I am Beloved, and You are my Sacrifice (Loveless: Vol. 1 - Yun Kouga)

Member Name: shroud

Product:	Loveless: Vol. 1 - Yun Kouga
Date:	18/05/09 (92 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: beautifully rendered art, excellent plotlines

Disadvantages: subject matter can be disturbing

Hmmm...every once in a while a story comes along that challenges my moral and social preconceptions, and I have to state outright this is one such occasion. Don't get me wrong, I ADORE this manga, but it is still a feeling that is very much tinged with strong shades of ambivalence.

Aoyagi Ritsuka is a 12 year old boy who has recently moved to a new school. He lost his memory two years ago, and does not recall the boy he once was. That is to say, he has forgotten all about himself, but NOT about certain past events in his life. Such as how much he loved his older brother Seimei, who adored Ritsuka and protected him from his mother. His mother has had some sort of breakdown, and the initial cause of it seems to be the loss of "her" Ritsuka, when his initial self disappeared and this new personality of his manifested in its stead. This disturbance is made even worse, as is the physical abuse Ritsuka suffers at her hands, over the very reason Ritsuka had to change schools: Seimei was murdered, found burnt to death in a school uniform from Ritsuka's junior high school (Seimei was in high school) and seated at Ritsuka's desk no less.

Ritsuka has vowed that someday he will discover why his brother was killed and in such a manner, and so it is with interest that one day outside his school gates, he meets university student Agatsuma Soubi. Soubi claims to be a friend of Seimei's and that Seimei sent him to be Ritsuka's fighter. If that was not confusing enough, he claims to love Ritsuka and gives him a kiss, along with a promise to not do anything to him. Rituska is trying to puzzle out just what sort of game Soubi seems to be playing, while following clues left behind on his brother's computer and cryptic messages he gets from strange pairs of people who trail him. People who say they are from "Septimal Moon" and who challenge him and Soubi to spell battles. Battles which are fought with words by a Fighter and his Sacrifice...

Set in an alternate Japan, where humans are born with cat ears and tails only to lose them once they lose their innocence, this is a tale of intrigue, mystery, and yes, hidden magic. It is also a tale that delves deep into the darkness of the human heart with love, passion, betrayal and even obsession all playing vital roles in character motivations. The main protagonist being not quite 13 and dealing with what appears to be a possible romantic attachment by a young adult male would be controversial enough, but we also get treated to images of flagrant child abuse (Ritsuka's mother) and even sadistic maiming (Soubi has his Fighter unit name literally carved into his neck's flesh by Seimei). This might seem rather stomach turningly dark, but Yun Kouga manages to use it to pull us into Ritsuka and Soubi's dark world and watch them begin to pull each other into a world filled with light. It is dark in many places but also beautiful. Ritsuka's "true name" may be Loveless, just as his brother Seimei's was Beloved, and his life's circumstances may seem to make it fit, but it rapidly becomes obvious that Ritsuka truly is far fom being unloved. If he can just solve the mystery of the Septimal Moon, his brother's murder, and the difference in personality in what he recalls of his brother and the apparent brutality Seimei had shown Soubi and others, perhaps he can grasp that love firmly in his own hands and begin to feel again.

The art here is truly lovely to look at. It has a wistful feel to it that perfectly reflects the inner yearnings and self doubt experienced by the cast of characters, from Ritsuka and his classmates and teacher, to Soubi and the other Fighter/Sacrifice units we encounter along the way. The lines are as fluid as the shifting relationships in this fictional world, where children are almost adult like and many adults are child like, still retaining their ears, and gender roles themselves shift like sand. We get a bonus in that two full colour pages are included, and they are well used, sending us a blinding glimpse into this alternate world that fairly sucks one in.

Due to the subject matter I would recommend this for ages 16 and up. For the grown up fan of manga and graphic novels, this is a real treat where we can explore the deeper meanings of love, dominance, traditional gender roles, the nature of truth, and the absolute depths of deep, dark obsessions and emerge with plenty of food for thought.

Summary: first foray into the riveting world of Yun Kouga's Loveless series