Review:

Tail of the Moon, by Rinko Ueda, is a romantic ninja comedy set in the late 1500s in feudal Japan. Fifteen-year-old Usagi, the heroine, is the granddaughter of the leader of a prestigious ninja village.

Usagi is bright and outgoing, but she is also hardheaded, naive, and extremely clumsy. She skips out on all her ninjutsu classes, and she'd rather goof off than finish her chores.

Since she has no skills, her grandfather is worried about her future prospects. Nonetheless, he has a mission for her: Usagi must marry the elite ninja lord Hattori Hanzo, in a strategic alliance that will advance intra-clan relations (and produce lots of awesome ninja babies.) So Usagi seeks out the handsome lord and attempts to secure his hand in marriage.

...Of course, the engagement is rocky from the start. Hanzo is steely, cold, and aloof, and he's not particularly interested in Usagi's dorky immaturity--or her appalling lack of ninja skills. Unfortunately for Usagi, there are plenty of pretty kunoichi ladies vying for Hanzo's attention as well. And there are a few handsome ninjas who wouldn't mind whisking Usagi away from Hanzo, either. To make matters worse, Hattori Hanzo is a high-profile ninja lord in a tense political situation, and his clan has many rivals and enemies.

With all these colorful friends and foes, Usagi and her friends are plunged into plenty of action and adventure against a rich historical backdrop.

At first I found the characterization to be somewhat weak and cliched. Usagi grated on my nerves because she is whiny, wimpy, clinging, and hopelessly naive. Hanzo seems to be too cool, too powerful, too intimidating, too perfect.

But as the series progresses, Usagi's story emerges as a powerful coming-of-age tale. Her transition from "whiny punk kid" to "strong young woman" is vivid, well-portrayed, and deeply gratifying. At first she mopes and whines when faced with any obstacle, but gradually she learns how to acknowledge her own weaknesses and play to her strengths. She tackles some extremely difficult situations with nothing but her own stubbornness and wits. Even Hanzo, for all his aloofness and elitism, gradually finds himself moved by Usagi's warmth, innocence, and inner strength.

I first encountered this series in a free sampler pack I got at NYC Comic Con, and I started to buy the series as the volumes came out because the artwork really struck me. It's not terribly unique, but it's fresh and sharp. It's cute without being cloying, and all the characters are rendered with a pleasing physical depth and solidity. Ueda's toning and shading are strong and striking. She pays particular attention to the anatomical accuracy of her male characters. If you like dazzling bishounen, you will probably enjoy this series for the eyecandy alone.

One of the extras I particularly enjoyed is that Ueda scatters small personal anecdotes throughout the series, taking a subtle girl-power stand as a budding mangaka. She relates some of her trials and travails as she broke into the manga industry herself. Her tone is light and jokingly self-effacing as she relates these tales, but I found the anecdotes to be amusing and inspiring.

Overall, this tale is bright, promising, and funny. The boys are gorgeous and the girls are strong, and there's plenty of action and adventure to round out the romance. I'm looking forward to the release of the next volume.

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