Titular summary of the whole story:
https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/crescent_moon_and_doughnuts_ch01#23

Thanks to all who made this possible

Yeah, in retrospect, the title really should have been a clue. The Crescent Moon and Doughnuts are both things that are what they are because they have something absent. The hole is what makes the doughnut a donut. It isn't something the doughnut is missing, and the doughnut isn't defective because the hole is there. Same thing with the crescent moon. It's the absence of the fully lit face of the moon that makes it a crescent moon, but it isn't diminished because of it.

The point of the story is about how not having something most people have doesn't make you lesser, it just makes you different, and there's not anything wrong with being different.

The only thing missing is another 100 chapters of them living and indulging in their donut domestic bliss.

A ritual I'm fond of is to supply, at the end of a story that's accompanied your life and thoughts for quite a while, accounts of your acquaintance with it, the tale of your tale-reading. Here's mine.

Everyone has that one story that's come to texture their relationship with a genre, or perhaps art and life itself, that one experience that leaps past its screens and pages to wrap itself about your mind, trailing shadows and echoes over passing routines, reading you in days and dreams. It might not be your first tale, or even your favorite, but it bears within the annals and avenues of your memory a certain radiance, a quiet and haunting light not unlike the lunar glow that accompanies Hinako and Asahi down many a night. You find yourself returning to it by coincidence or design, or even in the turn of a musing upon rainy days, recalling with wistful smiles not simply the work itself, but the very experience of reading it, the time in your life that coursed about it, and that distant version of yourself who did the reading, a stranger bound to you across selves by the pulse of a turning page. The tale becomes, in this ebb and flow of recollections, almost the spiral that binds an inkless journal, a diary of influences and impacts, of the craters of feeling that painted upon you, in those days, old faces as mark the moon. The images sink into you, the paper curls, like oh-so-many sighs and laughs, about the voice of your heart, and the line between reader and text, chapter and season, title and memory melts and flows into the crevices of your yesterdays, trellising tomorrows. So it went with Moon and I, across innumerable todays.

I had the privilege of reading the first chapter upon release, almost three years ago now, a moment I still fondly recall. On a cold winter morning, I'd been scrolling sleepily down a manga forum shortly before I dragged myself to university, not entirely sure what I wanted from it, of what I'd hoped to find, if anything at all in that drowsy exercise of habit, not unlike flipping through a morning paper half-warm from the presses, half-cold from the bicycle ride. I'd hit the twilight of my anime phase, having sailed over the past few years across vibrant carnivals of passion that had begun to feel like white noise, across sagas of battle and bustle now each indistinguishable from the last, across explorations of spirit, purpose and storytelling itself that now seemed trite in their bugles against long-departed gods, and yes, across romances once charming in their earnestness that now felt like dreary, oversexed, normative exercises in contrivance, not half as heterogenous as they were heterosexual, and as devoid of organic, human sexuality as they were packed with voyeurisms of archetype. And yet I'd grown used to these worlds, these patterns and frameworks of art, which had been to me as bulwarks in uncertain days and remained for all their cramping and clumsiness a sort of pillow fort I still didn't wish to leave, still didn't know how to escape. It was in such a phase, in the liminality that accompanies the awareness of hesitation, in the longing for changes that change oneself, and in the glow of skies lent nascent blushes by suns behind horizons that still defer to a phantom moon, that I chanced upon a tale with a striking title, not much-discussed, and took a chance between spoonfuls of a forgotten breakfast, in the stretch of meagre minutes before I'd have to trot out the door.

