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LOVELESS #10
Loveless, Band 10
The long-awaited continuation of the best-selling series, a masterpiece tale of intrigue and innocence lost.
Ritsuka Aoyagi is alone in the world—never fitting in at school and alienated from his own past by a fragmented memory. When his beloved older brother is brutally murdered, Ritsuka is heartbroken but determined to find 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.
Although Natsuo and Youji have transferred to Ritsuka's school to monitor him in the wake of his brother's bloody homecoming, the unit named "Moonless" manages to isolate Ritsuka in order to propose a scheme to turn brother against brother.
Ritsuka Aoyagi is alone in the world—never fitting in at school and alienated from his own past by a fragmented memory. When his beloved older brother is brutally murdered, Ritsuka is heartbroken but determined to find 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.
Although Natsuo and Youji have transferred to Ritsuka's school to monitor him in the wake of his brother's bloody homecoming, the unit named "Moonless" manages to isolate Ritsuka in order to propose a scheme to turn brother against brother.
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
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444 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
November 26, 2018
This series just keeps pulling weirdness out of thin air, and I'm no longer sure it isn't doing it just for shits and lolz - but even so, I still find it appealing, although I'm starting to lose track of who's who again (I suck at visually recognizing characters, though, so that might be my fault).
So, Kio is one of the normal characters, who isn't involved in the fighting/conflict side of the manga, and thus far he's found it *really* odd that his 21 year-old friend, Soubi, is pretty much *obsessed* with a 12 year-old, but as Soubi isn't a creepy pervert, but just an oddball, there's not much he's done about it. He's just been friendly, supportive and worried.
Except now it turns out Kio isn't just a "normal" character. He comes from a family in which only women count, and his daughter, who's close to him in age (what. WHAT.) is the head of said family (what). It sounds like a new manga altogether, but... ok. I'll bite, I'm interested.
After dropping this bomb on us, Yun Kouga returns to the basic plot, that of Ritsuka and his brother Seimei, who may or may not be a complete psycho - a new fighting pair arrives on the scene and confuses us with their powers (I'm still unsure how the fighting WORKS in this universe) and promises to reveal a secret.
This manga shouldn't be called "Loveless", but "Secret-full".
So, Kio is one of the normal characters, who isn't involved in the fighting/conflict side of the manga, and thus far he's found it *really* odd that his 21 year-old friend, Soubi, is pretty much *obsessed* with a 12 year-old, but as Soubi isn't a creepy pervert, but just an oddball, there's not much he's done about it. He's just been friendly, supportive and worried.
Except now it turns out Kio isn't just a "normal" character. He comes from a family in which only women count, and his daughter, who's close to him in age (what. WHAT.) is the head of said family (what). It sounds like a new manga altogether, but... ok. I'll bite, I'm interested.
After dropping this bomb on us, Yun Kouga returns to the basic plot, that of Ritsuka and his brother Seimei, who may or may not be a complete psycho - a new fighting pair arrives on the scene and confuses us with their powers (I'm still unsure how the fighting WORKS in this universe) and promises to reveal a secret.
This manga shouldn't be called "Loveless", but "Secret-full".
April 8, 2013
Those looking for a lot of action in this volume of "Loveless", you're going to be disappointed. There's only one fight, and we don't really get to see it (more on that later), just a lot of talking and internal developments. This one's a quieter, more sinister volume compared to some of the past volumes in the "Loveless" series, but it still has that full-bodied impact that only Kouga knows how to bring with her storytelling.
So in this volume, we meet the newest unit, Moonless, which come to Ritsuka and Soubi with a proposal to try to lure them to their (and possibly Seimei's) side. It ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, and as an extra bit of filler, we have a crossover with Gundam 00 (Kouga did the character designs for that series so it makes sense) to round out the entire volume. We also get some big reveals (Kio has a kid that looks his age - what?), and the return of everyone's favorite jerks, the Zero unit. I missed them, so I'm glad they're back. The transfer school scene was possibly my favorite in the book, and we desperately needed some comedy relief here as we get into some dark subjects kind of explicitly (when do we not in this series? - but you get the point) in this volume.
