Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
rinapp1e
Watching this so many years after release, it's visible how much BL media has changed. This anime is well made and Izumi and Ryouma are well written for an anime of this genre, though the same isn't to be said for the other characters. The reason to have mixed feelings about this show however lies mostly in the progression of the story as well as the SA scenes, which sadly are prominent in this anime, however they do slowly get resolved, making the show more bearable.
The animation style is really nice and the characters are pleasing to the eye, in both the way they're animated to the expressions they convey. Izumi and Ryouma are a bit more difficult to touch upon because both have redeeming qualities but also a couple unenjoyable ones, which are sadly typical for a BL. Izumi's character…
Read at the sourceRen0111
I mean, if you can ignore the romanticized sexual assault then go watch it but for me it's a huge no, I thought this would be a wholesome watch as it was recommended by my sister (she prefers shoujo and I prefer shounen) my jaw was on the floor the moment I saw one of the mcs sexually assault the other and the the story just carries on without giving him any consequences, I really wanted to give it a chance and watch it all the way but i just couldn't take it anymore and dropped it at episode 8, if you wanna watch a bl that is actually wholesome watch Given, way better than this trash, the only positives I can give it is the animation and the comedy at times
Read at the sourceSuperAdventure
I discovered this little gem via HiDive’s ‘Celebrate Pride’ suggestion list, and am glad such a suggestion list existed since brought a few anime to light I hadn’t considered. This one is about a guy Izumi who is from a wealthy family of famous entertainers (hoo BOY did they nail it with these people) By way of his family, Izumi ends up filling in for a girl's role in a wedding commercial when he’s a kid. The boy he was paired with was infatuated with him right away (but thought he was a girl). And for some reason they’re doing a ‘reunion’ commercial with the same cast 10 years later, which puts the now 18 yo Izumi in a dress again, and hijinx ensue…
At first, I was bothered that the story was so determined to create a ‘Trap’ scenario with Izumi, and the whole reunion thing was a bit too…
Read at the sourceGrain_of_Salt
In the modern revolution of unambiguously good BL such as Yuri on Ice, Sk8, and the Banana Fish adaptation, Love Stage can certainly feel a little dated. Love first consummated (or at least attempted) via force is a trope largely left in the past but is still present in Love Stage. Romance with ultra famous celebrities is extremely common in the genre, and to modern gay people the waffling over "how could I like boys/boys other than my one true love are no good!" can feel a little tired. That being said, despite all of these potential slights, Love Stage has an oddly infectious energy that left me constantly wanting more.
Compared to a lot of BL of the time and before, I found myself engrossed with Love Stage and staying up later than I should to watch more and suffering for it in the mor…
Read at the sourceRebelPanda
Happy LGBTQ+ Pride Month! In celebration, I’m reviewing one of the most beloved Shounen-ai anime from 2014. Love Stage!!
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*Trigger warnings: Homophobia, transphobia, sexual assault, victim-blaming.*
Once upon a time, your average ~straight~ teenage boy awakens from his bed and greets his idol, Lala Lulu. Izumi, the boy in question, lives with his family of actors and musicians. They constantly put pressure on him to become an entertainer, to his dismay. Izumi is an introverted otaku who dreams of becoming a famous mangaka. Despite wanting to move in a separate direction, he is dragged into showbiz by his family. When I first watched Love Stage as a teen, I thought this would be a coming-of-age story about a boy who achieves his dreams and embraces his sexuality. Oh, how wrong I w…
Read at the sourcecrimsoughtan
This anime can be off-putting to some viewers especially those who came to look for something wholesome. The show contains certain scenes that may make you cringe by how awful it is especially with how the characters treat Izumi. Izumi, as the main character didn't come as a strong one and even when he tries to prove his resolve, he just always end up being pushed around by the people who are supposed to look after him. The dynamic on Ryouma and Izumi's relationship wasn't that impressive either and felt bland. They had their cute moments, but their relationship could've been a lot better. The buildup was just to say "happened so miraculous" or unrealistic considering Ryouma has been breaking Izumi's personal boundaries and did a lot of stuff to him without his consent. If ever, Izumi has…
Read at the sourceHanamiAiri
I couldn’t love more BL’s anime. I’m really sad that Love Stage have just 1 season and 1 OVA, in my point of view this anime should have much more content because could happen so many things in the context of this story.
The story was really great, I had so much fun with with the characters, I literally love then so much. Unfortunately, the art should be better in the scenario, the character design is beautiful… but the scenario sometimes was missing the design and making it so much out of the context. This bother me off just a little bit but doesn’t made my experience worse.
