Super Lovers

Super Lovers is a slow paced romance story that steers into the incest genre if one wants to interpet it that way. The main character Haru and Ren are not blood related, but are expected to treat each other like brothers and might not completely understand the definition which makes for flirty scenes.

Other than romance the story focusses on Ren's past life and gradually explains to you, the viewer, what caused him to be the way he is. His distachment and misunderstanding of the world is not overly done and explained throughout the story. Yet there are several cliché parts in the series, such as ... Ren not understanding the reactions of his own body, the friends and family members of the two brothers hardly think badly of them for behaving overly flirty with other other even though they are supposedly related, not to mention males and of very different ages, that may be true elements in a teenager's life, but not in a gay community. It is great that everyone (albeit not openly supportive, but) is accepting of them, but most turn a blind eye to Haru's obvious attempt to get touchy-feely with a boy that should not match his age. The side characters however are enjoyable and more realistic about the entire set-up which is pleasant to see.

In my opinion this series only got interesting at episode 07 where conflict between Haru and Ren about their current relationship and what they actually should be is brought to a climax with truthful, but hurtful words. After that there is far more development for both characters. Especially Ren comprehends that at his age his hormones are active and bring changes to his body and his reactions to Haru's endearments that have not changed from the very beginning but suddenly spark something desirable in Ren.

For those among us who wish to experience a bit more intimacy, I recommend watching episode 09 over and over. It is subtle and there are no explicit images shown, but the dialogue and setting of the scene makes for the very first sexual experience between Haru and Ren. How exciting this may be, it is only one episode away from the end, which was rather dissatisying, because only just recently did the two of them get to explore the levels of their relationship and suddenly it is announced by Haruko that the two of them will be separated. This is, of course, against their will, and promises more interesting conflict in the near future, but for me personally it felt like going back to episode 01 and not having acchieved anything by watching the 10 episodes in total. I sincerely hope season 02 proves me wrong.

All in all I give this series a 6/10. The story was intriguing enough to keep my attention and make me come back for more. However, I prefer the theme of homosexuality, incest and the fact that there's quite the age difference to be more realistic when it comes to being in a relationship with such elements and how the environment with family and friends respond. This was a romantic and dramatic season with lovely scenes of endearment between two people who obvioulsy care a lot about each other. So far it was an imagine of what we hope for them to happen, not so much what would actually happen.

Oof. This is a strange thing to watch. If you're usually not a yaoi/shounen-ai/BL fan, this is the review for you.

To begin with, I have to tell you that if you want to watch this series and not gouge out your own eyes, you have to forget regular social convention and that it takes place in the real world. If you can't get past the fact that the main ship is incestual (adopted brothers, so not technically blood related) and kinda pedophilic (seme is a grown ass adult: around 25ish, uke is probably like 15, definitely looks kinda shota) and very few people in ... the anime are concerned about these facts.

But if you can get past all that, you might actually enjoy this show. Am I on the NSA watchlist yet? Probably. (I swear I'm not a pedophile you guys please)

Let's begin. The story itself is pretty lackluster. It completely revolves around Ren, the kid, and Haru, the lowkey predatory adult. Ren has a lot of baggage to deal with, but it's not really explored. Long story short: little to no plot. They tried to throw in a couple of plot elements to spice things up but it created too many plot holes and strange connections and overall, it's just easier to ignore the aspect altogether.

The art itself is actually pretty. Haru's eyes are done very well, most of the character are really attractive, and Ren is just a little darling. The backgrounds are forgettable, but there's hardly any that really deserve to be looked at other than the Canadian wilderness. The animation is eh a lot of the time though, but it's not bad enough to bother me.

Personally, I didn't really like the opening and closing, but I suppose that's pretty normal for any anime of this genre. Throw in any sparkly music with a lot of bishies and you're good to go! Background music included a lot of flute solos, and it was hard for me to concentrate because it reminded me of the Titanic Flute Fail Meme (look it up it's hilarious). The voice actors did an amazing job for the most part.

Ugh, the characters are in a class of their own. I'll be honest, I adored Ren. I have a soft spot for abused or neglected children because of my own past, and I just wanted to give him a hug the whole time. I think in the context of the real world though, Haru is grooming Ren to become an accepting and submissive child and I find it pretty disgusting. If we are to pretend this is in some other universe and all normal convention is void, even then I'm not completely comfortable with what's going on. It's strange to describe because what's going on IS sexual abuse, pedophilia, and domestic abuse, but yaoi seems to not talk that into consideration.

I hate myself for enjoying this as much as I did.

I would recommend this if you: like shounen-ai, like incest-y ships that can still happen, like brotherly love in general, like older semes and shota ukes, don't have problems with any of the problematic shit going down, like to binge yaoi/BL/shounen-ai

I would NOT recommend this if you: are here for smexy time (implied but not shown), are uncomfortable with pedophilia or incest-y relationships, dislike jealousy and seme-uke tropes, wanted a plot

Have a great day everyone!

In this shounen ai anime, Haru’s mother adopts a psychologically damaged orphan named Ren, and Ren and Haru form a special bond over one summer in Canada. Later when Ren is older, he moves to Japan to live with Haru and Haru’s two half-brothers. While they work on sorting out Ren’s psychological issues stemming from his past as an orphan, Ren and Haru slowly develop romantic and sexual feelings toward one another.

