This manga makes it easier to understand why Japan is facing a low birthrate demographic crunch. On the one hand the art is cute, and the humor is sprinkled in well and only occasionally too over the top. But the gimmick around (MARRIED!) young lovers being so embarrassed and unsure about how to act on their feelings of love and desire is starting to wear thin. In addition, one of the twists to this series was the mystery of exactly who Tsukasa is and that plotline has been totally abandoned in this volume. I have enough goodwill wrapped up in the good art and adorableness of the main couple to keep reading this, but I hope this volume is only a mid-series slump.

Fly Me to the Moon Volume Seven focuses on the evolution of Nasa and Tsukasa’s relationship.

Fly Me to the Moon Volume Seven
Written by: Kenjiro Hata
Publisher: Shogakukan
English Publisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: September 14, 2021

The first three chapters in Volume Seven see Tsukasa and Nasa being separated for an extended period of time for the first time because Nasa has been asked to help out at his former place of employment. It was amusing to see the usually cool and collected Tsukasa worrying about being apart from Nasa and how she tries to deal with her loneliness. But it does appear as if “absence makes the heart grow fonder” applies here, because we see Tsukasa start wanting to be a little more physical when Nasa returns. This ultimately sets the stage for them to start thinking about possibly being a little more physically intimate than they have been up to this point. This feels like it’s a natural progression, because let’s be honest, they realistically wouldn’t be able to keep their relationship as “chaste” as it has been over the prior volumes. This includes giving each other massages a little later in the volume.

We then get a chapter focusing on Charlotte, one of Chitose’s servants, and it’s told from the point of view of Aurora, Chitose’s other servant. Honestly, I really didn’t understand the inclusion of this chapter. Aurora and Charlotte are such minor characters in the series, since Chitose doesn’t show up as much as some of the other characters. I didn’t feel as if this chapter really added anything in the long run, and I was wanting to see more of Nasa and Tsukasa.

We then get to see Tsukasa geek out about an Avengers film that’s coming to theaters, and she makes a date with Nasa to go see it. All the lengths she goes to in order to avoid spoilers is a little “over the top,” but she’s just that serious about her fandom. You have to appreciate Nasa, who isn’t into pop culture stuff, going through the “crash course” of seeing other films in the franchise before their date. It’s nice to see how supportive he is of Tsukasa’s enthusiasm for the franchise, and that he never says anything negative or makes fun of Tsukasa. You have give Nasa some serious husband points for this.

In another chapter, Kaname talks to both Nasa and Tsukasa about kissing and the meanings of the areas of the body you kiss someone. This forces the two of them to talk about being a little more physically intimate, but the punchline at the end of the chapter is that Kaname just found something online, likely put together by some random Tumblr user or something like that. Then, this is followed by a chapter of Nasa and Tsukasa out for a walk at night through a park. Tsukasa worries about them being seen by someone, and then they stumble across Yanagi-sensei, Nasa’s former teacher, with Tanaguchi-sensei. It turns out the two of them have become a couple, and Nasa and Tsukasa see them getting a little physical… and this only reinforces Tsukasa’s concerns about being seen. There’s a punchline at the end involving Kaname, because she references something that happened in the park that no one else should have seen.

The volume ends with Nasa and Tsukasa getting tickets to a hot spring from Kaname, to allow the two of them to have a real honeymoon. They just get to the hot spring when the final chapter ends, so Volume Eight will definitely be starting off with Nasa and Tsukasa at the hot spring. There’s also a bonus chapter included right after this. It’s a story that makes sense for the series, but I was just kind of “meh” about it. The final chapter had a great ending point, and this bonus chapter just feels “tacked on” and unnecessary.

I’m glad to finally see some progression for Nasa and Tsukasa’s relationship. To be honest, it was starting to feel like it was falling into a rut. Like I said earlier, the relationship had to start evolving because it couldn’t realistically stay where it was. I hope to see more progression in their relationship in future volumes. I should add that Toast, the cat they acquired in Volume Six, only really made one appearance and was only referenced a couple of times. At this point, it kind of feels like Toast is just going to kind of be “there” and not truly be a character in the series. I hope that future volumes of the series will prove me wrong about Toast, though.

Readers who have followed Fly Me to the Moon up to this point and have enjoyed it shouldn’t really have any problems with enjoying how the story progresses in Volume Seven.

I continue to love and adore the adventures of Nasa and Tsukassa! They truly are a sweet couple. learning more and more about each other. This volume was a solid entry, and I can't wait for the next one. I always have a good time with these two cuties!

In this volume, Tsukasa and Nasa deal with separation, Chitose wonders about their relationship, the couple goes to see a movie, Nasa helps Aya study for her final exams, Tsukasa gives Nasa a massage, the couple explore different types of kisses, they accidentally witness Nasa's former teacher with her boyfriend, and the couple visits a hot spring together.