Something about the first page caught my breath, made me forget, in that routine skim between pages, to take with me that customary apathy that mantles a longtime reader, insulating one from deep emotion and reducing all relations of art to cliches about cliché, to easy pedantry and dull irony, to soulless condensation into tawdry blurbs- Oh, a yuri? Depressed girl x stoic girl. Office cubicles. Art seems nice. I'd parsed series this way before, seen stories bundled up in that fashion dozens of times, and perhaps still occasionally do so now in deference to efficiency, to the law of conservation of investment. But something about Moon stuck, knocked me off balance, and filled me with a odd sense of melancholy, equal parts yearning and relief, as if I'd not read, voyeur-consumer-scanner aloof in my position at the end of the line, but been seen in seeing, experienced some manner of strange connection to which I couldn't yet lend a name. It wasn't the genre, per se- I'd encountered yuri before, and it played a large role in my acquaintance with queerness, in helping me trace the contours of my strangeness, to grow familiar with idiosyncrasy, but those days were distant yet, for I didn't know myself well enough for identification, to know fully of identity. And yet there was something about that tired woman gazing out on the first page, holding uncomfortably about herself the layers and fritters of a daunting culture, wondering what combination of these parts might make a whole, and settle her on the right side of an equation to normalcy. There was something in the way she sadly smiled at foreign futures, longing to feel anything at all, hoping to discover a moment, a sensation, in the reflection of which she'd experience herself, know she'd existed in retrospect, desperate to be normal, even and especially unto herself.

I didn't understand why I felt so deeply about Moon, why this quiet, gentle tale moved me so much more than anything had in recent memory, errant observations in thought bubbles taking up long residence in my mind, crests of ink in tears and smiles burnished within my daydreams. I read those early chapters time and time again, breathlessly waiting for new releases, filled with an anticipation of a different kind than when I'd burned to know the outcomes of cliffhangers and the fallout of twists, eager now not for thrills, shock and astonishment, but for mundanity, for the endurance of warm moments, for an idyllic everyday not devoid of conflict or dread or pain, but capable with a tender touch of guiding these characters I'd come to resonate with so dearly through all the tumult, of giving them- and me- a place of respite, not distant and romantic and faraway, but in that most rare and glorious of spaces, in a mind at peace with itself. Moon became for me not merely a story to return to, but a story to begin from, a story to live through, a host of stations across which I could trace the meanders and mysteries of my own growth.

Passions turn as seasons and stars, and so did my feelings for Moon. I loved it always, but in different ways as well, and all as fulfilling in their own time as the flavors of loyal doughnuts, adored because they're always there and yet never quite the same. At times I'd let it slip into memory's backwaters, lingering at the peripheries of my mind, sparked into prominence at turns in conversations or glimpses of other stories, refreshing my fond acquaintance with those hopeful old girls unwinding in selenic sugartime, encountered blissfully in happy crossings of paths. At times, I'd be overcome with a need to catch up, to arrive at some sort of conclusion, and rush to read the series again, only to groan at a daunting gap between the last release and today, and yet feel also a strange sliver of relief, for the series wasn't and would never really be gone anymore than the moon in the sky, and lit my way through life still, shining in gloomy nights with illumination so gentle I hardly knew it was there, and would yet perhaps be lost without. Moon wasn't just a story at this point, but a presence, a will o' the wisp, a part of me, feeling across what I still struggle to believe were just twenty chapters like a natural phenomenon that'd always hang about. And yet here I stand, at the end of an epic that perhaps wasn't so epoch-spanning at all, half-feeling like I've arrived at the end of an era, and the other half as I always do about Moon- fond, cheerful and largely content.

There was a mild compulsion after I was done reading the final chapter to explore the series again, to go through it all one last time in a grand odyssey that would last for approximately an hour (all of this, and only in twenty chapters?!), but I ultimately decided against it. I'll read dear Moon again, of course, but only when I feel a Moon reading coming on, when the time's right, which it isn't now, which it might not be for a while, which is fine. Having experienced this series across three years, my memories of it are peppered with holes not unlike those of a doughnut, and are perhaps all the more precious for it. I do so despise writing reviews, of bundling together a host of notes about various vivisected categories- Characters, Plot, Pacing, Message all that rot- which do such a profound disservice to the subjectivity of a work, its numinous thisness, and especially to one so concerned with intangible treasures as this, so close to my heart precisely because I still can't quite turn it into an easy eyecatch or slogan, and so must ramble on forever about and mine myself to serenade. Moon to me is me, a host of mes like the faces in the night, a host of nights and days and gays, a host giving me a wondrous place to stay. It reflects a me who wondered about my identity and hoped for some kind of change on that winter morning long ago, a me who slowly learned the ways and means of reading and found this series all the more profound upon reunion, and a me who looked for solace and familiarity and comfort so few other works could provide as I made my way through the world.

