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wisecraic's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
babyfacedoldsoul's review against another edition
4.0
I was so excited to see a new volume of Loveless after four and a half years and it did not disappoint. I enjoyed seeing some long standing questions answered combined with the slice of life tranquility amidst all the trauma. I can't wait to see what comes next.
lovecomplex's review against another edition
5.0
I was so surprised to learn that Ms. Choko is actually Soubi’s mother ?! Makes so much sense as to why Ritsu resented Soubi and treated him terribly after taking him in. Also, Kouga’s message at the end of Seasons Greeting 2017 is a great message for readers to understand her perspective in publishing more volumes and to kinda give her space. I follow her on Twitter and every once in a while she will post a Starbucks post or something about her other works too!
sanamun's review against another edition
3.0
This is kind of a review for the whole series (so far), in which case the score would be 3.5, but rounded down because I don't think the writing in the most recent volumes is what it used to be.
The experience of reading Loveless reminds me, most fundamentally, of Berserk. That might seem strange since they're completely different genres. But they both have some wonderfully complex characters who aren't always utilised properly, a lot of interesting worldbuilding that never gets expanded on, are oddly endearing to read, yet kind of weird and dark and hard to get into or explain, and most importantly, both possess an update schedule that ensures I will probably never see their endings.
Loveless' biggest problem, from a writing standpoint, is pacing. There's a lot of pointless filler (including literal dream sequences) and then when things do happen, they happen all at once in a way that makes it hard to follow. Ultimately I gave Berserk a higher rating despite my similar feelings about the two series, purely because there's enough Berserk out there to have resolved at least some subplots, whereas Loveless just builds mysteries upon mysteries. These last few volumes feel like we're coming to some sort of conclusion, but it doesn't feel earned, because a lot of the work of constructing the story isn't there. What is Seimei's actual goal? We will probably never know. The individual characters and their backgrounds are compelling, but the plot itself is so deliberately obtuse that the series is less than the sum of its parts.
Final/miscellaneous thoughts: I don't see this series as a "BL manga" in the traditional sense and it definitely isn't a romance, so the way this was marketed back in the day was a bit off. Also all these kids and young teenagers talking so nonchalantly about murder started to weird me out after a while. Everyone who has ever been connected to Septimal Moon needs so much therapy I'm amazed it functions as an organisation.
The experience of reading Loveless reminds me, most fundamentally, of Berserk. That might seem strange since they're completely different genres. But they both have some wonderfully complex characters who aren't always utilised properly, a lot of interesting worldbuilding that never gets expanded on, are oddly endearing to read, yet kind of weird and dark and hard to get into or explain, and most importantly, both possess an update schedule that ensures I will probably never see their endings.
Loveless' biggest problem, from a writing standpoint, is pacing. There's a lot of pointless filler (including literal dream sequences) and then when things do happen, they happen all at once in a way that makes it hard to follow. Ultimately I gave Berserk a higher rating despite my similar feelings about the two series, purely because there's enough Berserk out there to have resolved at least some subplots, whereas Loveless just builds mysteries upon mysteries. These last few volumes feel like we're coming to some sort of conclusion, but it doesn't feel earned, because a lot of the work of constructing the story isn't there. What is Seimei's actual goal? We will probably never know. The individual characters and their backgrounds are compelling, but the plot itself is so deliberately obtuse that the series is less than the sum of its parts.
Final/miscellaneous thoughts: I don't see this series as a "BL manga" in the traditional sense and it definitely isn't a romance, so the way this was marketed back in the day was a bit off. Also all these kids and young teenagers talking so nonchalantly about murder started to weird me out after a while. Everyone who has ever been connected to Septimal Moon needs so much therapy I'm amazed it functions as an organisation.
lyricat's review against another edition
1.0
If I could describe my experience with Loveless in three words, it would be "confused and uncomfortable". Apparently the series is meant to end at 15 volumes (though the 13th was the last volume released and that was in 2017... ) which partially explains why ALL THE PLOT HOOKS still remain unanswered.
I honestly couldn't tell you what Loveless is about. There is the concept of "fighter pairs", connected through a shared name, where one partner is the "sacrifice" who takes the damage and the other partner is the "fighter" who deals the damage through spells. How the magic system works and how people become part of these pairs, I couldn't tell you BECAUSE IT'S NEVER EXPLAINED despite being a huge portion of the world/plot.
The main character (and a large portion of the main cast) are children around the age of 11 and under, and there's no reason for it. The implied romantic relation between Ritsuka (an elementary school student) and Soubi (a college student) made me so uncomfortable!! The cast could have been aged up to adulthood without effecting the story, so the decision to make them children is just???
Also, in this world, people are born with cat ears and a tail, which they lose when they lose their virginity. Why????? What's the reason to make this a thing????
Overall, give this series a hard PASS. The story makes no sense at all, the worldbuilding is vague and leaves you more confused than anything, the relationships depicted will make you uncomfortable, and the characters have as much personality as wet cardboard.
The only positive thing I can say about Loveless is that the art is really nice.
