Scan barcode
A review by sanamun
Loveless, Volume 13 by Yun Kouga
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.