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seawarrior's review
tense
2.0
While the magical underground fighting plot for this manga is intriguing, the romance elements are incredibly disturbing. The younger boy is stated to be eleven, while the older boy is stated to be twenty. I have a difficult time understanding how this series has been so popular for two decades in spite of the shameless way the creator approaches their relationship.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Child abuse, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Pedophilia
stingraemusic's review against another edition
Not super into it and really theres 4 omnibus books and not just the one like I had thought cuz I had only ever seen the 1 in store.
heyjudy's review against another edition
5.0
~4.5/5
[Read more at my blog, Geeky Reading!]
This volume got me. It got me so hard, too.
I was enjoying this series a lot, it was good, but I wasn’t obsessed or anything. But now I am. It was in volume six, mostly, where it suddenly hit me and now I’m just gone. I need the next one, like, last week.
Ritsuka is such a sweetheart and he’s really patient, and he’s really trying with everything he’s been given. With his mother, particularly, who is kind of horrible. With Soubi, who isn’t telling him enough. And with what happened to his brother. I understand him, and I feel for him, bad.
There are a lot of other characters, too, that I really like. Particularly Natsuo and Yuoji, the two who were staying with Soubi. I like them a lot, and I like their interactions with Soubi and Ritsuka. Which means that I really don’t like what’s going on with them, although I have hope that it’s not going to last.
Then there’s Soubi. Who’s the one that got to me this volume. He’s never really seemed like a submissive to me, although I was starting to get it, and then it just clicked in volume six. And now I get it. And I understand. Cause there was this big scene with him and some other people and then him and Ritsuka in this book, and it kind of made me want to cry a little. Because I feel so bad for him. And I love him now. It was so sudden, but I do.
Then there’s this whole plot with Seimei, and I had no idea! I was totally in agreement with Ritsuka, believing in him completely, but we were wrong! I mean, I had a clue, because it was suggested, and of course that would make everything more interesting. But I wasn’t expecting this! I can’t believe it! It leaves so many more questions!
Everything is getting so much more interesting now and I can’t believe it. And now I’m really craving the next book, damnit.
[Read more at my blog, Geeky Reading!]
This volume got me. It got me so hard, too.
I was enjoying this series a lot, it was good, but I wasn’t obsessed or anything. But now I am. It was in volume six, mostly, where it suddenly hit me and now I’m just gone. I need the next one, like, last week.
Ritsuka is such a sweetheart and he’s really patient, and he’s really trying with everything he’s been given. With his mother, particularly, who is kind of horrible. With Soubi, who isn’t telling him enough. And with what happened to his brother. I understand him, and I feel for him, bad.
There are a lot of other characters, too, that I really like. Particularly Natsuo and Yuoji, the two who were staying with Soubi. I like them a lot, and I like their interactions with Soubi and Ritsuka. Which means that I really don’t like what’s going on with them, although I have hope that it’s not going to last.
Then there’s Soubi. Who’s the one that got to me this volume. He’s never really seemed like a submissive to me, although I was starting to get it, and then it just clicked in volume six. And now I get it. And I understand. Cause there was this big scene with him and some other people and then him and Ritsuka in this book, and it kind of made me want to cry a little. Because I feel so bad for him. And I love him now. It was so sudden, but I do.
Then there’s this whole plot with Seimei, and I had no idea! I was totally in agreement with Ritsuka, believing in him completely, but we were wrong! I mean, I had a clue, because it was suggested, and of course that would make everything more interesting. But I wasn’t expecting this! I can’t believe it! It leaves so many more questions!
Everything is getting so much more interesting now and I can’t believe it. And now I’m really craving the next book, damnit.
heyjudy's review against another edition
4.0
~4/5
[Read more at my blog, Geeky Reading!]
I am really, really enjoying this series. I remembered this series being good, yaoi-like, but confusing. Now I’m reading it with a more mature mind, with more focus, so it’s a lot less confusing (although there are still some things…).
It’s also a lot better than I remember. For instance, I really like Ritsuka. I feel bad for him for certain things, like his mother, and I understand and sympathize with his confusion, his not knowing what’s happening or what he wants. I really like how he’s dealing with it, and watching him figure things out and try to take charge. I’m looking forward to seeing him grow up more, to mature.
I like Soubi, too. He’s fun, although sometimes frustrating and saddening with what he’s doing with Ritsuka, and what he’s not telling Ritsuka. I feel like there’s more to Soubi, and I want to know what it is.
Then there are other, more minor, characters, and they’re all really good, and really easy to like. I love how the relationships are building, how the plot is forming around them. It’s really enjoyable to read.
