Customer Reviews

Until the Full Moon Volume 1

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

If you're planning on buying this manga, the most important thing for you to realize is that it will not appeal to everyone. I know the "by the author of FAKE" tag is sure to lure many yaoi fangirls in, but the fact is, this isn't FAKE. I'm sorry, but it's not.

The first difference you'll notice is that the two main characters aren't police detectives but, brace yourselves, supernatural creatures. Namely, a vampire and a werewolf. Marlo, the manga's main character, would be the starring werewolf, were he not plagued by an interesting genetic "disorder." Basically, when the full moon hits 'im, he doesn't grow fangs and thick grey fur, but instead turns into a woman. (NOT a police detective.) And that's when the "main plot" kicks in. And by "kicks in" I mean: David (the vampire) incessantly tries to get into Marlo's pants. Of course, things are far more complicated than this, but I fear giving away plot twists and such.

Basically, if you liked Matoh's artstyle in FAKE, or if you like vampires and werewolves, or are a fan of guys turning into girls and vice versa, then I would highly recommend this. The characters are charming (even the "bad guys"), the art is beautiful, and the story is, though not entirely original, thoroughly enjoyable.

(As a sidenote, I'd like to apologize for any sarcastic comments/snideness. The fact that so many reviewers seemed to be trying to turn a perfectly good manga into another finally got to me. I do, in fact, love FAKE, but Matoh has the priviledge of creating works other than FAKE.)

Quick Summary
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David, an aristocratic womanizing vampire, and Marlo, the son of a werewolf and vampire, are best friends. They haven't seen each other for years, but when Marlo's parents bring him to David's father, a renknown doctor, for a 'special problem' Marlo seems strangely cold to David.

The reason for this is revealed when the reader discovers that, due to his strange genetic background, Marlo turns into a woman during the full moon!

The parents decide that the solution to Marlo's 'little problem' is to engage him to David. David is thrilled about the situation, proclaiming his love for Marlo at every opportunity, but Marlo isn't sure what he feels.

The two then have the standard romantic hijinks that result in most shojo manga, with fantasy twists.

Pros
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Fans of comic fantasy will get a kick out of this short series. It's a cute, funny, and, as always, beautifully drawn romp that involves werewolves, vampires, witches, and gender switching. Throw in a dash of romantic complication and you've got a fun little two volume series

Cons
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Fans of romance or Boy's Love will find themselves disappointed. Matoh tries to do too much within just two volumes, and not enough of it focuses on the deeper aspects of David and Marlo's relationship.

A part of the reason for this might be that the series was cancelled in the Boy's Love magazine it originally ran in and another of Matoh's publishers allowed her to finish out the seies quickly in another (non BL) magazine. As a result it feels rushed.

The Bottom Line
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"Until the Full Moon" is cute, funny, and beautifully drawn. Just don't expect any sort of deep emotion or meaning. Fans of Matoh's other works may be disappointed, but new fans or those simply interested in the fantasy elements will be happy enough.

Think of it like sorbet. It's pleasureable, and a nice palate cleanser, but doesn't have enough substance to make a meal. It does, however, make a decent dessert.

Once I knew that this book was by the author of FAKE, I picked it up right away. I was amazed when I read it because, not only was it hilarious, it was really romantic. It has a good bunch of fantasy too, so anyone who doesn't mind some yaoi, should definetly read this!!

I'm surprised that people are comparing this to Fake...it IS by the same author but it is NOT yaoi!!!!
I would say it's just a story (it doesn't fit into yaoi or shoujo)...
It is about Vincent, a vampire and a lady's man, and Marlo, who turns into a woman on a full moon! The story is about how Vincent loves Marlo either way and doesn't care about what other people say. When their parents find out, they decide to let Vincent and Marlo get married -- and that's where all the humor and drama starts :)
The story is very cute and the artwork is super...as usual! But it's WORLDS away from Fake -- so don't compare them, please!!!

