Full Moon Wo Sagashite

From Animepedia

Full Moon wo Sagashite ("Searching for (a) full moon"; aka "Full Moon o Sagashite" (mostly in the US)) is a Shoujo manga and anime series of the Romance/Comedy genre by Manga-ka TANEMURA Arina. 12-year-old Mitsuki's greatest wish is to become a famous singer, aside from her passion for singing itself due to a promise she made with her childhood friend and first love Eichi-kun. What's keeping her from training and auditioning, however, is her throat-cancer, which gets worse when she tries to use her voice loudly.
One day, when Mitsuki wants to go to an audition, even though her grandmother forbode her to, two Shinigami, namely Takuto and Meroko, arrive and announce that Mitsuki will die in one year's time. Because of Mitsuki's exceptional ability to see Shinigami they come to talk and later on become friends, and Takuto gives her the possibility to transform her body into the one of healthy 16-year-old girl, so she can fulfill her dream. But the way of becoming an idol is a long and hard one...

TV anime:

• 52 episodes, approx. 24 mins each, originally aired weekly on TV Tokyo
• a 13-minute special

Characters

• KOUYAMA Mitsuki

  Mitsuki is the main protagonist of the story. She is twelve years old and lives with her grandmother, KOUYAMA Fuzuki, in a traditional Japanese house. Due to her throat cancer, she is often missing from classes, and if she can attend, she may not participate in subjects such as P.E. Thus, she has no friends either. Her greatest wish is to become a famous singer after making a promise with her childhood friend Eichi-kun. When they both were living at an orphanage, one day a couple from the US wanted to adopt Eichi-kun. However he didn't tell Mitsuki about that until a few days before he left. Understandably, she was very sad for he was her only real friend - and her first love - and so they promised each other to meet again one day, when they both would have seized their dreams: when Mitsuki would have become a singer, and he an astronomer

• Full Moon

  Full Moon is Mitsuki's alter ego. Her mind, character and voice are Mitsuki's, however there are some differences - caused by the transformation thanks to Takuto's powers -: Her body is the one of a 16-year-old girl (thus a little taller) and healthy, no more throat cancer. Her hair is blonde, while Mitsuki's is brown. She usually carries a handbag which is large enough to contain Takuto and Meroko in their stuffend animal forms.

• SAKURAI Eichi

  Eichi is Mitsuki's friend from childhood. They were both in the same orphanage until an American couple decided upon adopting Eichi. At which point, he had to leave his best friend, Mitsuki. Eichi was the first person to make Mitsuki feel comfortable and they were inseperable. When it was time for Eichi to fly to America, he confessed his feelings of love to Mitsuki, which left her dumbfounded and speechless. He thereafter shrugged it off and told her to forget about him before leaving with his new family. In the anime, Eichi is found to be dead after already having been in America. However, in the manga, his plane crashes and he dies in the ocean thinking of Mitsuki.

• KIRA Takuto

  Now a Shinigami, Takuto was a former band member of Route: L when he was young, being the lead singer while he was alive. In the manga, Takuto pursued a solo career after Route: L that was soon shot down when he had to have surgery on his throat that rendered his voice mute. He then jumped from the hospital roof and killed himself. In the anime, Takuto dies by driving his motorcycle in a storm and lost control, causing him to spin out and fly off the edge of a cliff as what is depicted to be suicide as well. It is assumed that he did this after finding out Aoi was dead.

• YUI Meroko
• WAKAOUJI Keiichi

  Wakaouji is Mitsuki's doctor, as well as a former band member of Route: L and was close friends with both Aoi and Hazuki until their deaths. He feels responsible for the well-being of Mitsuki and acts as if she were his own daughter.

• OSHIGE Masami

  Oshige is Full Moon's spunky manager. Until late in the series, she is completely clueless to the fact that Full Moon is actually Mitsuki, though on several occasions she comes close to figuring it out. Upon finding out Mitsuki's secret, she and Wakaouji work together to conceal the secret and work to set her schedule so that she can perform, but still have mandatory check ups. It is later insinuated, and confirmed, that she and Wakaouji form a relationship.

• KOUYAMA Fuzuki

  Mitsuki's grandmother who detests music after her daughter, Hazuki, ran away with Route: L member, Aoi.

• KOUYAMA Hazuki

  Hazuki is the mother of Mitsuki, who died in an accident with Aoi when Mitsuki was young. She loved music and against her mother's will, ran away with Aoi after finding out she was pregnant with Mitsuki.

• KOGA Aoi

  Aoi is Mitsuki's father and band member of Route: L. He dies with Hazuki in an accident while Mitsuki is still young. It is later discovered he had a very strong impression on younger band member/lead singer, Takuto.

• WAKAMATSU Madoka

  Madoka is Full Moon's only rival. She first meets her at her first audition, where Madoka tells Full Moon the winner had already been set before the audition itself began (probably it was herself, as she seems confident about it). Full Moon however still goes in and with a song her father wrote, she can convince the jury to revoke their decision. Later both Full Moon and Madoka apply for a TV commercial, where Madoka pulls all tricks to out-match her opponent.

  Her grudge against Full Moon is actually caused by the fact that she has always felt insuperior to others and suffered much ridicule for having plastic surgery to become beautiful and pursue her singing career. Where as she feels that Full Moon is naturally beautiful and talented and there for doesn't have to work as hard.

• IZUMI Ryu
• Jonathan

See also

• Shinigami (Full Moon wo Sagashite)

Links

• Full Moon Wo Sagashite image gallery atAnimeGalleries.net
• Anime Lyrics dot Com - Full Moon Wo Sagashite Lyrics