Honey and the Moon
Writer/Artist: meadowdough
Genre: Magical Girl
Audience: YA
Platform: Webtoon & Tapas
“All I want… is to be left alone…”
These are the words said in the Honey and the Moon prologue by one of two protagonists, Anusha, establishing her demeanor in a tale of contrasting personalities destined towards the same fate as most magical girls. Anusha is a socially withdrawn ball of anxiety who is very reluctant about accepting her new destiny.
Ellie, on the flip side, is introduced as a giddy go-getter, excited by the idea of being a magical girl. Way before we even see her and Anusha meet face-to-face, their differences are clearly articulated through visual language alone. Although the comic in general is full of bright colors, the scenes with Anusha feature more noticeably dark, monochromatic colors within the purple spectrum, additionally communicating her downtrodden outlook.
Meanwhile, Ellie’s scenes contain a wider range of colors that pop out amidst their dominant red-orange hues, conveying an exuberant energy.
Other subtle storytelling cues accentuate their differences throughout Honey and the Moon. From the beginning, we’re introduced to Ellie’s family (well, her father), with whom she has a healthy and playful dynamic.
Anusha’s family, on the other hand, is sparsely seen. Her parents are not depicted at all, with the only reference to them so far being when she’s driving her younger sibling, Basil, to school, telling them not to tell their mother she’ll be late for class. This, combined with Anusha’s brief flashbacks, would imply that her upbringing is more strict, suggesting a strong correlation to childhood trauma.
Nevertheless, this isn’t a simple dualistic duo where one is dysfunctional while the other is perfect. Ellie’s state of mind is a lot healthier, but like many quirky teenagers (and a BLERD at that), she’s experiencing the motions of changes as a high school senior. Her childhood friend, Hazel, grows distant, pushing Ellie away from her life but doesn’t have the gall to actually say it. Ellie might not be feeling the effects of it yet, but down the line, it will likely come to play.
Overall, Honey and the Moon is a delightful series still in its early stages with a lot of potential in its thematic scope. At time of writing, there are 48 episodes, which are short enough to binge-read in a day, so now’s the best time (as it always is) to catch up!
Honey and the Moon updates Sundays on both Webtoon and Tapas.
