Manga Loveless manga, truly without love? Any fans? Any gripes?

[chou kuro]

Loveless, by Yun Kouga, is currently my very favorite manga! It's a story about a young boy, Ritsuka, and a bunch of other stuff that's a little complicated to explaining (if you read the manga, you know what I mean!). His brother was killed by a secret organization, and his brother's adult friend, Soubi, is hanging around Ritsuka. Ritsuka himself wants to avenge his brother's murder, but doesn't know where to start until Soubi shows up. I originally started reading it because of the cat ears on the people:catgirl: (I love kitty people!), and I liked the explaination of why they have them. In this universe, you have cat ears and a tail until you become an "adult" [SPOILER] through the normal process, losing your virginity [/SPOILER]. It has a very interesting plot with complex ideas and characters.

Warning, this is a boys love manga (some homosexuality), so if that bugs you, then don't read it. But hopefully that won't stop you from reading it, because it is a well written, beautifully drawn manga!

Anyway, I just wanted to say that this is a great manga that you should read, and if you have already, then what do you like/ dislike about it. For me, that would be

Like::catgirl:
+the complex characters, such as Soubi and Yuiko.
+the awesome and beautiful drawings
+the interesting and involved plot, with wonderfully realistic elements (including [spoiler] Ritsuka's mental illness, his abusive mother, his relationship with Soubi, his relationship with Yuiko, his fight against Septimal Moon, and his desire to avenge his brother's murder[/SPOILER] etc.)
+the fact that book two recently came out!!! (definitely something to like!)

Dislike::animeangr
-the wait for book three! (ok, not connected to the manga, but still a dislike!!!)
-actually, I can't think of any more dislikes. ummm, sometimes the word bubbles are a bit confusing (it's hard to tell who says what) and sometimes there are too many word bubbles per panel. not a flaw with the story, but with the translation space.
-the fight scenes are a little confusing, but that happens in manga.

Please give comments on this wonderful manga!!!:D :D :D

[Guest AmandaS]

i really like this series!! yun koga did a really good job drawing the characters. I had read earthain first and i wasnt to happy with the style of art but now i really like it. and i like the story too (of course ^_^)

[Guest nanayuu]

well, the art is VERY good~ but the plot isn't my thing :X~ and about that whole 'Fighting' stuff is a bit strange to me~~ too much supernatural stuff I guess

but the Characters are all very nice so I still continue with this serie ...

[chou kuro]

[quote name='nanayuu']well, the art is VERY good~ but the plot isn't my thing :X~ and about that whole 'Fighting' stuff is a bit strange to me[/quote]
I agree with you at least partly, the fighting is a little strange, and so is the plot, but I do enjoy strange things...so the plot and fighting work for me. I also agree that the characters are great, and the art is wonderful. That's actually how I started reading the series, I saw some of the art of Ritsuka and Soubi and fell in love. Yun is a great artist!:animesmil

[Fyxe]

[size=1][color=slategray]I think the series is fantastic so far. You pair supernatural/paranormal storylines and have manlove in it, hell, you can slap my recommendation on it.

I think Ritsuka is adorable, and I have to agree, Yun Kouga has a lovely style.

So far I've read the first two, and it's very original compared to the other things I usually pick up. I really like the deeper meaning of words throughout the whole series.
As for the fighting thing, I think it's an interesting system. The idea of a "Fighter" unit and "Sacrifice" unit appeals to me. You get more emotion in the battles, because everyone is so connected.

I actually remember being in tears at the end of the first one simply because I enjoyed it so much.
But that's just the kind of person I am.[/color][/size]

[saiyukigod]

the manga Loveless is my recent favorite too- i really enjoy the plot with virgins having cat ears and a tail, the mysterious death of Ritsuka's brother Seimei, Soubi taking Ritsuka under his wing and enemies with names like breathless and zero.....i really love the way the manga is drawn- all the characters are HAWT!!! :animeshy: ....and it's not to bad when Ritsuka and Soubi kiss :catgirl: overall i love the manga loveless!!!! :animesmil

one question- is the Loveless anime only in Japanese? because i found and bought the anime and was surprised to find that it was only in Japanese, is an English version coming out or....just Japanese??

[Dagger]

[QUOTE=saiyukigod]
one question- is the Loveless anime only in Japanese? because i found and bought the anime and was surprised to find that it was only in Japanese, is an English version coming out or....just Japanese??[/QUOTE]
The American DVDs are sub-only; apparently Media Blasters didn't think that the potential audience was large enough to justify ponying up for a dub version. I can understand that in the case of something like Sukisho (which is also sub-only), but as far as I'm concerned, they made the wrong decision for the Loveless anime. Then again, sub-only is better than not having it here at all.

chou kuro, speaking of the wait for volume 3, do you have any idea about the actual release date? I'm clueless. :animeswea

I also agree with your comments about the layout, by the way. I enjoyed the manga version [i]much[/i] more after I watched the anime and understood more of the story's subtleties (as well as what to look for when the panels become visually confusing).

~Dagger~

[PaganAngel]

I'm GLAD they didn't dub it, personally. Loveless is art. English dubs kill art. They couldn't have made it good. Ritsuka would sound too whiny; Yuiko would be way too squeaky; Soubi would just be... not Soubi. Maybe the REAL reason Media Blasters didn't dub it is because they thought the rabid fangirls would come and chop their legs off if they screwed up. Now, if only we could get 4Kids to think that way...

