Fashion magazines are my textbooks. I'm below average in every way. But if I dress up, wear makeup, and fall in love... I'm sure even I... can be normal.
Uno Hinako throws herself into makeup, fashion, and falling in love, hoping that will make her seem “normal” to the other people at her job. But no matter how hard she tries, she’s a self-doubting mess inside, and her attempts at “normal” romance with men just keep failing. When she starts to think she might be alone forever, a new normal presents itself in the form of her relationship with Asahi Satou, a level-headed woman who works at her company. It starts as respect, and then it becomes far more intimate.
Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon (Kaketa Tsuki to Donuts) is a yuri manga by Shio Usui, which began serialization in Comic Yuri Hime in 2019. Seven Seas Entertainment began publishing it in English on February 23, 2021.
This series provides examples of the following:
- Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: Satou initially comes off as very aloof and intimidating to Hinako but she shows a warmer side over the course of the manga.
- Chastity Couple: Hinako and Satou are both Ace, or asexual. This certainly leads to problems when neither can really explain what it is they want from each other. This has also lead to some angst for the twos pass relationships. It's also implied this is a big factor why Satou rejects Fuuka's confession because Fuuka made it clear she desires a sexual relationship.
- The Fashionista: Hinako tries to project this image, but it's hinted that she doesn't really care about fashion and only puts so much effort into her appearance because it's expected of a normal young woman.
- Lap Pillow: In a bonus comic in the first volume, Hinako has a dream about Satou letting her use her lap as a pillow while praising her.
- Maybe Ever After: It's strongly hinted Subaru has a crush on Fuuka, and in the run up to the final chapter gives a kind of confession saying she plans to take care of Fuuka when she gets rich.
- No Sparks: One of Hinako's main sources of angst is the fact that she's never felt chemistry with any of the men she's gone on dates with, even the ones who feel sparks towards her, leading her to believe herself to be "defective."
- Obsessively Normal: Hinako desperately wants to be "normal," constantly obsessing over projecting an image of a cheerful, fashionable young lady in both her looks and behavior. The fact that she can't live up to this ideal has given her a massive amount of neurosis, leading her to break down crying in the opening chapter.
- Office Lady: The series focuses on women in an office.
- Promotion to Parent: Satou is only in her twenties but seems to basically be the guardian of her teenage sister Subaru. She's seen praying at a shrine to their parents.
- Stepford Smiler: Hinako tries to act like a cheerful, carefree young lady but in actuality, she is constantly stewing in self-doubt and self-loathing over her inability to be "normal."
- When She Smiles: Hinako thinks Satou looks much younger when she smiles and is absolutely entranced by the sight.
