Loveless Anime Review

Loveless DVD Cover

I came across Loveless by mistake when I was looking for cute neko anime characters. I loved the art style of the manga, but could only find the anime at the time. I watched it not knowing what to expect. Even though it leaves an opening for a second season and never officially wraps things up, it was a good anime. It was a bit hard to get into at first, but it was worth the wait.

The Plot of Loveless

Beloved and Loveless

Ritsuka's older brother was murdered and devastated him so much that he created a "new" personality. His mother went insane and beats him, saying he is not her Ritsuka. This just furthers his belief that he is not this Ritsuka. Even worse, he is placed in a new school. Yuiko is the only girl who speaks with him and they soon become friends.

Soubi is waiting for Ritsuka on his first day of school. He grabs him on his way out and tells him he knew his brother Seimei. Ritsuka becomes enthralled with this and immediately trusts Soubi. Soubi tells him he is Loveless and that Soubi was there to protect him. Ritsuka was his sacrifice in this underground battle. Since Soubi once belonged to his brother Beloved, that made it illegal for him to have another sacrifice. Someone is after Ritsuka and wants him for their own cause. They must get rid of Soubi to accomplish this.

The Characters of Loveless

From Left to Right: Yuiko, Shinonome, Ritsuka, Soubi, (top) Kaidou, (Bottom) Yayoi

Ritsuka is the main character of Loveless, and also goes by the name of Loveless. He is only a 16 year old kid and has been through a lot. He always has his defenses up, but not so much around Soubi. Soubi claims to be his fighter and previous fighter of Ritsuka's brother Seimei. He is an adult and very mysterious. He constantly says he will do anything for Ritsuka, but this is only due to Seimei's order.

Ritsuka has many supporting friends which come along the way. Shinonome is his teacher and actually has a crush on Soubi. She is picked on since she stills has her ears and tail. Yuiko is the happy go lucky girl who follows Ritsuka around, making him at times feel like someone cares for him. She is always happy and has a crush on Ritsuka. Yayoi happens to have been in love with Yuiko (and still is), but she rejected him because he is to short. He therefore does not feel as threatened by Ritsuka because he is short as well.

Then there are those who are trying to get a hold of Loveless. The two to show up first was Breathless. They were both teenagers around Ritsuka's age. Sleepless shows up as well, failing to bring Ritsuka into the boss. Another pair of children show up calling themselves Zero. They feel no pain and therefore are much harder to beat. They actually become friends with Soubi and Ritsuka. Eventually another pair show up claiming to be Zero as well. These two females are the original Zero's and therefore much stronger.

The Cats of Loveless

School of Cats

Kemonomimi is a type of anime in which the characters have cat features such as a tail or ears or both. In Loveless, the kemononmimi characters serves a purpose on an adult level. When people lose their virginity in this anime, their ears and tails fall off. Therefore it is easier to tell if someone is an adult or not. Shinonome is one of the few adults in the anime that still has her ears and tail and is constantly picked on due to this. Some teens will wear fake ears and tails to hide it from their parents or schoolmates.

Loveless was a good anime, and honestly it should have gone on to a second season. The anime is different at some points than the anime, because the manga was not complete until after the anime was. Therefore only the first four volumes are what the anime is based after. So if you want the rest of the story, just read the manga. I know I am.

Overall Grade: 7/10