Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
I'm so torn with this manga. I love the storyline with the magic and the fighting and the need to couple for fighting. But I had issues with a 12 year old protagonist and I'm not fond of the way to story progresses. There's a lot to like about this manga, and a lot to dislike too.
adventurous
dark
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a dark series. It does not explicitly come out and discuss the many themes that are prevalent until much later in the series but from the get-go you can tell the many dark situations these characters are going to face. To date the series is still not done and has dealt with various hiatus due to the author's poor health and other issues.
That said, while this story does deal with a character who experiences being loveless and the trauma of his home life the story really focuses on Ritsuka trying to find answers on who killed his beloved older brother while also dealing with amnesia to his own past. Thus enters Soubi who says his older brother made him promise to protect Ritsuka with his life.
Add in a mysterious organization, magic battles controlled between bound pairs who share the same name, human experimentation, the power of words, and a lot of triggering elements that will be listed below -this is a heartfelt, deep, and often times dark series where the innocent are so often the victims.
Also, when you become an adult *wink*wink* you lose your cat ears. That is an important fact to remember later on in the series. And, lastly -please note that all the content warnings below apply to the series overall and don't all involve the main characters but they will occur (sometimes on screen and sometimes off).
Merry, meet!
That said, while this story does deal with a character who experiences being loveless and the trauma of his home life the story really focuses on Ritsuka trying to find answers on who killed his beloved older brother while also dealing with amnesia to his own past. Thus enters Soubi who says his older brother made him promise to protect Ritsuka with his life.
Add in a mysterious organization, magic battles controlled between bound pairs who share the same name, human experimentation, the power of words, and a lot of triggering elements that will be listed below -this is a heartfelt, deep, and often times dark series where the innocent are so often the victims.
Also, when you become an adult *wink*wink* you lose your cat ears. That is an important fact to remember later on in the series. And, lastly -please note that all the content warnings below apply to the series overall and don't all involve the main characters but they will occur (sometimes on screen and sometimes off).
Merry, meet!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Child death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship
Yun Kouga, Loveless, vol. 1 (Tokyopop, 2002)
Every time I start a new manga series and am put off by the first book, I end up giving it three stars and saying I'm going to read another few volumes to see if it catches me. I don't think this has actually happened yet. Maybe I'm too cautious. But I just looked at the rating I gave this when I finished it a few days ago (I let things simmer a bit before doing the actual writing), and what a surprise, there's a “3” in the rating column on the spreadsheet. And yes, I was put off by this, though not for the reasons I usually am with manga that don't grab me from page one. The characters are well-delineated, and I understand who they all are (the #1 complaint I have with some manga is that all the characters look alike). Plot is still nonexistent at this point, but that's never been a problem for me. I'm being cautious with this one because I honestly have no idea where this thing is going to go. So unlike some, I think this one actually does warrant reading a few more volumes before I toss it.
In any case, Loveless is the story of Aoyagi Ritsuka, who as we open is a transfer student at a new school. He's standoffish from the start, though the persistence of his perky-sidekick classmate Yuiko begins to win him over eventually. We know very little of Ritsuka's past, but we learn that he had an older brother, Seimei, who is now dead. (While I would consider the revelation that Seimei was murdered to be a major spoiler, it's mentioned both in the jacket copy and in the wikipedia entry for the series, so I'm filing it under “common knowledge” despite it being the crux of one chapter.) Ritsuka meets Soubi, a friend of Seimei's and finds out that not only did Seimei have a secret life, but that Ritsuka himself is supposed to be initiated into that same life, with Soubi as his partner as he was Seimei's. It has something to do with fighting, and magic, but at this point we have no idea what. And the big boss is still in the shadows, not revealing himself.
There's a lot of potential here, though, so I'll keep going and see if things become clearer. ***
Every time I start a new manga series and am put off by the first book, I end up giving it three stars and saying I'm going to read another few volumes to see if it catches me. I don't think this has actually happened yet. Maybe I'm too cautious. But I just looked at the rating I gave this when I finished it a few days ago (I let things simmer a bit before doing the actual writing), and what a surprise, there's a “3” in the rating column on the spreadsheet. And yes, I was put off by this, though not for the reasons I usually am with manga that don't grab me from page one. The characters are well-delineated, and I understand who they all are (the #1 complaint I have with some manga is that all the characters look alike). Plot is still nonexistent at this point, but that's never been a problem for me. I'm being cautious with this one because I honestly have no idea where this thing is going to go. So unlike some, I think this one actually does warrant reading a few more volumes before I toss it.
In any case, Loveless is the story of Aoyagi Ritsuka, who as we open is a transfer student at a new school. He's standoffish from the start, though the persistence of his perky-sidekick classmate Yuiko begins to win him over eventually. We know very little of Ritsuka's past, but we learn that he had an older brother, Seimei, who is now dead. (While I would consider the revelation that Seimei was murdered to be a major spoiler, it's mentioned both in the jacket copy and in the wikipedia entry for the series, so I'm filing it under “common knowledge” despite it being the crux of one chapter.) Ritsuka meets Soubi, a friend of Seimei's and finds out that not only did Seimei have a secret life, but that Ritsuka himself is supposed to be initiated into that same life, with Soubi as his partner as he was Seimei's. It has something to do with fighting, and magic, but at this point we have no idea what. And the big boss is still in the shadows, not revealing himself.
There's a lot of potential here, though, so I'll keep going and see if things become clearer. ***
Beautiful art and a captivating story. I don't need anything else.