The Moon on a Rainy Night

Equality is about treating everyone in the same way. Fairness on the other hand means adjusting each person’s situation based on their needs.

What may seem like an ordinary high school Yuri is actually a profound story on the importance of honesty, understanding and communication in relationships; as well as awareness on disability through characters willing to learn and listen despite their shortcomings. The manga is full of messages the author wants to convey through dialogues, factual and sourced speech on deafness and through evocative art.

Disclaimer - I'm writing this review based on the first 17 chapters. Minor implicit spoilers ahead!

I. The Characters

Saki, main character

"I don't want anything special. Normal is enough for me. Just your average, normal happiness. That's all I really want."

She describes herself as an ordinary girl without much of a goal, who contents herself with the "average". However, as the story progresses we see her developing intense desires through her growing love for Kanon.
Kanon is a main factor in her character development. She makes her question her beliefs, invites her into a whole new world. Saki is always willing to learn, she accepts her faults and constantly tries to be a better person.
Lastly, she's aware from the very beginning she likes girls and seeing her suffer from it made me so emotional, I'm sure a lot of queer people related to her too.

Kanon, love interest

"People hurt each other. It happens. What matters to me is that you’re willing to listen if I tell you that you said or did something hurtful."

Kanon is a very straightforward and honest character who is not afraid to speak her mind or to stand up for herself. She's a person who remained strong despite the bullying she went through and her hearing loss as a child. We learn more about her bit by bit, see her softer and vulnerable sides, it makes her all the more interesting, impressive and inspiring.
I also really appreciated the author denounced the expectations society and other girls put on conventionally attractive women and how harmful they can be. Kanon is a character who isn't just defined by her disability, there are lots of layers to her personality – she loves idols, reading, singing.

Miura-Sensei

Kanon: "He treats me the same. Now that I think about it, I was actually happy when he got mad at me" In contrast to the girls' other teacher, he does his best to be "fair" towards his students and makes Kanon feel more at ease at school. He's a great example of how a teacher should act towards a disabled person while still having his own shortcomings that he tries to overcome. We also get a glimpse of his personal life and overall personality which I really appreciate, the side characters are well-thought and developed.

II. The Story and the Art

Manga is in my opinion carried by both story and art, almost equally. And the artist – who is also the author does an amazing job at showing instead of telling. Facial expressions can often be exaggerated in manga (which I don't think is necessarily a bad thing) but it feels just right here, like the perfect balance – just enough to convey a character's emotions without always explaining them.
As for the story, each moment feels meaningful, more than just romance. Things like going to the hairdresser or the cinema end up being occasions to delve further into character, relationship or story development. Each scene plays a meaningful role on several layers. Every event is there for a bigger purpose.

Overall, The Moon on a Rainy Night is definitely one of my favorite mangas for its originality, meaning and the many emotions it made me feel. It speaks to me a lot and I often felt like the characters took the words out of my mouth. There is a perfect balance between the romance and other important themes explored.

I'm only giving it a 9/10 for now as I haven't completed it yet but I'm pretty sure my rating will increase in the future