I keep wanting to think it is innocent; then something happens that makes my skin crawl. I can feel the suffucation in poor Ritsuka's voice as he deals with abuse and death and confused feelings all at once. Then that passive-agressive sadist Soubi has to make him even more confused.
Okay, I have to say this; Is Soubi a textbook "groomer" or what?
Soubi's not sadistic towards Ritsuka, imo. It's not the most innocent show around, and it deals with some of the more difficult subjects, but that doesn't make it disturbing to me.
shareIf anyone fits that description it's Ritsu, not Soubi. Soubi is more of a masochist than anything and I think both the anime and the manga are stunningly beautiful. Come on, I have yet to find a more interesting character then Soubi and a more lovely couple than Ritsuka and Soubi. It's not disturbing at all. Wait, maybe episode 7 (it was 7, right?) with Zero and the nail and all, but part from that...
And if you read the manga you'll see how sweet Soubi really is (though a little perverted, I grant you that) and that his trying to help Ritsuka with his mother. But I agree that the characters, all of the characters have so dark and tragic backgrounds it hurts.
But that's what so fantastic with Loveless, I think. The mangaka is not afraid to include dark themes and Loveless is in general very dark, with a little comic relief like Kio even though he to is tragic with his unrequited love for Soubi.
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Eg e som russerene, eg har alltid noke på gang.
I agree with the many others who think this is absolutely beautiful. But it is a shounen-ai, so you can't expect it to be completely innocent. I never found it disturbing, though - except when it got too painful and bloody for poor Soubi.
Soubi is actually not at all as... fondling of Ritsuka in the manga, as he is in the animé, but he does care just as much. He makes it perfectly clear that he would rather die than hurt his young sacrifice, and he does everything he can to help and protect Ritsuka.
Anytime you have a grown up fondling and kissing a 6th grader it's icky to me. The law would put Soubi in jail whether he was doing it to a male or female child. If someone had been that way toward you when you were in 6th grade would you ever forget it? I think it imprints you permanently. Ritsuka comes from a tragic home. That's the time to give someone like that a listening ear or comforting words, a pat on the back at most, not slavish physical devotion.
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