On that note, I am still unsure where the yaoi elements are going. Because they’re quite apparent between Soubi and Ritsuka, but maybe they’re not thinking of them quite like that, or something? I don’t know, I feel like I’m missing something there. Then there’s the age different, which I guess isn’t as big as it seems. Ritsuka is younger than he looks, and Soubi is a lot younger than he looks, and that just messes me up. Ritsuka looks like he should be sixteen, maybe, and Soubi like twenty-five, maybe, and yet they’re twelve and, I think, (around) seventeen. It messes me up every time I remember.
Then there’s the whole game and spell-fighting thing, which is a confusing blob that is slowly starting to make sense. A good amount was explained here, but I’m still not sure of the logistics, or the reason for why. Or how they can fight and then be amicable afterward. It’s just not clicking with me yet, but I hope it will soon.
I’m loving the buildup of everything, though. Seeing the characters develop and grow, watching the plot expand and reveal itself, and I’m definitely looking forward to reading more, to figuring more out.
Also, as a sidenote: I love the nice, big, color-paged editions of this book. They’re just so pretty, the color-pages are so nice. I don’t have many big, colored editions of books, so I like looking at these ones.
[Read more at my blog, Geeky Reading!]
I am really, really enjoying this series. I remembered this series being good, yaoi-like, but confusing. Now I’m reading it with a more mature mind, with more focus, so it’s a lot less confusing (although there are still some things…).
It’s also a lot better than I remember. For instance, I really like Ritsuka. I feel bad for him for certain things, like his mother, and I understand and sympathize with his confusion, his not knowing what’s happening or what he wants. I really like how he’s dealing with it, and watching him figure things out and try to take charge. I’m looking forward to seeing him grow up more, to mature.
I like Soubi, too. He’s fun, although sometimes frustrating and saddening with what he’s doing with Ritsuka, and what he’s not telling Ritsuka. I feel like there’s more to Soubi, and I want to know what it is.
Then there are other, more minor, characters, and they’re all really good, and really easy to like. I love how the relationships are building, how the plot is forming around them. It’s really enjoyable to read.
On that note, I am still unsure where the yaoi elements are going. Because they’re quite apparent between Soubi and Ritsuka, but maybe they’re not thinking of them quite like that, or something? I don’t know, I feel like I’m missing something there. Then there’s the age different, which I guess isn’t as big as it seems. Ritsuka is younger than he looks, and Soubi is a lot younger than he looks, and that just messes me up. Ritsuka looks like he should be sixteen, maybe, and Soubi like twenty-five, maybe, and yet they’re twelve and, I think, (around) seventeen. It messes me up every time I remember.
Then there’s the whole game and spell-fighting thing, which is a confusing blob that is slowly starting to make sense. A good amount was explained here, but I’m still not sure of the logistics, or the reason for why. Or how they can fight and then be amicable afterward. It’s just not clicking with me yet, but I hope it will soon.
I’m loving the buildup of everything, though. Seeing the characters develop and grow, watching the plot expand and reveal itself, and I’m definitely looking forward to reading more, to figuring more out.
Also, as a sidenote: I love the nice, big, color-paged editions of this book. They’re just so pretty, the color-pages are so nice. I don’t have many big, colored editions of books, so I like looking at these ones.
bopancakes's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
louandlife's review against another edition
3.0
This review will be full of spoilers. Summary of review: incredibly problematic with a romance between an 11 year old boy and a 20 year old adult man, and domestic abuse of an 11 year old boy. Yet it does have a good storyline and world which makes it hard for me to decide how to rate this book and if I will continue on with the series.
My conflict comes from the fact that I did enjoy the plot, and I think the world is incredibly unique and I love Ritsuka's friendships. What's hard for me is to judge not only what to give it because if I were to take out the problematic aspects, I would have really enjoyed the book, but also if I want to continue on with the series. I do want to continue reading the series to find out what happens but I am also worried that the series will become even more problematic in the later volumes. I won't unhaul the books for now, and in the future I will see if I want to continue once my feelings have settled. I wouldn't recommend this series though.
Spoiler
This manga is one of the weirdest things I've read... and probably one of the most problematic but I also find it intriguing and I think I may end up buying the rest of the series to see what will happen... but then there is sort of like an inner war with myself because of the problematic aspects of this book. This book is problematic because the book focuses on the relationship between a 10-11 year old boy (the book states Ritsuka is in the 6th grade), and a 20 year old adult male. I felt very creeped out when the characters kissed and when there were hints at erotic things because I'm like... he's a child... And What I think makes it worse is the fact that Soubi (the 20 year old) used to be a fighter for Ritsuka's older brother. In this world you have fighters and sacrifices. Fighters fight and sacrifices take all the damage inflicted on the pair. If you're a fighter, you also end up being in a servant-like role to the sacrifice. Ritsuka is a sacrifice which is makes it so weird. Before Ritsuka's older brother is murdered, Soubi gets commanded to look after Ritsuka after he dies. Soubi does this, but he's also always declaring his love and wanting kisses from Ritsuka. It's very weird. On top of this Ritsuka is being domestically abused by his mother as Ritsuka suffers from a form of amnesia and he can only remember like the past two years of his life, and his mother cannot come to terms with that and so takes it out on Ritsuka. In addition, because Ritsuka's older brother is no longer alive, no one is there to stop Ritsuka's beatings.My conflict comes from the fact that I did enjoy the plot, and I think the world is incredibly unique and I love Ritsuka's friendships. What's hard for me is to judge not only what to give it because if I were to take out the problematic aspects, I would have really enjoyed the book, but also if I want to continue on with the series. I do want to continue reading the series to find out what happens but I am also worried that the series will become even more problematic in the later volumes. I won't unhaul the books for now, and in the future I will see if I want to continue once my feelings have settled. I wouldn't recommend this series though.
