is the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

release title for ''No Surface Moon The Animation''; a 2001

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese

OVA , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

series adapted from the 2000 Japanese

visual novel A , often abbreviated as VN, is a form of digital semi-interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with and used in the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with sta ...

eroge An ''eroge'' ( or , ''erogē''; ; a portmanteau of ''erotic game'' , ''erochikku gēmu'') is a Japanese genre of erotic video game. In 1982, Japan's Koei, founded by husband-and-wife team Yoichi and Keiko Erikawa (and later known for strategy ...

of the same name. It was created by Orbit Co., Ltd., animated by

IMAGIN is the seventeenth installment in the popular Kamen Rider Series of tokusatsu programs. It is a joint collaboration between Ishimori Productions and Toei. It premiered January 28, 2007 on TV Asahi, and concluded airing on January 20, 2008. Its le ...

, and produced by

Pink Pineapple Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...

, and later licensed by

Media Blasters Media Blasters, sometimes abbreviated as MB, is an American entertainment corporation that was founded by John Sirabella in 1997 and is based in New York City. It is in the business of licensing, translating, and releasing to the North American ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

dubbed by Wave Form Solutions (ep. 1–4), Sunlight Audio (ep. 5), and distributed by

Kitty Media Media Blasters, sometimes abbreviated as MB, is an American entertainment corporation that was founded by John Sirabella in 1997 and is based in New York City. It is in the business of licensing, translating, and releasing to the North American ...

Synopsis

Suzuna Kuraki is a beautiful young woman apprenticing to become a priestess of her wealthy,

matrilineal Matrilineality is the tracing of kinship through the female line. It may also correlate with a social system in which each person is identified with their matriline – their mother's Lineage (anthropology), lineage – and which can in ...

family's

Shinto Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintois ...

faith. As part of her initiation, she must not only practice consecration, but also enter an arranged marriage by her grandmother and subsequently participate in the decadal Tsukimachi ceremony, an esoteric ritual held to welcome a new female minister. However, things starts to get complicated when her

fiance An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...

, Koichi Hayama, is brought to her estate and a mysterious paranormal energy begins making her act somewhat strangely.

Characters

Primary characters

; : (ep. 1-4),

Janet Moltow Janet may refer to: Names * Janet (given name) * Janet (French singer) (1939–2011) Surname * Charles Janet (1849–1932), French engineer, inventor and biologist, known for the Left Step periodic table * Jules Janet (1861–1945), French psych ...

(ep. 5) :A typical high school student, Suzuna Kuraki is the

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...

of the series. She is a delicate, beautiful young woman, training to become a priestess of her Shinto ancestry so that she may properly consecrate her family

shrine A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy sacred space, space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor worship, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, Daemon (mythology), daem ...

; a job traditionally bestowed upon the women of her lineage. Outside of her religious services, Suzuna generally behaves in a very

aristocratic Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At the time of the word's ...

, conceited and fastidious manner, even though she is in fact the most apprehensive and solicitous person in the house. Suzuna is the obligatory

fiancée An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...

of Koichi Hayama by

arranged marriage Arranged marriage is a type of marital union where the bride and groom are primarily selected by individuals other than the couple themselves, particularly by family members such as the parents. In some cultures a professional matchmaker may be us ...

, sister of Mizuna and daughter of Yuriko. ; : (ep. 1-4), Rob Weir (ep. 5) :Koichi Hayama is the fiancé of Suzuna Kuraki. He was subconsciously chosen as her fiance and subsequently brought to the estate to live while the Tsukimachi ceremony approaches. A tall and handsome university student, Koichi tends to clash with Suzuna, but this can be regarded as evidence of a

tsundere is a Japanese term for a character development process that depicts a character with a personality who is initially very harsh before gradually showing a warmer, friendlier side over time. The word is derived from the terms ('to turn away in d ...

love affair. By the effects of an unexplained illness, he is unable to recollect any of his past, including his childhood or parents. He also could not recognize the faces of women before coming to the Kuraki estate. Koichi is a frequent smoker and has an elongated scar across his chest.

Secondary characters

; : (ep. 1-4), Lara Linndy (ep. 5) :Employed

maidservant A handmaiden, handmaid or maidservant is a personal maid or female servant. Depending on culture or historical period, a handmaiden may be of slave status or may be simply an employee. However, the term ''handmaiden'' generally implies lowly ...

and childhood friend of Suzuna Kuraki. Despite her noticeably sizable bust, Tomomi is a very slow, gentle, soft-spoken girl who often meticulously strives to please those being served; particularly Suzuna, who is her

foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ...

. She is the only bespectacled member of the household and the most bisexually promiscuous. Tomomi is a niece to Gohei Harukawa and granddaughter to Ippei. ; : (ep. 1-4), Sharon Simpson (ep. 5), Brenda Lewis (as Ruri Yamato) :The second maidservant of the household, Sayaka Kurihara is roughly the opposite of Tomomi in that she is upbeat, playful, talkative, and at times childish. Although she is unable to ever clearly remember, Sayaka did in fact used to be a renowned

promotional model A promotional model is a model hired to drive consumer demand for a product, service, brand, or concept by directly interacting with potential customers. Most promotional models are conventionally attractive in physical appearance. They serve to m ...

and actress by the name of Ruri Yamato; acquired when she was found wandering the estate grounds by Gohei Harukawa. ; : :Friendly yet inept, Io Azuma is a distant cousin of Suzuna and is good friends with Tomomi. He was originally chosen to be a suitor for Suzuna, but much to her disappointment, he became somewhat effeminate instead of the charming gentleman she was expecting. A devout

otaku is a Japanese word that describes people with consuming interests, particularly in anime, manga, video games, or computers. Its contemporary use originated with a 1983 essay by Akio Nakamori in ''Manga Burikko''. may be used as a pejorativ ...

