Super Lovers

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First of all, please don't stop reading because you smell something lolicon.

Super Lovers was recommended to me by a friend. I actually had no complaints since I have finished catching up to all of my favorite series, and I'm extremely bored. So I decided to give this series a try. Like, what could possibly go wrong with this kind of beautiful art.

Story - The story is not what you can find on the other yaoi mangas. Yes, it is extremely weird at the first chapters you might as well throw this manga somewhere else because.... because of reasons. And believe me, everything is not what ... it seems. It is going to get better as the story goes by. The best part of this series is, even after 17 chapters (which are extremely long), the main pairing seem like they haven't gotten anywhere. Their romance development is considered slow compared to other yaoi works out there (it's only chapter 1 but there are sex scenes already? Duh) but believe me, Super Lovers is worth the wait. It's actually realistic how their love life's pace is really slow.

In case you hate anything lolicon, here's a reminder: the main pair's age gap is like Yukina Kou and Kisa Shouta.

Art - F*ck man, the art is beautiful. It's like a sparkly shoujo manga. And it's yaoi. Is there anything better than this.

Character - We have Ren, our stubborn and almost emotionless teenage boy, and Haru, our typical beautiful and perfect older brother. Haru has a serious brother complex. He's really overprotective towards Ren. And Ren... I'm afraid if I say more, I will spoil the fun. Ren is a really cute individual and he has trouble on expressing his feelings.

And he wants to be a grown-up so badly.

Enjoyment - Reading Super Lovers is like a rollercoaster ride. As I stated before, the pace is unbelievably slow compared to other yaoi mangas. Maybe you will find yourself twitching your nerves, gritting your teeth while whispering "where the hell is the sex scene?!?!?!?!" but there are also sweet and sexy moments in this manga. Not gonna spoil, but just see. The moments in this manga could be really emotional. It wrecks my heart, man.

Overall this is a good read. This is a perfect example on how a yaoi series should be: focus more on the story, leave the lust later.

This is why I hate reading ongoing series.
I get so damn depressed when I finally catch up.
Especially when they're this good.

I've read up to Chapter 13, which is all they have up to now, and I really want to keep going! This is a really good read, and here's why:

I think the art is incredible. Probably not the best out there, but one of my favourite styles yet; the characters and sceneries are all gorgeous. The story seemed kind of eyebrow-raising to me at first, but Haru and Ren's relationship is actually pretty sweet. Ren's definitely a tsundere, and a really cute one at that! ... I really enjoy their moments together. At first, I didn't quite get how their relationship evolved from brotherly to something more, but as the chapters went by, it got more natural.

The only complaint I have is that the chapters are published bimonthly. I'll try to, but I really don't know if I'll be patient enough to wait 2 whole months for every chapter.

Super Lovers is a Shounen-Ai manga - or might be yaoi but anyway don't be fooled by the title ('coz I know I did but it was so worth it). Basically, I have re-read this manga more than the chapters I have read and I was so unsure as to why I have yet to right a review. OK, I will start my review then.

(1) STORY - 10
I have read so many shounen ai and yaoi manga in my life that I can't count it anymore. To be very honest, this is one of a kind manga that stands out the most despite its ... genre. The story is not the typical "stranger-argument-fallinginlove-makingout". No. It ACTUALLY has meaning to it. Every time I re-read this manga, I still get that heart-wrenching feeling because you get to sympathise with the main character or sometimes feel sorry for others. The story is simple but the development in each chapter is quite nice as well. The story is very relaxed - it deals with problems but still links to their daily routines and all. Like I said, there are instances where its depressing but I think it leans more on the comedic side as far as I am concerned anyway.

(2) ART - 10
WHAT CAN I SAY? BASED ON THE COVER OF THE MANGA WON'T YOU THINK IT DESERVES A PRAISE? Yes I'd like to repeat, this is a shounen-ai manga and I bet, you've never seen such amazing art. This is from the same author as Hakkenden so you can see the resemblance in some characters. I actually fell in love with the art that's why I love to re-read this manga over and over again (despite the fact that it is still an on-going series).