roxanamalinachirila's review against another edition
4.0
This is the second time I started reading "Loveless" (and incidentally, the second time I write this review, because Goodreads ate the first version). The first time, I was really confused by the art - there were things like the main character's hair being drawn alternately light and dark on the same page, and that sort of thing. Now, maybe due to familiarity, I'm fine with that.
"Loveless" is a really weird manga even so - and it's the sort of story that can only come from Japan, where you can pretty much assume that if you write about the quasi-romantic relationship between a 12 year-old and a 21 year-old, your readership will be pretty much fine with that and you can build up the weird from there.
So. Ritsuka is a 12 year-old who can't remember anything about his life prior to the age of 10. For some unknown reason, 2 years before the start of the manga, he changed from an outgoing, happy kid with average grades, to an academically brilliant but cold and aloof kid.
His mother went a bit insane because of this, often reproaching Ritsuka for not being himself and hurting him because of it.
And not long before the manga starts, Ritsuka's brother, Seimei, is murdered and his corpse is left in Ritsuka's seat at school, causing him to transfer.
When the manga starts, 21 year-old Soubi appears and tells Ritsuka that he's been sent by Seimei to love Ritsuka and be his fighter - and it's interesting that, despite all the psychological clusterfuck this series has going on in the background, it's still written like a fight-happy story for middle school kids (or a boy's love manga, I assume, or both), with the emphasis on fighting and figuring out who killed Seimei, rather than the darker themes.
It's a strange one, that's for sure.
"Loveless" is a really weird manga even so - and it's the sort of story that can only come from Japan, where you can pretty much assume that if you write about the quasi-romantic relationship between a 12 year-old and a 21 year-old, your readership will be pretty much fine with that and you can build up the weird from there.
So. Ritsuka is a 12 year-old who can't remember anything about his life prior to the age of 10. For some unknown reason, 2 years before the start of the manga, he changed from an outgoing, happy kid with average grades, to an academically brilliant but cold and aloof kid.
His mother went a bit insane because of this, often reproaching Ritsuka for not being himself and hurting him because of it.
And not long before the manga starts, Ritsuka's brother, Seimei, is murdered and his corpse is left in Ritsuka's seat at school, causing him to transfer.
When the manga starts, 21 year-old Soubi appears and tells Ritsuka that he's been sent by Seimei to love Ritsuka and be his fighter - and it's interesting that, despite all the psychological clusterfuck this series has going on in the background, it's still written like a fight-happy story for middle school kids (or a boy's love manga, I assume, or both), with the emphasis on fighting and figuring out who killed Seimei, rather than the darker themes.
It's a strange one, that's for sure.
roxanamalinachirila's review against another edition
3.0
The weirdness continues! The series keeps on using the tropes of teenage action manga, complete with magic battles that nobody else seems to notice, while in the background everything is a mindfuck.
Have I mentioned that, in this world, kids have ears and tails which they lose when they first have sex? And people without tails and ears are seen as adults, creating an odd situation for people like Ritsuka's teacher, who's obviously still a virgin at 23 and is still seen partly as a kid? Yeah. It feels... uncomfortable to think about it, to say the least.
While neither the magic system, nor the world are explained (at least, not yet), some things are hinted at. As I mentioned in the review for the first "Loveless" omnibus volume, people fight in pairs in this universe. Half of the pair is the fighter, who wields magic through words, and the other half is the sacrifice, who gives the orders and bears the brunt of the enemy's attack, feeling the pain and the restriction inflicted. People don't get to choose who they pair up with - it's destiny, and destiny writes the name that both members of the team will bear somewhere on their bodies. For example, Soubi, the main character's fighter, has the name "Beloved" written on his neck.
Ritsuka, the main character, bears the name "Loveless" - although it doesn't seem to be written on him yet. He's a sacrifice, but he has no fighter - until Soubi shows up as a sort of gift from Ritsuka's brother, Seimei.
At this point, we have no idea how fighters learn to fight - there seems to be a school of fighting somewhere, which Soubi attended, but we don't know much about it other than that his teacher was a complete psycho who whipped him in order to teach him to withstand pain (and maybe worse).
