0.0 out of 5
Welcome everyone to my review! I hope this review helps you decided whether to try this anime or not. I'm not an expert on yaoi. Just a new fan since Love Stage!! is my 2nd yaoi anime to watch, but it's my first completed yaoi series. The first one was Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi, but I never finished it. I owe thanks to Whiskers who provided me inspiration in the Love Stage!! Discussion thread. Part of my thoughts come from the discussions with my dear friend.
Most of the information about Love Stage's general information are in the wiki page. I just introduce you to the plot and the 4 main characters. Don't worry, there is no spoilers in this review.
Characters
Main Cast
 | Izumi Sena (瀬名 泉水 Sena Izumi) Voiced by:  Tsubasa Yonaga |
Izumi Sena is a college student and the son of a famous singer and film actress, and unlike his parents and older brother, he aspires to be a mangaka. | |
 | Ryōma Ichijō (一条 龍馬 Ichijō Ryōma) Voiced by: Takuya Eguchi |
Ryōma Ichijō is a famous young actor who holds feelings for Izumi, thinking he's a girl, 10 years since their first wedding commercial shoot. | |
 | Shōgo Sena (瀬名 聖湖 Sena Shōg) Voiced by: Daigo |
Shōgo Sena is the star of a band, Crusherz, as well as the older brother of Izumi Sena. | |
 | Rei Sagara (相楽 玲 Sagara Rei) Voiced by: Daisuke Hirakawa |
Rei Sagara is Izumi's manager, and he acts like a mother to him. |
Plot
The story revolves around the romantic relationship between Izumi and Ryoma due to the circumstances we see in the characters section. There is pressure for Izumi to live up to his parents' expectations of being a star although he wants to be a mangaka. Meanwhile, Ryoma accepts the fact the girl he longed for was a guy.
Themes
It's the struggle for their relationship and as well as the struggle to find one's calling.
Verdict
Good
The series is short about 10 episodes long. It has a relative good pacing for a realistic relationship. For me personally, the best parts of the series was the beginning 2 episodes or so. Seeing how events unfold when Ryoma finds out his beloved was a girl and Izumi overcoming his shyness in a comedic manner. It's the humor and the characters that drive this show home.
Bad
The show is not perfect. I don't know how well it adapted the original source material and how faithful it is. I'm sorry I don't have the information. I'll take it by anime approach because I don't believe anime series especially shonen series should be tethered too tightly to its original source material. The one thing I didn't enjoy about Love Stage!! was at the end where Izumi was about to be rape. Rape isn't a fond thing. Given how light hearted this series is, it doesn't fit no matter how they took it as a comedic thing. Izumi fought them. To me, it gives a bad impression especially to new fans who haven't seen yaoi yet.
Conclusion
Love Stage!! is a short series that focuses on relationship building, humorous characters, and adapting slice of life issues such as one's calling. Slice of Life shows connect with fans if they touch upon a subject that they relate to it.
Love Stage!! isn't for everyone. It explores homosexuality which most folks aren't accustomed or comfortable with. If you like shows with these elements, I recommend this show to you. In Anime Vice, we take pride in what we watch. Don't be embarrassed of what you watch. We're all good friends.
Thank you for reading. I hope you try out Love Stage and have a good time.
No comments:
Post a Comment