[rec] manga - shounen ai / mystery
Quickly becoming my all-time favorite, this thought-provoking manga has only intrigued me more with every volume I read, drawing me deeper into the mystery, suspense, and complexity of the LOVELESS universe.
Never a light or fluffy read, LOVELESS still manages to charm me with its moments of humor and sweet sincerity, while on the next page tearing out my heart and making me ache empathetically with the characters. Sometimes cute, sometimes horrifying, LOVELESS is nevertheless always intriguing, and continues to hold my attention through every beautifully-sketched panel.
LOVELESS
Genre: Manga ; fantasy, mystery, (romance?)
Website: Yurusu.net -fansite- ; raburesu
Mangaka: Yun Kouga
Plot Synposis: On his first day at his new school, 12-year old Ritsuka Aoyagi meets a mysterious 20-year old man named Soubi Agatsuma. He claims to be a good friend of Ritsuka's older brother, Seimei, who was recently murdered, and that the suspicious organization Sepitmal Moon may be responsible for his death. As Ritsuka quickly finds out, Seimei and Soubi acted as a pair involved in spell battles. Now Soubi is Ritsuka's fighter, and Ritsuka is his 'sacrifice'. Together, they challenge Septimal Moon to find out the truth behind Seimei's death and the reason for Ritsuka's amnesia...
source: Loveless Wikipedia entry (contains many spoilers!)
*The first volume was published in Japan in 2002, and it is still ongoing, consisting of 7 volumes to date. Tokyopop holds the American license and has so far released up to volume 5 in the U.S. (Their english translation is actually quite good, so I would definitely recommend purchasing the books rather than just settling for reading the fanmade scanlations.)
Review: The most immediately striking aspect of the Loveless world is that the younger characters are kemonomimi. This means that they are born with cat ears and tail, which they will lose when they attain 'adulthood', and from that point look like regular humans. (It's heavily implied that some sort of sexual experience is necessary to becoming an adult, making the cat-ears a symbol for virginity and innocence/naivety.)
The magical battling system in this manga drives the plot and much of the underlying subtext in a major way. Skirmishes traditionally occur between two pairs, each pair consisting of one Fighter, who cast spells with their words, and the Sacrifice, who receives the brunt of the damage inflicted by the opposition. Fighters and sacrifices are united by their special name. The origin of the naming remains a mystery, but it's something given even before birth-- whether it's destiny which decides, or Septimal Moon, or some other power has yet to be revealed. Seimei and Soubi were together known as the 'Beloved' pair; while Ritsuka's unfortunate true name is 'Loveless'. This symmetry is just one example of many that occur throughout the series.
In Ritsuka's world, duality exists in all things-- the sharp distinction between adults and children, between fighters and sacrifices, and most especially between what he perceives as "the two Ritsuka's"-- the boy he is now, and the boy he was before he lost his memory at age ten. One of Ritsuka's endearing quirks is his obsession with "making memories"-- he takes photographs with just about everyone he meets, as he is convinced they'll someday forget him; when the "true" Ritsuka returns, he feels it's his fate to disappear into nothing.
Another important duality lies in Seimei, the loving older brother who Ritsuka idolized; but as it turns out had many secrets, some of them very dark indeed. Trust and belief are critical issues in Ritsuka's world, but are difficult for him because he sees from such a black and white perspective-- things are either right or wrong, lies or truth. This also makes it difficult for him to understand Soubi, whose entire purpose as a fighter is manipulating words for protection and advantage. Many readers and characters in the story itself label Soubi as a masochist. He is extremely contradictory, and says conflicting things on pain and control, making his true feelings unclear. Soubi's inability to disclose the truth on certain subjects is also an incredible source of frustration for Ritsuka, who desires nothing more in the world than the whole and honest truth.
----
I first was introduced to LOVELESS when I watched the anime a few years back. It was short, only 12 episodes, and at the time--though I really enjoyed the series-- I was confused by many of the plot points and relationships and open-ended questions that didn't get resolved. When Tokyopop released the first volume I bought it immediately, suspecting (rightly) that the plot in the manga would have more depth to it. I fell in love with the series all over again-- with Ritsuka and his courage in seeking out answers, no matter how painful; and with his yearning for love and acceptance, even as he pushes it away and mistrusts it.
I also fell in love with the beautiful artwork and gorgeous storytelling of the series, the way secrets are revealed in glimmers and hints, the author allowing for the intelligence of the reader to pick up subtle cues and subtext (and not just bashing their readers over the head with it, the way some do).
Warnings and Possible Squicks:
+ child abuse, verbal and physical
+ implied teacher/student
+ mildly implied / ambiguous or uncertain siblingcest
+ lolita-shota ; i.e. sexually ambiguous exchanges between
Ritsuka (12) and Soubi (20). (Nothing over PG-13--
I love this series, and shota normally puts me off.)
LOVELESS Scanlations
http://ob-session.org/
You have to register in the forum, it's free.
