The comic book by Kano Miyamoto was originally released between 2008 and 2009 in two volumes. In 2016, the Polish publishing house Kotori decided to translate the manga so that Polish readers could get to know the history of Akihiko in detail.
Story concept
The plot of the story is simple at first. Akihiko returns to her family home after seventeen years. His life changed significantly as he was not in touch with his family. The protagonist stays in his family home, where Akihiko’s aunt and his cousins Ren and Eri currently live. It should be mentioned that the stimulus that made the protagonist decide to return was the desire to learn the mystery related to the curse on the male part of his family. He wants to save himself from a disastrous end and live happily ever after. Unfortunately, staying at home awakens strong emotions in the protagonist – his dreams are becoming darker and more disturbing, which makes it impossible to function normally.
What will I find inside?
The manga is similar to the classic yaoi , whose plot elements are homoerotic male-male relationships. It is true that in comics, dazzling nudity is not the overriding goal, but the inclusion of a romance in an atmospheric story is a really intriguing idea of the author. Moreover, the creation of male heroes who are intelligent and self-confident, despite the difficult situation of two of them – Akihiko and Ren – deserves special attention. They need to figure out the mystery quickly to avoid a sad end. The story of the dormant moon (眠 れ る 月) is told on black and white pages, enriched with protracted dialogues. I really appreciate the author’s line and admit that her attention to detail captivated me from the very first pages.
For the reader
It is worth looking at the Miyamoto comic primarily because of the atmosphere of the story. Although the author naturally mixes genres in the comic, she does it in such a way that we cannot stop reading. The combination of horror, drama, fantasy and romance can evoke very intense emotions in us that will make it hard to break away from such a good manga. A family curse will dominate the heroes and mobilize Akihiko to act. In Dormant Moon you will not experience brutality, but… fear and anxiety for sure. I have no doubt that you should give this Japanese piece a chance!
Goodbye
At the end of the second volume of the comic, Kano Miyamoto reveals that The Sleeping Moon is her first long ghost book (afterword). Interestingly, reading the manga does not feel like the author’s debut. Miyamoto’s literary awareness is huge, and her ability to create an atmosphere makes us look forward to our next literary proposal. The reader can read one more addition: A Word From the Translator. It is a micro-glossary explaining some plot elements and a small summary of the historical periods in Japan. This is a very practical part of the comic.
