Manga Review: Tail of the Moon, Volume 2, by Rinko Ueda

Rating (Out of 5): 3

Publisher: VIZ Media (Shojo Beat)

Volumes: 15

Goodreads Synopsis:

Sometimes it seems like Usagi is hopeless. Sure, she's good with healing herbs, but she's the granddaughter of the leader of a prestigious ninja village and she's such a klutz that she's never made it out of the kiddie class. Finally frustrated with Usagi's lack of progress, her grandfather sends her to marry a local lord and have lots of ninja babies. But the lord has no interest in her or her child bearing potential! After years of goofing around, Usagi is finally determined to reach her goals--she's going to become a ninja and capture her true love's heart!

Review:

This is still mostly alright. I'm liking the characters a little more, but I'm not really loving any of them.

It starts by showing that Goemon and Usagi as little kids, with Goemon being tested as a ninja by having to carry Usagi on his back until she can talk, so he gets used to carrying her for two years. And also that they're supposed to be getting married. Which we find out later that Goemon has refused to do, until he finds that someone else wants her.

She enters in this race, and Hanzo shows up and helps her. And then Goemon makes a big scene by kissing her and stating that they're engaged, and he continues with this throughout the rest of the book, while she denies it.

And then Hanzo leaves, Usagi runs after him, and then does something dumb and they end up falling down a cliff and staying on their own for the night, naked, in only a blanket. Nothing really happens, aside from some lines being exchanged that gives Usagi hope and makes her fall in love with him even more.

Usagi ends up going back with Hanzo, taking Mamezo and Goemon with her. Goemon is against her going, and Hanzo states that he will agree to marry her if she can become a ninja, and the same for Yuri, because apparently her sister was the one that was qualified as a ninja at an early age. Yuri is upset about this. Anyway, Goemon decides to train Usagi, and makes her go through several things, not wanting her to make the deadline of by the the end of the year. Also, Goemon tries to kill Sara, because he takes her for an enemy. Hanzo saves her, making it obvious he still has feelings for her, and Usagi is upset about it.

And then Goemon convinces Usagi and Yuri to go find Hanzou (the one that is with Sara). They're wary, but they go. They meet a fellow herbalist (like Usagi) along the way, and then they have to sneak into the palace when they aren't permitted entrance, and they find out that Hanzou has been locked away by his father because he doesn't approve of his relationship with Sara, but Hanzou won't give in. Also, Hanzo is worried about them (read: Usagi) the whole time they're gone, and Yuri forms a pretty big crush on Goemon on the trip. And then Sara and Hanzo barge in and Sara and Hanzou make a big scene, and Hanzou's father finally accepts their relationship. I do like Sara and Hanzou, and am glad that they're back together.

And then it turns out that the man they met works for Hanzou and wants Usagi to work under him as a herbalist. I think that this is a perfect idea, as that is really the only thing she's good at (because she is really not good at being a ninja, and she doesn't have any of the qualities for it, which it's possible for it to happen, but it would take a lot of time and determination, which she doesn't have). But when they tell her that she's not suited to be a ninja, she's crushed, and even more so when Hanzo agrees.

But she decides to stay and learn to be a herbalist, along with Yukimaru, who wears fancy clothes. Yukimaru also tries to hurt Usagi (out of obvious jealousy), only for Usagi to do it on her own. And then they're in the bath together, where we find out that Yukimaru is a guy. And then, I guess he falls or trips or something and gets hurt, and Usagi freaks out a little bit.

So, um, yea. It's alright. A bit better than the first one, I guess, but still not amazing or anything. And I know this is a long series, so I'm starting to wonder how much is going to happen in the series, what things are going to come up to cause drama, as I'm guessing things are going to. And if I'm going to enjoy it or not.

