Loveless

Ritsuka and Yuiko

I’ve spent the weekend assembling bookshelves and watching 12-part anime series Loveless, based on Yun Kouga’s still ongoing manga with the same name.

Loveless takes my breath away.

And I struggle to find words to describe it that would give it some justice and not make it sound cheap and perverted – I feel a lot of my sentences are going to start with a statement and end with a “but”. You see - it’s a love story between an innocent 12-year old boy and 20-year old man (that’s the perverted part), but what a magical story it is. The events take place in modern day Tokyo, but it’s not quite the world we know – to start with all children have cat ears and tails that they lose when they lose their virginity (and that would be the cheap part). I’ll try to make it sound better...

Ritsuka's and Soubi's first meeting

The main character is 12-year old Ritsuka Aoyagi who has just started in a new school. Ritsuka’s brother Seimei died two years earlier under bizarre circumstances, and Ritsuka has lost most of his memories before that (and goes to therapy for that) – he doesn’t have any friends and shuns those who try to approach him. Until after the end of his first day at school he is met by a man named Soubi Agatsuma who intrudes himself as friend of Seimei’s – Ritsuka is immediately taken by this and spends the afternoon with Soubi in the park taking photos of each other (his way of “making memories” as he’s afraid of losing himself again). And suddenly Soubi proclaims his love for Ritsuka and kisses him – even though he had earlier promised “not to do anything” to him. Before Ritsuka is able to get an answer from the man, two children appear in the park and start a battle with Soubi and Ritsuka. A challenge is given which Soubi accepts stating to be Ritsuka’s Fighter (japn. sentouki) and declaring the battle to be a battle of spells – the short battle that follows is done with speaking out words that then become reality.

Sentou system on! The battle is beginning.

Battle ends with Soubi’s victory, but the incident leaves Ritsuka confused. The pair that attacked them is called Breathless, a name both children had carved in the palm of their hands (“so fierce we’ll take your breath away”). In the same way Soubi has the name Beloved carved on his throat – and one of the only things Ritsuka remembers clearly of Seimei is his true name: Beloved. Breathless also calls Ritsuka by his true name: Loveless, “the one without love” – they also berate Soubi for changing his Sacrifice and that he as a Fighter should have died with Beloved. Soubi doesn’t give much of an explanation to what’s just happened to Ritsuka, but continues to proclaim his love and devotion to the boy who finally finds out that it was Seimei that had before his death given Soubi the order to come to Ritsuka.

Soubi

But who murdered Seimei, and who is now giving the orders to attack Ritsuka? Soubi obviously knows more than he’s able to tell, and even though he vows to obey all Ritsuka’s commands he can’t answer any questions about Seimei. Is it possible for Loveless and Beloved to be together – and while everyone around him falls easy and fast in love with him, can Loveless ever love anyone back? Does Soubi really love Ritsuka, or is he just following orders – and what exactly were Seimei’s final orders? These are the main questions presented to the viewer during the 12 episodes, and ending is left very much open.

This is indeed a magical story, in both literal and spiritual sense.

Creating memories

When I saw the first four episodes on Saturday I just sat there on the sofa hugging my knees staring at the TV almost afraid to breathe lest the magic disappear. Animation is totally dreamy and the soundtrack is haunting, the character design is beautiful and voice actors – especially touching Junko Minagawa who is the seiyuu for Ritsuka, I mean, my heart skips a beat when Ritsuka whispers "Soubi..." – they are just incredible.

I did have my frustrations with the series too. Ritsuka is totally adorable and sensitive – and being 12 you forgive him for some of his temper tantrums. With a murdered brother, absent father and mentally unstable abusive mother - Ritsuka wants nothing else than to be loved and to go back to the Ritsuka from two years past - but on the other hand he's afraid to be loved, being true to his true name. Soubi however as the adult is a different matter – he makes promises to Ritsuka, and then always lets him down and it makes me want to tear my hair out. There are always reasons - and while it’s not clear if the submissive Soubi is capable of making these decisions on his own or if he’s following instructions from Seimei - Ritsuka’s pain and frustration in the face of betrayal is truly heartbreaking. If I could change one thing in the series however, it would be to diminish the role of Ritsuka’s classmates and his teacher - these characters, especially Yuiko (a typical female mask character), seem to be there to mostly provide some comical moments between the angst and the hard place, and while I do appreciate the aspect they bring of Loveless being loved by everyone, I think less would have been more in this case. It’s minor gripe however.

What are the chains that bind Ritsuka and Soubi?

There are some themes in the story that some people will find offensive, not least of all the sensual relationship between Ritsuka and Soubi. Loveless is often categorized in the Boys Love (BL) category and for sure there are homosexual (as well as lesbian and heterosexual) over- and undertones in the story, but don’t let that be a deterrent – it’s truly a timeless and genderless love story. Some people will undoubtedly also take offence with the master and servant aspect of Ritsuka’s and Soubi’s relationship with its chains and the occasional whip, both real and allegorical. Loveless however breaks a lot of BL rules, and for example the traditional seme and uke roles are extremely fuzzy with Ritsuka and Soubi – sometimes Soubi is pushing Ritsuka to do things he doesn’t want to do, but on the other hand he at times also totally surrenders to the boy’s will and always yearns for Ritsuka to command him. It’s all done in an extremely sensitive and beautifully tasteful way – it’s definitely not crude or scary (except in it’s intensity).

If none of this makes you feel uncomfortable, and especially if it tickles you – run to buy the series, right now, without hesitation. 12 episodes on three DVDs are available from Media Blasters in an affordable price. My only word of warning is that the ending of the anime will make you want to go and buy the manga too (published by Tokyopop – two volumes translated so far with third coming out next month) as the story is left hanging just when it seems that we’re approaching some answers about Seimei’s fate. For me it is a blessing - I don't want this story to end.

Posted by kolibri at 18 September 21:20, 2006

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