave up. Ryo is better, and I wished they would just license it already Xd.
December 19, 2014
Review for the whole series!
Review:
Historical shoujo manga, and what I mean here is, with minimum fantasy elements and realistic as possible, isn’t in any way rare, but such manga seldom gets translated into English. I can at the top of my head name Kaze Hikaru (Japan), Red River (Anatolia), A Bride’s Story (Central Asia), Emma (England) and that’s it (there are of course more, but I just can’t remember any others). What makes the situation sadder is that historical shoujo manga isn’t as popular as it should be (how many people actually read or even know the four manga I just mentioned?). One reason for the low demand would be, I gather, the fact that the setting is Japan and, thus, it is foreign for a Western reader to fully understand or know anything about the details of Japanese history, but most (non fantasy) historical shoujo is in fact set somewhere in Europe, other or is very European in style, for example somewhat going to the last group, is Rinko Ueda’s other manga Stepping on Roses, which, unfortunately, is extremely soap opera-ish and melodramatic for my taste, but also, surprisingly, seems to be quite well read and well received compared to other historical shoujo. This is all, of course, understandable, but I for one wouldn’t protest if more shoujo with the background like Tail of the Moon’s could get green-lit.
The story basically follows the life of an amateur ninja (or kunoichi for female ninja) Usagi, who is pretty hopeless for most of the series and quite unbearable at times, though she is, as it turns out, a skilled medicine maker and catnip for guy (the small, cute and innocent act seems to really be raking it up). Her mission set by her grandfather is to have the children of a young, talented and respectable ninja leader Hattori Hanzo. Needless to say, there is a clash, because he’s simply way out of her league. Between rivals for the attention of either side (a really frequent and annoying shoujo cliché), turbulent political times, dangerous ninja missions, side stories, assassination plots, your usual couple miscommunication troubles, Usagi’s failure at being a successful kunoichi, etc, the couple of course falls in love.
This is a very action-packed and fast-paced manga with something happening all the time. But as with Stepping on Roses, I feel that there is too much drama at times, which comes at you with full force one incident/person/topic after another without any real breaks. For example, one guy is introduced and vying for Usagi’s attention, after things get more or less settled, someone else becomes a rival to Hanzo. I do, however, think that this manga excels at balancing the action and romance, not forgetting the latter amidst all the trouble and constant hindrances for our couple. The manga doesn’t forget that it’s essentially still drawn for girls despite the setting, so the love story part is strong and constantly at least on the semi-foreground. Also, in spite of Usagi falling for Hanzo quite quick and for seemingly shallow reasons, the actual coming together and the course of the romance is somewhat of a slow burn. There is always something coming between them and rather than it being annoying and stalling, I appreciated the wait and the further development these obstacles enabled their budding relationship.
I wasn’t a huge fan of Usagi, even though, she didn’t turn out to be as useless and as klutzy a troublemaker as I concluded during the first volumes. She had her charming sides, but her type of heroine, the innocent girl who everyone falls for, who is whiney, often messes everything up, being more of a burden who needs things done and saved often, and who is just bothersome with her bright eyes and naïve attitude, is not someone whose adventures I fully enjoy following. Still, she was an eager learner and volume after volume she became less of a strain to others and in the end I almost respected her, almost.
Hanzo was supposed to be all manly, brave, talented, serious and a true leader, but what made him actually attractive was his minor dorky side. There were several adorably funny snippets where he is shy, surprised, blushing, innocent, jealous, etc. Those glimpses were what made him more than a cardboard hunky hero. Amongst the various side characters I definitely have to mention Memezo, Usagi's little "brother," who was simply ridiculously squishy, cute, huggable, so hardworking and a small grownup (even more mature than Usagi at times). I especially loved his time and care for all his animal pals.