For those of you who have read FAKE, following it through book by book and maybe even buying the FAKE animated feature, we all have a bearing about how good Until the full moon will be. And let me tell you now, it's much better than anticipated.
There are characters not until those of the FAKE manga, Marlo a half vampire/werewolf is not unlike Ryo and playboy vampire David not unlike Dee. In this manga, instead of going down the police storylines, it focuses on fantasy.
Like in Sanami Matoh's last series there is an equal amount of romance and humour. For people who like slash or fantasy I would add this to your shopping basket. For those of you who liked Fake put this in your basket. For those of you who normally read shojo, put this in your basket. And for those of you looking for something different, put this in your basket.

I also recommended Sanami Matoh's FAKE series... [But I figure you might have guessed that] and with Pet shop of Horrors by Matsuri Akino

Just a warning: If you liked Fake, don't buy this book.
This book is often listed under yaoi, because it's about a gender switching, half/werewolf/vampire who is being pursued by a male vampire, so occasionally there is some M/M action, mostly groping. Rare, though. And second volume, don't even think about it. The romance is all between the man and the female version, and that is not something dedicated yaoi fans should have to see, much less waste their money on. Don't listen to anyone who says you'll like this if you like Fake. Sanami Matoh is a goddess for creating Fake... but she is equally dedicated to het stories, so just because it's by her, don't assume it has the same good stuff.

This one has a paranormal bent featuring werewolves, vampires and pretty young men. How could you go wrong, right? Well, it happens.

Marlo is the child of werewolf and a vampire and recently started changing during the full moon. Instead of turning into a wolf, as expected, he's changes gender. His parents enlist the help of an old family friend whose rakish son, David, had an innocent but more than friends type of relationship with Marlo when they were young. But it's been 10 years and Marlo wants to keep his "problem" from David. It's not long though before David sees first hand what is going on and is painfully attracted to the female form of Marlo. But he doesn't' seem to mind the male form all that much either. The parents of these two young men decide that a cure is unlikely decide they should marry. Enter Marlo's ex-girlfriend to stir up feelings of jealousy and tension and two old friends of David who cause a wee bit of trouble for him as well. After these issues are resolved the book steps back in time to a past version of Marlo & David which I guess is show that they've always belonged together? I don't know, it was all a little strange and not as cohesive as the author's previous work in "Fake". Sadly, the relationship wasn't nearly as interesting as the one in the "Fake" series either. Though David loves Marlo regardless of which form he's in, Marlo doesn't want David near him unless he's a girl which is only day a month. A bit disappointing overall.

I guess this is a fair manga on its own, but I, like most others who read this, came looking for more like /FAKE/ and met with (pardon the pun) a total cop-out. Simply put, Matoh-sensei didn't have the guts to do what she did with /FAKE/, i.e. establish a believable homosexual relationship between the two main characters. Most of their romantic moments take place while Marlo is in his female form, and I see this as the manga-ka wimping out on us. Granted, there are kisses (scant) and declarations of love since childhood (unconvincing) while Marlo remains male, but these just failed to move me the way /FAKE/ did. And the characters didn't help. Marlo was depressingly effeminate, even when he was still a guy, and obviously unable to take care of himself; a traditional Gothic heroine. David was unconvincing in his declarations of eternal love, which I found interesting that they only came after he found out that Marlo turns into a girl once a month. One thing I will say for Sanami Matoh: she can write fantasy. But honestly, she should've just taken out the yaoi element altogether, and left this a straight fantasy (no pun intended, this time).

I was attracted to this because of the interesting story line, involving a guy named Marlo, who is a half-breed vampire/werewolf character. However, the really interesting part of this story is that during the day Marlo is a guy but his gender changes during a full moon. It's really interesting and has a lot of neat characters. David is a playboy vampire who really likes Marlo but no one can take him too seriously. The story is really funny and romantic, with a serious under-tone at times. There is also a ton of male/male action in it. I found this to be very creative and compelling.

Yes, this is a little light on the Yaoi side of things. Marlo spends a lot of time as a female in the book, and there is no sex. However, there story is witty, well developed and the love story IS there. Also, there is angst in abundance as Marlo struggles for his feelings for David which began as a young man and which he still has. I enjoyed this enough to check out the Mangaka's other work.

If you've already read through most of the hard Yaoi available in English (like I have), and are looking for something fun, with a Yaoi theme, this is definitely worth picking up.