I loved the anime and could watch so many more episodes! If you like BL, comedy and romances I totally recommend it.
Read at the sourceAnanoMously
ugh, like I don't want to give this show a low score but I'm going to. If you are like me and enjoy a good BL story, this will only build you up to drop you so hard and leave you hanging. It really felt like it was going somewhere and then stopped. Did it have what you could call a happy ending? I'm mean sure. I know "but it only has 10 episodes how could it do everything you're wanting it too?" I know I should of saw that and been like there's no way, but the reviews put it above avg so I thought why not. I'm sure this is a case where the manga is the way to go for this story. Also it plays around with consent, it's very weird. I had a hard time with some of the characters and the choices that they made, but they seemed pretty one dimensional. There are a lot of shows worth watching and t…
Read at the sourceEasyOST
Love stage joins what I'd like to call "Shows that Easy decides to binge in one night because he is a chronic insomniac" along with shows like Shield Hero and given.
Now, this show is VERY rapey. There's some legit scenes where people try. to rape the main character, and I really don't get why.
The voice acting was pretty annoying in some places, especially izumi's brother. I cant stand his voice. But it is what it is i guess.
The animation, the faces looked really weird. Very out of place in my opinion. I can't exactly nail on why it looks weird, but it just does.
Ironically, this show was actually. all considered, good. I don't. know why, maybe its cuz its 2:30 in. the morning and sleep deprivation got me high as balls, or some other thing.
Ending was wholesome as fuck tho. That I d…
Read at the sourceIronoverloaded
Let me start off by saying this is one of my first reviews. I was going to go through all yaoi anime, and systematically rewatch them and offer a review whilst the show was fresh in my mind. And then I got to Love Stage's turn...
And I can't. I can't rewatch this. To make me rewatch this would be harder than physically pulling out my teeth. It is that bad.
To be fair to it, once upon a time I enjoyed this show - I THINK. And you never want to have to think about whether you did in fact enjoy something. But I binge-watched it and liked the setting of the entertainment industry. I had a fun time watching it. But looking back, that enjoyment was reminiscent of watching a train wreck you can't avert your gaze from.
I realise now that the reason I finished this anime was *fascination*, not…
Read at the sourceJuonithz
I loved it! I thought Love Stage was spectacular. This is honestly one of the best BL anime I've seen. You get to see the characters Izumi Sena and Ichijou Ryouma stumble their way into love and it's so adorable. The story is a average love story, but it is enjoyable to watch these characters find their way to each other. The art style could have been a bit better. The characters almost all look a like, because most of them have the same face shape. Izumi and Ryouma were so vastly different but they worked well together and took time to understand each other which was sweet. This show has the same tropes of all other BL animes with choosing the very obvious Semi and Uki traits, and the not so concentual encounters. But how it differs from the other BL animes is that they use it as a plot p…
Read at the sourceSavageYomoon
As someone who is a female and bisexual this show bothered me to much.
1.Izumi being a pretty short feminine guy annoys me.I mean that’s such a stereotype
2.Ryoma was literally so rude when he found out that Izumi was a boy(could be seen a homophobic too)
3.Ryoma literally stalks Izumi and manipulates him
4.About the brother(Shougo)he literally didn’t think it was wrong (and blamed it on Izumi)when Ryoma almost raped Izumi(Also can we mention the fact he kissed him while unconscious)
5.This show romantizes stalking,rape and homphobia
6.The girls are stereotypical.They dotn care about space,they basically want to crush Izumi because he’s so cute.STEREOTYPICAL
7.Also ryoma again.This guy sexually assaults Izumi too many times for my comfort
8.Of course Izumi is to be blamed(not for the rape…
Read at the sourcecocolita22
I know this is a really popular yaoi but it was not my favorite!! I think if you have the time, it's easy to get through the ten episodes, but it isn't exactly super exciting... I think other yaoi are ten times better.
The ending, however, is very cute but also feel rushed. The music was really nice. I loved the opening theme -- made the show feel more exciting than it really was. The art was great! I don't have any complaints there.
The characters were very one-dimension and I honestly found Ryouma to be super annoying at times.
At the end of the day, a yaoi fan should see this.
Read at the sourcereimachii
Love Stage
Some may say it is a good starting spot for those who seek anime with LBGT representation, however I NEED to disagree.
Hello! Although my sexuality doesn't necessarily matter in the grand scheme of this review I will mention that I am a gay male. I have seen my fair share of anime of this genre but so far Love Stage is the weakest link.