While the manga is fun and wacky and goes from one crazy situation to another, as I mentioned before, it might be somewhat difficult for Western readers to fully grasp the manga, especially due to the real life historical side. The story takes place during the Warring States period in Japan and thus, there are several historical figures from the infamous Oda Nobunaga to the supportive and kind Tokugawa Ieyasu to the hero Hattori Hanzo himself also having the same name as an actual famous ninja from that time, making appearances or even appearing as minor and major characters to the plot. I’m quite sure regular readers of shojou manga have no idea who and what all these important people, places and happenings are. Then again, not knowing that, for example, that the man whom Usagi helps is Akechi Mitsuhide, an actual person who once existed, doesn’t necessarily hinder in understanding what’s going on and, thus, it doesn’t leave any gaps for the reader. The extra knowledge would enricher the reading experience, but it isn’t vital.
The emphasis of the art of this manga is mostly on drawing the characters and the background is quite simplistic and not primary in any way. The faces of the characters are detailed, especially for the males, and boy are most of them drawn oh-so pretty looking. The author has this specific look to her men, so I’m quite confident that I can spot her work from a huge bunch. As a fault, I can conclude that, when taking away the hairstyle, the characters look very much the same (but this is nothing new in manga). From the amount of dialogue and different panels on pages, the manga falls somewhere in the middle, with some pages being cluttered with text and various action, but others being quite bare with one panel taking up the whole page. There was, however, quite a bit of humour, colourful and quirky characterization moments, all quite irrelevant of course, in smaller dialogue clouds and panels amongst the main storyline ones or in those panels in smaller size, that could easily be overlooked, but I found many of them hilarious. They were also somewhat responsible for making Hanzo so adorably dorky with his comments and outbursts.
Overall:
If you like historical, action-packed, on the longer side (with 15 volumes) and with romance full of hindrances manga with a naïve and bothersome heroine, who does improve her ways by a mile and you can follow her in this progress, then this series is for you!
Review:
Historical shoujo manga, and what I mean here is, with minimum fantasy elements and realistic as possible, isn’t in any way rare, but such manga seldom gets translated into English. I can at the top of my head name Kaze Hikaru (Japan), Red River (Anatolia), A Bride’s Story (Central Asia), Emma (England) and that’s it (there are of course more, but I just can’t remember any others). What makes the situation sadder is that historical shoujo manga isn’t as popular as it should be (how many people actually read or even know the four manga I just mentioned?). One reason for the low demand would be, I gather, the fact that the setting is Japan and, thus, it is foreign for a Western reader to fully understand or know anything about the details of Japanese history, but most (non fantasy) historical shoujo is in fact set somewhere in Europe, other or is very European in style, for example somewhat going to the last group, is Rinko Ueda’s other manga Stepping on Roses, which, unfortunately, is extremely soap opera-ish and melodramatic for my taste, but also, surprisingly, seems to be quite well read and well received compared to other historical shoujo. This is all, of course, understandable, but I for one wouldn’t protest if more shoujo with the background like Tail of the Moon’s could get green-lit.
The story basically follows the life of an amateur ninja (or kunoichi for female ninja) Usagi, who is pretty hopeless for most of the series and quite unbearable at times, though she is, as it turns out, a skilled medicine maker and catnip for guy (the small, cute and innocent act seems to really be raking it up). Her mission set by her grandfather is to have the children of a young, talented and respectable ninja leader Hattori Hanzo. Needless to say, there is a clash, because he’s simply way out of her league. Between rivals for the attention of either side (a really frequent and annoying shoujo cliché), turbulent political times, dangerous ninja missions, side stories, assassination plots, your usual couple miscommunication troubles, Usagi’s failure at being a successful kunoichi, etc, the couple of course falls in love.
This is a very action-packed and fast-paced manga with something happening all the time. But as with Stepping on Roses, I feel that there is too much drama at times, which comes at you with full force one incident/person/topic after another without any real breaks. For example, one guy is introduced and vying for Usagi’s attention, after things get more or less settled, someone else becomes a rival to Hanzo. I do, however, think that this manga excels at balancing the action and romance, not forgetting the latter amidst all the trouble and constant hindrances for our couple. The manga doesn’t forget that it’s essentially still drawn for girls despite the setting, so the love story part is strong and constantly at least on the semi-foreground. Also, in spite of Usagi falling for Hanzo quite quick and for seemingly shallow reasons, the actual coming together and the course of the romance is somewhat of a slow burn. There is always something coming between them and rather than it being annoying and stalling, I appreciated the wait and the further development these obstacles enabled their budding relationship.
