Crescent Moon Marching (Volume 1) by Hamachi Yamada is a good first volume. It has the manga elements people will enjoy and there isn’t any violence. Yes, there is a bit of bullying, but nothing too over the top (I’m not saying that is a good thing, but it’s just not the focus of things). And while the usual elements of manga are there (the images, coloring, details, way to read), there is one thing that makes it different from other books: it uses the marching band as a metaphor for the characters’ lives (hit the mark, look up, your feet are not alone). It is a neat way to handle the coming of age trope. Not to say it hasn’t been used before, it is just not a plot element I’ve seen a lot.
Sure, the concept of walking “in step” (or “as one”) might be a bit “cultish” for those of us who value individuality, but that’s not always a bad thing. Sometimes teamwork is important, too. This follows the idea of teamwork. The idea is how the main character is going to come into her own and how she will stand up to her (I’m assuming mostly loving, but strict) parents and even the boy who is her new bandmate who is also her aunt’s employee and her potential love interest. Granted, it does not have any real surprises, and a somewhat cliffhanger ending, but that is okay, the cozy element is a nice change from what I had been reading around the same time.
If I have one complaint, it is that it is a manga title and the manga genre is known for having hundreds of volumes (I’m looking at you One Piece). Therefore, I need to decide if I want to find volume two (due November 2026). But if I do, I’ll need volume three (May 2027). With that being said, I can read my physical reader copy again and decide if I want to read the online reader copy I found of book two.