What perhaps is the most gratifying part of this volume? It's Ritsuka finally sitting down with Soubi and talking about Seimei, and his extremely unhealthy, abusive, and co-dependent relationship with him - though the abusive bit is more Seimei and co-dependent is more on Ritsuka's end, and all of this gets talked about with refreshing honesty. I will admit it's a bit frustrating that it's taken 10 volumes for us to get to this point (especially considering Ritsuka's other not-so-healthy relationships also happening at the same time), but this is a major bit of character development, and I'm so glad it finally happened. I was kind of hoping for a longer conversation, but what I got was more than satisfactory.
What was a bit frustrating was the relegation of Ritsuka and Seimei's mother back into 1D abusive mommy mode, where before she had enough development and background to show why she was so abusive, but it feels so much of it was kind of undone here if just to show why Ritsuka's still pretty depressed. I kind of wanted to smack Kouga for that because I could see no clear reason for that happening other than just to make us see that things are still terrible at home for Ritsuka. It felt lazy, and I really hate it when my authors/mangaka do that.
Otherwise, I'm interested in seeing where this whole thing with Moonless is going, and how Seimei is involved with pulling their strings as well. It would be nice to see the whole "Seimei is a jerkface" thing resolved sometime soon to get to see who's pulling his strings instead, but for now, I'll settle for what we have.
But that's just how I feel about it. "Loveless: Volume 10" is out now through Viz in North America, so be sure to check it out when you get the chance!
(posted to goodreads, shelfari, and birthofanewwitch.wordpress.com)
So in this volume, we meet the newest unit, Moonless, which come to Ritsuka and Soubi with a proposal to try to lure them to their (and possibly Seimei's) side. It ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, and as an extra bit of filler, we have a crossover with Gundam 00 (Kouga did the character designs for that series so it makes sense) to round out the entire volume. We also get some big reveals (Kio has a kid that looks his age - what?), and the return of everyone's favorite jerks, the Zero unit. I missed them, so I'm glad they're back. The transfer school scene was possibly my favorite in the book, and we desperately needed some comedy relief here as we get into some dark subjects kind of explicitly (when do we not in this series? - but you get the point) in this volume.
What perhaps is the most gratifying part of this volume? It's Ritsuka finally sitting down with Soubi and talking about Seimei, and his extremely unhealthy, abusive, and co-dependent relationship with him - though the abusive bit is more Seimei and co-dependent is more on Ritsuka's end, and all of this gets talked about with refreshing honesty. I will admit it's a bit frustrating that it's taken 10 volumes for us to get to this point (especially considering Ritsuka's other not-so-healthy relationships also happening at the same time), but this is a major bit of character development, and I'm so glad it finally happened. I was kind of hoping for a longer conversation, but what I got was more than satisfactory.
What was a bit frustrating was the relegation of Ritsuka and Seimei's mother back into 1D abusive mommy mode, where before she had enough development and background to show why she was so abusive, but it feels so much of it was kind of undone here if just to show why Ritsuka's still pretty depressed. I kind of wanted to smack Kouga for that because I could see no clear reason for that happening other than just to make us see that things are still terrible at home for Ritsuka. It felt lazy, and I really hate it when my authors/mangaka do that.
Otherwise, I'm interested in seeing where this whole thing with Moonless is going, and how Seimei is involved with pulling their strings as well. It would be nice to see the whole "Seimei is a jerkface" thing resolved sometime soon to get to see who's pulling his strings instead, but for now, I'll settle for what we have.
But that's just how I feel about it. "Loveless: Volume 10" is out now through Viz in North America, so be sure to check it out when you get the chance!
(posted to goodreads, shelfari, and birthofanewwitch.wordpress.com)
October 28, 2015
So the first half felt weak and meandering, limp on the drawing aspect and lazy on the story progression. This is the first volume I've ever skimmed through. Although I will say in the last half, it picked up a bit and got going again. The art could still use some help to restore it back to its former glory (it came across as rushed... maybe?), and with the introduction of new characters as well as further intricacy to the plot, development on both fronts suffers. However, stuff did happen, and that is a nowhere near as bad a crime as wasting readers' time with fluff.