I wasn’t a huge fan of Usagi, even though, she didn’t turn out to be as useless and as klutzy a troublemaker as I concluded during the first volumes. She had her charming sides, but her type of heroine, the innocent girl who everyone falls for, who is whiney, often messes everything up, being more of a burden who needs things done and saved often, and who is just bothersome with her bright eyes and naïve attitude, is not someone whose adventures I fully enjoy following. Still, she was an eager learner and volume after volume she became less of a strain to others and in the end I almost respected her, almost.
Hanzo was supposed to be all manly, brave, talented, serious and a true leader, but what made him actually attractive was his minor dorky side. There were several adorably funny snippets where he is shy, surprised, blushing, innocent, jealous, etc. Those glimpses were what made him more than a cardboard hunky hero. Amongst the various side characters I definitely have to mention Memezo, Usagi's little "brother," who was simply ridiculously squishy, cute, huggable, so hardworking and a small grownup (even more mature than Usagi at times). I especially loved his time and care for all his animal pals.
While the manga is fun and wacky and goes from one crazy situation to another, as I mentioned before, it might be somewhat difficult for Western readers to fully grasp the manga, especially due to the real life historical side. The story takes place during the Warring States period in Japan and thus, there are several historical figures from the infamous Oda Nobunaga to the supportive and kind Tokugawa Ieyasu to the hero Hattori Hanzo himself also having the same name as an actual famous ninja from that time, making appearances or even appearing as minor and major characters to the plot. I’m quite sure regular readers of shojou manga have no idea who and what all these important people, places and happenings are. Then again, not knowing that, for example, that the man whom Usagi helps is Akechi Mitsuhide, an actual person who once existed, doesn’t necessarily hinder in understanding what’s going on and, thus, it doesn’t leave any gaps for the reader. The extra knowledge would enricher the reading experience, but it isn’t vital.
The emphasis of the art of this manga is mostly on drawing the characters and the background is quite simplistic and not primary in any way. The faces of the characters are detailed, especially for the males, and boy are most of them drawn oh-so pretty looking. The author has this specific look to her men, so I’m quite confident that I can spot her work from a huge bunch. As a fault, I can conclude that, when taking away the hairstyle, the characters look very much the same (but this is nothing new in manga). From the amount of dialogue and different panels on pages, the manga falls somewhere in the middle, with some pages being cluttered with text and various action, but others being quite bare with one panel taking up the whole page. There was, however, quite a bit of humour, colourful and quirky characterization moments, all quite irrelevant of course, in smaller dialogue clouds and panels amongst the main storyline ones or in those panels in smaller size, that could easily be overlooked, but I found many of them hilarious. They were also somewhat responsible for making Hanzo so adorably dorky with his comments and outbursts.
Overall:
If you like historical, action-packed, on the longer side (with 15 volumes) and with romance full of hindrances manga with a naïve and bothersome heroine, who does improve her ways by a mile and you can follow her in this progress, then this series is for you!
May 31, 2020
This was painful to read - and not just because of the cliches.
The eyes on every single person are too far apart. I was literally cringing while I was reading this because of that. I did get used to it, which was good, because the story was fairly interesting.
There are some stereotypical elements in this, of course. Love triangles, klutzy sort of airheaded MC girl, tall strong and handsome male lead, “I’m in love with someone else!”, etc. Some of those elements were done differently, which was good.
The art style is, again, not my favorite. It’s the typical late ‘90s- early ‘00s. Huge eyes that seem blurred sometimes, thin feathery lines for the hair, and the like. Some of the angles were drawn weird. They aren’t drawn wrong necessarily, but they just come off as weird.
I liked the main character’s determination. Sometimes it was a little much though.
Left off on a cliffhanger. I don’t know if I want to read the next one immediately. We’ll see.
The eyes on every single person are too far apart. I was literally cringing while I was reading this because of that. I did get used to it, which was good, because the story was fairly interesting.
There are some stereotypical elements in this, of course. Love triangles, klutzy sort of airheaded MC girl, tall strong and handsome male lead, “I’m in love with someone else!”, etc. Some of those elements were done differently, which was good.