, Io frequently spends most of his leisure in the house library reading

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

; playfully extending his obsession to Suzuna who, much to her chagrin, he tends to address with the

Japanese honorific The Japanese language makes use of a system of honorific speech, called , which includes honorific suffixes and prefixes when referring to others in a conversation. Suffixes are often gender-specific at the end of names, while prefixes are att ...

title

Chan Chan may refer to: Places *Chan (commune), Cambodia *Chan Lake, by Chan Lake Territorial Park in Northwest Territories, Canada People *Chan (surname), romanization of various Chinese surnames (including 陳, 曾, 詹, 戰, and 田) *Chan Caldwel ...

. He and Koichi have no sexual contact in the anime, unlike in the original game. ; : (ep. 1-4), Molly Walters (ep. 5) :Yuriko Kuraki is the biological mother of both Suzuna and Mizuna,

widow A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has Death, died. Terminology The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed ''widowhood''. An archaic term for a widow is "relict," literally "someone left over". This word ...

of her late husband Zenzirō and

matriarch Matriarchy is a social system in which women hold the primary power positions in roles of authority. In a broader sense it can also extend to moral authority, social privilege and control of property. While those definitions apply in general E ...

of the house. A mysterious and voluptuous woman, Yuriko is by far the most influential figure over the household and the

paranormal Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Nota ...

force that manifests within it; exhibiting this position with formality in both her voice and clothes. ; :''Voiced by'': Michael Johnston (English, ep. 1-4), Brian Drewberry (ep. 5) :Ominous and inscrutable, Gohei Harukawa is the great-uncle of Tomomi, older brother of Ippei and estate landscaper; even though he is rarely ever seen doing garden work. While he does not have supernatural powers of his own, Gohei frequently assists Yuriko with her endeavors; such as triggering events in preparation for the Tsukimachi ceremony. ; :First daughter of Yuriko and monozygotic twin sister of Suzuna. Unlike her younger sister, Mizuna is very taciturn, yet cheerfully playful; living silently and peacefully in the water caverns beneath the mansion. She was once the shrine maiden for the Kuraki family, but when Suzuna was born she was cast away. ; :Voiced by: Jessica Gee (English) :Chikako Sawaguchi is a professor of

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

who visits the estate in response to sensing paranormal activity. Besides that, not much else is known about her except that she is a past teacher of Koichi. ; :Older brother of Gohei, grandfather of Tomomi and family physician. Has no significant role in the series.

Episodes

Music

* Closing theme: "Cruel Moon" by Arca, 2001 (Epi. 1 - 5)

Credits

Japanese staff

:Original Story 顔のない月 No Surface Moon :Planning Piston Horaguchi :Assistant Planning Endo Kei :Producer Oruga Susumu :Original Plan and Supervisor Carnelian :Composition and Script Arakawa Masanobu :Animation Studio Imagin Co., Ltd :Character Design and Chief Animator Ishihara Megumi :Assistant Animator Hattori Noritomo :Director and Storyboards Sato Toshiharu :Production Pink Pineapple :Music Hiroshi Igarashi

American staff

:Producer Gary Sierra :Production Supervisor Jharmoni Nagasaki :Production Assistant Roller Girl :Editor Scottie Mack :Translation J. Yoshizawa :Design Temper-Tantric

Sequels

Spin-offs

On April 3, 2007,

Studio Deen is a Japanese animation studio founded in 1975 by Sunrise producer Hiroshi Hasegawa and ex-Sunrise animators. The studio owns three subsidiaries: Danny Donghua (丹尼動画), a Chinese sub-contracting studio; Megumi (め組), a digital work sub-c ...

released ; an animated adaption of the 2007

ese

and

of the same name. All three versions are the same spin-off of 顔のない月 (''Kao no nai tsuki''). The animation aired from April 3, 2007, to September 24, 2007, on BS Asahi, SUN TV, and

Tokyo MX TV JOMX-DTV, branded as Tokyo MX (officially stylized as TOKYO MX), is an independent television station in Tokyo, Japan, owned by the . It is the only television station that exclusively serves the city. It competes with Nippon TV, TV Asahi, N ...

. The series was directed by

Yūji Yamaguchi was a Japanese anime director who directed the ''Fate/stay night'' TV series and the '' Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works'' film. Career Yamaguchi directed several anime series, including ''Angel Links'' (1999), '' I My Me! Strawberry Eggs'' ...

References

External links

* *
Moonlight Lady
(Japanese)

(Japanese) {{Imagin 2001 anime OVAs Hentai anime and manga Eroge Japan-exclusive video games Visual novels Kitty Media Pink Pineapple Video games developed in Japan Video games featuring female protagonists Windows games Windows-only games Anime film and television articles using incorrect naming style