I hate that Ritsuka's mother was reduced back to one dimension (abuser) in the fray, though. Youji and Natsuo's flagrant not-shit-giving fun won me over in the end, in addition to Soubi's tortured confessions to Ritsuka as they continue to bond closer and more intimately. I do miss that part of their relationship, and it has been missing for quite some time, so to see Ritsuka and Soubi really be together for the first time in so long was really gratifying for me. I look forward to what Kouga has in mind for their future, with the one reservation that the art please take steps to revert to its flourish and grandeur from previous volumes. It's one of my favorite elements of the series and the experience that is Loveless.
I hate that Ritsuka's mother was reduced back to one dimension (abuser) in the fray, though. Youji and Natsuo's flagrant not-shit-giving fun won me over in the end, in addition to Soubi's tortured confessions to Ritsuka as they continue to bond closer and more intimately. I do miss that part of their relationship, and it has been missing for quite some time, so to see Ritsuka and Soubi really be together for the first time in so long was really gratifying for me. I look forward to what Kouga has in mind for their future, with the one reservation that the art please take steps to revert to its flourish and grandeur from previous volumes. It's one of my favorite elements of the series and the experience that is Loveless.
December 20, 2018
I’m really starting to have a love hate relationship with this series. It’s getting pretty decent, but I feel like it is getting further and further off track at the same time with all these new groups and secrets and fighters coming into play. I feel like Ritsuka hasn’t grown as a character at all. Now, his relationship with Soubi has grown and I love that. But, atlas, I will keep reading to see how this “arc” takes me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 4, 2023
4,5 stars
January 27, 2019
I hate this feeling of constantly wanting to know more while at the same time I'm also tired of this manga's bullshit and want to drop it for good. I almost did once, but alas, the temptation brought me back. Please just end already and release me off my misery UU
September 9, 2014
~4/5
[Read more at my blog, Geeky Reading!]
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.
[Read more at my blog, Geeky Reading!]
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.
September 18, 2016
welp. that got...odd
shoulda known, it's always the seemingly normal friend that secretly has the bizarre family situation
3 stars
shoulda known, it's always the seemingly normal friend that secretly has the bizarre family situation
3 stars
August 12, 2020
tw: violence
This is more of a building volume of Loveless than the previous volumes, the introduction of Moonless -- and the introduction of the Zero's to Ritzuka's elementary school. That also means we get less of some of the creepier elements, less of some of the backstory elements and also less of the pederastic elements. So in some ways better (ya less creep) and in some ways lesser (less world building/less good action oriented art to dig into).
This is more of a building volume of Loveless than the previous volumes, the introduction of Moonless -- and the introduction of the Zero's to Ritzuka's elementary school. That also means we get less of some of the creepier elements, less of some of the backstory elements and also less of the pederastic elements. So in some ways better (ya less creep) and in some ways lesser (less world building/less good action oriented art to dig into).
January 24, 2024
We got some interesting backstory on Kio and new fighter and sacrifice, but the plot had not progress at all. In fact, it feels like these new addition to the story is slowing it down. I may had been intrigued by Kim being a father and his daughter not having ears when she looks so young, but here it feels like filler.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 22, 2024
So Kio has a complicated history, too huh? / WHAT DID SHE SAY?! A WHAT?! / why do I not like Yuiko? she’s just too much / oh, moonless, nice name / will Ritsuka finally make his choice about Seimei? And when will Soubi be able to lose the grasp Beloved has on him?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 5, 2018
This volume was pretty low key and boring. Hopefully something interesting will happen next volume
June 27, 2019
These books always go absolutely friggin nowhere until the end and then they get cut off and I have to go read the next two 😒
October 17, 2022
Love how Ritsuka stands up for Yuiko!! <33
April 6, 2025
Lotsa Zero in this volume, they're my favorite weirdos.
November 24, 2012
I read this ARC via Edelweiss/Above the Treeline.
