Crescent Moon Marching

みかづきマーチ [Mikazuki March] #1

by Hamachi Yamada

To escape the stress of city life, high school, and her overbearing mother, Mizuki runs away from home to spend spring break with her aunt. But her future is looming and she still has no idea what she’s interested in… until she crosses paths with Akira, a high school trumpet player who introduces her to the world of marching band! Music, movement, and the passions of youth collide in a breathtaking coming-of-age tale for fans of Sound! Euphonium and Whisper of the Heart!

Genres: Manga, Comics, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Contemporary, Ebooks, Shojo

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2020

Reviews

[Lucille · Rating 4 out of 5]

J’ai beaucoup aimé l’histoire de cette jeune fille qui n’en peut plus de la pression que lui met sa mère pour sa scolarité, de n’avoir jamais de temps pour autre chose que des cours en plus du lycée, aucun amis ou passion. Quand elle se rappelle de sa tante qui lui avait dit de venir la voir si un jour elle se sentait dépassée, elle fugue pour la rejoindre. Elle y rencontre son employé à temps partiel qui a le même âge qu’elle et joue de la trompette dans la fanfare de son lycée, cette rencontre va lui donner envie d’elle aussi s’investir et essayer de changer qui elle est, elle qui manque tant de confiance en elle, à tendance à pleurer facilement et regarder le sol…
Même si le dessin reste plutôt débutant et loin de ce que j’apprécie d’habitude, j’ai beaucoup aimé ce premier tome plein d’émotion, avec une héroïne touchante !

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, this is a coming-of-age story about a high school girl—Mizuki—trying to find what she wants to do. Her mom wants her to focus on her studies but Mizuki longs for more. When she visits her aunt in the countryside, Mizuki literally stumbles into the world of high school marching band—and finds herself ENAMORED.

I’ll be real—I was never a marching band or color guard kid.

I know those are BIG things for people.

Like, if you’re in the band you are a BAND KID. Same with color guard—it’s second only to your studies if second at all. Super competitive. Only commit if you’re passionate.

I think this story captured a lot of that energy. (Which is notable to me cause I didn’t realize how international these things are? It’s very big in American high schools.)

I’ll be interested to see where this story goes. Here’s hoping Mizuki finds her footing~

[scarlettraces · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[StrawberryShojo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever wanted to just run away from all the pressures in your life, live in an idyllic small town, and become the most authentic version of yourself?

Yeah, me too.

…Which leads me to the premise of Crescent Moon Marching. Under near-constant pressure from her mother to lead a productive life and perform exceptionally well in school, Mizuki finds herself completely lost. With the future bearing down on her, she doesn’t even know who she is or what she wants to do with her life. In need of a pause in life, she runs away to visit her chill Aunt, who runs a small-town cafe. After seeing a practice performance from the local school’s marching band, Mizuki finds a new spark for life.



Who can’t relate to finding inspiration somewhere and then making that thing your whole personality? 😂 Mizuki finds herself completely enamored with the marching band and joins as a trumpeter. But natural talent can only get her so far, and she’ll have to work hard to prove to everyone that she’s finally found her calling.

Honestly, I am enjoying this series so far. The art style has a unique freshness. The characters are expressive and given the marching band theme, I’m happy to report that the art feels lively and fun. The full-color pages are gorgeous! It feels like everyone’s enthusiasm for music just jumps off the pages! I only wish this manga came with a soundtrack.

I also like the characters. Mizuki feels genuine and relatable and honestly, everyone should have an aunt as cool as hers. I feel like Akira, is perhaps the weakest character for me as I just don’t know what to make of him so far in the story. He comes off as rude to Mizuki but also seems like he wants to be her friend. We may be dealing with an enemies-to-lovers situation here, but it’s a bit too soon for me to tell.

If you’re interested in musical manga that reads a bit like a sports manga, then this one is for you!

Available to read on the Azuki App or e-book on Amazon (the image below is an affiliate link)
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[Tachan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Même si on peut râler à cause du calendrier de publication de Noeve, il faut saluer leur courage de publier tout plein de séries originales qui sortent un peu des sentiers battus et qu’on aurait sûrement pas eu ailleurs. Merci pour ce nouveau bonbon.

Dans cette courte série terminée en 6 tomes, Hamachi Yamada, habituée du Big Comic Spirits et des histoires de passions adolescentes, nous entraîne, et c’est le mot, sur les pas d’une jeune adolescente qui en a marre de la pression familiale et qui se prend de passion pour la trompette et son jeu en fanfare. On a connu moins original !

Certes, il y a bien Aozora Yell chez nous qui parle aussi de musique au lycée, mais c’est dans une fanfare fixe, qui a pour but d’encourager l’équipe de baseball du lycée, ici, Hamachi Yamada nous entraîne dans tout autre chose avec cette fanfare en mouvement, qui peut rappeler pour les lecteurs du sud comme moi, les Bandas qu’on trouve dans les fêtes de village où les musiciens font de sacrées performances en défilant. C’est un tout autre monde et une bien belle découverte de cet univers, et ce dès le premier tome, où l’autrice nous plonge dans les codes de celui-ci : partitions, déplacements, entraînement physique… J’ai adoré cette immersion.

