Yozakura Quartet: Tsuki ni Naku

Yozakura Quartet: Tsuki ni Naku is a bit of an odd egg in terms of chronology, as this OVA takes place after the last episode of Yozakura Quartet: Hana no Uta, its parent series. However, Tsuki ni Naku started to release just three days after Hana no Uta started airing, and that’s not to mention Yozakura Quartet: Hoshi no Umi, which takes place between episodes 8 and 9 of Hana no Uta, an OVA that came out in 2010. So yeah, it’s a little confusing. Speaking of which, it just so happens my biggest gripe with Tsuki ni Naku is it’s awkward placement. All three ofthe Yozakura anime adaptations I mentioned above encompasses a story arc where the protagonists have to take down a group of four villains known as the youkai hunters. By the end of Hana no Uta, three out of four were defeated (one being fought in Hoshi no Umi), leaving the fourth hunter for Tsuki ni Naku. There’s no problem here, except it didn’t feel nearly at grand as the first three. Don’t get me wrong, the action scenes where beautifully animated and the sound and music choices were definitely spot-on, but it was missing one big thing Hana no Uta and Hoshi no Umi had: the main characters. Part of what made Hana no Uta and Hoshi no Umi so enjoyable was it’s colorful and quirky cast of characters. Tsuki ni Naku focuses instead on the police force taking down the last youkai hunter while the rest of the cast is taking a vacation. What happens is that even though Tsuki ni Naku resolves the arc the anime focuses on, it doesn’t feel like a huge resolution, more like a side story. Nevertheless, as I said earlier, the action was fantastic, but character interaction and development took a backseat for this one, and depending on what you liked more in Hana no Uta and Hoshi no Umi, your opinion may vary on Tsuki ni Naku. So, is Yozakura Quartet: Tsuki ni Naku worth watching? Well, to start, you should have watched Hana no Uta and Hoshi no Umi first, as Tsuki ni Naku chronologically happens after the two. Prerequisites aside, if you want to see Hime, Ao, Akina and the rest of the main cast back in action, you won’t find much here. However, if you want to see some supporting characters get more spotlight, then it certainly delivers on that front. If you liked the first two Yozakura Quartet adaptations I’ve mentioned for the action sequences, then Tsuki ni Naku is definitely worth the watch. To put it in other terms, Yozakura Quartet: Tsuki ni Naku is like a dessert that isn’t quite as good as the main course, but it’s still sweet and a nice little treat nonetheless.