The beginning of this volume had me all kinds of confused. Kio visits some girls, who appear to be either his daughter or twin sister? I wasn't really clear on what was happening. Luckily, the story then moved to Ritsuka returning to school and dealing with Yuiko's obsessive attention. The two Zeros arrive and have a tumultuous first day. Walking home from school, Ritsuka meets up with a young man named Moonless, but Soubi isn't answering his cell and Ritsuka isn't sure what to do... There are two bonus stories. I liked the first one, which appears to be the manga artist herself asking art student Soubi to help her finish her manga. The second didn't make much sense to me because I haven't read/seen Mobile Suit Gundam 00 and it was all about the characters, but this might appeal to some fans.
There were a lot of quiet moments and beautiful artwork in this volume, especially in comparison to volume 9. In particular there was one scene where Ritsuka was trying to cheer up Soubi that was really cute. If the story had been a bit more coherent I probably would have enjoyed it much more. Happily it seems like there will be many more volumes of Loveless to come.
The beginning of this volume had me all kinds of confused. Kio visits some girls, who appear to be either his daughter or twin sister? I wasn't really clear on what was happening. Luckily, the story then moved to Ritsuka returning to school and dealing with Yuiko's obsessive attention. The two Zeros arrive and have a tumultuous first day. Walking home from school, Ritsuka meets up with a young man named Moonless, but Soubi isn't answering his cell and Ritsuka isn't sure what to do... There are two bonus stories. I liked the first one, which appears to be the manga artist herself asking art student Soubi to help her finish her manga. The second didn't make much sense to me because I haven't read/seen Mobile Suit Gundam 00 and it was all about the characters, but this might appeal to some fans.
There were a lot of quiet moments and beautiful artwork in this volume, especially in comparison to volume 9. In particular there was one scene where Ritsuka was trying to cheer up Soubi that was really cute. If the story had been a bit more coherent I probably would have enjoyed it much more. Happily it seems like there will be many more volumes of Loveless to come.
December 19, 2012
I felt a little lost in this volume at some points, since I have not read V5-V9, but luckily, that did not happen much.
In this volume, we are first greeted with Kio, who is visiting a house where only women are allowed to live. I am intrigued by that concept myself, but it meant very little to the story, and was therefore not focused on much.
Also, we find out that Ritsuka is planning to handle Seimei in some unknown way. I'm kinda thrown for a loop by that statement and idea, and I was under the impression that Seimei is already dead (as stated in earlier volumes). But, now, I am curious to see what this is all about.
We also meet Moonless, who Ritsuka wants fight against, but who they end up not fighting at all.
-------------------
After the main story, there's a cute crossover extra story about *Gundam 00*, where they each discuss which characters they like from the anime. It's there to commemorate the release of the 00 movie in Japan at the time this volume released in Japan. While I found it extremely cute, I felt kinda out-of-place about it, since I have not watched said anime myself.
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This volume was provided to me by VIZ Media, via Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed here are my own.
In this volume, we are first greeted with Kio, who is visiting a house where only women are allowed to live. I am intrigued by that concept myself, but it meant very little to the story, and was therefore not focused on much.
Also, we find out that Ritsuka is planning to handle Seimei in some unknown way. I'm kinda thrown for a loop by that statement and idea, and I was under the impression that Seimei is already dead (as stated in earlier volumes). But, now, I am curious to see what this is all about.
We also meet Moonless, who Ritsuka wants fight against, but who they end up not fighting at all.
-------------------
After the main story, there's a cute crossover extra story about *Gundam 00*, where they each discuss which characters they like from the anime. It's there to commemorate the release of the 00 movie in Japan at the time this volume released in Japan. While I found it extremely cute, I felt kinda out-of-place about it, since I have not watched said anime myself.
-------------------------------------
This volume was provided to me by VIZ Media, via Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed here are my own.
August 14, 2014
Since Volume 9 was almost pure action, I expected Vol 10 to be a bit slower, but it was waaaaay slower. Not a single battle in the whole volume. That would be fine if there was a lot of information hitting. If I were getting answers, I probably wouldn't feel so sad about the lack of action. It definitely raised questions and built suspense, but now I have to wait until volume 11 for answers.
This is the same problem that I have with single issue comics. Nothing seems to happen and then I'm left waiting for the next volume. With this series, most of the volumes contain more answers and action than volume 10, so I'm by no means done with the series, just eager for the next volume to get this story back on track!