Also, there's an organization called "Septimal Moon" which is made up of people who are into this fighting thing - one of them seems to be doing genetic experiments to create stronger pairs. She's manipulated genes to create individuals who can feel neither pain, nor temperature and who can therefore fight without wavering until their bodies collapse. Their names are always "Zero", and thus half a pair can be replaced if the other dies.
In this volume, two pairs of Zeroes come to attack Soubi (and Ritsuka, perhaps) - one is a pair of young brats, one of whom loves causing pain (perhaps because he can't feel it) and who don't seem very experienced. The other is a pair of seasoned warriors, two young women in love (who no longer have their ears and tails) and who would do anything for each other, even if their creator treats them like objects, rather than people.
It's sweet and twisted and messed up and probably not everyone's cup of tea.
Have I mentioned that, in this world, kids have ears and tails which they lose when they first have sex? And people without tails and ears are seen as adults, creating an odd situation for people like Ritsuka's teacher, who's obviously still a virgin at 23 and is still seen partly as a kid? Yeah. It feels... uncomfortable to think about it, to say the least.
While neither the magic system, nor the world are explained (at least, not yet), some things are hinted at. As I mentioned in the review for the first "Loveless" omnibus volume, people fight in pairs in this universe. Half of the pair is the fighter, who wields magic through words, and the other half is the sacrifice, who gives the orders and bears the brunt of the enemy's attack, feeling the pain and the restriction inflicted. People don't get to choose who they pair up with - it's destiny, and destiny writes the name that both members of the team will bear somewhere on their bodies. For example, Soubi, the main character's fighter, has the name "Beloved" written on his neck.
Ritsuka, the main character, bears the name "Loveless" - although it doesn't seem to be written on him yet. He's a sacrifice, but he has no fighter - until Soubi shows up as a sort of gift from Ritsuka's brother, Seimei.
At this point, we have no idea how fighters learn to fight - there seems to be a school of fighting somewhere, which Soubi attended, but we don't know much about it other than that his teacher was a complete psycho who whipped him in order to teach him to withstand pain (and maybe worse).
Also, there's an organization called "Septimal Moon" which is made up of people who are into this fighting thing - one of them seems to be doing genetic experiments to create stronger pairs. She's manipulated genes to create individuals who can feel neither pain, nor temperature and who can therefore fight without wavering until their bodies collapse. Their names are always "Zero", and thus half a pair can be replaced if the other dies.
In this volume, two pairs of Zeroes come to attack Soubi (and Ritsuka, perhaps) - one is a pair of young brats, one of whom loves causing pain (perhaps because he can't feel it) and who don't seem very experienced. The other is a pair of seasoned warriors, two young women in love (who no longer have their ears and tails) and who would do anything for each other, even if their creator treats them like objects, rather than people.
It's sweet and twisted and messed up and probably not everyone's cup of tea.
roxanamalinachirila's review against another edition
4.0
This is good stuff, for a given value of "good". I mean, I'm enjoying it, but it's probably not everyone's cup of tea. There's a helluva lot of psycho in this series - and more of it shows up here.
Ritsuka's brother Seimei got killed not long before the beginning of the manga series, and Ritsuka's been looking for the murderer all along. However, while he remembers a wonderful, loving older brother who was always with him, who supported him and who spent a lot of time with him, everyone else seems to have a different memory of Seimei - a cold person, aloof, who disliked being touched and who was just weird.
And somebody takes the opportunity of Ritsuka being out of the house to mess up his mother even more and tell her to kill Ritsuka so her dead son can finally come home.
This series is a mess and I love it.
Ritsuka's brother Seimei got killed not long before the beginning of the manga series, and Ritsuka's been looking for the murderer all along. However, while he remembers a wonderful, loving older brother who was always with him, who supported him and who spent a lot of time with him, everyone else seems to have a different memory of Seimei - a cold person, aloof, who disliked being touched and who was just weird.
And somebody takes the opportunity of Ritsuka being out of the house to mess up his mother even more and tell her to kill Ritsuka so her dead son can finally come home.
This series is a mess and I love it.
esw's review against another edition
I am so disappointed. I had three volumes on my shelf for years thinking this was a good series once I'd get around to it. Picked it up just now and...no. This is so incredibly problematic that I at least have a little more respect for Black Butler because at least Sebastian and Ciel weren't official canon meanwhile random ass stranger adult man is making out with 12 year old kemonomimi by page 10. This is grooming: the manga. Main guy isn't even likeable in the first few pages because he's just a dick to people around him for no reason and I'm supposed to root for him? Maybe when I was 12 I might have liked this but no, its aged terribly and I'm an adult enough now to say this ain't it.
At least I have space now for more better written manga on my shelf now.
At least I have space now for more better written manga on my shelf now.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship