Writer/Artist: Yun Kouga
Published by: Tokyopop
Price: $9.99
Yun Kouga’s latest graphic novel Loveless is a romantic fantasy romp with occasional action and mystery thrown in to keep the reader interested. It is, undoubtedly, an interesting look at several different aspects of people, chock full of beautiful art. The reader is thrown into a world where children and adults are visibly different—children have ears, which they lose with their virginity—and many parts of society must simply be accepted, not questioned.
The main plot (there are several) focuses around the death of Ritsuka’s brother, Seimei. Murdered for unknown reasons, one of Ritsuka’s goals is to find the killers and kill them himself. As the story progresses, Seimei is shown to be involved with an underground magical fighting squad. In his will, Seimei left his fighting partner to Ritsuka, and Ritsuka finds himself the center of attention from several other magical creatures. While this is going on, Ritsuka is also struggling with the loss of his memory two years ago, adjusting to a new school, and dealing with a mother who is convinced that he is not her real son.
Not much is explained in the first volume. Why some characters have secret names and are involved in this underground magical fighting is never told—the reader merely has to accept that some are and some aren’t. It is also never stated why Ritsuka lost his memory, there is no indication of a traumatic event at that time, and his brother died well afterwards.
While many overtones of generally socially unacceptable things are allowed in manga, the hints of pedophilia and too close brotherly-love can be a bit offsetting in Loveless. Soubi is a college student, yet seems to have no problem with kissing and exchanging words of affection with a sixth grader. Occasionally Ritsuka himself will rebel against the idea, but overall (while still slightly off to the normal reader), the idea is accepted. Also slightly upsetting to the moral defense of American readers will be the absolute worship that Ritsuka shows to his older brother. In Ritsuka’s mind, anyone that is even remotely connected with Seimei must be all right.
The art of Loveless is beautiful, especially that of the more prominent characters. Kouga uses a mix of detailed and cartoon style drawings to display the emotions and thoughts. Yet while all this time is spent on some characters, lesser characters and villains seem as though they were rushed, lacking the detail that gives this book so much charm. Occasionally the art is too dark to be able to read the words that are printed on it, though this occurs mainly on covers to new chapters, rather than within the bulk of the work. Still, it causes the reader to pause and work to read what should be some of the more beautiful and mesmerizing art.
Despite its failings, Loveless is a good, not-so-vapid addition to the manga world. To fully appreciate Kouga’s work, the reader has to be able to accept a fantasy world on trust, and to not question too deeply the situation that they are put in front of. Yet it is a good look into the nature of love and compassion, hidden beneath a façade of action.
Cari Kilbride is currently a student at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn studying writing and living the New York City lifestyle. She lives and breathes anime and manga, though also finds time for movies, books, comics, and the occasional piece of homework. A Florida native, she almost constantly pines for the beach.