A peculiarly named high school dropout marries a mysterious beauty who he knows nothing about. Fly Me to the Moon, published in Weekly Shonen Sunday, is the comedic romance manga that skips past all the filler and build-up and dives straight into the relationship.
The first volume of the popular manga has been published officially in English this week, with an anime adaption coming soon, so let’s talk about what makes this particular series so good.
Who makes Fly Me to the Moon?
Kenjiro Hata both writes and draws Fly Me to the Moon. He’s known for his work on Hayate the Combat Butler, a 2004 series about a boy who becomes a butler for a rich heiress to settle his parents’ debt. Hata also worked on one of the Lucky Star spin-off comics.
What is Fly Me to the Moon about?
On Nasa Yuzaki’s 18th birthday, a beautiful girl named Tsukasa Tsukuyomi appears at his doorstep with a marriage license. It’s revealed that Nasa and Tsukasa met many years ago — Nasa was hit by a truck as a middle-schooler, and Tsukasa saved him from dying. He confessed to her and she said she’d only be his girlfriend if they get married first.
The series follows the couple figuring out their newlywed life and learning more about each other.
What differentiates it from other romance manga?
Both Nasa and Tsukasa are fairly mature characters living adult lives. The series abandons all the drama that normally comes with romance manga. There are no long arcs about a love rival or jealousy or any of that. In fact, most problems in the series are solved within one chapter.
The two characters are immature when it comes to love, but know how to communicate with each other. Since they’re together, you won’t have to worry about having the frustrating experience of waiting 100 chapters for any romantic developments.
Is Fly Me to the Moon good?
Yes! It’s a feel-good romance manga that gets straight to the point. It’s never cutesy to the point of being corny, and Hata mixes in plenty of humor to keep the story from feeling stale — the way some other romance manga can, after following the same formulas for years. It’s a great slice-of-life palette cleanser, a perfect reason to smile and do a little exhale from your nose that isn’t quite a laugh.
One panel that popped
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Image: Kenjiro Hata/Shogakukan
The panel really makes Tsukasa look like special and mysterious person who Nasa loves, despite not knowing much about her.
