Koroshi Ai

I'm not an English speaker, and I don't have a degree, so don't expect too much from here.

Koroshi Ai is a Josei anime. What is a Josei anime? Josei (女性), also known as redīsu komikkusu (レディースコミックス lit. "women's comics") or redikomi (レディコミ) is a demographic of manga and anime aimed especially at adult women. ... In Japanese, the word josei means only "feminine" and has no sexual connotation.
This according to Google.

So is there a problem with this? The answer is no.
Josei anime are mainly directed towards women because of the male character, but what man doesn't like a good male character (??????? bro??).
I really like ... these types of characters because for some reason, I only adore male characters (not sexually oriented), possibly because I identify with them more.
Leaving the male character aside, which is possibly the best, it's time to talk about the other features of the series.

The story would literally be a Love is War, because Ryang-ha Song (the boy) is constantly betting his life on the girl, because the story is this, the boy (a murderer) likes a girl who has tried to kill him (a bounty hunter I think it was).
We also have the rare flashbacks, which tell us a bit of background about some part of his story with many unknowns.

The animation looks nice and entertaining (I see it on Crunchyroll, possibly that's why), with a chill touch in the story as well as a dark one, because the story of a murderer isn't exactly pretty.
It has its essence of relaxation, which makes you continue watching the chapters without bothering you about anything.

In summary (after this bad, poorly organized and messy review), Koroshi Ai is an action romance story that will leave you attentive in all of its episodes, with the main participation of my dear Ryang-ha Song (I like , but not sexually, I repeat).
At the moment it has 3 chapters so I don't think you'll lose much by giving this little gem a moment, which over time will gain a lot of history in her series.
(If I end up liking the series more, I'll raise the grade, for now, to a 7 for these 3 episodes).

As I always say, thank you very much if you have reached this part and thank you for your support, have a good day.

I thought this would be like a spy x family lite. Well, it is just a soap opera josei stalking simulator.

The story begins with a CRIMINAL, stalking a girl pretty PERSISTANTLY, Really? josei fans like that?
Then comes the following supporting cast
1)A character who fakes an accent like that one tryhard weeb in discord (also has no mouth)
2)Nice guy employer who does cringe comedy bits with the above character and serves as sock factor/damsel in distress
3)Main love interest whose only interesting aspect is she is not a morning person and always a damsel in distress who need saving but still remains Tsundere to a ... man she owes her life to multiple times.
4)The MC who is “Oh i just stalk her against her will to protect her and also we have a history together”


Then we get a teaser/flashback at a mystery in the making which does hit on the curiosity part of the brain a bit. The Unraveled mystery is quite good NGL but this payoff came rather late , since we keep moving in circles for the first 10 for apparently no good reason, just soap opera BS with nothing of note.

The bad soundtrack is repeated constantly, Their is a recap for three minutes per episode, romance is none existent its mostly just stalking simulator with a bit of mystery and a bit of violence and ofc bishounen (josei anime).


Do not bother with this one unless you have nothing else to watch , a bad production of what seems to be a mediocre source , which makes it even worse :/

It's been a long while since we've ever had a Josei adaptation, which are works targeted at adult women, the last of which was Chihayafuru which wrapped up Season 3 back in Fall 2019. And come this Winter, mangaka Fe's Koroshi no Ai a.k.a Love of Kill (the Japanese title connotation pun for killing each other) is silently a low-key combination of "Kaguya-sama: Love is War" in terms of romance and more like Mr and Mrs. Smith's version of "Spy X Family" in terms of mystery and suspense in the making (before the actual thing coming next season) as a stopgap measure. And for better ... or worse, the anime adaptation kinda faltered when compared to the manga of the same name.

How Koroshi Ai was penned by mangaka Fe, it's actually quite a surprise to say the least. Originally published on Pixiv in October 2012 under a very long title (which is quite the mouthful), it gained a huge following so much as to spawn a sequel, then combine them both under Media Factory's Shoujo manga magazine Monthly Comic Gene for serialization, and that's how the series which depicted an assassin couple in love came about. And sure enough, it is the meeting between two assassins: a male and a female. Of course, who am I kidding.

