Reviews for Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon

If you are something akin to Demiromantic/Demisexual, and/or Lesbian, this will probably be extremely down your ally. It's centers itself on their struggle with Amatonormativity, finding out their attractions towards each other, their attachments with family and friends. As well as them finding the words to communicate their feelings (which is hardard for Asahi). They also explore small meaningful, satisfactory forms of physical affection/intimacy. Asahi and Hinako have a few aroace traits imo. Don't believe me? Just give it a read. The characters are all pretty dynamic, the story is such a “feels good” tale as you see it progress into resolving their discomfort. The characters showa great deal of emotional intelligence. I found all of the manga to be very affirming. Not just for me but for the characters themselves amongst each other. Things like being an orphan, the older sibling/gaurdian, resulted in a hyper independent big sister. Being alone, anxious, was hard for both of them. However, they found community and partnership together. They walk to their next goal and obstacles with a unique trust and intimacy. As an AroAce Lesbian myself, we love that.

The art is beautiful and simple, and the well placed text bubbles and pacing makes it a good night read.

A relatively down to earth yuri manga, which balances the salty and sweet aspects in self-discovery. The story’s progression provides an enjoyable experience watching the FL as she learns to break free and find her own happiness. Giving us fluffy moments as she begins to develop feelings with the love interest; with who I think is the cutest character ever. The least I can say is that it's a nice story, and it has an equally as good message to send to us readers struggling with expectations. An important factor I won't leave out is the fact that the art style is pretty good, itmatches well with the manga.

if you enjoy super slow burn romance, this is for you. the story is really nice, there isn't a lot of drama and it's mostly fluff. the author addresses a few topics like compulsory heterosexuality and asexuality in a very mild way, it's pretty subtle. the art is very beautiful, really cute. this manga was really lovable, it gives u a warm feeling. after all this compliments, i have to say this has some downsides too. the last volume was really underwhelming. since the story is so beautiful and wholesome, i was kinda expecting a more romantic finale, which i didn't get. the final chapterswere too fast-paced and out of place, it just didn't feel natural. since the characters had a great chemistry, i was expecting more of it. but overall, it's a nice manga. i will still recommend it.

Kaketa Tsuki to Doughnut or Crescent Moon and Doughnuts is a yuri manga by Usui Shio, Unlike other yuri manga, which are centred around high school and teenage romance, this one is about two office employees. This manga fills the role of a warm, pleasant series. So Uno Hinako who is a 24 year old office worker, bound in the romantic ideal that she feeds from her environment, She is the story's protagonist and due to her illusion that young women like her should engage in romantic relationships and receive social acceptance just for being female. She immerses herself in beauty, clothes, and romance in the hopesof seeming "normal" to her coworkers, She's still an emotional wreck, full of self-doubt, and doesn’t know her own feelings.

On the other hand Satou Asahi, her superior at work, is the complete opposite of her, She is five years older than her and is a plain, hardworking individual who is unaffected by her surroundings.

However, after a chance encounter, Hinako begins to recognise Asahi differently and develops an urge to get to know her better after feeling that she has been misunderstood throughout their relationship. This misinterpretation was shown to be mutual as Asahi also had an incomplete impression of Hinako based on her limited reflection.

The development of the storyline makes for a pleasant experience, observing those two discover their own happiness and freedom, Asahi and Hinako are learning what it means to love and care for one another as they try to come to terms with the fact that their own definitions of "love" are very different from the ones that are imposed by society.

I loved how both of them sort out their feelings.

Both the main characters are super cute, and side characters like Asahi’s sister subaru and Fuuka san ( felt a little bad for her ) are also cute and well written.

Art was wonderful and perfectly matched the storyline.

It's really wonderfully written, and everything goes naturally and without being rushed.

Lol and there is this one thing that i noticed in these three of my favourite yuri manga series that is similar.

In Bloom into you, Sasayaku You ni Koi wo Utau and in this one, All the Main characters have orange hair colour and all the senpais have dark black hairs XD.

Anyways, I loved this series so much!!!

A short and sweet story about love in more forms than just one. I personally highly enjoy the approach the manga takes, emphasizing that in order to fall in love, you need to love yourself first. The way this series depicts intrusive thoughts and declining self esteem feels very genuine and realistic. Sometimes you can be your own worst enemy, having this voice deep inside your head that you aren't worthy of love or that you're terrible and undeserving of the people around you. It's very rewarding to see Hinako slowly realize that she deserves to be happy and that she isn't a burden to thosewho care about her.

Another aspect of her character that I find well thought out is how she sees herself as "not normal" and desperately wanting to fit in, to be seen as normal. Hinako often exclaims that she feels gross with herself for not being perfect and that people around her could even spend time with her. The way she sees prettying herself up as armor, so the world can see her just as a basic "nice young lady" putting on a fake smile at work. All of that also plays quite well into the comphet angle, which I think ultimately is done competently. Understanding that she is her own person, which also helps her find her own identity in the make up she's been using to cover up her real self, now using it to emphasize her true nature.