The art style is, again, not my favorite. It’s the typical late ‘90s- early ‘00s. Huge eyes that seem blurred sometimes, thin feathery lines for the hair, and the like. Some of the angles were drawn weird. They aren’t drawn wrong necessarily, but they just come off as weird.
I liked the main character’s determination. Sometimes it was a little much though.
Left off on a cliffhanger. I don’t know if I want to read the next one immediately. We’ll see.
January 4, 2019
As I started reading this one I didn't think that I was going to like it at all. But as I read on it grew on me! I need to read at least one more volume before I decide if I like the series or not but so far so good!
May 15, 2019
This was hilarious! I can't wait to read more! Usagi is a great heroine. I like that she has a talent for medicines and can't be poisoned - I'm sure it will come in useful later! And it's nice to know because she's such an incompetent ninja, lol. 5 stars!
September 9, 2015
I thought I would love this series because I love historical settings and where the two protagonists start off hating each other or being forced into a relationship. Boy was I wrong. Usagi was an unbearable protagonist constantly needing rescuing and her only motivation to better herself was to get the affection from a guy who doesn't even like her. Ugh. Usually I can tolerate a protagonist like this if there are more redeeming females in the manga but the author either made them super gorgeous for Usagi to be jealous or completely bitchy. No that is not okay. And the male characters were either bullies or lecherous nymphomaniacs. Those are not qualities woman look for in a guy. EVER!! Do yourselves a favour and just don't waste your time like did.
December 6, 2016
I absolutely loved this series! It's a historical fiction romantic comedy ninja series with an absolutely relatable clumsy teenage heroin. This series got me interested in this era of Japanese history and as an American living in Japan, I was blessed to be able to visit the historical ninja town setting of the book in Iga. While it is a little bit of a cliché love story, it adds just enough of uniqueness and cultural accuracy to make you feel like a part of the story!
March 13, 2008
This is a really great book about ninjas and a girl who's trying to become one.Usa,if I recall her name right,is a girl who's having trouble becoming a ninja so her grandfather pretty much gives her off to the head of the village,can't remember his name sorry,in order to become his bride.What'll happen?I know so far,XP
December 22, 2009
This book is perfect for those of us that like a little romance with our ninjas.
Usagi and Hanzo are a treat and all of their friends make it worth going through 15 volumes with enjoyable ease.
And I love that the author has little spots in each book where you can see your favorite characters in different types of dress.
Very cute.
Usagi and Hanzo are a treat and all of their friends make it worth going through 15 volumes with enjoyable ease.
And I love that the author has little spots in each book where you can see your favorite characters in different types of dress.
Very cute.
June 10, 2017
At first glance I thought this was going to be total crap. I was really hoping that it wouldn't live up to my sad expectations of what I had heard from my friends. This blew those expectations out of he water and totally was a great read. I literally was crying at some parts. It's tat good. If it can make me cry I highly recommend it.
August 23, 2025
⚠️ WARNING for the series partial nudity,poisoning, suggestive themes and dark jokes.⚠️
Tail of Moon( Tsuki no Shippo) volume 1 is hilarious and it's not as melo dramatic as Ueda's "Stepping on Roses" series but rather more relaxed and free of extreme drama that took place in SOR.
Full review soon.
Tail of Moon( Tsuki no Shippo) volume 1 is hilarious and it's not as melo dramatic as Ueda's "Stepping on Roses" series but rather more relaxed and free of extreme drama that took place in SOR.
Full review soon.
April 4, 2016
This is the first manga I've ever read so I had little expectations, and thank God for that. This isn't by any means a bad book, but it wasn't great either. This is only the first volume though so there's a big chance that it might improve in the next.
May 19, 2008
Romance and Ninjas!
July 7, 2009
Surprisingly enjoyable and sweet historical shojo series that doesn't take itself much seriously. I may be buying the second volume but I can't imagine going to 10+ volumes with this manga...
January 9, 2009
tail of the moon is a good book. its really funny...i love mangas there awesome...i love japan.lol
April 20, 2009
Okay this is one of my favorite manga series ever. I love Rinko Ueda's work. If you haven't read this series you need to.
January 22, 2010
manga favorit gw...
keren bgt...
keren bgt...
June 24, 2019
Rereading this childhood series! Everyone is younger than I remember (lol) but it’s still great for a laugh!
August 11, 2008
EEKK! I love this series. Very sad at the end, though. Very sad.
November 7, 2019
SPOILERS!
ok... I read all 15 volumes in 2 days time. It was a very cute and actually a pretty good story. Some things moved WAY too fast (i.e. Character A hates Usagi and 5 pages later Usagi does something to help them and then everything is resolved and we all love Usagi and want the best for her now). I don't like that the very last volume took forever in the story and then the last chapter or 2 was a "quick! look! everyone is married and has kids now". Even Mamezo got engaged and he was only an adult in the story for like...10 pages (he was like...5-7 in the whole story). The only thing that redeemed the story is Mitsuhide's story arc. I...cried...so...much. I cried every time all the bad things were happening to him. I cried when his wife killed herself to redeem him in the King's eyes. I cried when he decided to get revenge for his wife. I cried when I thought they killed him. And I cried when he was actually alive at the end and had decided to not get revenge on the king for everything. OMG. He was only in the story for like... 1/4 of the book and he was the best character with the best story in the whole series.
Anyway here are my thoughts on the characters:
Usagi - Main character. She's ur typical klutz that everyone loves or falls in love with. Literally like...every single guy she comes in contact with who is single tries to marry her or rape her so...yeah. Sucks as a ninja but is a great herbalist. She didn't get on my nerves too much and her single focus on Hanzo was actually refreshing. She never had anyone else in her eyes other than him. Even when she thought he was dead and she finally was ready to move on she was like I'm just gonna die single cuz my heart is married to Hanzo. It was nice that she didn't have a moment of temptation with all the other guys around her like alot of manga heroines do.
Black haired Hanzo - He was ok. Pretty bland but that's the whole point of his character. No woman is attracted to him for long cuz hes super strict and focused. He was gone for like...4 volumes which sucked cuz the whole thing was about his relationship with Usagi and how do u develop a relationship more when hes not even in the story anymore!
Blonde haired Hanzo and Princess Sara...Blond Hanzo is ok. Atleast he serves as the antithesis of Black haired Hanzo. Princess Sara...why is she part of the story?
Mamezo - One of the only really good characters in the story. He doesn't do too much and he had a random, he was found by a dog and we have no idea who really is, story. Turns out he was the son of a Noble who didn't care about him anyway so he got to go home with Usagi (mind u they mentioned the "idk where he came from" a few times in the story and then the actual "oh he belongs to so and so, he needs to go to his real home" part of the story was resolved in like 1-2 chapters. Super quick.
Goemon - Poor poor goemon. The semi sucky side of one sided love. That's all I have to say lol
Yuri - Just there to give Usagi a competitor for Hanzo's hand in marriage and then is there to give Goemon someone to end up with.
Ranmaru - What a complicated character...and not in the good kind of way. Half the time he kept trying to force himself on Usagi and the other half of the time he kept saving her. He sacrifices his life for Usagi and she's upset and im like...I don't know how to feel about it. He literally JUST tried to kill u cuz u didn't want to be with him. Am I supposed to be sad or happy he died cuz honestly I'm quite pissed he died for her lol
ok... I read all 15 volumes in 2 days time. It was a very cute and actually a pretty good story. Some things moved WAY too fast (i.e. Character A hates Usagi and 5 pages later Usagi does something to help them and then everything is resolved and we all love Usagi and want the best for her now). I don't like that the very last volume took forever in the story and then the last chapter or 2 was a "quick! look! everyone is married and has kids now". Even Mamezo got engaged and he was only an adult in the story for like...10 pages (he was like...5-7 in the whole story). The only thing that redeemed the story is Mitsuhide's story arc. I...cried...so...much. I cried every time all the bad things were happening to him. I cried when his wife killed herself to redeem him in the King's eyes. I cried when he decided to get revenge for his wife. I cried when I thought they killed him. And I cried when he was actually alive at the end and had decided to not get revenge on the king for everything. OMG. He was only in the story for like... 1/4 of the book and he was the best character with the best story in the whole series.
