schmitt.morton - 2017-07-10 19:11:02

This was my first adventure into BL anime, and I decided to go with Love Stage!! after a good friend of mine wouldn’t stop talking about it. I had doubts about this anime after reading various reviews, but threw all of the negativity I had out the window after episode 1, and let me say, I was certainly not disappointed. It can be quite hard these days to find enjoyable shounen-ai anime, but Love Stage!! is CERTAINLY worth your time.

If you are a fan of yaoi or shounen-ai, this is a must watch. The plot is fairly easy to understand, Ryouma Ichijou, a famous actor, fell in love with a ‘girl’ he met when he was a child and has been obsessed with trying to locate her since then, and once he meets ‘her’ again, this time as a young adult, he discovers that the ‘girl’ he thought he had fallen in love with was actually a boy; Izumi Sena, a want-to-be manga artist and otaku with a history of his family being in show business.

The plot may seem fairly generic, but is really made up for by literally everything else. One of the main factors is the humour, and damn did J.C.Staff get it right. The comedic value of all the characters is amazing, and at points I was almost on the floor crying with laughter. I also love the fact that (mild spoiler) Izumi is conscious of the fact that his life is panning out like a BL manga, and how he enlists Rei to help him. The main quartet of characters, consisting of Izumi, Ryouma, Shougo (Izumi’s Brother) and Rei (The Sena family’s assistant) are extremely well developed by the first few episodes, and if you pay close attention (SPOILER HERE) you can see that Shougo and Rei are also in a gay relationship, which just fuels the yaoi fangirls and fanboys even more.

I really liked the art style. It’s really nothing amazing but I am biased, as I am a big fan of J.C.Staff, who also made Toradora!, and the colour palette is quite to my aesthetic; vibrant and bold. The music is good and really fits the scene depending on what is happening, as is the opening, but I have to say that I prefer the ED to the OP, but it is personal preference. Big voice actors were a part of this project, such as Tsubasa Yonaga and Daisuke Hirakawa, and everyone fit their characters perfectly, although Shougo’s voice actor, DAIGO, can get irritating at times.

Overall, I highly enjoyed Love Stage!! and I would specifically recommend it to people who enjoy shounen-ai, but even if BL isn’t your thing, Love Stage!! is still worth it for the laughs.

((Extra: For people who have finished the anime and need more, I highly recommend you read the manga, as it goes further than the anime does, and tends to get quite ‘spicy’ if you know what I mean, and leaves in the ‘naughty bits’ that that anime doesn’t))

bette48 - 2017-02-09 22:56:36

Love Stage ist ebenfalls auch ein ziemlicher Süßer Anime mich stört es nur etwas das die tags nicht ganz richtig gesetzt sind -_-

maryam71 - 2015-09-09 02:02:23

I was surprised with how much I liked this anime.  It had me busting out laughing so many times by cheeks began to hurt.  A rare thing for me. If you like Junjou Romantica you will like this. 

I tend not to like most of the BL anime I see.  There aren't many.  But there are a few gems out there, and this is definitely one of them.  This is about two guys who are new to BL love.  Its very interesting.

meredith48 - 2015-04-02 21:33:18

aliya.mertz - 2015-01-20 21:55:20

This is one of the sweetest Shounen Ai it is childhood love awww...

herminia.moore - 2014-11-30 18:06:37

I really wanted to love this anime, I liked the overall story and the characters were fairly original, but it was SUPER creepy at some points. Not to say that it didn't have it's moments, it was fairly cute at times. I would recommend this anime for anyone who really likes yaoi, and can get through creepiness. 

brakus.stevie - 2014-09-28 02:21:29

Anime and manga are wonderful. The manga goes further than the anime, but it's nice to actually hear your fav characters talk and move.

uconroy - 2014-09-10 19:00:55

A sweet airy anime about two young men getting to understand and realize their emotions for each other and themselves. There was a few strong tropes and oh god is there ever brother-complex, but it's a cute anime that sucks you in.

vinnie45 - 2014-08-15 12:34:46

A sweet, charming series that oozes of cuteness, Love Stage is one of the most interesting BL anime. With great, colourful art, Love Stage is an enjoyable anime to watch on a raining day. 

dayton36 - 2014-07-28 07:54:31

Went into this anime fully prepared for the corniest, shallowest BL possible. I was mostly wrong.
Of the 3 episodes that are up, I got so much more than I expected in that the plot is interesting, characters beyond entertaining, and art is stunning. The acting talent is pretty inconsistent--you have big names like Yonaga Tsubasa and Hirakawa Daisuke absolutely killing it, then DAISO fulfilling a rock star role with varied success. But it doesn't change the lovability of any character, so that's fine. My biggest complaint I guess would be how tropey Love Stage can get, but, like. You know what you're signing up for.

It's really funny and won't take up much time to watch--definitely a rainy day treat.