In this final chapter, it also reflects a me who is very much ace and glad to see a tale that lets the promises of love, its declarations and dedications, its dear little moments and secret affections, its places and times so special in sharing, be afforded the same significance as those relationships that abound with designated signifiers, their kisses and bases and nights together all ranged in a hoary schedule that to some is order and purpose, but to others like myself mere suffocation. How often I've heard the cacophonous demand, especially in media, for a queerness only legitimate in production, a queerness pulped upon the millstone of Depiction to turn out yields for self-appointed arbitrators of legitimacy, who butcher in myopia many a tale of subtlety and intrigue and declare the maggots that turn in the corpse of stories misread mere bait, rendering themselves by this gross metaphor connoisseurs only of the conventional, consumers of their own consumption. But enough of them, for whether they wither or burst, we'll always have Moon and all the tales woven in its loving fashion, stories willing to give queerness its own pace and flow, to tell difference on its own terms and to not retrofit queer people to established narratives, scrabbling for ways to cram them into the Usual, but to sculpt and charm the form itself to articulate the tenor of our dreams and pleasures, to give our lives the vibrant care and creativity they deserve.

Usui Shio achieves this brilliantly across all their works, queering makeup and dresses and art and marriages, crafting them expertly to articulate a rapturous vision of love that accommodates in its willingness to give people all the time they need a cosmos of identities, always so clemently itself- it's no wonder that I'm a huge fan of everything they've made, and that Moon will enamour me forever. I pray for their success in all future endeavors, and hope that I'll continue find in their art that priceless old serenity for years to come.

These four simple pages of the extra gave me such a deeply satisfying feeling and deep contentment. I'm not too sure how or why really. I can definitely say that seeing that the two live together now and seem content gave me a good dose of fuzzy warmth. I want more of this, goddamnit.

...I didn't understand why I felt so deeply about Moon... characters I'd come to resonate with so dearly through all the tumult, of giving them- and me- a place of respite, not distant and romantic and faraway, but in that most rare and glorious of spaces, in a mind at peace with itself...

I'll be honest, my circuits are fried having read your comment, but this specific paragraph really stood out to me. Very early on, the series has become something incredibly special to me as well, and those feelings you describe gave me a very vivid memory of exactly how I felt. The part of the paragraph I outlined specifically was something that I wasn't necessarily aware of, but definitely resonates with me. This series has been this sort of special to me, 'Haru and Midori' was as well. 'A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow' way back when as well. There isn't really a point to my writing, I'm just sharing.

last edited at Dec 17, 2022 8:12AM

Yeah, didn’t really like the ending. And I’ll fully admit that it’s probably cuz I just don’t “get” ace stuff. Like, not because I hate ace people or something. Just cuz I’m a deeply sexual and affectionate person when it comes to relationships, so two people being in a romantic relationship without those kinds of things I see as “necessary” or “given” just seems so alien to me I guess. And they’d probably see my relationships the same way too lol

Enjoyed the characters and story a lot overall tho. Just kinda wished I knew it was gonna be ace by the end so I could wish em well but not bother spending so much time on something I ultimately would have no hope of ever understanding

Enjoyed the characters and story a lot overall tho. Just kinda wished I knew it was gonna be ace by the end so I could wish em well but not bother spending so much time on something I ultimately would have no hope of ever understanding

I think this is quite funny since as I am ace, I am also very confused by how much intimacy people real need. Not to speak for all ace people out there, but the whole movies/books troupe of having sex to prove love feels so alienating to me, sometimes it's like are we even the same species lol. Regardless, I still do enjoy normal romance for the art, the emotion, and the character's development. It's a great way to somewhat see how different things can be and hopefully understand other poeple.

