MJ Review: Dark Moon Diary Volume One

[Jason]

Title: Dark Moon Diary
Volume: One
Mangaka: story by Che Gilson; art by Brett Uher
Genre: OEL, shojo; comedy
Licensed by: TOKYOPOP
Price: $9.99

Pricilla’s parents have died and she’s been sent to live in Europe with an aunt she never knew she had. All visions of swanky European relations and quaint Old World towns vanish, however, when she arrives in Nachtwald, a town populated by ghosts, werewolves, witches, and her family, who are vampires. Now she has to try to adjust to a new home, new school, inedible food, and a cousin who puts the E in evil.

Gilson’s new-girl-in-town story rings sweetly true, despite its fantastic setting and characters, though it does have a hint of after-school-special about it. Priscilla is an appealing character, sad enough about her parents’ deaths, but not so sad as to distract from the humor in the story. She wants to fit in and her attempts to find edible food, make new friends, and navigate her new town are funny and poignant at the same time. Her spoiled cousin Kitten and Kitten’s friends Diamante (the bitchy one) and Lamia (the ditzy one) will be instantly familiar to fans of fish-out-of-water high school movies, but they do make a nice foil for Priscilla’s American ideas of normalcy.There’s also the requisite hot boy who makes a move on the new girl, the clueless adult guardians, and the nice kids at school who finally start to befriend Priscilla, all staples from other stories, but they combine here to a familiar, but still enjoyable tale.

Uher’s art is a big part of what makes it enjoyable. Uher's panels are cluttered with action and artwork, with the characters often spilling over beyond the boundaries, but it works for this book and seems to fit in will with Priscilla's feelings of being alienated. His characters are cartoonish enough to fit with the lightness of the story, but he also captures the darker emotions through judicious use of shadow. He uses the big eyed style of art familiar to many shoujo readers, but his wide cheeks, almost always splashed with a blush, also add an element of warmth and appeal to the characters he draws. Oddly enough, the character sketches in the back of the book are completely different from the style in the main story. I’m assuming they are drawn by Gilson, but the notes don’t make that clear.

Overall, Gilson and Uher don't break much new ground, but their story is enjoyable and well-told. Priscilla's life should appeal especially to teenage girls who are fans of Meg Cabot and other chicklit novelists.

Reviewer: Snow
Proofer: The Mighty Highlord
Editor: Firedog