I read through the first four volumes of The Moon on a Rainy Night last night. I like it!
The Moon on a Rainy Night is about two girls growing closer despite their own awkwardness. The writing is a star here! Saki and Kanon have a tangible believability that comes from a mix of their personalities and insecurities. I've only gotten that feeling from a few other yuri I've read (specifically, How Do We Relationship?). It's a story made of small slights, miscommunications, and reconciliations; its core is built around the idea that talking to another person can be fucking hard.
I really appreciate an author that allows their characters to screw up, and Saki and Kanon screw up over and over. They hurt each other, not because of over-the-top misunderstandings ("i saw her hugging another girl!!") but because they're naïve, or they have their own preconceptions, or they're being petty, or because they're lashing out from their own stress. It's a story where one character says "you'd look really cute in a skirt!" and the other character takes offense, and you feel it, you get why she's pissed. The delivery of these small situations shows how an innocent comment can become an insult.
Also, it's just really pretty. Holy shit, can Kuzushiro draw someone who looks dead inside. There's a touch of extra detail to her style that gives each character just a little more weight.
The Moon on a Rainy Night is really good so far! I've been left a bit disappointed by a lot of slow burn will-they/won't-they high school yuri I've read in the past, but the characters really make this one stand out.
