Oh, my. It’s already summer! Have you guys taken a look at the list of summer released animes yet? If you haven’t, be sure to check it out! There are lots of fantastic ones to watch and my list just keeps on growing, lol. Here’s a website that lists them(AniChart.net). What I like about this website is that they also list the count down for the next episode’s release. I don’t know about you, but that’s pretty useful for me. Out of all the ones I’m going to watch, I’m choosing to write about Love Stage!! in today’s post.
If yaoi is not your thing, then read no further. But if it is, then, by all means continue! From the moment I read the description for Love Stage!!, I knew I was going to like it. There hasn’t been any good ones (not in my opinion at least) since Junjou Romantica or Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi until now. Izumi Sena comes from a show business family. His father was a musical actor turned singer and currently the President of their family entertainment agency, Sena Productions. His mother is a model turned actress and his older brother is the lead vocalist for a rock band. As for Izumi? He chooses to be an otaku instead and aspires to be a manga artist some day…if only he could draw.
Life seems like an endless circle of reading manga, working on his drafts and returning to a bedroom full of LaLaLuLu merchandise. But one day, his family’s manager at Sena Productions, who happens to be a close family friend as well, announced that the family was to do a commercial shoot with the same sponsor they did it with 10 years ago. It had to be done with the same cast to commemorate their 10th year business anniversary. Izumi was not in the least bit excited about this shoot because for him, acting back then was a very traumatic experience. He was dressed up to look like a little girl and he was a bundle of nerves. He was pretty much set on refusing until his older brother bribed him with an alarm clock that had a LaLaLuLu wake up call. How hard could it be? It would just be like cosplaying! But this was just the beginning of his new life in show business…
It’s in this shoot, he reunites with his co-star back then, Ryouma Ichijo. It was actually Ryouma that had helped calm Izumi’s nerves in the past by lending him his treasured marble. According to him, if he wished upon the marble to be calm, it would happen. And for the second time 10 years later, it worked like a charm once again. Unbeknownst to Izumi, Ryouma had looked upon this marble thinking of him every time because it matched the color of his eyes and had fallen in love with him believing that he was a girl! The oblivious Izumi continued with the shoot until they came upon the last scene…the kissing scene! (>.<) squeee!
What did I tell you? This is the perfect start to a perfect yaoi romance, right? What I love about this anime is that both guys are seemingly straight but the attraction between them was so strong and undeniable that it was futile to resist. With Izumi’s feminine build and looks, it was hard for Ryouma to put a stop to his 10 years long crush. And Izumi couldn’t really withstand Ryouma’s gentlemanly persistence for very long.
This anime, which began airing in July this year, is actually an adaptation of the manga series written by Eiki Eiki and illustrated by Taishi Zao. The manga was serialized in the issue of Kadokawa Shoten’s Asuka Ciei magazine back in July 2010. So, if you’re impatient like I am to find out what happens right after the first anime episode, you can read the manga version of it. There’s a slight variation to the story but nothing that would impact the main story plot. Also, there’s a light spin-off romance story between Rei Sagara, the manager and Shougo Sena, the older brother if you’re interested. The short manga/ novel is called Back Stage!!, has about three volumes and is still ongoing. Although, it seems more like just three chapters. You can pretty much see glimpses of their romance in Love Stage!! as well.
So, if I were you, I’d add this to the list of animes to follow and watch it with much anticipation as both Izumi and Ryouma struggle with their love and sexuality for each other! ❤
chokocat 