In the Clear Moonlit Dusk: Manga Review

In In the Clear Moonlit Dusk, Yoi Takiguichi is a high school student whose masculine looks often have her mistaken for a good-looking boy. Her classmates refer to her as a “Prince.” But Yoi seems resigned to the fact that there’s nothing she can do to stop them from swooning over her. Enter Kohaku Ichimura, a fellow “Prince” who is immediately struck by Yoi’s beauty. He wants to get to know the girl behind the princely exterior.  

The Story

This is the story of two princes. One is a girl just trying to mind her own business, but finds herself showered with somewhat unwanted attention from her female classmates. The other is a boy whose wealth and good looks has earned a lot of prestige among his peers.

Yoi can’t help how she looks. She’s handsome and to her classmates is way cooler and approachable than any of the boys at school. While the attention might be nice, deep down it’s clear she wants to be seen as the person she truly is. Not the object of everyone’s fantasies. So when Kohaku literally drops in on her from the second-story stairwell of their high school and is immediately captivated by Yoi no matter her gender or gender presentation, Yoi is thrown off balance.

The two of them grow closer after they take turns defending one another from a jerk harassing a convenience store employee. After the excitement, Yoi divulges that she never asked to be labeled a prince and has given up on being anything else. Kohaku is absolutely smitten with her and becomes determined to give her the princess treatment she’s always secretly hoped for. 

Kohaku gets pretty forward with Yoi. Showing up at her place of work, insisting they have lunch together, doting on her, and crawling into bed with her when she’s feeling sick. It’s a bit aggressive (not gonna lie), though Yoi seems interested in him well enough. Eventually, the two agree to a dating “experiment.” It has some of the trappings of “fake dating”, which is sure to delight fans of said trope.

What follows is a story about two characters navigating the ups and downs of young love. Unpacking their own self-perceptions, issues of jealousy, and understanding what love even is.

Can they see past each other’s pretty exteriors and fall in love with the person underneath? 

In a manga about two princes, both beautiful, poised and heroic in their own right, you end up with a story where neither protagonist needs to be saved. What follows is an interesting exploration of femininity and masculinity, and what love can look like when gendered rules are turned upside down. While it never openly discusses LGBT issues, it’s very possible that some may relate to the conversations around gender non-conformity, and having crushes on people across the gender spectrum.

It’s not always a perfect read. As I said, at times Kohaku pushes boundaries with Yoi, and I think readers may be split on whether or not they interpret his behavior as romantic (Especially in volume 1). And the whole “feel sorry for the beautiful popular people because pretty privilege is just so hard” is at times a bit of an eye-roll. However, as the story starts flowing and Kohaku settles down. It becomes a sweet read with moments that are sure to make your heart flutter. 

The Art

As soon as you open a volume of In The Clear Moonlit Dusk, you’re met with beautiful full color splash pages that will have you immediately hooked. The pages that follow have panel after panel of excellent character art that’s expressive and emotive.

Mika Yamamori does a fantastic job depicting her characters with a full-range of emotions, movements, and poses. She’s clearly not afraid of drawing characters from different angles and perspectives. Panel layouts feel fresh and interesting from one page to the next.

The covers and full-color artwork are lovely. But there is just something truly special about how these characters look in grayscale. The linework and the detailed shading through the characters’ hair is going to be very difficult for the upcoming anime to fully capture. 

There’s a flattening effect that sometimes happens when creating an anime from a manga. Where the anime loses a lot of the visual depth of the shading. I would compare it to the differences in artwork between A Sign of Affection’s manga and anime. The artwork, while still lovely, feels different between the two mediums. Fans are very excited for the 2026 anime. I do hope viewers find their way to the manga to enjoy the beautifully detailed characters.

The Details:

In the Clear Moonlit Dusk is written and illustrated by Mika Yamamori. It’s serialized in the shojo/josei magazine Dessert. The English release is brought to us by Kodansha, and there are eight volumes currently out for you to enjoy. The anime is produced by East Fish Studio and is set to release in January 2026.

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