CREATOR

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Kouga Yun

PlOTLINE

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After the traumatising death of his older brother Seimei, Aoyagi Ritsuka is transferred to a new school. While struggling to cope with prying classmates and the pain of his brother's death, Ritsuka is thrust into yet another trying situation when a mysterious young man with bandages around his neck shows up abruptly. Claiming to be Seimei's friend, Agatsuma Soubi asks Ritsuka to follow him. And follow him Ritsuka did, except never would he expect that from thereafter he would be drawn into a world of inter-dimensional spell battles and the shady organisation behind his own identity, as well as the increasingly suspicious circumstances of Seimei's death. Things become even more complicated when Soubi suddenly declares himself the servant and protector of Ritsuka.

Crash course on the world of [Loveless] : The setting is a strange mix of fantastical and modernity (in Tokyo, no less). The 'people' in this world have cat-ears and tails - which I haven't figured out why - and they lose these additional appendages when they become adults (no longer virgins). Spell battles are traditionally carried out in pairs. One of them is the Fighter (who carries out the fighting) and the other is the Sacrifice (who sustains the injuries incurred in a fight). Both Fighter and Sacrifice normally share the same real name, which greatly increases their effectiveness as a fighting pair. As for the reasons for fighting, they are not very clear. Perhaps under orders, or for fame, for power, and probably even for the heck of it.

COMMENTS

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Strictly speaking, this series contains elements of yaoi, shota and yuri. Ritsuka is 12 and Soubi is 20, and therefore, the shota-con element is unavoidable. As for the yuri, I'm not talking about hints. I'm talking blatant girl/girl scenes. Ok, now that warnings are over and perhaps I've managed to turn off the more delicate viewers, I shall get down to actually commenting on the series. Personally speaking, I feel there are other things going for this series that warrant your positive attention.

The setting is a refreshing change. This is an entirely different universe from what we know as 'real life'. When spell battles occur, they often transpire across quite a psychedelic range of different dimensions. Furthermore, the relationships between the characters are plain fascinating. In this series, a pair isn't just there to fight. Their shared name denotes a shared mind, body and heart. In this respect, the gender of either Fighter or Sacrifice becomes a non-issue, and that is where the het, yaoi and yuri step in. No matter male or female, they share that bond anyway. Using the bittersweet bond between Ritsuka and Soubi as an example, they are many things to each other. Master and servant, protector and protected, and yes, lovers (drawing love from each other strengthens their bond).

If you can look past the more controversial aspects of the series, I think you can give [Loveless] a shot, just because it's different and entertaining.

MAIN CHARACTERS

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I've included the main characters, and also some which aren't really important, but make recurring appearances.

RITSUKA. Our central character, around which the whole story evolves. The title of the series has to do with him as well. Ritsuka is a troubled child, angsty, confused and very worn out by life. He starts to discover himself when he meets and tentatively befriends Soubi, Yuiko and even his shrink.

SOUBI. A mostly stern and forbidding young man who shows only his tender (and occasionally humourous) side to of course, Ritsuka! His loyalty and love for Ritsuka is unwavering and indomitable, but the reasons behind that are unclear.

YUIKO. Ritsuka's classmate. Also the token female-clinging-onto-young-hero (Ritsuka). She is ditzy, whiny, clingy, and goes into random bursts of tears. Her possible good point is that she is very sensitive to Ritsuka and honestly wants the best for him.

RITSU-SENSEI. A shady figure doing shady things. That's all I can say! Watch to find out more. ^_~ He's definitely an integral part of the series!

KIO. A close friend of Soubi's, and possibly the one making sure that the very reckless Soubi stays in one piece. That said, Kio is too an adult, and has an ongoing ambition of getting laid - with Soubi.

MANGA DETAILS

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Number of volumes : 5
Status : Ongoing

Once upon a time, I read the Loveless manga, way before I even knew the corresponding anime would be made. My impression then was that the art was detailed and definitely pretty. The main reason is that the storyline that I gleaned from the first several chapters confused me so much that if the art hadn't been pretty, I wouldn't have perservered. If attempting the manga, I recommend perservering till...at least the end of volume 1. Or, if you're the easily-confused type like me, you can always try the anime first, before returning to the manga. If anything, the character design of the anime closely-resembles the manga.

ANIME DETAILS

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Director : Kou Yuu
Character Design : Iwakura Kazunori
Music : Sasaji Masanori
Episodes : 12
Status : Complete

ANIMATION

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I can think of one word to sum up my thoughts on the animation - interesting. It isn't brilliant, but it is most definitely interesting. When spell battles occur, the world around the fighters change into what looks like space, yet the spell fighting itself looks like magic. Also, there are many deft (and pretty neat) touches to depict the little intricacies in the plot. The startling blue of a butterfly, a kiss portrayed using artistic line-drawing, these are just some of the examples of creativity.

On the whole, the anime is enjoyable. The pace is quick, each episode (even the more filler-type ones) with its own point to make, which keeps your interest going. I do have a gripe though. The ending doesn't sufficiently wrap up the entire series, and only leaves you wanting more, or feeling the need to quickly get your hands on the manga.

SCREENCAPS

VOICE-ACTING

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The voice-acting is good in general, excluding those voicing the fangirly female characters. Nothing against the seiyuu, but at some point or another, that helium, breathless squeeing just snaps your nerves. Ok, back to the topic. I admire Minagawa Junko's work in this one. I've always liked her voicing boys (that raspy, young yet angsty tone), and I feel she really brings Ritsuka to life. Kudos to her!

MUSIC

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Melancholic, bittersweet and haunting, like the anime itself. I love the piano tracks. They're simple but they suit the atmosphere so well. The opening and ending themes are also note-worthy. Some recommendations :

• Tsuki no Curse (OP) - by Reika Okina
• Michiyuki (ED)- by Hikita Kaori
• Ordinary Days (instrumental)

RESOURCES

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LOVELESS OFFICIAL SITE (Japanese)

HOLLOW SACRIFICE (Fan site)

IMAGE GARDEN (Fan site)

BISHOUNEN.COM (Fan site)