Asahi's point of view is also quite well portrayed, with how she prioritizes the happiness of her sister, rather than her own. I think the manga tackled that experience rather gracefully as well. Same with the character of Fuuka, who tackled the trope of a love rival in a way that's also very genuine, understanding that she isn't a bad person either, for wanting affection and love.

There is a subtle theme of asexuality, but I can't say it plays a big part in the story. It was quite often brought up, that Hinako is not interested in physicality at all, so she doesn't want to kiss Asahi. While I think it is completely fine, I wish the series would find a way to give them their big romantic moment at the end of the story. You know, the moment where the characters say their feelings for each other and kiss with a lovely background. The manga kinda lacked that final "oomph" for me, as it ended on them just holding hands, the same way they did plenty of times before, not even with more detail to emphasize the finality of the moment.

It is a quite lovely slow burn, but it does speed up quite a lot in the last volume. I feel like the story could've used either a bit more time or a bit more of a steady pace, to fully deliver the ending. It might feel a bit unrealistic, for a series so focused on realistic depictions of mental struggles, that everything just worked out for them without any issues, but I do think that only further plays into the main theme of presenting one's own insecurity as their biggest enemy.

Wow, what a read this was! It’s one of those series where you read the first few chapters and just know you’re experiencing something special. I think it also carries a great message about self-love and the importance of communication. All 20 chapters bring something to the table—not a single one feels insignificant. The progress of the main couple is so tastefully slow, yet steady and consistent. Most of their struggles are resolved fairly quickly, but never in a way that feels rushed or cheap. The pacing hits that perfect sweet spot. The side characters also felt very complete, and most of them played crucial rolesin the story rather than just being background noise.

This beautiful and sweet story is backed by lovely art, with each character having unique features that make them instantly recognizable.

I'm honestly regretting not picking this up sooner. I'd absolutely recommend it to any fan of the genre, and I'll definitely be checking out the author's other work.

10/10 – Masterpiece

This GL manga series has a lot going for it. The main characters are compelling and each have their own internal conflict to work through. The relationship that develops between them is very sweet, and the way they get to know each other feels very natural. What was frustrating, however, was the introduction of a love triangle-esque situation. This series already had enough going on without that, especially because both main characters are both clearly coded as being on the aro and ace spectrums, and they already have a hard time understanding their feelings for each other. Seeing them figure out what love looked likefor both of them individually was definitely the highlight of the series. Overall, this series was fine and definitely worth reading, but it had some plot developments that were very frustrating, which made it less enjoyable for me overall.

Compared to a story like bloom into you where a character that appears to be asexual and aromantic at first then developed those feelings during the series. Kaketa Tsuki to Doughnut on the other hand tells the story of two asexual people that romantically fall for each other and learn to understand their feelings and more importantly accept and understand that they are asexual. This is a pretty good romance manga with a very good story and a refreshing premise. What makes this story great and refreshing is that it could work just as well with a straight or a gay couple and does not solely focuson the fact that lesbian relationships are kind of taboo in japan. On the other hand what makes it stand out from the rest is that it shines a light on the different problems asexual peoples have to deal with on an everyday basis. It clearly shows the pressure that comes from the traditional norm when it comes to relationships. The manga does a great job of depicting what self hatred feels like, especially in the first volume which is pretty rare to see. It also nicely shows that asexual does not mean aromantic and does not always come hand and hand.

If Uno was pressured by her parents to fall in love and she knew she didn't like men that way, why was she trying to like men in the first place? The story tries to make her a lesbian, but even though a person hasn't come out or realized, there will be signs. She would like female characters from shows or books, or even have a crush on a girl/woman she meets in life. And someone who is questioning their attraction probably would panic and try to be straight, until they finally admit that they actually like someone of the same gender, or nobody atall,l or whatever else. But Uno doesn't have any of those. She just dislikes men and didn't even try to figure out liking ladies, and that type of stuff. It's also weird that Sato has exactly 2 doughnuts when they meet at the park, when Sato tends to eat doughnuts alone there. So the logical behavior is to only have one. And it's really unhealthy for the body and wallet to have doughnuts every day. The whole story feels like it skipped the friendship stage and makes things go from acquaintances to dating. It also feels like they're always eating something. It tends to always be people sitting around the table eating and talking, with the floating head type of chatting scenes. Which is boring. That's why I dropped it after only 2 volumes. It's not worth the time for people who value an interesting story. There's also no stakes to the story. Even in real life, there are stakes. A person might start a project because they like art or whatever the project is about, but there are stakes because if they don't finish it, they might get a low grade or a smaller paycheck, or whatever. But for Doughnuts Under A Crescent Moon, nothing changes if the characters don't do anything. So it's boring.

Super slow burning story of an a very cautions and not self-aware sprouting office romance. Two office ladies like each other but cannot realize that they are more than friends. They have absolutely no idea what they feel and what to do with each other. They start with food and stick to it. Accidental touches and lunches together. And both of them are trying to NOT to go too far. Sometimes weeks pass between the events in manga. Gradually they become frequent guests in each other houses where they... eat more. They really do not know what to do with each other so they restrict to the eating. No joke,this is 99% of what they do.