Volumes 1- 6 , partial 7
LOVELESS Tokyopop
http://www.tokyopop.com/
Product info: Volumes 1 - 5
Never a light or fluffy read, LOVELESS still manages to charm me with its moments of humor and sweet sincerity, while on the next page tearing out my heart and making me ache empathetically with the characters. Sometimes cute, sometimes horrifying, LOVELESS is nevertheless always intriguing, and continues to hold my attention through every beautifully-sketched panel.
LOVELESS
Genre: Manga ; fantasy, mystery, (romance?)
Website: Yurusu.net -fansite- ; raburesu
Mangaka: Yun Kouga
Plot Synposis: On his first day at his new school, 12-year old Ritsuka Aoyagi meets a mysterious 20-year old man named Soubi Agatsuma. He claims to be a good friend of Ritsuka's older brother, Seimei, who was recently murdered, and that the suspicious organization Sepitmal Moon may be responsible for his death. As Ritsuka quickly finds out, Seimei and Soubi acted as a pair involved in spell battles. Now Soubi is Ritsuka's fighter, and Ritsuka is his 'sacrifice'. Together, they challenge Septimal Moon to find out the truth behind Seimei's death and the reason for Ritsuka's amnesia...
source: Loveless Wikipedia entry (contains many spoilers!)
*The first volume was published in Japan in 2002, and it is still ongoing, consisting of 7 volumes to date. Tokyopop holds the American license and has so far released up to volume 5 in the U.S. (Their english translation is actually quite good, so I would definitely recommend purchasing the books rather than just settling for reading the fanmade scanlations.)
Review: The most immediately striking aspect of the Loveless world is that the younger characters are kemonomimi. This means that they are born with cat ears and tail, which they will lose when they attain 'adulthood', and from that point look like regular humans. (It's heavily implied that some sort of sexual experience is necessary to becoming an adult, making the cat-ears a symbol for virginity and innocence/naivety.)
The magical battling system in this manga drives the plot and much of the underlying subtext in a major way. Skirmishes traditionally occur between two pairs, each pair consisting of one Fighter, who cast spells with their words, and the Sacrifice, who receives the brunt of the damage inflicted by the opposition. Fighters and sacrifices are united by their special name. The origin of the naming remains a mystery, but it's something given even before birth-- whether it's destiny which decides, or Septimal Moon, or some other power has yet to be revealed. Seimei and Soubi were together known as the 'Beloved' pair; while Ritsuka's unfortunate true name is 'Loveless'. This symmetry is just one example of many that occur throughout the series.
In Ritsuka's world, duality exists in all things-- the sharp distinction between adults and children, between fighters and sacrifices, and most especially between what he perceives as "the two Ritsuka's"-- the boy he is now, and the boy he was before he lost his memory at age ten. One of Ritsuka's endearing quirks is his obsession with "making memories"-- he takes photographs with just about everyone he meets, as he is convinced they'll someday forget him; when the "true" Ritsuka returns, he feels it's his fate to disappear into nothing.
Another important duality lies in Seimei, the loving older brother who Ritsuka idolized; but as it turns out had many secrets, some of them very dark indeed. Trust and belief are critical issues in Ritsuka's world, but are difficult for him because he sees from such a black and white perspective-- things are either right or wrong, lies or truth. This also makes it difficult for him to understand Soubi, whose entire purpose as a fighter is manipulating words for protection and advantage. Many readers and characters in the story itself label Soubi as a masochist. He is extremely contradictory, and says conflicting things on pain and control, making his true feelings unclear. Soubi's inability to disclose the truth on certain subjects is also an incredible source of frustration for Ritsuka, who desires nothing more in the world than the whole and honest truth.
----
I first was introduced to LOVELESS when I watched the anime a few years back. It was short, only 12 episodes, and at the time--though I really enjoyed the series-- I was confused by many of the plot points and relationships and open-ended questions that didn't get resolved. When Tokyopop released the first volume I bought it immediately, suspecting (rightly) that the plot in the manga would have more depth to it. I fell in love with the series all over again-- with Ritsuka and his courage in seeking out answers, no matter how painful; and with his yearning for love and acceptance, even as he pushes it away and mistrusts it.
I also fell in love with the beautiful artwork and gorgeous storytelling of the series, the way secrets are revealed in glimmers and hints, the author allowing for the intelligence of the reader to pick up subtle cues and subtext (and not just bashing their readers over the head with it, the way some do).
Warnings and Possible Squicks:
+ child abuse, verbal and physical
+ implied teacher/student
+ mildly implied / ambiguous or uncertain siblingcest
+ lolita-shota ; i.e. sexually ambiguous exchanges between
Ritsuka (12) and Soubi (20). (Nothing over PG-13--
I love this series, and shota normally puts me off.)
LOVELESS Scanlations
http://ob-session.org/
You have to register in the forum, it's free.
Volumes 1- 6 , partial 7
LOVELESS Tokyopop
http://www.tokyopop.com/
Product info: Volumes 1 - 5