Coffee Moon Volume 1 starts strange, and the mystery is the part that draws you in. Created by Mochito Bota with translation by Ko Ransom and lettering by Phil Christie, the story starts with Pieta caught in a peculiar loop. Though not thoroughly engaging, the look of the world, combined with the attire and questions, make Coffee Moon Volume 1 worth reading. Especially worth it if you are the kind of person who loves a lot of mystery.
Coffee Moon Volume 1 Has An Impressive, Dreary World
The Yen Press manga opens with Pieta awakening and preparing for school. The attire makes excellent use of the lack of color in the manga illustrations. The black and white clothing is old-school gothic, which I adore. Now the weather is all doom and gloom, as it always rains. But the whole world is goth steampunk, looking colorless and miserable. It’s like a gigantic haunted location. So as a fan of all of that, I love it.
Groundhog Day Meets Steampunk
As Pieta circumvents specific issues that arise—extra umbrella, packed meal, and so on—the first thought is she has bad luck. I thought we were in a bleak Shikimori’s Not Just A Cutie world. Her bad luck, like Yuu Izumi, is so bad that she needs a backup plan for everything. Her cheerful nature as she recites it’s a good day regardless of what happens is creepy, and you know something is amiss. Props to Pieta for rolling with the horror of repeating her birthday like Happy Death Day. How many times she’s repeated the day could explain her mellow mood.
The constant rain is understandable in that light, as it’s the same day. As Pieta repeats the day, no one else maintains memories of today in tomorrow’s today. Now her friend Danae suddenly remembers reliving the day—need this explained, and Pieta is no longer alone. It must be comforting knowing someone else is conscious of the loop. But this story is creepy and fascinating so far.
Mystery On Top Of Mystery
There is no answer to why the day repeats in this volume. But there is a lot more going on. Pieta sees herself, or at least someone who looks like her. She keeps popping up to warn her. Pieta also befriends Chiaro in one of her ‘todays,’ Chiaro talks about how the world used to be. By the end of Coffee Moon Volume 1, you will have no idea what is happening. But the story, combined with that cliffhanger, leaves you ready for the next installment. There is more to this story than smiles and sunshine, and I am here for it.
Though you’ll have many questions and few answers, Coffee Moon Volume 1 gives you three distinct characters and a gloomy world filled with horror elements. It’s like Happy Death Day meets Dark City, and I loved both those films because of the characters and setting. So Coffee Moon Volume 1 has potential based on all the questions it raises. And I need a lot more about the characters, especially Chiaro.