It is hard to find a place to start so i'll discuss the plot first. Izumi wants to be a manga artist, parents want him in the family show biz. They just want whats best for him yadda yadda.. Izumi is our main protagonist and frankly he is rather irritating and annoying. He is also ignorant, and since his family is rich he is rather careless in his decisions. As for our main love interest Ryouma, he is boring! There is so little to say about him.…
Read at the sourceIdontwantto2mal
Disgusting childish and problematic.
Another BL on my list where seme should have been arrested a long time ago.
Okay, here we go
The love stage starts quite interesting. We have a gender intrigue here, where the main character thinks he has fallen in love with a girl who is actually a boy. Sounds interesting enough? But the show will show you that such a seemingly ridiculous idea for a romantic comedy can be spoiled. When Ryoma learns that Izumi is a boy, he decides to rape him. Yes Yes. He's already getting started but gets hit by Izumi's brother's friend.
After this incident, Ryoma locks up in a room and cries for several days. Then comes to his brother who knows Izumi has been attacked and almost raped. Only the brother says he has nothing to worry about, starts to blame him for not le…
Read at the sourceJupiter20
Good time to review another rapey yaoi, with some non-con and compulsion. Everyone has probably already talked about this problem in Junjou Romantica, a show that is not ashamed to show sexual harassment in the first minutes. But now it will be about Love Stage. The plot is generally not bad, it really does have what could be called a model of simplified gender intrigue.
Story
A boy who thinks he is in love with a girl who is actually a boy. The plot is very simplified because the gender secret is only for Ryoma and it's until episode 3. An episode where Ryoma wants to make sure Izumi's gender is hard to believe. And a nightmare begins. Because Ryoma takes Izumi's clothes off and, after making sure of his gender, decides to rape him. And from what I understand, he started molesting him by…
Read at the source-vanja-
This was fun to watch, I enjoyed this Anime.
The comedy was great, sometimes I had a feeling that Love Stage is a parody of ai genre. But in the end, I found myself cheering for the two main characters to become lovers.
The animation was nothing special, music also. The story and characters were great. I also liked said characters, especially Rei, who help our main pair to understand the feelings they feel about each other.
Love Stage doesn't have many NSFW scenes. One scene had bothered me, a that is the first NSFW scene, which kinda becomes cringe. Other scenes were cute and romantic.
I think many straight men would enjoy this Anime, ofc If they are open-minded. You will find a good comedy. And if you are not straight, this was a pretty cute romantic story.
Overall 7/10
Read at the sourcezalsun
Okay, what i need from a review is to be short and easy to understand like in two sentences so I can decide whether I want to watch it or not, so I'll start providing, to understand my reviews you are probably going to need some fanfiction knowledge.
This is based solely on my personal enjoyment and feelings and it is biased in a way
THE ACTUAL REVIEW:
As someone who deeply enjoys BL this is how this one felt, so imagine a fanfiction; a good story, with lots of potential, a sweet pairing and you love it, it's coming together great, but as you're reading it you start to notice some toxic behavior that SHOULD NOT be encouraged. Yet the fanfiction is so entrancing and so good in all the other aspects you choose to overlook it because it's simply too good.
This is exactly how I felt.
Read at the sourcenic0_nic0_n0pe
As a gay person, I found a lot of this show tropey/boring and some of it outright insulting. Yaoi isn't generally the place to look for great, nuanced representation of actual gay people - I'm aware it's mostly fetish porn for a target demographic of straight women - but this one hit on every trope that particularly grinds my gears. Love Stage leans hard into the idea that gay men fall into "masculine" and "feminine" roles in their relationships with each other (they don't), and its characters are largely empty vehicles for blundering into tastefully-drawn-but-compromising positions. Like most yaoi, it features a good degree of predatory behavior from its gay characters, and stalking/sexual assault are core elements of its romance.
The show admittedly looks and sounds better than most ya…
Read at the sourceBabyGirl06301
I'm, like, a little annoyed that I enjoyed this anime so much? It's 100% the type of corny, slightly trashy romances that a lot of people hate, but this one made me really happy? I shouldn't be giving it this high of a score, but I am because?
For real, this anime was so unexpected. I really didn't expect to enjoy it this much. I'm pretty sure most of it had to do with the little story that it told rather than anything else. The art style was nice, and mostly it didn't bother me, but it's one of those styles that makes everyone looks just a little bit *too* pretty, you know? The sound was alright, and the characters themselves were your standard romance (especially yaoi) characters.
But the way this anime was able to tell it's story was really charming and fun to watch. For starters, th…
Read at the source
