First Impressions / Series Introduction / Snapshots

OP Sequence

OP: 「おかえり」 (Okaeri) by 矢田悠祐 (Yata Yuusuke )

「Forest green」

It’s been a while since I’ve last watched anything with BL (boys’ love) so SUPER LOVERS was actually quite refreshing to see. I can’t vouch for where it’s going, but from what I saw of this first episode, it was rather tame and kind of cute. Kaidou Haru (Maeno Tomaki) is a young teenager, returning to Alberta, Canada (Woot! I won’t lie, that’s why I’m intro-ing this show) for the first time in a while to visit his mother. When he arrives, he finds out that she’s adopted a new son named Kaidou Ren (Minagawa Junko). Ren is a bit rough around the edges and despite Haruko’s (Tanaka Atsuko) attempts, Ren refuses to behave. Then Haru comes around and he starts looking after his adopted brother very carefully. Throughout the summer, he makes him lunch, looks after him and they do the typical summer activities together. Ren eventually opens up to Haru and they share a brotherly bond (I’m calling it a brotherly bond.). The episode wraps it up with Haru heading back after the summer ends with his father and his step-mother. The ED implies that there will be a time-skip though as our main characters age, and it’ll also welcome Haru’s 2 step-brothers.

The entire episode felt like a very quick ONA as it breezed through Haru’s relationship with Ren in its early stages. For anyone wondering, they’re actually 8 years apart (with Ren being 8 years old in the beginning) and they’re not technically related by blood at all. This first episode went by so fast that even though I wanted to appreciate their relationship, it felt like a big brother watching over his younger brother for an entire summer. Haru was portrayed as a great character, very understanding and charming – but Ren was just… a bit of a brat who turned into another average little boy. There was definitely a lot of development cramped into one episode. However, if the bulk of the story is after this time skip, then I don’t mind. I just hope I’m not expected to look back and think, ”Wow, they were so cute together!” because they were cute – but not in a romantic way. I’m definitely feeling the family ties more and perhaps that’s why I don’t feel like the kissing and hugging was in any way inappropriate because I just imagine family members taking care of one another. It’s not the perception that this show wants to enforce I’m sure, but it also means that this first episode didn’t have enough BL in it for me.

So does this show turn me off? No I don’t think so. I was anticipating more of the BL to come out but since Ren is so young, it’d only be awkward if it did. When he comes back older, then we’ll talk. I definitely think that the age gap can be an issue (even if Ren is 16 later on) but if you think about two adults being 30 and 38, that’s not so bad anymore right? So I’m going to just assume that Ren and Haru are more mature than their age states and whatever comes out of their relationship won’t be seen as incest or pedophilia. From the looks of our cliffhanger, the show will be more dramatic than its premiere, which I’d be interested to see how it suddenly takes such a turn. The animation makes the show seem so light and comedic; when in reality, that monologue at the end just made me think, ”What…??” Speaking of animation, I’m actually loving it. Some of the still shots are lovely and all the full-length images – my gosh, I’ve got to take some of them next week for you guys. I could actually melt into Haru’s eyes.

Bottom Line – @RCCherrie: Well that went by… incredibly fast. I wasn’t expecting there to be a time skip either. Honestly, this didn’t feel like BL at all – it felt like a very cute brotherly love OVA or something =) #superlovers

 

ED Sequence

ED: 「ハピネスYOU＆ME」 (Happiness YOU & ME) by 海棠4兄弟 (Kaidou 4 Kyoudai)

Preview

28 Comments

  4. This show is pretty creepy, but no more than loli fanservice shows. Nothing actually happens until he’s 16 but he still looks like he’s 12 so that doesn’t really help.

    Potatoes
    Reply

  5. Okay, so let’s be real for a second : there are a ton of loli shows out there that are way, way, way worse than this series and yet people don’t look at them nearly as poorly. I would even include the little slice of life loli dramas with all these adorable little.. what, seven year olds? doing cute things that are clearly sexual in nature. And what about series like ToraDora? Taiga may be 17, but she looks like a kid and she’s designed to look like that to appeal to the loli audience.

    I love BL manga but I’ve never liked a series that was shota before. I gave it a chance because it’s one of the highest rated BL manga that has ever been written. I wouldn’t say it’s the best manga I’ve ever read by a stretch, but it’s really heart warming and it does build the characters up really well for this genre. I enjoyed it. Nothing adverse happens until he is (barely) old enough.

