Manga Review: Loveless, Omnibus 1 (Vols 1-2), by Yun Kouga

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5-4

Publisher: VIZ Media

Release Date: October, 2012

Volumes: 12+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: Omnibus 2 (Vols 3-4).

Goodreads Synopsis:

The long-awaited continuation of the best-selling series, a masterpiece tale of intrigue and innocence lost.

Reads R to L (Japanese style) for teen audiences.

When his beloved older brother is brutally murdered, Ritsuka is heartbroken but determined to search for answers. His only lead is Soubi, a mysterious, handsome college student who offers him an intimate link to his brother’s other life: a dark and vibrant world of spell battles and secret names. Will Ritsuka’s relationship with Soubi ultimately lead to the truth or further down the rabbit hole than he imagined possible?

Review:

I read some of this series a really long time ago, several years before Tokyopop even closed. I don’t know how far into it I got, but I never got around to buying any of the volumes, and decided not to when I found out they hadn’t finished the series. But I remembered enjoying it, so I was excited when VIZ took it up. It’s taken me a while to get a volume, but still… Plus, I really like all the extras, and the color pages are very nice.

Ritsuka’s (the main character) brother died, Ritsuka has a big blank in his memory, and his parents are kind of horrible. He’s going to a new school now, and has formed a friendship with Yuiko, a very cheery girl, and a somewhat distant relationship with his teacher, Ms. Shinonome; plus he’s seeing a therapist. But that’s all not nearly as big as his relationship with Soubi, who knew his brother, and who is his fighter in this real life game-type of thing.

I’m intrigued by Ritsuka’s past, and really looking forward to finding more about that out. I like Yuiko, she seems like a sweet girl, although I feel like her feelings are going to get hurt really badly. I feel similarly toward his teacher, as well. I like the relationship between Ritsuka and Soubi, although Soubi’s a lot older, and I’m trying to get used to that. I like Soubi’s friend, though, and their dynamic.

Their whole having cat ears until devirginized is a weird concept to me, and the whole dynamic of it I’m still trying to get used to. I think my biggest complaint thus far is that the fighting game isn’t really explained, and at this point I’m very confused by how it works. We’re pretty much just thrown into battle, and I don’t understand it. I mean, they can sense each other, they fight with words, they get actually hurt. I just don’t get how it works, and I hope more of it gets cleared up soon.

I hope to get the next volume soon, as I am enjoying reading it and want to find out more and I have so many questions.