Il faut dire que l’autrice reprend la recette de ces histoires lycéennes que j’aime tant. J’avais l’impression d’être dans un Chihayafuru version fanfare avec cette équipe, cette troupe dans laquelle Mizuki cherche à se trouver une place, elle qui a toujours été un peu à l’écart à cause de la pression que ses parents lui mettaient sur les épaules pour étudier. On retrouve ici l’opposition entre la sacro sainte obligation de réussite scolaire si chère aux Japonais et le besoin de ses jeunes de respirer et de se trouver une passion. Un classique indémodable, j’ai l’impression, quand il est bien fait comme ici et ce même si c’est un peu déjà vu.

Je me suis très vite attachée à ce personnage de Mizuki, qu’on a déjà vu maintes fois, mais qui est toujours touchant. C’est en effet une jeune qu’on a envie de soutenir, car elle a eu le courage, totalement rocambolesque je le conçois, de fuir ses parents pour aller souffler chez sa tante. Elle a ensuite le courage d’assumer son coup de coeur pour cet instrument et cette passion jusqu’à tenir tête à son père. Et après, elle poursuit son effort en travaillant sur elle-même, en regardant en face ses faiblesses, en écoutant les remarques pas toujours aimables qu’on lui fait. Je la trouve admirable et c’est pour ça qu’elle me séduit.

Il se dessine ainsi déjà, dès le premier tome, une belle atmosphère dans ce titre entre passion, goût de l’effort, ouverture aux autres, le tout dans un univers que je ne connaissais pas et que je prend plaisir à découvrir. L’héroïne est une jeune fille attachante qu’on a envie de soutenir. Autour d’elle, il y a des personnages entraînants qu’on devine avec un bel habillage : qui veut être indépendante, qui veut travailler pour son rêve, qui a su dépasser ses faiblesses, etc. C’est certes classique, il y a déjà nombre de séries qui ont ou parlent de passion au lycée mais quand c’est bien fait, il n’y a pas de quoi bouder son plaisir. Le seul gros bémol vient parfois des dessins que je trouve maladroits et brouillon dans les proportions et angles de vue. Pour le reste, l’atmosphère m’a totalement prise dans ses filets.

Amoureux des histoires de lycéens passionnés, cette série est pour vous. Elle vous fera découvrir les coulisses d’une fanfare et vous entraînera sur les pas d’une jeune fille menacée par la pression de ses parents qui décide de se reprendre en main pour se trouver une passion et la vivre. Enthousiasmant et touchant !

Article complet : https://lesblablasdetachan.wordpress....

[YSBR · Rating 4 out of 5]

While there are a plethora of sports manga around, Crescent Moon Marching is the first manga to tackle the sport of marching band. The first volume follows socially awkward high schooler Mizuki, who struggles to make friends while also balancing an incredible amount of academic pressure from her parents. The pressure becomes too much for Mizuki, however, and she ends up running away to stay with her aunt at her quaint, seaside town, where she discovers the existence of a high school marching band. Hoping to finally find a group where she fits in, Mizuki joins the marching band and begins learning how to play the trumpet. Throughout the first volume, the reader follows Mizuki as she gains more confidence in herself, starts to make friends, and tries to lessen her anxieties around trying to be perfect. All of the characters are Japanese. 

This was a very fun and sweet manga, and I loved that it covered marching band! I appreciated that the author included a lot of information about marching bands and how they function, which was very helpful for readers who may not be familiar with the topic. I was fascinated by the intricacy of marching band formations, and how much work it takes for all of the band members to maintain the exact speed and distance while performing.  I thought Mizuki was a relatable main character, and that her struggles regarding friendship and academic pressure would be understood by many teen readers. I thought the relationship between her and Akira was very sweet, and I like their dynamic setting up a closer friendship as the series progresses. This manga is also very beginner-friendly for those new to the format, with an explanation of Japanese honorifics and manga reading directions placed in the beginning of the book. This volume will also be printed in full-color, which is a rarity for manga volumes, as most tend to be printed in black and white. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sports manga, where the sport is marching band. Main character Mizuki escapes from her controlling mother by moving to a new school and joining a band. She's enthusiastic, but enthusiasm only takes her so far. There's a lot of hard work, which serves as a great way to illustrate just how physically demanding being in a marching band actually is. By the end of the first volume, all that hard work means that she's just barely ready to perform, which felt like a fairly realistic progression. Mizuki will be really relatable to a lot of readers. I sometimes lost patience with her clumsiness and how she cries at the drop of a hat, but her determination and persistence keep her from getting too annoying. Possible future love interest Akira is a different matter. He doesn't show enough personality to let me form a connection to him, though that may change in future volumes.

[Casey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute! I enjoyed the art and I know I probably shouldn't compare books. But after just reading, Hikaruin the light, I can't help find similarities also with Hikaru. I kind of wish this was a show. So I would be able to hear the music but this could be a decent story. And also similar to Hikaru, about a girl trying to find her place in the world.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marching band manga?! Oh how our high schoolers will LOVE this! =)

[Melody Keeton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mizuki ran away from home to stay with her aunt in the countryside. Now, she's in the school's marching band. A sweet and simple slice-of-life about discovering your passions and self-worth.

[Sera · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations were the star of this manga! The story was ok. I enjoyed seeing behind the scenes of marching bands performances.

[JayVee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was super cute, if unrealistic. But I’m excited to read more!

[Lucy Kirby · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting reading about marching bands in Japan.