    Mochi
    Reply

    1. If I say I don’t like both and actually hate loli shows, does it make my apprehension towards this show better than anyone else? And for the record I hate loli-centric shows. Shota all the same. And I disagree that nothing adverse happened. They literally kissed. I don’t really think it was brotherly either — and even if it was we all know that Haru got attracted to him and the two are going to bone sooner or later.

      Noragami!
      Reply

      1. Well, it makes you consistent which is better than people who rationalize one and then hate the other. There is a massive amount of loli fanservice in anime these days and it’s just funny to see some people all over one but grossed out by the other because it’s gay. It’s definitely not a show or series for everyone and I respect that.

        As for whether they are going to bone or not, it’s a romance manga. Don’t you always know this is going to happen in this situation? The show is going to be animated and well received by its particular audience regardless. Most people will look at this and look away, condemn it, and never even try to experience the content. That is fine. But I don’t think it’s necessary to complain obsessively about its existence (not you in particular, but a lot of people are feeling the need to ‘campaign’ against it) when there are so many shows which clearly have loli romance or characters drawn like children that are well received.

        Mochi
        Reply

      3. I don’t think anyone is actively campaigning against this show. Whenever someone mentions it though they have a right to comment their opinion about it. I still don’t like the loli rationalization because that’s suggesting two wrongs make a right, and for the record I think the exploitation to loli’s and shotas are both disagreeable.

        To each his own though — it’s not such a hatred I have that I would ever condemn anyone for liking this show. If this is your thing or you like it, then have fun with it since it’s not harming anyone. It’s just a show anyways

        Noragami!
        Reply

  8. Yay! Thank you for writing this review Cherrie~!

    I really liked the premiere, its very cheerful and colorful, and I agree, it feels more brotherly than anything else at this point. But it’s so sweet. awww a orphaned little boy gets adopted by a caring family

    And you don’t see a lot of anime taking place in Canada so woohoo!! the great outdoors yeah! and I love the dogs too 🙂 doggies are so cute

    It’s been a while since we had a BL anime, so when I heard about this, I went ahead and read the manga, so I know somewhat of what’s coming next. Let’s see how it goes next week.

    yukinonn
    Reply

  9. I have to say that the only BL anime I’ve seen before this was Gravitation (which I actually liked) and this one doesn’t look too bad either. I do agree that I didn’t get any sort of “disturbing”, “sick”, “creepy”, or other such feelings from this episode and just saw brotherly bonding.

    I mean, what, was it simply because of the kissing that some people got so turned off? Has it come to the point in (Western) society that it’s “gross” or “wrong” for a boy to kiss another boy, period? The only time Haru kissed Ren on the mouth, it was played purely for comedic value not to be taken seriously, but otherwise it was always just on the top of the head. It’s not THAT uncommon for older siblings to kiss younger siblings on the head if they’re close, same or opposite gender.

    HalfDemonInuyasha
    Reply

  10. This will be one of those divisive shows (at least for western audiences), which really can’t be helped since the title is literally called “Super Lovers” and it features a shota/BL, it’s easy to judge at it at first glance. It is funny how different standards can be when we reverse the gender (lolis usually get less hate, but meh). I don’t think I’ll watch this, but I think it’s refreshing we get more variety in anime.

    ChromeNova
    Reply

    1. The show wouldn’t be divisive to its target audience though. As you mentioned, you wouldn’t find many guys complaining if the genders were reversed, because then said show would be aimed at guys. But as this show is clearly aimed at girls, some have taken offense to the subject covered.

      Lyfe
      Reply

    1. I’m into BL, so I read the manga to try to understand the hype, but I’ve known too many CSA survivors to ever be OK with this relationship, even in fantasy. I’m disappointed to see many manga readers overlook, and even romanticize, the brothers’ relationship, especially because Show Spoiler ▼

      I’ll be hate-watching this.

      cassz
      Reply

      1. Yeeeeah I’m sorry but no matter the gender of the people involved (and I apply this to lolicon as well, even MORE so since there’s so much more of it) but I simply cannot watch a show that basically glamorises pedophilia.

        I looked at the manga and noped out just as much. I honestly cannot stand shows like this.

        Skins Thhunderbomb
        Reply

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