They question themselves "is this love" and cannot move forward.

This slow burn is so mind bogging that the author is forced to throw other, more energetic characters into the fray and they are actually way more interesting. To the point where I say "can we just lock these two weirdos in one room for a month so they can figure it out and have several chapters about only Subaru, she is the sane one".

Overall: good but can be more lively and they can have something else to talk about aside of eating. But... sometimes this is how it really works.

My breakdown: 8-8-9-8-9 for volume 1. A nice, slow-paced yuri manga. It feels a bit more real than "Our teachers are dating" for me. The art is simple, soft and lovely. There was a colour page at the start, and the tones were soft and warm. While this manga makes you think, or reminds you of hurtful things, it's also healing in a way. I like both of the leads, as well as Subaru. I don't care for Hina's friends. They aren't good or bad, they're just... there and not helping but trying to. I wonder if they're anything more than coworkers. They seem to pityHina for being single and that rubs me the wrong way.

I think a lot of women have had to deal with the types of things our leads do, and are pitied for being single or made fun of because they are. Especially in Japan. I think it's quite realistic to not just the lesbian experience, but the single working woman one as well.

I resonated a lot with this one. I'm really interested in seeing how the story develops.

Kaketa Tsuki to Doughnut is a story about two women who are deemed "lonely" for life. They both work at the office. I think it's really nice how it's not stereotyping lesbian relationships because a lot of these types of manga tend to do that. Uno-san is a character that I have a small problem with. She always seems to be freaking out when around Satou-san. It honestly sort of annoys me, because nobody really acts like that. Other than this, she is a fairly good written character, along with Satou-chan. I managed to get this book when I was shopping with my mom, it'sactually pretty easy to hide that it's yuri because it doesn't look like it from the cover. That's an extra thing that's great about this book.

Love is a difficult feeling that many people struggle to understand. That message is exactly what Kaketa Tsuki to Doughnut is about. Two complete parallel Co-workers; Hinako Uno, and Asashi Satou, who have both always been clueless about their own feelings about love, and about themselves. We watch these two characters learn what it means to change and accept themselves whilst constant supporting each other and over time, decipher the meaning of "love" together. It's a simple Yuri, but sometimes simple is better. This realistic Yuri experience is what I believe everyone who enjoys Yuri is looking for. It's short but features extreme amounts of characterdevelopment and get its meaning across. Reading this manga was unbelievably refreshing. The story is bare bones and doesn't feature all of the fabricated elements that COUNTLESS Yuri works tend to use.

Two characters trying to change, heavy introspection with good developments, what more could you ask for?

Shshshs omg man this GL manga is so friggin cute to which it pulls your heartstrings like crazy! So it’s basically about two women who work in the same office, they both have different personalities but they eventually warm up and of course, start to like each other. The art was just soft on eyes and the plot makes you wanna read more about the girls. Also funny enough, this is my first GL to have a love triangle by involving a likeable “third wheeler” involved as well as one of the girls sister. Y’all know yourselves how much of a nightmare side characters canbe, especially the ones who try to break off the couples relationship in the most extreme ways lol. Btw I ship the sister and the “third wheeler” because they definitely have the same personality.

Now this is still marked ongoing and was only able to find 14 chapters online but it doesn’t matter because again it’s just adorable guys, check it out!

[very slight spoilers!] dougnuts under a crescent moon is quite short and simple, but it still left its mark on me as a wonderfully sweet - and unique! - yuri manga. the preface of the story makes it out to be a straightforward love-story between two office workers, but the roads it travels are actually a lot more nuanced than that. essentially, the two main characters have very intricate, special relationships with the concept of love. the main character feels its something she has to feel, and spends each day trying to fit the role of who she thinks she should be in order toland a partner. always beautiful, made-up, and put together. after all, her parents' relationship is tumultuous, leading her to deal with a large amount of pressure from her mom to get in a better one than she did. but, when she never seems to fall in love with any of the men she dates, she feels incomplete and largely broken. the main love interest has also never fallen in love, and this is largely due to the amount of pressure she puts on herself to take care of her only remaining family member in the absence of her parents. she always feels she must remain professional, with her sister at the center of her world, thus taking away any emotional space for a conventional romance. this story is, largely, about each woman coming to terms with what love can look like for themselves as individuals, and finding solace in the comfort each can give each other along the way.

if you're looking for a yuri that is quicker, with lots of pda, doughnuts probably won't be for you. in fact, the two main characters are actually content just being with each other and holding hands, no kissing necessary. from a lot of audience's perspectives, the two can be read as various kinds of asexual and aromantic; something that is very rare for manga, which i deeply appreciate. this story deals a lot with how to accept ourselves and what we personally desire, rather than what others push onto us/what we feel we must do, and so having the two leads have an unconventional perspective on love just adds to the rawness of this message.

so, although only 4 volumes, i highly recommend picking up this manga and giving it a try for yourself. even though it may not be the romance story you're exactly used to, there is still so much to love about the blossoming relationship between the two leads.