Anyway here are my thoughts on the characters:
Usagi - Main character. She's ur typical klutz that everyone loves or falls in love with. Literally like...every single guy she comes in contact with who is single tries to marry her or rape her so...yeah. Sucks as a ninja but is a great herbalist. She didn't get on my nerves too much and her single focus on Hanzo was actually refreshing. She never had anyone else in her eyes other than him. Even when she thought he was dead and she finally was ready to move on she was like I'm just gonna die single cuz my heart is married to Hanzo. It was nice that she didn't have a moment of temptation with all the other guys around her like alot of manga heroines do.
Black haired Hanzo - He was ok. Pretty bland but that's the whole point of his character. No woman is attracted to him for long cuz hes super strict and focused. He was gone for like...4 volumes which sucked cuz the whole thing was about his relationship with Usagi and how do u develop a relationship more when hes not even in the story anymore!
Blonde haired Hanzo and Princess Sara...Blond Hanzo is ok. Atleast he serves as the antithesis of Black haired Hanzo. Princess Sara...why is she part of the story?
Mamezo - One of the only really good characters in the story. He doesn't do too much and he had a random, he was found by a dog and we have no idea who really is, story. Turns out he was the son of a Noble who didn't care about him anyway so he got to go home with Usagi (mind u they mentioned the "idk where he came from" a few times in the story and then the actual "oh he belongs to so and so, he needs to go to his real home" part of the story was resolved in like 1-2 chapters. Super quick.
Goemon - Poor poor goemon. The semi sucky side of one sided love. That's all I have to say lol
Yuri - Just there to give Usagi a competitor for Hanzo's hand in marriage and then is there to give Goemon someone to end up with.
Ranmaru - What a complicated character...and not in the good kind of way. Half the time he kept trying to force himself on Usagi and the other half of the time he kept saving her. He sacrifices his life for Usagi and she's upset and im like...I don't know how to feel about it. He literally JUST tried to kill u cuz u didn't want to be with him. Am I supposed to be sad or happy he died cuz honestly I'm quite pissed he died for her lol
April 2, 2021
Not really what I expected.
I usually like my protagonists to be a lot less klutz than Usagi. For me to like klutz characters, an excellent story is needed. See Sailor Moon for reference.
Here we have a good-for-nothing ninja. She's the granddaughter of the leader of a great ninja school but she can't do anything. So the grandfather thinks the only thing she can do is bear children who will be better ninja than she is. For this reason he has chosen Lord Hanzo, a great ninja, to be the father of said children. And Usagi needs to woo him.
Too bad he's very good-looking and in love with a princess. And that she has competition in Yuri a better and more beautiful ninja.
I have all 14 volumes. Let's hope the story improves a little.
I usually like my protagonists to be a lot less klutz than Usagi. For me to like klutz characters, an excellent story is needed. See Sailor Moon for reference.
Here we have a good-for-nothing ninja. She's the granddaughter of the leader of a great ninja school but she can't do anything. So the grandfather thinks the only thing she can do is bear children who will be better ninja than she is. For this reason he has chosen Lord Hanzo, a great ninja, to be the father of said children. And Usagi needs to woo him.
Too bad he's very good-looking and in love with a princess. And that she has competition in Yuri a better and more beautiful ninja.
I have all 14 volumes. Let's hope the story improves a little.
January 11, 2024
I've been picking up a lot of manga I read as a kid to add to my physical collection and this was one series I remember really liking, but upon a reread, it's a pretty average shoujo. Insta-love with a main character with unrealistic motivations and very little skills except for one, which makes her special.
The premise is pretty ridiculous, especially since the leads are just teens. I can still enjoy it with nostalgia glasses, but I guess I would put this in the category of a "junk food" story. By that I mean you can fully enjoy it, but don't model your relationship(s) after the ones displayed here.
3.5/5 stars
The premise is pretty ridiculous, especially since the leads are just teens. I can still enjoy it with nostalgia glasses, but I guess I would put this in the category of a "junk food" story. By that I mean you can fully enjoy it, but don't model your relationship(s) after the ones displayed here.
3.5/5 stars
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