Mangaka Kenjiro Hata is famous for her manga Hayate the Combat Butler that gained immense popularity among the manga fans. In this article I will be reviewing the first Volume of Kenjiro’s latest manga series Fly Me to the Moon and see if it’s as good and unforgettable as Hayate.
The story revolves around Nasa Yuzaki who caught up in a road accident on the day he had his high school entrance exam. Nasa has been bullied all his life because of his name and in order to avoid that, he put all his focus on his studies so that people would not think of NASA but him when they meet him.
Nasa was hit by a truck because of a beautiful girl, Tsukasa, with he falls in love at first sight. His love for that girl intensifies when he is rescued by her as she risks her life to save him from that truck coming towards him. Despite of taking greater part of the hit, Tsukasa didn’t get injured, while Nasa ends up with numerous wounds.
Tsukasa tells Nasa to relax as she goes to call an ambulance but Nasa doesn’t want her to leave as he thinks if her let her go, she will never return and will go someplace far away like Prince Kaguya. So without caring about his severe injuries, he follows her and confesses his love. Tsukasa tells her that she will date him on only one condition that one day he will marry her. Nasa agrees without wasting any second, but then passes out because of excessive loss of blood.
When he opens his eyes, he finds himself in the hospital but Tsukasa was not there. He looked for her and did everything he can to meet her again but she returns after few years and reminds him about the promise he made that day regarding marriage.
It’s a wholesome story once they get their married documents finalized in local government office and try to adapt to their new married life together, doing some daily things that married couple do like shopping together, sleeping side by side in one room and having meals together. Although they are some common everyday things but watching these two characters enjoying it, is quite delightful and fascinating.
It’s hard to put the charm of this story in words. If we talk about, the story seems plain and boring with nothing special happing in it but reading it the way Kenjiro Hata has created it gives a whole different experience that makes this plain story, vary charming and interesting.
The style of artwork is impactful despite of being simple. The panels are small in most of the pages with minimal background and focus on the upper part of the characters but surprisingly, it works well. Not all panels are simple, there are some pages with adequate amount of detail but only when that detail is important. The reason why the simple visuals work is because it helps you focus on things that needs it the most.
Fly Me to the Moon is a comedy slice of life like Hayate the Combat Butler. But there are some hint of supernatural aspects in the series when it come Tsukasa. Although the focus is on the everyday lives of the couple, Tsukasa remains mysterious from the beginning of the story because of her survival in a deadly accident and even the way she speaks. It all suggests that there is something mysterious about this character which is probably come later in the series.
Your interest in the story largely depends on how much you are engaged in the budding relationship of Tsukasa and Nasa. It’s only fascinating if you like the characters because other than that there is not much happening in this series. The reason why I didn’t find it boring is because it managed to keep me focused with its fast pace and impressive storytelling. Before you move to the next chapter things you read in the current chapter concludes with it.
Flt to the Moon has been bought to the West by VIZ Media and has been translated by John Werry. The translation reads well and I didn’t find any problems in it. The series is in continuation in Japan and has completed 12 Volumes. Viz Media will release the second Volume of the series in December.
All in all, Fly Me to the Moon is a sweet and entertaining story. It has likeable characters and the storytelling is compelling. The story is simple but interesting enough to grab your attention till the end. If you like the main characters, then you will definitely dive into their everyday life together as a couple and find it compelling till the end.