The bounty hunter Chateau Dankworth and professional hitman Song Ryang-ha, both meeting coincidentally due to the professions of their missions, and being assassins they attempt to erase the other in a swift and fast action, to which the latter won. But instead of killing her, he decides to have fun by tagging along with her, even to the point of bounty hunter assassintion missions just to get her attention, to which she constantly rejects his romantic advances. To add things into the mix, Chateau's agency, Ritzland Support, soon finds themselves tasked with taking down a hitman who's wanted across many organizations for single-handledly taking down the Hong Kong Triads, and this hitman is no other than Song Ryang-ha. This, at the very beginning, is where the "show, don't tell" practice comes into play, as we follow both Chateau and Ryang-ha seemingly delving into lots of the practical assassination plots, to only then pick up with the constant flashbacks where both man and woman's past reveal a hideous truth that changes the game's playing field and lets the viewers see how everything from their past comes to haunt them in their present day. It's a very slow burn for sure, and it'll take lots of romantic teasing and deaths by revenge and summons just to reach to that point. The real meat is in the details, and I'm not gonna spoil it here as the central story is what makes Koroshi Ai such a good read from the manga, and the anime adaptation kept it very faithfully, albeit with the constant recaps just to fill in for padding the runtime, which is annoying to say the least.

The female lead, Chateau Dankworth, feels simpler in design. She is somewhat similar to Saber from Fate visually, and being very quiet, stoic, cute, and all the more for not understanding it or caring about romance. But since this is a Josei work, the focus is squarely on the male lead, Song Ryang-ha. If you've noticed a little about his character design, fox eyes are a rare, important feature, since they are essentially like a façade that hides their true colours. In case you didn't know, fox-like characters are impenetrably smiley most of the time, playful, socially adept, and seemingly eager to serve...until they show their eyes, and you know that shit has become real. And for a professional hitman-cum-romanticist, Song Ryang-ha fits the description to a T: he has a murderous identity, he is the nine-tailed fox in the room you have to ignore to appreciate this work, actually. Furthermore, Ryang-ha is like a small sadistic predator, serving tortured bodies as gifts to the female lead (Chateau) and resides in rundown buildings. He mellows pretty fast, always attracts the view, being smooth, sleek, functional, and ever so casually stylish. A low-key dangerous Ikemen because he is for the most part, very natural, and therefore classy as heck if he wants to be glamorous.

The other characters do serve as plot movers, though of one particular interest is with Ritzland Support's secretary Indian, or Jim is as called in the anime. His real identity is a mystery, though he is an immigrant from India. And if you're thinking why doesn't Jim have a mouth, it's not because you're seeing it wrong, as the manga is also drawn this way, it's intentional. Most of the cast derives from Ryang-ha's past such as the spiderweb cheek tattoo Hou to the mastermind that is Donald "Donny" Bachman, and this syndicate forms the basis of the tumultuous downward spiral of which both Chateau and Ryang-ha are involved in. It's a deadly race of revenge and time, and time will only tell how these 2 are connected to one another as the series progresses, which amps the mystery and suspense quite decently.

Some will have issues with the ways and styles of Platinum Vision's visuals as a studio, and this is a problem that I've encountered in a similar show: Devil's Line, back in Spring 2018, also produced by the same studio as one of their first works. The premise and setting of the 2 are almost like one another: dark, gritty and almost at times, condescending. While it gives the sense of mute-ness, it isn't as quite polished as I would've like, and the visuals are almost to the point of being a disappointing adaptation at best given its tense atmosphere. That said, if this was handled by a studio and staff team that understands the literacy of the work, then it could've been better, but this is what we got, and it's frankly kinda mediocre.

On the upside of things, the music really fits the tone and mood of the show, to a T, and yes, that includes the credit visuals. Seiyuu Toshiki Masuda may have a long and extensive discography of his works, but this is the first time that he's going solo, and his debut OP song "Midnight Dancer" is such a dance of a bop that really doesn't disappoint. The one that truly surprised me was Aika Kobayashi with her ED song "Makoto Period", because her past songs were all very cheerful, vibrant and uplifting, and this was a stark contrast with dark and dreary but melancholic tones that had the feels going for it. I might say that this song is really her best effort and foot forward so far, and at times, left me fearful in a claustrophobic manner for what's about to come, in a good way of course. One of the best EDs of the season IMO bar none, and props to sound director Hajime Takakuwa for laying down that atmosphere which has been an integral part of the moving plot.

