Manga Review: Loveless, Volume 10, by Yun Kouga

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: VIZ Media

Release Date: January 2013

Volumes: 12+

Spoilers?: Not really.

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

Volume: Omnibus 1. Volume 9. Volume 11.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Reads R to L (Japanese Style). 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?

Still reeling from his brother’s dramatic return, Ritsuka goes back to school in search of something normal. He’s joined by the Zero unit of Natsuo and Youji, who transfer in to keep an eye on him. But even their protection won’t be enough when a new unit named Moonless approaches Ritsuka with a dangerous and seductive proposal…

Review:

This volume was a bit of a reprieve from the previous couple, a break from the major serious stuff. It was very nice, as the serious stuff was getting big and complicated, and I think the reader (at least, I did) and the characters needed things to calm down.

While I do love Ritsuka and Soubi, cause they’re my favorite and everything, I must say that I love Youji and Natsuo. I was sad when they left Soubi’s place, and am very happy that they’re back. I was waiting for it to happen, and it made me smile. I’m not sure why I like them so much, honestly. But I like the way they tease Soubi and Ritsuka, and their easy banter between each other. The way they were conflicted about Miss Nagisa and how they matured because of it. I’m just happy they’re back with Soubi.

Their being back also caused some fun for Ritsuka at school. For some reason, I wasn’t expecting them to be such rude troublemakers, but they are. And poor Yuiko because of it.

I’ve said before that I enjoy meeting all the different characters, and how it gives insight and scenes from all of them all the time. And I think that was done particularly well in this volume. Moving from one set of characters to another seamlessly, all for a purpose. I like the group of characters in this series.

Major plot-wise, there were also some interesting developments. There was a definite surprising development for Kio, which I won’t spoil. I was very caught off-guard, though, and am still not sure what to make of it. Then, while the plot of simmering and hinting with the group of seven, we met a new pair, Moonless. They seem very interesting, and I look forward to seeing where that cliffhanger goes in the next volume. I’m not sure yet if I’m going to like them or not. I’m also starting to wonder how many more pairs we’re going to meet, because there are just so many at this point. It’s starting to get a bit ridiculous.

I am still definitely enjoying this series, though. Loving it, and enjoying being along for the ride. After the next volume, there’s going to be long-wait release dates, though, and I’m not looking forward to that.