Tsuki wa Michikake Kemono no Koi – Nojiro Guri

Unable to fit in with the city, Idzuki, a lonely young man, moves into the countryside. However, the land is rumored to be haunted by youkai. As he struggles to get used to life in the mountains, with the abundance of insects and the lack of reception, he is suddenly attacked by a youkai. Cornered, out of the blue, a handsome young man with dog ears rescues him. The man claims to be a komainu youkai, a guardian lion-dog protecting shrines, pressing Idzuki to become his master — !?

A sensitive love story between a youkai and a human!

Phases of the Moon, Love of a Beast is a gentle, transcendental love story between a youkai aching for his other half and a lonely young man who just moved to the mountains.

The manga features a type of youkai called komainu, lion dogs who come in pairs to guard a shrine. Haku’s other half is long gone, and having been abandoned by their master, he is on the brink of turning into a demon.

Idzuki just moved to an old house in the countryside. While wandering lost in the woods, a youkai attacked him. He was saved by Haku who quickly latched on to the young man, begging him to please, please, please be his master.

The plot is a slice of life of the blossoming affection between the youkai and his master, plus a smartass cat who can talk (also a youkai). There are a lot of quiet, cozy scenes with subtle gestures, cuddling and hot cocoa. If this was an anime, I imagined dreamlike, soft focused cinematography and a sense of transiency. The artwork has that vibe to it, the characters drawn pretty and slender, especially the eyes and lashes to die for, but not too twee.

I loved the mix of angst, humor, and that lovely hurt-comfort magic. I felt a pang knowing the fate of immortals with fragile human lovers, and this has a bittersweet ending. However, the mangaka wrapped it up nicely with the promise of the afterlife.

This is one of my top manga of the year.

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