(3) CHARACTER - 10
In every manga I read, I always cry mainly because I can feel (or pretend that I do) the character(s) and you can say that this is one of those series. The characters in this series is to be loved by the readers. Some may look similar to one another but you'll get the idea when you read it. I can say that as the story moves on, the characters develop and you can see the changes in their actions and words which is probably what many manga out there is missing. I can never tell you which is my favourite character because honestly, I am not sure either.

(4) ENJOYMENT - 10
YES I have been re-reading this manga over and over again - from the start to the current update. I enjoy reading it a lot even though I get to remember the scene or the lines. In some ways, it is a typical plot. It goes from comedy to depressing to something mushy - like love... perhaps? But every time I read it I always end up smiling and wanting some more. I'd like to mention the genre again. Its a good laugh as well. Even if you're depressed, I think reading or re-reading this manga is worth it.

(5) OVERALL - 10
I don't see a reason why someone would give this manga less than an 8, unless of course they don't like the genre or the author or the plot itself which I find it hard to believe. You can say I am a very biased person, especially as to how much I wrote about how fantastic this manga is but honestly, you would probably say the same thing if you read it.

I just hope everyone will get to enjoy the manga as much as I do and did. I am still waiting and wanting for more as time goes by so I hope someone, with an angelic knowledge would share more in the future! :)

Wow, im really surprised this manga is so underrated. To me, super lovers redefined yaoi manga, and I really expected it to be a lot more viral than it actually is! The only thing I dont like is that this is an ongoing manga because im constantly waiting for more, but at the same time its like eh.. at least this great manga isnt over yet.

Story: Ive never really seen something quite like this before, just reading a synopsis it would seem so unremarkable, but it really catches you off guard . When it starts out its a little confusing and your not really ... sure whats going on(or how it turns into bl), but trust me on this and keep reading. The plot has just about everything youve already seen in forbidden love, same sex, incest, age gap, and all the toppings that come with it, but somehow the mangaka managed to bring it all to life in a way that isnt like any other. The best part is that the story is on the verge of believable. Of course a manga is no fun if unbelievable things dont happen all the time, but everything about this manga feels so on the verge of realistic that it you find yourself drawn into the story even more.

Art: Honestly there are a lot of people that dont rate this manga as highly as I do, and to each his own. But I truly think that the art in SL deserves a 10/10 no matter who you are or what your opinion on this manga is. Im a big fan of Abe Miyuki, and the art in SL is the best shes ever done... the eyes, the expressions, bodies-- all super :) and super hott :3

Character: Even though the art is the 'best' aspect of this manga, the characters are my FAVORITE part, hands down. Yes theyre gorgeous, and of COURSE I drool, but their personalities just immediately force their way into your heart, whether it be with their scarred past or their quirky personalities. Its also pretty rare you find a good yaoi with such deep characters, not only well developed but also strong realistic personalities.

Enjoyment: YES! haha, what else can I say.

Overall: Forbidden love story with realistic characters that you will definitely fall in love with who just happen to be extremely sexy? I definitely recommend this manga, READ IT ^_^

Super Lovers the Manga...

After watching 2 seasons of the Anime I still had a lot of questions about what was happening or what was going to happen to our main characters Haru and Ren. So naturally I'd look at the source material if it adds any more context to why a very grown man in his mid twenties should be interested in a teenager. But unfortunately I did not find said context, even after thirty plus chapters.

In my other reviews of the anime I already explained why it's harmful to normalize relationships like that as it reinforces how codependency begins and how it can ... be very unhealthy especially at such a young age for someone like Ren, who's already had to deal abuse and neglect early in his life.

This leads me to my first critique of this manga: The Story.

I gave this a 2 because I feel like after the many chapters I read, I don't know where the author is going. It's hard to tell if I'm still at the beginning of the story or are we somewhere near the end. For whatever reason a lot of plot points raised in the story are either not resolved in any satisfying way, or they where dropped and never seen or heard from ever again..