I honestly couldn't tell you what Loveless is about. There is the concept of "fighter pairs", connected through a shared name, where one partner is the "sacrifice" who takes the damage and the other partner is the "fighter" who deals the damage through spells. How the magic system works and how people become part of these pairs, I couldn't tell you BECAUSE IT'S NEVER EXPLAINED despite being a huge portion of the world/plot.
The main character (and a large portion of the main cast) are children around the age of 11 and under, and there's no reason for it. The implied romantic relation between Ritsuka (an elementary school student) and Soubi (a college student) made me so uncomfortable!! The cast could have been aged up to adulthood without effecting the story, so the decision to make them children is just???
Also, in this world, people are born with cat ears and a tail, which they lose when they lose their virginity. Why????? What's the reason to make this a thing????
Overall, give this series a hard PASS. The story makes no sense at all, the worldbuilding is vague and leaves you more confused than anything, the relationships depicted will make you uncomfortable, and the characters have as much personality as wet cardboard.
The only positive thing I can say about Loveless is that the art is really nice.
boxilot's review against another edition
4.0
This is killing me I just want to know how it endssssss
dee2799d's review
4.0
Yun Kouga is finally back after years of hiatus. I had to sit back down and reread all my volumes of Loveless because I've forgotten most of what's happened before and the plot gets really tangled towards the middle.
It's really been a while. I started reading Loveless when I was still at uni and I loved the story back then. There's a lot about the world of Loveless that feels very self-indulgent to the creator: the cat ears that disappear after people have had sex, the fluidity of gender (everyone's super fashionable also), even the relationships the characters have with each other. It might be easy to dismiss the series as silly and shallow, nothing more than an appeal to BL (and GL) fans with its pretty boy aesthetics. And in a way, it is that. Like I said, a lot of Loveless feels self-indulgent.
But at the same time I admire the world building, the battle system that relies on the power of words (like a poetry slam, except with more action), and also Yun Kouga's ability to write kids. This isn't easy and I think a lot of anime and manga fall into the trap of writing young characters as more mature than real life kids. Loveless isn't for a young audience--it explores very adult themes like parental abuse, depression, emotional manipulation, and even rape--but there are very young characters in it. We follow Ritsuka and his friends, who are 12 years old and really not fully equipped to handle the mind games and unpleasantness brought on by adults (although to be fair, Seimei is 17. He sure doesn't act like it). And through all that Kouga still writes her young characters as kids: Ritsuka has gone through much more than a normal 12 year old ever would (and to be honest even some adults), but we see his conflicts in a way that is framed from a child's point of view. He's doing his best, but he's still a child and I think that's why so many other characters feel protective of him.
In volume 13 we see some of the aftermath of Soubi leaving Ritsuka to follow Seimei's orders and a conclusion with Moonless. We also see a bit of Ritsu's past and why Nagisa feels so strongly about him. Ritsuka decides that he needs to face Seimei again. Maybe this time as a challenger.
Looks like the story's going to end soon and I can't wait to see where Kouga will take us. It might take a few more years, but hey we've already waited this long.
In short, I came back to this series wondering if Loveless really is as good as I remember and it is. Meandering and sometimes unpleasant, yes. But definitely as complex and kind to its characters as I thought years ago.
It's really been a while. I started reading Loveless when I was still at uni and I loved the story back then. There's a lot about the world of Loveless that feels very self-indulgent to the creator: the cat ears that disappear after people have had sex, the fluidity of gender (everyone's super fashionable also), even the relationships the characters have with each other. It might be easy to dismiss the series as silly and shallow, nothing more than an appeal to BL (and GL) fans with its pretty boy aesthetics. And in a way, it is that. Like I said, a lot of Loveless feels self-indulgent.
But at the same time I admire the world building, the battle system that relies on the power of words (like a poetry slam, except with more action), and also Yun Kouga's ability to write kids. This isn't easy and I think a lot of anime and manga fall into the trap of writing young characters as more mature than real life kids. Loveless isn't for a young audience--it explores very adult themes like parental abuse, depression, emotional manipulation, and even rape--but there are very young characters in it. We follow Ritsuka and his friends, who are 12 years old and really not fully equipped to handle the mind games and unpleasantness brought on by adults (although to be fair, Seimei is 17. He sure doesn't act like it). And through all that Kouga still writes her young characters as kids: Ritsuka has gone through much more than a normal 12 year old ever would (and to be honest even some adults), but we see his conflicts in a way that is framed from a child's point of view. He's doing his best, but he's still a child and I think that's why so many other characters feel protective of him.
In volume 13 we see some of the aftermath of Soubi leaving Ritsuka to follow Seimei's orders and a conclusion with Moonless. We also see a bit of Ritsu's past and why Nagisa feels so strongly about him. Ritsuka decides that he needs to face Seimei again. Maybe this time as a challenger.
Looks like the story's going to end soon and I can't wait to see where Kouga will take us. It might take a few more years, but hey we've already waited this long.
In short, I came back to this series wondering if Loveless really is as good as I remember and it is. Meandering and sometimes unpleasant, yes. But definitely as complex and kind to its characters as I thought years ago.
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