Also, love the fact that the authors stuff their face full of donuts during the writing of this series

last edited at Dec 17, 2022 1:18PM

Just beautiful. ^_^

Wow. WOW. I so much wish those four pages were added at the end of the last chapter, instead of as an extra coming out a week later. To me, this is exactly what was missing for a satisfying ending, showing them as a couple instead of ending things abruptly immediately after the confession.

I think this is quite funny since as I am ace, I am also very confused by how much intimacy people real need. Not to speak for all ace people out there, but the whole movies/books troupe of having sex to prove love feels so alienating to me

I'm allosexual but still, the idea of proving anything with sex is confusing. Like, it's great to get intimate with someone you love, it's like holding hands but more, doesn't mean anything changes though

Fuck this lol.
"I love you"
series ends
What a joke, why are most yuri series like this? It's a complete joke

Well tbf most romance series in general are like this, not just yuri. Unless it's extended by love triangle/harem "who is the MC gonna end up with???" nonsense, most romance series ends after the MC and love interest confess and get together.

It's super rare to see stories continue to explore the nitty gritty of staying in a relationship without padding out the series by doing things like focusing on side pairings (Anemone is in Heat) or other characters (Whispering You a Love Song). Or if they do still focus on the main pair, but it's mostly fluff compared to the drama of the pre-dating arc, it ends up feeling a bit dull and lackluster imo (Can't Defy the Lonely Girl). This is why How Do You Relationship is such a gem.

While I would have liked a few more chapters of Asahi and Hinako exploring couple life together, I couldn't see it being dragged for more than a volume at most. The main point of the story was about both Hinako and Asahi's character growth as people (Hinako learning to be more self accepting and Asahi learning to live a life that doesnt revolve around caring for her sister). They accomplished that fairly early on, so aside from adding 1 or 2 chapters before the confession so it didn't feel as rushed and a 1 or 2 chapters of fluffy couple life, the story it wanted to tell was done.

That was a sweet extra chapter :)

I'm glad they'll be living in domestic bliss. Though I wish we got more on Fuuka-chan and Subaru. Maybe in the future

Fuck this lol.
"I love you"
series ends
What a joke, why are most yuri series like this? It's a complete joke

For the same reason most action movies end after the bad guy is defeated. I mean, yeah, they COULD spend thirty minuites at the end of the movie documenting the hero's return to life as an ordinary beat cop, but the central conflict of the story is over.

I get wanting more, but it's not like there isn't a reason.

Fuck this lol.
"I love you"
series ends
What a joke, why are most yuri series like this? It's a complete joke

This is a romance story, you want:
https://dynasty-scans.com/tags/slice_of_life
You're welcome

The extra chapters bring the story to a real ending. I remember the first 2 volumes really tugging at my heart and I don't feel the last chapter stuck the landing in that regard. I do admire the fact that this stuck with the asexual ending which was predicted from early on. Overall a refreshing story.

Lol weird how they both happened to be at the same time in that grocery shop and the little sister seemed to immediately recognize Uno from the dropped ID

I mean they live in the same neigborhood on a day off. It's not unlikely to meet while shopping.
And I don't think she recognized Uno.

Twitter Extra 2 - "Ben-To" flashbacks intensifies

Well... Here comes drama and lack of ideas.

But enough about you--what do you think of the story?

In on itself, this was an amazing roast, but it got even better when I read who you were replying to.

One of these days Loralei is going to post to say that a story is good and worth following, and the internet will crash.

I don't want to see that story tbh.

Great series, I hope the author writes some more adult life stuff. These two are such a mood in their interactions and just overall vibes.