Even as a straight guy, I can say that Koroshi Ai is an interesting Josei work that you just don't hear quite a lot. Sadly with the somewhat subpar anime adaptation, and with a work like this that demands your fullest attention (because if you blink, you'll miss it), some will love it, others will hate it. But hey, in a niche demographic like this, I have to judge everything the same, and this is a fine (as in decent) adaptation when all is said and done.

I think I will gear to the manga more to continue where the anime left off, and you might have a better experience that way as well.

a good story with average manga adaptation, the first few episodes felt too shoujo for mature theme , it kinda filled with sarcastic expressions and I really think it will fit with this kinda of stories regardless the anime itself has some good moment during the last episodes besides the mysterious vibe from the manga however I believe they can do more than that otherwise I think newcomers will like the anime it's kinda underrated but if you coming here as a manga reader and looking for something good don't expect too much .


the animation was good I don't have much to discuss about ... it besides that I felt characters here a bit off comparing to manga but let's not make a comparison here since it's the anime review so what I'm trying to say you gonna feel there is no rythme between all of em Except the main two protagonist because their mysterious past.

Love of Kill is what you get when an assassin tries to be in a relationship and it goes horribly wrong, but in all seriousness its a decent romance anime that deals with the psychology of its characters rather than the connections between them. In all honesty, it was a little boring but a fine watch.
Art: 6
Animation isn’t exactly amazing considering that there are significant action scenes and the art leaves a little bit to desire. Although I did enjoy a lot of the character designs minus Jim… I still don't understand why he doesn't have a mouth. Nikka’s design is probably my favorite.
Sound: ... 6
The sound design wasn’t exactly amazing, I felt like it could've been done better to establish certain moods that scenes of the anime would present, However, the opening slaps won't lie.
Characters: 6
I kind of think that the characters for the most part are kind of forgettable and the main antagonists in general I didn't think were very appealing. However, I do think that the backgrounds of the main duo are interesting and they do a decent job as the animes center point.
Story: 6
The story in all honesty left quite a bit to be desired because it was mostly flashbacks. I dont usually mind this, but I felt like there was very little going on throughout the series to justify some of Chateus's actions and feeling towards Ryang-Ha. However, the partnership between the two was good enough to keep me watching.

Expectation is part of the storytelling. When you dismiss it, or use it wrong, you may find your work viewed worse than it actually is.

If you read this anime synopsis before and after watching it, you will feel like you've been deceived. The synopsis here in MAL is essentially a resume of the first episodes. After said episodes, the show becomes something else. My expectations were that this would be some kind of lighthearted comedy set in a somewhat serious assassin plot. Now that i finished it, i'm not sure what this anime was trying to be.

And that's the thing about expectation. It is ... a powerful two-sided blade. If you promise the viewer some thing, and don't deliver it, you will have a problem. Expectation is not a responsability of the viewer. It is something the artist have to take in consideration, if the plan is to release a well received product. I believe a lot of people dropped this or rated it low after feeling betrayed, and i honestly can't blame them.

This show isn't about a troublesome love between two assassins, as you will be lead to think by watching the first couple episodes. By the last arc, you will see that the main focus is about Chateau's past. And unfortunately, this is the most boring side of the anime. Which means, the show starts like 7~8, but ends like 5~6.

Overall, i don't think you are missing anything by skipping it. It raises a lot of questions you didn't really asked, and even though it does explain some things, it leaves a lot in the air. Did it make me interested in the source? A little. But only enough to seek some threads about it.

