ムーンランド

MOON LAND

Sports

MANGA

STATUS
COMPLETE
VOLUMES
9
RELEASE
November 5, 2020
CHAPTERS
98

DESCRIPTION

"Mitsuki Amahara is an avid gymnast in his third year of middle school, but it's not until the final middle school competition that he competes for the first time. There, he is taken aback by the stunning performance of Sakura Dogase, a member of a renowned club. What will Mitsuki do in order to get closer to his goal...?!"

(Source: MANGA Plus)

Note: chapter count includes 19 extras.

CAST

Mitsuki Amahara
Sakura Dogase
Shuichirou Shibata
Akari Hida

CHAPTERS

REVIEWS

keishiapatapon
60/100
When it comes to sports, what is more important: winning the competition or personal growth?
When it comes to sports, what is more important: winning the competition or personal growth?

Most of us would say that the best athletes are those that win in competitions.

Moon Land centers a young teen named Mitsuki and his goal to achieve perfect control over his body through gymnastics. He initially had no interest in competing, only concerned with his own development. His middle school coach, who taught him gymnastics in the first place, urged him to join one in his last year of middle school ("How else would you know that you mastered a skill until you perfomed it successfully in competition?") that Mitsuki entered one. It was there he was introduced to a wider world of the sport - including his first encounter with the prodigy Sakura.

This story takes a unique approach to sports. Through Mitsuki and Sakura we can see two perspectives play out. To Mitsuki, the sport is there to master ("I want to be able to move my body…completely 100% the way I want. I want that kind of freedom"). He has no interest in complicated skill sets and slowly builds his foundation. Sakura is the exact opposite of Mitsuki. To Sakura, the sport is there to make him win. He constantly looks at skills beyond his level and aims to perform them at competitions. The story constantly pits these two perspectives, consequently these two characters, often. By the end we can see how the two characters reconcile and understand the other's point of view.

Despite the interesting premise, the execution falls short. Both Mitsuki's and Sakura's one-track mind towards their goal is infuriating and continues to be so even until the last chapters. While there is some character growth, the two immediately falls back into old dialogues as if it were a pre-programmed script in a game. All progress feels stiff in a way that makes it clear that it was just put there to move the plot forward. Other characters aren't developed well either. Asides from Mitsuki and Sakura, the only character I can say that has been fully fleshed out is their captain Tatsuya. Even Tatsuya falls into that one-dimensional character that I mentioned with Mitsuki and Sakura.

However, these flaws do not take away the inspiration that can be taken with Moon Land. Mitsuki shows us the importance of the basics. By building up the foundation, we can eventually do bigger and more complicated tasks. Sakura shows us the importance of looking forward. Don't settle with what you know and don't be afraid of tasks you feel are too hard.

It's a fairly fast read and does not over complicate things. Too those unfamiliar with the sport (like me!), there are some infographics sprinkled in between the story and was able to explain the scoring system fairly well. The art is also lovely. Being able to draw a sport that requires motion and not make them feel flat is definitely a plus.

All in all, Moon Land is a decent think-piece of a manga. By the end of the story, you probably still are at odds with my initial question (When it comes to sports, what is more important: winning the competition or personal growth?). I feel that there is no right or wrong answer to this - Mitsuki seems to have his answer now though.
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