Anyways hot take I think this is better than bloom into you, partly because it actually stuck the landing that was set up earlier on. It's also great to see representation of romantic relationships that explicitly do not equate to it being a thing that only exists as a thing that must involve sex. I don't think there's many pieces of fiction out there that even consider that a possibility or give it light, which is the other reason why I find it better than bloom into you and it's cheap ass ending.

Or she could be the rarely-if-ever portrayed asexual lesbian and being thrown off by the tired old love = sexual desire bullshit. As if romance has to involve sex.

The Puritans got your back.

Ya’ll really can’t understand the concept of someone not being horny all the time, sad

No, it's real easy to understand conceptually, but it is pretty hard to relate to. Though you can say the same thing for almost any category in the LGBT+ spectrum if you aren't also in the same category.

Sorry, I have nothing against Aro/Ace but I don't understand it conceptually. Especially not in a Asexual/not Asexual Partnership, I mean the not Ace part would still want to have sexual relation & I know ace ppl can still have sex but wouldn't it feel empty/lonely to be only one feeling it? Aro can I understand even less how that works in a romantic relationship...

m_nguyen_chau posted:

Zero interest in sexual acts. We can still have sex, we just don’t have desire for it.

I try hard to dig deep into how you can enjoys someting yet not have any desire for it, without being on the puritans side.

They said "have" not "enjoy". Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you enjoy it. Imagine eating a food that you are neutral for. You don't particularity love or even like it, but it's not like you hate or dislike it either. You're fully capable of eating it and filling your stomach with it, but you don't necessary enjoy eating it.

And that wouldn't feel empty/lonely for a non-ace partner?

m_nguyen_chau posted:

Zero interest in sexual acts. We can still have sex, we just don’t have desire for it.

I try hard to dig deep into how you can enjoys someting yet not have any desire for it, without being on the puritans side.

They said "have" not "enjoy". Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you enjoy it. Imagine eating a food that you are neutral for. You don't particularity love or even like it, but it's not like you hate or dislike it either. You're fully capable of eating it and filling your stomach with it, but you don't necessary enjoy eating it.

And that wouldn't feel empty/lonely for a non-ace partner?

Why would it? If the non ace person was indeed supportive, then not having sex wouldn't matter to them, unless they view the relationship as something that will eventually lead to sex. I know I'm not qualified to talk about the ace side of the equation, so this is just purely from an outsiders perspective as someone who has a hard time figuring out what's romantic and platonic.

I'm not ace but as a 26 year old who's never really socialised much (mental health/being trans) and didn't really get much of a childhood, reading this series over the last couple days has really helped stabilise me and helped me come to terms with my age a bit better
Thank you Shio-san <3

Great series, I hope the author writes some more adult life stuff. These two are such a mood in their interactions and just overall vibes.

Anyways hot take I think this is better than bloom into you, partly because it actually stuck the landing that was set up earlier on. It's also great to see representation of romantic relationships that explicitly do not equate to it being a thing that only exists as a thing that must involve sex. I don't think there's many pieces of fiction out there that even consider that a possibility or give it light, which is the other reason why I find it better than bloom into you and it's cheap ass ending.

Off-topic for this thread, but I invite you to come to the Bloom Into You thread and make an actual argument about how that series didn't "stick the landing that was set up earlier on" or somehow had a "cheap ass ending."

Because if the notion is that Bloom Into You was always supposed to have an aro-ace ending and swerved away from that at the end, well, I'd need to see the actual argument to conceive of that as anything except delusional wishful thinking.

last edited at Dec 30, 2022 11:50AM

With this maybe Fuuka can finally move on.

Hmm what was Hinako expecting in the bed scene? She said she was disappointed but also relieved all she felt was some fluttering. Is it because she believed the feelings of love would be stronger, but was also scared it would be?

Nah, she was disappointed she didn't felt sexual desire but also relieved.

Isn’t subaru like 16? Idk about that age gap for all the Fuuka/Subaru shippers out there. I do hope that Fuuka can move on though, she deserves a relationship not based on obligation

Fuuka is almost 18