I just love the characters and the style so much. Even if every volume was slow like this, I would still read it.
This is the same problem that I have with single issue comics. Nothing seems to happen and then I'm left waiting for the next volume. With this series, most of the volumes contain more answers and action than volume 10, so I'm by no means done with the series, just eager for the next volume to get this story back on track!
I just love the characters and the style so much. Even if every volume was slow like this, I would still read it.
September 28, 2013
As a fan for around 7 years, Loveless still captivates me. The entire concept of spell battles through words, cat ears as a symbolism of innocence, Fighters & Sacrifices as if masters and servants. And Yun Kouga's art only gets better.
Personally, I don't mind the pacing at all. We get to peak into the different sides of the characters. I especially like seeing Seimei, or at least finding out his true intentions, and what 7 moons really want, specifically, from him, the hesitations of Soubi and how Ritsuka feels now about Seimei.
Personally, I don't mind the pacing at all. We get to peak into the different sides of the characters. I especially like seeing Seimei, or at least finding out his true intentions, and what 7 moons really want, specifically, from him, the hesitations of Soubi and how Ritsuka feels now about Seimei.
January 10, 2013
This volume is full of surprises! Surprises that I will not spoil.
Ritsuka keeps on his path of being a surprisingly strong and kind guy. I really like that about him, despite what he has been/is going through. It seems like he also acts his age a little in this volume, which turns out to be incredibly cute.
The bonus story at the end with Soubi helping the manga artist is probably one of my favorite extras for any manga ever now.
Ritsuka keeps on his path of being a surprisingly strong and kind guy. I really like that about him, despite what he has been/is going through. It seems like he also acts his age a little in this volume, which turns out to be incredibly cute.
The bonus story at the end with Soubi helping the manga artist is probably one of my favorite extras for any manga ever now.
June 17, 2012
The problem I have with Loveless is that not only do I have no idea whatsoever what's going on half of the time, there's also the fact that the story itself hardly ever seems to be moving forward. I like the characters and the art, but I really wonder whether it'll all make sense in the end. This will be interesting to see if this ever gets finished.
March 20, 2013
I have to say, the beginning of this volume was a little weird with the sudden reveal with Kio. I think I need to re-read the 9th book, but I'm not sure if that will help. XD
There promises to be more stuff going on in the next volume, learning more about Seimei from some new characters introduced in this volume. Hopefully we will learn more next volume.
There promises to be more stuff going on in the next volume, learning more about Seimei from some new characters introduced in this volume. Hopefully we will learn more next volume.
February 8, 2013
First read February 7, 2013.
-
Her art style has changed (for the better, I think) since the earlier volumes of this series and we got a revelation about Kio which made me wonder if I was still reading the same series. I'm beginning to be very, very worried she doesn't know where all this is going.
-
Her art style has changed (for the better, I think) since the earlier volumes of this series and we got a revelation about Kio which made me wonder if I was still reading the same series. I'm beginning to be very, very worried she doesn't know where all this is going.
August 10, 2022
This is the last volume published so far. And I have to say that while I sort of enjoyed the story, it was only sort of. Like I've said before if the artwork hadn't been so good I might not have taken the time. But as it was it was okay to go through while I was bored out of my mind. It's intriguing enough but the plot is fairly confusing half the time. Not sure I'd ever recommend this series.
manga
December 30, 2016While reading "Junjo Romantica," I began to wonder if the manga mania had at long last left me, for even after twelve vols. I just wasn't into it. Then I came back to Ritsuka and Soubi, and I'm back where I want to be.
Re-read it: 10/11/16-10/13/16.
Re-read it: 10/11/16-10/13/16.
October 13, 2014
The art of this series just astounds me. I need to go back and reread the whole series because I was a little lost while reading this one... didn't stop my enjoyment of it though.
November 15, 2013
this vol takes even more steps into the weird. it's nice to know that's possible. (one life lesson to be learnt from the Japanese is that it's always possible to go weirder.)
January 26, 2015
I need volume 11 right now!
February 17, 2015
Rawwr I want more volumes!!!
February 24, 2016
Humorous, exciting, sweet and thrilling. A good read for any manga lover!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews