Anime Loveless [BL]

[Dagger]

Like the thread title says, Loveless is a boys' love (shounen-ai) anime. So consider yourself forewarned.

I really like the Loveless manga (drawn by Kouga Yun, whose most famous work is probably Earthian), so I was naturally delighted when the anime was announced. Right now, two episodes have aired; I think the show is supposed to be twelve episodes in total. It takes place in a world where every child is born with cat features (ears & a tail), only to lose those features when he/she "becomes an adult." Ritsuka, the main character, is a troubled twelve-year-old whose older brother Seimei was recently murdered. After transferring to a new school, he encounters Soubi, a strange blond man who claims to have been his brother's friend.

As a fan of the manga, I'm deeply satisfied (for the time being, at least) with the Loveless anime. The animation is startlingly good, particularly in the battle scenes. The character designs are detailed and stay true to the manga's artwork. And a number of excellent seiyuu (including Junko Minagawa, who plays Ryoma in Prince of Tennis) have gathered to round out the cast.

But I'm most impressed by the show's writing. The manga has a mysterious, complex storyline which can be difficult to understand--yet so far, the anime's writers have managed to distill a lot of information, emotion and plot development into a mere two episodes. I was absolutely floored by the scene in which (episode 2 spoilers) [spoiler]Ritsuka found out that Soubi had been ordered to love him,[/spoiler] even though I already knew what was going to happen. And there aren't many anime which can make me utterly adore a slow-thinking, squeaky-voiced, fanservice-oriented female character... but Yuiko's naive, clumsy kindness steals the show.

More so than any other BL anime to date, I think Loveless has the potential to crossover and find a larger audience. Its action, suspense and unusual visual aesthetic make it stand apart. I strongly encourage those of you who aren't totally squicked by BL to try out a few episodes.

~Dagger~

[JJ]

[Color=DarkBlue]Meh, I don't like bringing back an older thread, but I fear the wrath of the mods. =D

I've downloaded just episode 1 to date, and I'm quickly working on 2.

It's an awesome anime in terms of art. The [spoiler]park in which Soubi and Ritsuka make memories[/spoiler] looked so real. I was amazed. Another interesting thing was in the first scene, they swirl of petals. That was cool.

One thing I don't understand, is why Ritsuka made Soubi promisee to [spoiler]not make a move at him.[/spoiler] Is that something that happens often in that world?

Other than that, I've found another anime to be hooked. And I loke forward to the next couple of episodes.[/color]

[Dagger]

You have no idea how happy it makes me that other people are watching & enjoying this show. Thanks for posting. :catgirl:

[quote name='^.^][Color=DarkBlue]One thing I don't understand, is why Ritsuka made Soubi promisee to [spoiler]not make a move at him.[/spoiler'] Is that something that happens often in that world?[/color][/quote]
Well, you have to admit that Soubi is pretty creepy from the get-go--and despite being a deeply disturbed kid, Ritsuka is far from oblivious. He's also someone who has a lot of difficulty trusting adults. Even when he does appear to like them (as is the case with Shinonome-sensei and his doctor), he still hesitates to confide in them. Ritsuka wanted to become close to Soubi thanks to Soubi's connection with Seimei--and since grasping at that connection to Seimei was & is so important to him, he also wanted to make absolutely certain that Soubi wouldn't do something which might drive him away. At least, I think that's why he asked for the promise: as a form of insurance. Not that [spoiler]it worked out quite the way he hoped, haha.[/spoiler]

I've seen up to episode 5 as of now (I'm planning to watch episode 6 sometime tonight). The show has successfully maintained the high level of quality established in the first couple of episodes. I really like how the director uses small details to flesh out a scene--like (minor spoilers for up to episode 5) [spoiler]how the legs of Ritsu-sensei's butterfly twitched as it died and the way Midori opened his can of soda.[/spoiler]

I'm particularly psyched about the upcoming episodes, because they will introduce the two "Zero" pairings--including a character who is voiced by one of my favorite seiyuu (Mitsuki Saiga) as well as a very cool [spoiler]shoujo-ai[/spoiler] couple. Which brings me to one of my other points: the supporting characters in this series are a real delight. I especially like Yayoi, although Kio also has many fans.

~Dagger~

[JJ]

[Color=DarkBlue]The anime is a quality one, and I can't see why people wouldn't comment, even if they didn't like it.

I have one last question before I go on with the show, is there a reason why leaves and petals are shown so often? Instances in the first espisode only, include the first scene where Seimei was talking to Ritsuka, the park, and the [spoiler]fight scene when Soubi sent Ai and Midori away to where they could slumber.[/spoiler]

Maybe, I'm just reading too deep into it, but it's making me wonder. :animesmil[/color]

[Dagger]

I'm not positive that the leaves and petals have a significance on their own, although they do serve as a way to indicate the season. Based on what I've seen, butterflies are a slightly more prominent motif. However, I can explain why [spoiler]so many leaves appeared during the battle in episode 1. Soubi likes to use objects from the real world in combat, even though the fights apparently take place in a parallel dimension (or something like that). Since the episode 1 battle started in the park, he used leaves.[/spoiler] You'll notice that something similar happens during the fight in episode 2, which takes place in a [spoiler]science lab at Ritsuka's school.[/spoiler]

Soubi's fighting habits are pretty interesting. He also has a fondness for [spoiler]twisting around the enemy's spells to benefit himself and Ritsuka.[/spoiler] That gets demonstrated really nicely in episode 5.

EDIT: I love your new banner & avatar! Potato~!!

~Dagger~

[Ezekiel]

[SIZE=1]I had a Loveless banner and avatar of the lovely Soubi a while back, I believe. I may use it again. In fact, I think I will.

I'm a massive fan of this and so far I have three of the episodes. What totally blew me away was the intro and the music, I just fell in love from the get go.

The only thing that freaks me out is the shounen-ai thing between Ritsuka and Soubi...I'm a big fan of yaoi but it's the age that kinda freaks me out. I guess I'll get used to it as the anime progresses.

I didn't know there was a manga, you have no idea how happy I am to find out that there is, I'll have to look out for it.

One criticism I have of the story is thus: I feel it has moved along too fast. Maybe it's just me.[/SIZE]

[Dagger]

[QUOTE=Delacroix][SIZE=1]I didn't know there was a manga, you have no idea how happy I am to find out that there is, I'll have to look out for it.

One criticism I have of the story is thus: I feel it has moved along too fast. Maybe it's just me.[/SIZE][/QUOTE]Yeah, the manga is wonderful, and its pace is also a good bit slower than that of the anime.

Speaking of the anime, episode 7 really wowed me. The show's background music has been consistently superb (and also contains a lot more variety than that of most other series), but this time around it was even better than usual. I loved the guitar theme that played during Soubi's battle with [spoiler]Natsuo and Youji.[/spoiler]

The exchange between Soubi and Ritsuka, in which Soubi [spoiler]hid his injured hand behind his back and refused to let Ritsuka touch him,[/spoiler] was surprisingly poignant. I like how Ritsuka seems to be growing a little more confident, although I'm not certain that [spoiler]getting used to treating Soubi the way he wants to be treated (as a slave, basically) is the best way to approach things or to improve their relationship. Still, it's the only way he can make Soubi start being more truthful & open, so I suppose he has no choice.[/spoiler]

The end of the episode really startled me with how funny it was, since most of the previous scenes had been quite grave in tone. I was both cringing and laughing when Kio started [spoiler]squabbling with Natsuo & Youji.[/spoiler] Anyway, apparently the [spoiler]shoujo-ai[/spoiler] couple will finally show up in episode 8. I can't wait!

~Dagger~

[Meggido]

I found this one an interesting one. I watched the first 2 eps as a way of reviewing anime for my clubs screenings for next semester. NOTE: I'm a guy!! So this sort of thing doesn't really fly past me as being good. With the exception of the Shounen-ai scenes which made my go EWWW, I actually found this anime to be extremely good. I had my doubts when I had first heard about it on my club forums. So in a weird way I actually want to see the rest of the series.

[eleanor]

[color=darkslateblue] ;) Soubi is pretty.

I was utterly and completely bored, so I just started downloading Loveless tonight. I went in without high expectations or low expectations...I was not really impressed but not dissappointed.

The first thing that ran through my mind was that Ritsuka slightly irritated me, and I felt like killing Yuiko. Seriously, who gets so worked up that they have to stand up and yell at someone and disturb the whole class? And she uses third-person! *kills self* The next thing I noted was that the dialogue was both cheesy and unbelievable. I do not know whether or not they were trying to make Ritsuka's random shouted words part of his character development, but I really didn't like it. Everything he shouts in frustration or anger seems like things Ritsuka would be thinking rather than speaking.

But other than that, the art is nice and the storyline is intriguing. I have only watched up to episode 4, but I hope later on they provide more information about Seimei and Toubi's relationship and such. [/color]

[Dagger]

[quote name='Meggido']So in a weird way I actually want to see the rest of the series.[/quote]
If you stick with it until episode 8, you will be rewarded with some lovely [spoiler]lesbian action.[/spoiler] Now if [I]that[/I] doesn't get straight guys interested in the show, I just don't know what will.

The aforementioned [spoiler]lesbian action[/spoiler] is a big part of the reason that I was so entertained by episode 8. I almost cried from laughter when (all of the following spoilers are pretty minor) [spoiler]Yamato reacted in total shock & disbelief after seeing the size of Yuiko's boobs. Which reminds me--it was so cute how Kouya and Yamato acted jealous of each other's female friends. And of course I was wildly amused by the fact that Kouya opted to wear fake ears (they looked quite realistic!). Let's just say that few things make me happier than anime which are able to incorporate both BL and GL.[/spoiler]

Bring on episode 9. More Zero goodness for all!

~Dagger~

[wux]

Episode 9 was amazing... I'm now itching for the 10th one to come out, is there only going to be 12 or 13 episodes for this series? I can't bear the thought of it ending, but i want Ritsuka to just give into Soubi and be with him... bah a girl will dream....

xxx

[Dagger]

I'm pretty sure there are only supposed to be 12 episodes. Nice banner & avatar, by the way.

Episode 9 was great--but it ended in such an annoying place! I want to know what [spoiler]Kouya did to the other Zero couple, and why performing the spell made her cry (maybe she thought it would have some kind of backlash effect on Yamato--that's all I can come up with). It's really interesting that Kouya is shyer and more emotionally sensitive than Yamato... yet she's the Fighter and Yamato is the Sacrifice. It puts Yamato in a pretty difficult position, since she's forced to be the vulnerable one in battle even though she's actually more confident and level-headed.[/spoiler]

So who do you think [spoiler]the other Loveless[/spoiler] will turn out to be? Personally, I suspect it's [spoiler]Yuiko.[/spoiler] At least, that would make a lot more sense than the other options.

~Dagger~

[wux]

Yeah, i kinda screamed at my comp when it ended there. I was also upset when [spoiler]Soubi's earring got torn out his ear on the episode before and that they recapped it in this episode[/spoiler] i was crying with pain for him because of it.

I think [spoiler]the other loveless will be Soubi as i think his name on his neck will change.[/spoiler]

[Monkey_Orange]

[COLOR=DarkOrange]You know, I will most likely go INSANE once the final episode of Loveless has aired. Why? I just don't think that 12 episodes is enough to cover the entire story. There are still many questions & issues that have yet to have been addressed. Thus, this anime will just serve as a sample to the series :animesigh

Ock! There are still so many things I'd like to find out :animeangr Geez...I simply hate it when stories are left unfinished. :animestun
[/COLOR]

[Dagger]

I want more episodes of this show so desperately that it just may drive me crazy. If you haven't guessed, I finally managed to watch episodes 10 through 12. I still haven't seen the Prologue, though... what is that, an OVA episode or something?

Despite the fact that the series just sort of stops, haha (the final episode title, "Endless," is both annoyingly cutesy and annoying in general--it gives me hope that they'll do a second season or an OVA sequel or whatever), I really absolutely adored the last three episodes. Episode 10 wrapped up Yamato & Kouya's storyline nicely (with a big [spoiler]shoujo-ai[/spoiler] payoff for the straight male fans out there). Episode 11 was sweet and hysterically funny.

And as for episode 12, I don't even know where to start. It's patently obvious that they made it with a continuation in mind--if the existence of said continuation is contingent on DVD sales, I may have to end up having to contribute in some fashion. It's almost torturous; even with its faults, Loveless is by far the best BL series I've seen--and knowing how incredibly good it could become with an additional ten or twelve episodes is going to send me up the wall.

Aside from the fact that it was the final episode, I loved what happened in 12. [spoiler]The revelation about Seimei's message, the dream sequence, the surrealism of it all--everything was executed so perfectly.[/spoiler] I have to confess that I fangirled like nobody's business during the ending scene. *takes a deep breath* Anyway, it was all very moving. And the artwork was stellar. And knowing that this may never be extended (well, apart from in the manga) will haunt me for months. Argh!

~Dagger~

[Meggido]

There are actually rumors going around that there will be a second series due to the nature of the title of the final episode.

[Guest miko]

i have just seen the 12 episode of loveless :animecry: .. and i have heard rumors that is going to be a second season... and it depends on the dvds sales.. i also haerd it was a trick to buy the manga :animeangr
so.. is it true that its gonna be a second season? someone knows?
how many volumes has the manga?
is the manga just getting to the plot and thats why they stopped making the anime? :animeblus

[SubZero Rayz]

[QUOTE=miko]i have just seen the 12 episode of loveless :animecry: .. and i have heard rumors that is going to be a second season... and it depends on the dvds sales.. i also haerd it was a trick to buy the manga :animeangr
so.. is it true that its gonna be a second season? someone knows?
how many volumes has the manga?
is the manga just getting to the plot and thats why they stopped making the anime? :animeblus[/QUOTE]God, I wish I knew the answer to all those questions. I happend to be quite the Loveless fan. All I know is that the manga is 5 volumes in length. You can check them out on this site: [url="http://www.sasugabooks.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=Loveless&x=9&y=9"]http://www.sasugabooks.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=Loveless&x=9&y=9[/url]

[Dagger]

Right now, I'm crossing my fingers that maybe they're planning to wait until the manga is finished or close to finished before announcing a second season. Obviously I'm of the school that sooner is better, but this gives me an excuse to continue hoping in case months and months pass by without any word about new Loveless. Yep... :animeswea

In more positive news, Tokyopop holds the license to the Loveless manga (as well as Earthian; apparently they'll be released under different labels, which is kind of interesting).

~Dagger~

[Guest miko]

so nobody knows :animecry: well i guess i´ll have to wait, i hope not too long..
have you seen the prologue?? they give some hope about a second season..
what do you think??

[Hayama]

I love this show so much. The character designs and art in general are awesome. I love the cat ears and the fact that they actually have meaning behind them. They aren't just there. Ritsuka is adorable and Soubi is so enigmatic. I really wish they would tell us more about Seimei because he seems like such an interesting character. I love the spell battles and just the everyday interaction between characters. Of course, I love the relationship that forms between Ritsuka and Soubi. Both of them are very lonely after Seimei's death so they really do need each other.

I REALLY want this to go to a second season because I've finished watching the first and I WANT MORE!

[PaganAngel]

Wow, I was surprised there wasn't already a thread for this.... I love Loveless. My, what an oxymoronic statement. I just love the series's perfect blend of action and romance, of school drama and fantasy battles. It's shounen-ai, but it's by no means over the top. I think it's a near faultless series. Plus, it has cat ears. That's always a plus.

[COLOR=DarkSlateBlue][SIZE=1][INDENT]Actually [B]PaganAngel[/B] there already is a Loveless thread. If you don?t see the topic you want to discuss in the: [URL=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=38208][COLOR=DarkSlateBlue][B]O[U]fficial Threads Directory[/U][/B][/COLOR][/URL] Then like the rules state: Before you post any thread, please perform a forum search on that subject. This way, you can determine whether a thread already exists about the subject you've chosen to discuss. With that in mind I have merged your thread with the existing Loveless thread. ;) ~Aaryanna[/INDENT][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[OMNOMNOMALY]

[FONT=Trebuchet MS][COLOR=Indigo]*laughs* Finally! A Loveless Thread! And what shall we fill the Loveless thread with? Well, love of course! I'm with you, PaganAngel, this series is absolutely brilliant. I loved every bit of it, from start to finished. I laughed with Ritsuka and Soubi, I cried with them, and I gripped the sides of my seat so hard during some parts that my knuckles turned white. This series actually has it all. Cute fluffy love, battles and blood.. It's definitely in my top three favourite series list. And again, that cat ears were a great touch ^__^[/COLOR][/FONT]

[Dagger]

I finished re-watching Loveless recently, thanks to the American release of volume 3. I'm really going to miss the "Ohayou, Loveless-kun!" feature. :catgirl:

Anyway, one of the things that struck me this time through is that episode 11 is arguably the single most important episode in the series. The first time I saw it, it didn't make much of an impression on me--I mean, I thought it was funny and well-constructed, but I was just too eager to see episode 12 to devote much more thought to it.

So as I sat down with my DVD, I was completely surprised by how much episode 11 touched me. It made such a big impression on me that I nearly went and wrote a theO article about its significance (the almighty forces of inertia were more than enough to counteract that particular impulse, however). So much of Ritsuka's character development culminates toward the end of episode 11, when he thinks wonderingly about [spoiler]how much he has come to like everyone.[/spoiler] And the rest of it, of course, is clinched in episode 12.

By the way, CoLoR_Me_EviL... your banner is the shiz.

~Dagger~

[PaganAngel]

[quote]Actually PaganAngel there already is a Loveless thread. If you don?t see the topic you want to discuss in the: Official Threads Directory Then like the rules state: Before you post any thread, please perform a forum search on that subject. This way, you can determine whether a thread already exists about the subject you've chosen to discuss. With that in mind I have merged your thread with the existing Loveless thread. ~Aaryanna[/quote]

Oops. Checked the Directory, forgot to do a search. Terribly sorry.

Actually, I only saw a few episodes of the anime; I'm more closely following the manga. I always seem to be a bigger fan of the manga than the anime. But I do think that the battle scenes flow better in the anime.