Moon Ciders Episode 3 explored the dark side of the moon, and its characters’ hearts, as well.
Moon Ciders Episode 3: Going to the Dark Side of the Moon (Spoiler-Free)
This episode was far more emotional than I initially expected, and it introduced a few new storylines that recontextualized the narrative in unique ways.
The Emotional Context of the Transferees and Lunar Civilization
For instance, in Episode One we learn that humanity formed a moon colony, but aside from being terrorized by Gekko, society as a whole seemed to be functioning properly. Now in this episode, we learn about “Transferees” or “Cast-Aways”, a certain group of people who share quite a tricky relationship with society.
Two characters in the latter half of the episode take a trip to a meaningful place, before heading to an illegal dump on “the dark side” of the moon. It’s funny, they look through trash that was brought from earth and dumped there, and even find an intact record, but lament the fact that no turntables even exist in their current civilization to play it.
Otsukimi, Irony, and Finding Meaning in Earth’s Lost Trash
Looking back, I mentioned this in my last review, but nearly every food establishment or store we’ve been introduced to that the characters interact with is “moon themed”, and this episode was no different.
Going for an “Otsukimi” [お月見], or “moon viewing” theme, a lot of the snacks invertedly celebrated that autumn Japanese festival. While eating those snacks, the characters remarked on the irony of enjoying Otsukimi themed snacks in a place where they can’t actually even view the moon. Later when they travel to “the dark side”, the unspoken divides within the moon colony become clearer.
Another thing that becomes a bit clearer is the tagline “But, heroes will rise again!”, “However, old humanity must die out!” that is shown at the end of each episode concerning recent developments about a certain group of people in our story.
I could be totally wrong, but I am really interested to see how that narrative thread turns out within the overarching story.
Also, Gekko (“it”) was leering over the moon colony civilization a lot in this episode! I wonder if he’s planning another attack soon?
Maybe we will get that in Episode 4, who knows how this story will develop. ☺
How to Read Moon Ciders Episodes 1-3 for Free on NIUHI
Moon Ciders Episode 3 is currently free in celebration of Niuhi’s iPhone app launch! You can read Episodes 1 – 3 for free right now on their website (or through the app) and then come back and discuss the episodes with me! ☺
You can read Moon Ciders (created by TALI) only on NIUHI. Follow their Japanese X account, and English Instagram and TikTok accounts to discover the latest updates for Moon Ciders and other manga title additions to their website!
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☆ In Asian Spaces ☆ Ephesians 6:12 ☆
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