This anime has a slow start but quickly picks up around the fourth episode. I found the plot to be very interesting. Personally, I generally stick with fantasy genre anime, so this anime, which is a story that takes place in a modern world setting with conspiracies and assassins, was a nice change of pace. The story is centered around the two main characters in a way that they get the majority of the dialogue and the supporting characters kind of get snubbed, both with how the story and how the main characters essentially ignore them. The antagonists have decent character and design, I ... felt like the supporting protagonists could have had more thought put into them. My main problem with this anime is the ending. Nothing major went down in the anime, only small fries were taken out. The story did progress decently, but the anime just stops, without any motivating speech at the end or basically any cliffhanger for what happens next. It felt to me like the anime ended just before the climax and is offputting. Besides for that, I liked the anime and the main characters got a pretty interesting origin story that's worth watching.

Whilst I did become a little more interested in this as the series continued, ultimately this just didn't really do anything for me. I didn't really care about Ryang-Ha and Chateau's relationship, and whilst I was initially intrigued about how they were connected in the past this wore on with the various flashbacks we got throughout the latter half of the season. For a series about two assassins, this also lacked the tension and excitement that I wanted from it.
There was nothing inherently wrong with this that I can immediately pick up on - it just didn't click with me. I found it rather ... dull, and my lack of interest in the main pairing meant that it did drag on a little. The narrative style didn't aid in keeping me interested either as things felt overly dragged out or were too confusing for me to follow completely.

I read the manga before I watched the anime, but I will try to give try to give this an unbiased review despite the fact that I prefer the manga.

This anime version, to my memory, is mostly a copy/paste of the manga in terms of loyalty to the plot, though it somehow falters to adapt it to a screenplay that isn't awkward. I don't understand how most of the details from the manga can be included, but the tension (sexual and otherwise) is totally lost. I was bored while watching this, which is not what I should be feeling while I'm watching ... an action anime. I think the uninspired musical score contributed to this. If the score had been more driven, it would have added tension. If I hadn't read the manga first, I would have dropped the anime during the second episode because the pacing is slow and lacks the same driving force.

The animation was good, the voice acting was great (I watched in dub), and I liked how the anime took liberties to make Jim a more involved and less offensive character (in the manga he is called only by Indian-kun, which I dislike). There are several cool fight scenes that I wish they could make last longer because those were the best parts, but each fight only lasted maybe 30 seconds. I feel like they could have milked those scenes more. The characters are enjoyable and dynamic, and ultimately that's why I stayed.

Overall, I found the anime on the disappointing side, but I still watched the entire thing. I think it's worth trying at least the first three episodes to see if you would like it.

Killing the Tone.

Love of Kill is a fine example of how bad animation and direction choices can ruin a fun yet twisted premise and story. Chateau is a bounty hunter who one day gets courted (by force) by a very lonely assassin named Ryang-ha and the story follows their very dysfunctional relationship.

It’s a twisted take on the romcom formula with lots of action and drama thrown into the mix and it can be funny and entertaining. However, the overall presentation of the anime does not work in the shows favour. Bland visuals and strange animation choices makes the story hard follow as it directly ... contradicts the tone it's trying to set. One of the worst aspects of the show is the character Jim who doesn’t have a mouth or any facial features which is enough to through anyone off, but the specific voice actor that they used makes him sound almost identical to Zach on Oneplays when he did that bit where he pretended to be an alien for the Mandalorian. In fact, heres a link to what I’m referencing so you can get context. Listen to Jim and Zachs impression side by side and you’ll barely hear the difference;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmwx1Zo4W1Y

I haven’t read the manga so I don’t know if Jim’s design is one to one or if the studio staff had to cut corners because of time restraints, but for me he does not work.

Of course Jim isn’t the only character. Ryang-ha Song carries the show for the most part. He’s charismatic and funny for someone who is a creepy stalker assassin and I do enjoy the bizarre relationship he has with Chateau. Chateau herself is very one-note as character as she’s very emotionally stunted, but it’s also amusing seeing her flustered as she just wants Song to fuck off and leave her alone. I can related to that... Not being stalked by an assassin who trying to date me, but wanting people to fuck off and leave me alone. When she does break out of character for intense story moments it’s nice to see.

I really tried to stick this one out as I was somewhat enjoying it, but the flaws started to grate on me as I started to find it more difficult to retain the story. If you can look past a lot of the animation and direction problems as well as Jim theres a watchable how here, but this may not be for everyone.

5/10