Manga Review: Tail of the Moon, Volume 1, by Rinko Ueda

3 of 5 Stars

Publisher: VIZ Media

Goodreads Synopsis:

Sometimes it seems like Usagi is hopeless. Sure, she's good with healing herbs, but she's the granddaughter of the leader of a prestigious ninja village and she's such a klutz that she's never made it out of the kiddie class. Finally frustrated with Usagi's lack of progress, her grandfather sends her to marry a local lord and have lots of ninja babies. But the lord has no interest in her or her child bearing potential! After years of goofing around, Usagi is finally determined to reach her goals--she's going to become a ninja and capture her true love's heart!

Review:

I've read Ueda's more recent series, Stepping on Roses, but I hadn't gotten around to read this series when it was first released. It sounded interesting, but not immensely so.

The series is about Usagi, the daughter of some big ninja family, who's quite hopeless when it comes to being a ninja. So far, I'm not a big fan of Usagi. Within the first chapter, she's going on about becoming a good ninja, only she skips practice. And then her grandpa tells her that she's not good at being ninja, to which she whines, and then he tells her that she's going to have to go and have a child with some man. She protests wildly, and then immediately leaves for him when told that he's handsome. Some of these things could be done for comedy, but they just bothered me. She has a very weak will, and she's not particularly smart. She got a little bit better near the end of the manga, but not enough for me to actually like her.  

The guy that she is supposed to marry, Hanzo, doesn't seem so bad. He's very against marriage, which is explained a little bit later in the book, but he obviously has a growing affection for Usagi. And we meet Yuri, who also intends to marry Hanzo. I don't really mind her, and hope we see more of her, as we probably will.

And we meet Hanzou, who is a flirt, but who loves Sara, who does not like his flirtatious ways. I like both of them, and hope that they make up soon. And that Hanzou grows up a bit from his flirtatious ways. And Hanzo is also in love with Sara, which is very obvious.

Usagi has a servant like person that follows her, Mamezo. He's a rookie ninja, and is adorable. He's just a little kid, and he gets a little piglet, who is also adorable. Yuri has a servant like person as well, who is around her age, if not older, who is also cute. In a different way. I hope that we see more of him, and that he gets an actual character, but I'm unsure on if I believe that we will or not.

Through out the book, Usagi goes and meets Hanzo, and instantly falls in love with him, to which he declines her proposal. And Yuri is in the same position as her, only she has known him longer. In the second and third chapters, Yuri makes an effort to poison Usagi, which doesn't work because Usagi takes a lot of medicine, that I guess cancel out the effects of it. And Yuri ends up poisoning herself and is sick for the rest of the book. 

(I'm thinking that Ueda has a think for marriages, and problems with them. Because the main problem for the main character in this story is that she has to and wants to marry Hanzo, only he doesn't want to, and she has several competitors. And in Stepping on Roses, the main character gets kind of forced into a marriage. I don't know if this bothers me or not...)

Throughout most of the book, Usagi is practicing her ninja skills, and she doesn't seem to be making a lot of progress. Hanzo finds out that Usagi can make medicine, and a lot of townspeople want some, so she stays up late making some because of some stupid promise she made. Because she gets sick a lot, which I think is kind of psychological, because apparently she fakes it before starting to actually feel it, it makes sense for her to be able to make medicine for herself. And at least she's good at something.

We meet Hanzou and Sara, and they get into a fight, and Sara stays with Usagi and Hanzo, and Usagi discovers that Hanzo loves Sara. And in the last chapter, Hanzo and Usagi have a fight and he kicks her out, and she stays outside the village for a little bit but it starts raining and so she heads back to her hometown village. Where she sees Goemon with some woman, where he's giving lessons, I guess, to the younger girls. Maybe they actually did things like this, but I have a hard time believing that. Or I just don't want to.

She kicks them out of her room because she's tired, and then Goemon makes a move on her and the book ends. I'm a little curious to find out what happens next, but not anxious for it. I don't particularly like Usagi, which is probably the main reason for this, but I will pick up the next book when I'm able to.