For instance, in one of the chapters, the cafe was pretty much ransacked, I know it's technically a spoiler but if we were to take this part out of the story, it wouldn't change the trajectory of what happens. We don't even find why it happens or even who did it. We can pretty much say that for most of the drama that happens, if it doesn't add or change anything to the story, then it's just drama for drama sake.

This manga seems to avoid answering of the major problems or trauma surrounding either of the main characters. That leads me to my second problem: The Characters.

I also gave this a 2, at first I thought this was just a problem of the anime due to pacing which of course happens with many adaptations. But after reading the Manga, there's still a lot of questions about the characters I have that didn't get an explanation.

Ren's probably the only exception to this, seeing how we're mostly following what he's doing for most of the manga, we know his motivations and why he does certain things. Fundamentally this is a coming of age story for Ren if we take the romance out if it.

But that leave the big problem of characterization to the other main character Haru. After 38 chapters, there's still a lot we don't know about him. After the first few chapters we aren't even sure what his motivations are as a character after he moves in with his brothers and opens his cafe. The times we are let in to his perspective it doesn't really explain what he's thinking and why he's thinking it. He doesn't like talking about his past but we aren't told why in much detail. Just having a chapter or two on him could help him be more developed, being pretty or handsome isn't enough to be an interesting character.

The same could be said for the secondary characters in this manga, some of which are more interesting to learn about than even Haru at times. Whenever a new character is introduced I know that their presence isn't really going to affect the long term of the story, so there's not a point to be invested.

The Art, I gave a 7 and it's one of the things that I didn't hate. It's nice, but when you think of the overall topics covered in the story? It gets a bit creepy, almost like a midsommar vibe when I ignore what else is going on because it looks good.

Overall I found it hard to stay immersed in the story because there's just not much substance.

This manga is definitly in my Top 3, it's one of a kind, I fell in love with it and I still do everytime I reread it

Story:
It's a slow developing story, but it has a lot of very sweet and sexy moments, it's not like other yaoi mangas where there are sex scenes right in the first chapters, this one focuses more on the loving story and how they get to where they are in this point of time, it also has a lot of humorous moments thanks to Ren's straight-forwardness together with everyone else's awkardness, but if it was just this it would only ... be shounen-ai and comedy but it's actually very realistic so of course it has serious and sad moments.
In the beginning, when I first read it, it was a bit confusing however as the story goes on it gets less and less confusing. As I said before it develops rather slowly comparing to other mangas like this, but the fact that nothing is actually way to rushed is where you get love it even more as you go on reading it.

Art:
The arts it's absolutely phenomenal, it's like the drawings of a shoujo manga, but it's shounen-ai, honestly one of the best arts I've seen so far be it for manga or anime, the drawings with color from the beginning or the end of the chapters and volumes are amazing.

Character:
In this manga almost all the characters seem like they were created to be loved, their development is shown through actions, words and expressions they use. Their personalities just force them into a persons heart, although personally my favorites are Ren the teenage boy who's cute, almost expressionless, has amazing straight-forwardness in certain stuff and great difficulty in expressing his feelings and Aki the almost adult guy who honestly in the beginning I didn't really like him but as the story went on I started to like him more and more until somehow for some reason he ended up one of my favorites.

Enjoyment and overall:
I just love this manga, the only flaw that I can find in it is that you have to wait 2 months for a new chapter, other than that it's painful to wait so long, but it's so completly worth it.

I had suspicions of the couple from the cover and put off reading this for a long time. I did not expect to enjoy this manga as much as I do.

I wouldn't say I support the couple per se, but I still enjoy the story and conflicts they have.

I like how this story makes me feel a range of emotions. They way they write the characters make them seem realistic while at the same time maintaining the fancy things you would see in a shoujo manga (like the mc being a host) etc.

If I ever meet Haru in real life, I would punch ... him in the face. While not being an absolute asshole(questionable), he still manages to be a douchebag of a childish adult at times. However, he is still charming in his own ways (even though yes I would still punch him). The flaws of the the character makes his actions believable and shows that people may not be as nice as they seem or try to be.

Ren is cute and lovable even with his flaws. I like that he is not portrayed to the extremes of acting 'cutesy' or too 'cold', and balances at the right amount of believably and fictional quirks.