The art here is undeniably lovely, crisp, and clean, and the slice-of-life elements are soft and sweet. However, though it doesn’t use many of the typical problematic yaoi tropes, the anime still falls apart ... on its core romantic relationship. Partially because they first meet when Ren is so young and such an unusual child, everything the older Haru does feels really manipulative and inappropriate. Even though they aren’t related by blood, Haru is still in a position of power over Ren as his guardian, which makes everything have a very awkward and uncomfortable overtone. They even discuss this element repeatedly throughout the anime but somehow aren’t ever able to come to the obvious conclusion. What’s worse is that everyone around them can see what’s going on and essentially enables the ongoing relationship instead of interfering to protect Ren, who is still a child.

While it’s clear that Ren and Haru certainly care for each other, the anime would have worked better if the romantic aspect of their relationship had waited until Ren was older, with time to come to terms with his own sexuality, and then chose to pursue Haru, but it doesn’t work as it is and just feels unpleasant instead of the cute and funny tone it was going for.

Super Lovers was certainly an interesting watch, not something I would usually choose because I don't watch a lot of BL anime. I started it because I really like shonen voiced by women and it featured 2 of my favourite voice actors.

First, the plot is definitely quite interesting though some parts felt a little out of place. The pacing didn't feel off, nothing feels too stagnant. It's kind of like a slice of life with BL elements sprinkled in.

The BL element to all this is perhaps the most controversial part of this anime. Though Ren and Haru's relationship would certainly be uncomfortable and ... discouraged in real life, I found it interesting to delve into it in a fictional setting.

Though it may not be intentional, I found it interesting the more subtle ways their relationship could be considered unhealthy. For example, Haru's treatment of Ren depends on his own mood and feelings at the moment-- he'll shower him with affection when he feels like it, and neglect him if he's not feeling up to par. He doesn't show signs of being ready to be a guardian figure for him.

Their relationship can almost be described as codependent; it's clear that Haru clings to him for his own self-fulfillment, and he likely needs Ren more than Ren needs him. It's much like "throw a dog a bone once, he'll guard your house for life". He formed a bond with Ren during his formative years, which established a foundation for this relationship.

Ren is definitely susceptible to manipulation, and quite accepting of Haru's antics. He is utterly devoted to his wants and needs. In short, he's a very convenient person for Haru to lean on and take what he needs from him. While Haru does care for him and spoil him, it does seem like he's doing it for his own benefit just as much.

Super Lovers has caused divide among the anime community for its controversial elements. I personally find this anime interesting yet average. I found the plot quite uneventful and sometimes dry, but there were cute moments and the relationship between Ren and Haru was incredibly fun to analyse.

It's a story of one very confused relationship.

My main issue with it is that the pair of protagonists would have made a fine cast for a drama even without added dimensions of same-sex relationship and relationship with a minor. With it in the mix it feels like nothing is (or could be, really) satisfactory explored nor resolved. You are given ten snapshots and are left to make a story out of it for yourself. A pity that it wasn't presented better, there is plenty of meat to chew on in this setting.

If you are into dissecting characters' mental issues and speculating what could have happened ... to cause such a mess -- sure, go for it. In a way the premise and exposition are very interesting. In a macabre "let's dissect an animal" way.

If you are looking for enjoyable relationship, romantic or otherwise, I can't recommend it. It's heavy, full of confusion, misunderstanding and all sorts of abuse. A few funny moments or cute faces can't save it. Well, unless you are extremely good at ignoring elephant in the room. Then it's fine. There are some good parts.

Okay, guys listen up.
I started this anime without knowing the plot. I finished it just out of curiosity.
I am not gonna lie, I'm really into BL stuff but when it comes to the relationship status of the main "couple" its very weird. I was questioning myself if it is okay to watch such things. If there wasn't the age difference and their "family' relationship it would be fine I guess.
I was really enjoying the ship between the main characters but I kept reminding my self those disturbing details and I just couldn't bear it. I can't deal with the fact that Haru ... is actually a pedo, I really can't.
I gave it a 5/10 because I am confused.

*Slight spoilers*

TL;DR --- this anime can be enjoyable for some, but if you're not a fan of the shounen ai genre or if you're not okay with incest or pedophilia, don't watch.

This anime made me super uncomfortable. Call me a hater, but I don't support pedophilia- nor do I support incest. I just felt like Haru was taking advantage of Ren's innocence.


Story- 6/10
The only reason the story was a 6/10 for me is because its creative in it's own way. It's a bit of a complex plot when it comes to their family... sooo it's a 6 for me.

... Art- 6/10
The art is also a 6/10 because there wasn't anything special about the art style of this anime. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't outstanding or unique- like Violet Evergarden or Devilman Crybaby.

Sound- 7/10
I did enjoy the opening and ending. It was catchy. So, that's why its a 7.

Character- 5/10
Now- the characters weren't awful, it just felt a bit unrealistic to me. The twins especially. It's not normal to just see your adopted brothers just start kissing and just be okay with it. I get that they're used to Haru's behavior-- but it just didn't sit right with me. Also, there's Haru. I really don't like him. As I said previously, I feel like he's taking advantage of Ren's innocence. He's a freaking pedophile.

Enjoyment- 3/10
I feel like I've gave enough reasons as to why I didn't enjoy this. However, if you're looking for a good shounen ai, watch Doukyuusei (classmates),, its so good!!

Overall:
no❤️