Title: Fly Me to the Moon Vol. 21
Author: Kenjiro Hata
Publisher: Viz Media
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Pages: 197
Genre: Slice of Life, Romance, Comedy, Science Fiction
Publication Date: January 9, 2024
The Story
The time has come to say goodbye to the mansion in the woods. Tsukasa thinks about the object she burned and realizes that after 1,400 years, she doesn’t need material possessions to remind her of her memories there. Therefore, she orders the (presumed) destruction of the mansion. Before anything is carried out; however, Nasa does some thinking about the 5D Data that Tokiko left behind for him. He held in his hand the key to the mansion; however, he suddenly realized that when they arrived, they didn’t need a key to get in. He begins to realize that Tokiko sent them there as part of a riddle… one that could help unlock the data in the locket she gave him.
After some searching, he finds what he’s looking for but he doesn’t exactly know how it unlocks the data yet. When they return, Nasa spends a good deal of time trying to figure it out. Meanwhile, they become suspicious of Kaguya, fearing her intelligence may lead her to discover Tsukasa’s secret. That’s when we take a look at Kaguya where it is mentioned that she hasn’t grown since elementary school. Also, her intelligence has limits as she only knows a lot about what she’s interested in. One of the things she’s not interested in is love and after she’s teased about not mentally growing because of it, she decides to pay Nasa and Tsukasa a visit to learn more about relationships.
Nasa also has an open conversation with Tsukasa about her past. Wanting to know more about her, he asks her a particular question. This question then gets expanded on in the final chapters of the volume as we take a trip back in time to some 1,400 years ago. We see Kaguya and a discussion of marriage. She has suitors coming at her left and right and even though she hates the thought, she narrows it down to five; however, one to-be suitor, the Mikado, pays her a visit; however, our volume ends with him meeting someone else.
Characters
To be honest, the majority of our characters didn’t get much in the way of development. Kaguya (present) got a bit of comedic development as she tried to learn about love. We also now understand the limits of her knowledge; however, nothing else truly changed with her.
The majority of the development went to Kaguya (past). We got to see her mindset, how she was revered for her beauty, and how she (apparently) had otherworldly powers when she made her final five suitors kneel against their will. There was; however, one little tiny nugget that may lend to Kaguya’s (present) true identity. Past Kaguya has a similar trait in that she is selective in the things that interest her. While her version of this trait isn’t linked to intelligence, it is a shared trait with Present Kaguya. This could be an interesting development or it could just be Kenjiro Hata screwing with us.
Final Thoughts
On both Kaguyas, my theory is that Present Kaguya is simply of the same bloodline as past Kaguya. I mean, that is the easiest conclusion to come to given that they share the same first name as well as the same trait of having a selective interest in things. I don’t think Present Kaguya is Past Kaguya simply because of the fact that Present Kaguya grew up normally. Unless Present Kaguya is a reincarnation that started from birth, that would lend itself to that theory of her being the same person. It would also explain why the legend stated that Kaguya went to the moon but Tokiko broke the news to Tsukasa that trips to the moon confirmed that it is empty and void of life.
Reincarnation could also be a possibility and the reason why Present Kaguya is unaware that she is Past Kaguya lies in the clue offered in this volume: selective interest. Both Kaguyas only care about the things they are interested in. What if Past Kaguya chose not to be interested in her past life? That would mean that once reincarnated, she chose to forget any past lives she may have had. That means Present Kaguya would have been reincarnated, and had grown up normally; however, could still retain that trait of her past self which would then manifest in a different way (such as her intelligence). It would also explain why Present Kaguya is so interested in Tsukasa and why she’s drawn to her since Tsukasa is immortal from Past Kaguya’s elixir.
I might be thinking too deeply about it but it is a possibility. I still think it’s a bloodline thing and the past Kaguya is still out there… just not on the moon. We’ll have to see if either of my theories is right but for now, we’ll be starting off Volume 22 with more of Past Kaguya so, perhaps, we will be offered up some more clues!
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This item was provided for review by VIZ Media.
