Gekkou

If this was an anime, she'd be voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro

Author: Natsuki Mamiya

Illustrator: Shiromiso

Published: 2010

"Orange juice or wine?"

I confess: When I first chanced upon this novel on Baka Tsuki, my expectations were low.

I've read quite a few light novels with mystery elements in them, and most of them share a common weakness: The mystery portion of the story was badly handled. They always seemed lackluster, even though the rest of the novel (and the characters) would usually make up for it. Just to name a few, Nomura Mizuki's Bungaku Shoujo (though its been getting better with each passing volume), Otsuichi's GOTH (I enjoyed the character dynamics way more than anything else) and Kazuki Sakuraba's Gosick (which I hated).

Of course, there are exceptions like Keigo Higashino's brilliant masterpiece Yogeshi X no kenshin (The Devotion of Suspect X), but more often than not, I end up being disappointed by the mystery portions in Japanese light novels.

Natsuki Mamiya's Gekkou is, simply put, a slice-of-life novel about a cynical high-school boy and a perfect high-school girl. There's a loose mystery plot that serves to tie the story together, interlaced with slice-of-life chapters where nothing seemingly gets resolved. Throw into the mix several stereotypical characters, and you have a very basic, uninteresting novel.

Until you take into account the two protagonists, Nonomiya and Tsukimori Youko.

While I was initially unimpressed with the deadpan narrator Nonomiya and perfect goddess Tsukimori, they quickly grew on me as the story progressed. Nonomiya's insides thoughts are particularly amusing to read; he's pretty much indifferent to everyone, including our lead female protagonist Tsukimori. While he (very obviously) finds her attractive, he vehemently denies it even in his own monologue. In a way, it reads like the inner workings of a Tsundere - except said Tsundere happens to be a guy.

Tsukimori, on the other hand, remains an enigma pretty much throughout the story. We find out from the start that she's a perfect genius, yet suddenly Nonomiya stumbles upon her 'Murder Recipe' and everything is cast into doubt. How much is she faking? How much does she know? Is she a manipulative puppetmaster, or just an ordinary girl yearning for love?

Gekkou suffers pretty much the same flaw as the novels mentioned above, in that the mystery is inherently simple and quite easily solved, though it at least tries to introduce some doubt with the inclusion of the character Konan. I ended up enjoyed the cast's interaction more than anything else, particularly the enigmatic Tsukimori Youko. The ending, while vague, leaves just enough room for interpretation without leaving too many threads untied. I've always been a fan of open endings, so that was definitely a plus for me.



Where to savor
For the most part, Gekkou is rather light in nature and easy to read. It's very simple to pick up and put down, and the end of the chapters make for good break points. It's perfect to read during breaks in-between classes, or just before going to sleep. A cafe would make an ideal place to read, though an armchair with a cup of milk and some biscuits works just as well.


Most notable quote
"—You are the only one in the world to whom I grant the right to doubt me" -Tsukimori Youko


Overall thoughts and score
Gekkou is a light novel in every sense - it's nothing groundbreaking, but not absolute garbage either. It's a good read for those lazy Sundays where you have time to kill, or as simple reading material before going to bed. The chemistry between Tsukimori and Nonomiya really defines the novel, and its pretty amusing to read about the way Nonomiya's mind works.

Overall score: 6.5 / 10

Tsukimori Youko. The main reason this novel was worth reading to me.