This manga has its own unique writing. Although I'm not sure if I would continue liking it as the story progresses as Haru keeps on going about his shit.

Bearing in mind this is 20 or who-know-how-many-chapters...

Story - 6 (Fair)
This is a really slow story. Most chapters are 55-60 pages long and it's almost as if the story's hit a plateau and the mangakai is now branching off on different characters and making things very, very complicated.

The story didn't start off simple either and I'm struggling to summarise it without spilling all the beans... At the heart of it, it's a very a family-orientated manga, regardless of the other genre labels that are stuck on. It's about the Kaidou family and them coming to terms with each other. The Kaidous are a very messy ... family. There's an adopted son. There are cousins who come out of nowhere...

At this point (chapter 20), I would say that the story has gotten completely out of hand. The first 11 chapters are so are still sort of straightforward because it's essentially the four Kaidou brothers and the Haru/Ren relationship. But after that... particularly from Chapter 18 onwards, Natsuo seems to be more of the focus. Haru/Ren remain stuck in some ridiculous rut. I think the mangaka is determined to draw out their "super lovers" story for as long as possible by making these intriguing detours....which end up diluting the Haru/Ren story line so that it becomes more frustrating to read.

Art - 9 (Great)
Hawwwt boys (thought on the skinny side) which would satisfy most BL readers out there. Compare with Yamamoto Kotetsuko if you will. Unfortunately, I sometimes I mistook Ren for Aki and viceversa.

Characters - 7 (Good)
It on the fence about Haru. On one hand, I feel like a pedo for enjoying Ren's antics and the way Haru treats Ren. But sometimes, I feel that my patience is tested. Of course, this isn't meant to be real and characters like Haru probably don't exist in irl (host + opens cafe + in love with adopted brother 6-7 years his junior + basically on women for twenty-odd years of his life but seems to be 100% experienced with how sex between men works and ridiculously suave about it??). I feel as if he's one conceited guy. But it gets a 7 for keeping me engaged since I feel something for the main character, just that the feeling tends towards dislike.

Funny thing is, the lack of focus on the minor characters makes me prefer them more. Juuzen, Ren's classmate is yankee-looking kid from Osaka and seems to think nothing of Haru/Ren's odd relationship and is supportive of the reticent returnee.

One thing that is a big plus to this series: storytelling alternates from Haru and Ren's POVs and sometimes is told from Shima or Aki. The things they say to each other are beginning to be a little repepitive (i.e, constantly repeating how they think Ren is an awkward wolf-child or that Haru is completely unreadable). This whole section sort of ties in with the story (story or character?? which drives which??)


Enjoyment - 8 (Good)
So despite saying Super Lovers is becoming repetitive and how I think Haru is basically a BL version of pedobear...and all, I'm still enjoying it. The drama is what makes it so addictive. I re-read Chapter 1-20 in one night and was left constantly thinking about how the plot would develop.

There is however a difference between reading it all in one go and having your patience tested in waiting for the irregular releases (I think the last one was in Jan 2014?) especially if nothing happens chapter on chapter, month on month.

Overall - 8
It actually came to 7.5 but I'm rounding it up. If you're looking for family orientated prettyboy-BL angst, then this is for you. It's worth a read if you're a Abe Miyuki fan too since this is first time I've seen her draw anything resembling Yaoi.

Otherwise, nothing separates this series from a longer shoujo series with an interesting supporting cast.

The best couple qtqt ren and haru.
I surprised how Ren was sincerity with him feelings, he had a difficult to express your feelings, but Haru always tried to understand what was happening to ren`s mind, although haru doesn't understand certain things.

This manga is definitly in my best manga have seen, it's one of a kind, I fell in love with it and I still do everytime I reread it, or listened a blcd.
The drama is what makes it so addictive, I cried in that scene when many tragedies happen to try to broke the ralationship with them.

The history focuses more on the loving story ... and how they get to where they are in this point of time, it also has a lot of humorous moments what I liked, and of course a little of pervert moments too, but a kind of light yaoi I suppose.