Full Moon o Sagashite

Produced by Nihon Ad Systems, Full Moon o Sagashite is one of the highest-rated anime of all time.

Full Moon o Sagashite focuses on a 12-year old girl named Mitsuki Kouyama. While Mitsuki is a talented singer, and indeed dreams of becoming a pop idol, she is afflicted by throat cancer, which seems curable only through surgery which will destroy her voice. One day she discovers two shinigami, Takuto and Meroko, the "Negi Raamen" or "Onion Noodles", whom only she can see. These shinigami tell her she has but one year left to live. She doesn't look old enough to be a singer, so she makes a deal with one of the shinigami, Takuto, to transform her into her 16 year old self, who goes by the stage name of "Full Moon" in order to achieve her dream of becoming a singer. Not only does she become older, but when she is in this form her throat is healthy, and she is able to sing without any difficulty. In order to start a career as a singer she auditions in a singing contest, and even though there is much competition she is able to win over the judges with her enthusiam for singing and her good voice. Two years before the shinigami came to her, she promised Eichi, a boy she met in an orphanage, that they would both achieve their dreams together. Eichi wanted to become an astronomer and she wanted to become a singer. Since she found out she is fated to die, she wants to achieve her dream and meet Eichi. In addition, Eichi has emigrated to America and is uncontactable. Mitsuki hopes that one day her songs will be heard by Eichi who will come back to her so they can be together again. Originally this story was published in Ribon, a Japanese magazine for girls. After it gained much popularity an anime was made, and was based off of the manga, or Japanese comic. As of 2004, it has become a completed series with a total of seven volumes, and an artbook.