The only fault I have with the manga is the battles are pretty hard to follow. But then, manga with battles always lose me, pretty much. I guess that's what makes the anime so convenient. Otherwise, I'd say the series is perfect. The art is just stunning. It's one of my favorite manga, definitely.

[saiyukigod]

[quote name='PaganAngel']I'm GLAD they didn't dub it, personally. Loveless is art. English dubs kill art. They couldn't have made it good. Ritsuka would sound too whiny; Yuiko would be way too squeaky; Soubi would just be... not Soubi..[/quote]

i understand what you are saying- the voices are dead on with the japanese cast- Soubi sounds like a man and Ritsuka sounds like a shy boy....they just fit and maybe the english cast wouldn't do it justice....you shouldn't change around someones art- i totally get what you are saying ;)

[chou kuro]

[QUOTE=Dagger]

chou kuro, speaking of the wait for volume 3, do you have any idea about the actual release date?

~Dagger~[/QUOTE]Sorry, but no, if I had a fighting name it would be clueless! I've checked some places that usually have that information, but not found anything about a release date. The release date I found last January for Loveless 2 said it would be coming out in March, but I couldn't find it until June, so I really have no idea, and I'm not sure if I would trust it if I found a release date. I'm hoping soon, though!:catgirl:

[quote name='PaganAngel']I'm GLAD they didn't dub it, personally. Loveless is art. English dubs kill art. They couldn't have made it good. [/quote]I agree! Dubbed anime is evil! The art and original japanese should be appreciated, and having to read what everyone says is a small price to pay! But let's stay with the thread and keep this talking about the manga. Did anyone have a problem at first with the boy love, or with the fact that Ritsuka still has his ears and Soubi is in college?

[Dagger]

[b]About dubs[/b] - I know I shouldn't be, but every time people express such opinions, I am flabbergasted at how anyone can be so close-minded when all you have to do is go to the frigging audio menu, change the language from Japanese to English and turn on the subs. You can even pretend that the dub was never made in the first place! Everyone wins, right? This isn't the VHS era... setting aside a few cases that frankly aren't relevant to Loveless in the slightest, a dub version doesn't come at the expense of the Japanese language version.

If y'all are so sensitive that you can't countenance the mere [i]idea[/i] that [i]maybe[/i] a dub could have been made, and that even supposing you didn't listen to it and opted for the JP audio track instead (which is, hello, one of the most basic advantages offered by DVDs in the first place :animestun ), some other poor soul might (horror of horrors!) be exposed to it, I have to wonder how you've lasted so long in a fandom that frequently gets accused of pedophilia.* :animesigh

And on that note! (God, I rock at segues.) The age difference in Loveless doesn't especially bother me, because a) Ritsuka's in control of the relationship, b) there's good evidence that Soubi, despite appearances, is really not attracted to minors and will be perfectly content to wait for Ritsuka to grow up, and c) despite all the innuendo and touchy-feeliness, Ritsuka and Soubi's relationship is essentially quite chaste. You could cut out all of the BL indicators and make it a romantic-friendship manga, and the important aspects of their connection would remain intact. That's my take on it, anyway.

*If anyone wants to go on talking about dubs in the context of Loveless, I do ask it that we take it to the Loveless anime thread. Thanks. ;)

~Dagger~

[saiyukigod]

[QUOTE=Dagger][b]

*If anyone wants to go on talking about dubs in the context of Loveless, I do ask it that we take it to the Loveless anime thread. Thanks. ;)

~Dagger~[/QUOTE]

sorry i shouldn't have brought it up....i was just wondering :animeswea

[dark desires]

[COLOR=DarkRed]This manga i absoultly love, how i got interested in this manga was like so many people...was the cat ears! Their sooo cute!!! :love2: And i was also wondering about why [spoiler]some of them have ears and the older chacters didn't, i thought at first maybe it was an age thing then when i thought about it, i thought about Ritsuka's teacher. Which didn't make any sense at all, then the second volume explaining about how to lose the ears is by having sex. But the part where Team Zero tryed to take away the teacher was funny[/spoiler]. But the main part that i don't like in the manga is the fighting scenes its slightly confusing for me but i love how they [spoiler]use words for fighting instead of physical contact[/spoiler]. And thats my only complant about it. [/COLOR]

[chou kuro]

[quote name='dark desires][color=darkred']But the main part that i don't like in the manga is the fighting scenes its slightly confusing for me [/color][/quote]
I agree, but I think the fighting scenes are just a place you need to slow down and appreciate the art and imagine all the movements in your head. I love how dark the fighting is, and how powerful words are in this universe. I have a question for you Loveless fans: if you were in this universe, and in a fighting team, what would your team name be? As I mentioned before, I think I would be clueless, just because that suits me pretty well:animeshy: :animesmil! Toss some stuff in to keep the flow of ideas going!

[Guest PrincessxBerry]

I like it..I just don't like that fact that.....He [spoiler](forgot his name) says "I love you" like it was nothing to..The main character..(sorry forgot his name too) Than says something like "i love you, kill him, i love you"[/spoiler]

[size=1][color=darkblue][b]Mkay, when talking about pivotal plot points, we ask that members use spoiler tags to cover those up for the people who may not have read that far yet. Please keep that in mind for the future, thanks. ^^ -Lady K[/color][/size][/b]