The Spring 2023 Manga Guide

Crescent Moon Marching

What's It About? 

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!

Crescent Moon Marching has story and art by Hamachi Yamada, with English translation by Arthur Miura, lettered and touched up by Barri Shrager. Azuki is releasing the first volume digitally via its website and online app.

Is It Worth Reading?

Christopher Farris

Rating:

A key component of successful club/hobby stories is a clear love for the activity being represented. Not only does Crescent Moon Marching here get that right, but Hamachi Yamada excels at putting over the effort that goes into marching band as much as the joy it brings. It makes it great for readers like me who might be wholly unfamiliar with the act, as we get to be taken aback realizing the sheer amount of effort that must go into these shows. In hindsight, all the practice and memorization and moving parts that go into marching in time while playing music should be obvious. But even then you get those moments of sudden realization, for things like marching bands having to learn their music by heart since they can't have scores in front of them, that make you step back and go "Oh jeez this sounds hard."

It makes for a good choice for something like this, where the band is the life-changing driving force for Mizuki, the introvert at the center of this story who's looking to grow. We see her making that personal, mental effort and can track it with all the work that Crescent Moon Marching tells us is also necessary for marching band. It can feel incredibly direct and schmaltzy at times, but it works because the manga is so gosh-darned earnest about it. It makes sense, showing the fruits of hard labor put into something for the love of it couldn't abide any degree of cynicism. But even then the sincerity still feels refreshing. Crescent Moon Marching is wearing its heart plainly out on its sleeve, and it's a look it wears well.

There are some ups and downs to that sincerity. Some of the more blunt figures in Mizuki's life can feel a little too down on her for their own sake, least of all her nearly comically cruel mother. But their roles feel lesser in comparison to the kinder support system Mizuki winds up with after transferring schools. People like her aunt Yuki or her tiny-but-strong band-mate Megumi or the band captain come off incredibly cool. Even brusque boyfriend-to-be Akira perfectly nails the tenor of the textbook jerk-with-a-heart-of-gold. Some of Yamada's character art can come off a little awkward or unpolished. But that almost contributes to the appealing heart of it all and is enhanced by the wonderfully consistent use of backgrounds presenting a strong sense of space, which is all too important for a story centered around groups of people moving and navigating an area in specific ways. And also appropriate for a story about a marching band, this one feels like it's really moving already by the end of this first volume, capping off on a cliffhanger that has me genuinely curious about what will come next.

Rebecca Silverman

Rating:

One of my cousins was a drum major in his high school marching band, and this manga really captures a lot of what he said about his experiences. It's equal parts the music and the spectacle, and both of those things are incredibly appealing to the heroine Mizuki, who is struggling to find her way. Mostly that's because her mother has discouraged her from having her own “way” – from the moment we first meet the woman in a flashback to Mizuki's early childhood, she's making it very clear that she doesn't think much of her daughter. She tells Mizuki's aunt, her own younger sister, that she's sure Mizuki was a pain to have around because she's gloomy, and when we flash forward to Mizuki in late middle school, she's busy instructing her daughter to study, study, study. If Mizuki isn't her carbon copy, she doesn't appear to have much interest in her, and with her husband away for work, she's the only parent Mizuki's got.

Is it any wonder, then, that Mizuki runs away to stay with her aunt again, up in Akita? The poor kid is a spectator in her own life, and her aunt is the one person who ever seemed to care, so her flight back there makes a lot of sense. So, too, does her almost immediate fascination with the local high school's marching band – Mizuki has never felt like she deserved attention or to be a part of something, and a marching band is a way for her to have both: attention as part of a group. Music also seems to speak to her, because it's both ordered and chaotic, while the marching band itself turns that chaos into a beautiful order. The loud, clear voice of the trumpet calls her name, and there's something wonderful about seeing that happen for her for the first time.

I, personally, don't have a ton of interest in music. I'm a lapsed cellist, and I find music to be overwhelming, especially loud music. But Crescent Moon Marching Band captured my heart and my interest. Mizuki's drive to overcome her anxieties and the way she begins to slowly flourish in her new home and school is endearing, and a lot of care has clearly gone into showing what being in a marching band means. She's making friends, there's a probable love interest, and every one of her reactions feels real. The art isn't always perfect (girls' figures fluctuate, and smiles tend to be on the creepy side), but the story is captivating.

Jean-Karlo Lemus

Rating:

It feels as though I don't have the vocabulary to give Crescent Moon Marching the justice it deserves. It's another case of a very down-to-earth, coming-of-age manga that portrays the transformative power of mundane-seeming things. In this case, Mizuki moves from Tokyo and discovers her passion in a rural high school's marching band. I know it doesn't sound gripping, but the charming artwork, lovely locales, and heartwarming writing make this series feel like a fresh cup of warm tea. For crying out loud, Mizuki even rides to school in the back seat of her classmate Akira's bike—any more idyllic, you'd have Miyazaki grousing in your ear about how much better animation was in his day.

While Mizuki has a lot of growing to do, it's inspiring to see her face her fears and discover the joy of playing an instrument. While Crescent Moon Marching is upfront about the challenges of playing an instrument, it's encouraging to see Mizuki meet those challenges head-on. The artwork is cute and painterly, almost like a picture book. It's perfect for a wide-eyed ingenue like Mizuki. I definitely recommend it; there's a lot to love in this one.