There is no doubt
that “ To LOVE-Ru ”,
a manga written by Saki Hasemi and illustrated by Kentaro Yabuki, is one of the
most popular ecchi in the history of anime. The original manga
chronicles the life of Rito Yuuki after accidentally meeting and getting
engaged to Lala Satalin Deviluke. Ultimately, “To LOVE-Ru” is a manga
purely dedicated to fan-service, and both Hasemi and Yabuki admitted that
they wrote it just to test the limits of what was allowed within a
shonen magazine.
But even
being just this, the work is legendary. “To LOVE-Ru” received a
twenty-six-episode anime adaptation that began airing in Japan in 2008,
followed by six OVAs and a twelve-episode second season. Additionally, four video games
were released for various platforms.
Not only
this, after the manga ended, a sequel titled “To LOVE-Ru Darkness” was
published between October 2010 and March 2017 , and an anime adaptation of twenty-six episodes with
another ten OVAs was produced based on it. sequel.
Hasemi stated that
when “To LOVE-Ru” started there were no limits to Weekly Shonen Jump romantic
comedies. Yabuki said that at that time she would never have imagined that lewd
scenes would become the main focus of the series. As the manga
progressed, Yabuki said it became more and more about testing the limits as to
what Weekly Shonen Jump would allow them to draw.
Yabuki
said that “To LOVE-Ru Darkness” began as a “self-indulgent whim” of his. He
drew an outline and “dragged” Hasemi back to make a sequel. Hasemi described it as a spin-off
intended to maintain the spirit of the original, while “adapting its
relationships to a new vector of development.” He said that he was pleased with
the way they portrayed the changes in Momo's heart, and that Lala and Haruna
also made romantic progress. Yabuki also initiated the end of Darkness,
telling Hasemi, the editor-in-chief, and everyone else involved around May or
June 2016, the tenth anniversary of the entire franchise.
He had several
reasons; the events included in Volume 18 finished telling everything
that needed to be said about “Momo and Yami's Darkness Arc as originally
planned”, both the authors and the readers had become too desensitized to the
ecchi, 18 volumes coincide with the original manga, and 10 years seemed like an
ideal length . Yabuki also said that he couldn't let “To LOVE-Ru
Darkness” drag on uselessly forever, simply because he cared about the work. In
the last volume the question of what really happens at the end is left open,
and both creators stated that it was not the definitive end of the franchise.
But did you know that
there are more things to tell? It seemed to many that the original “To
LOVE-Ru” manga was actually canceled by the publisher or the creative team
themselves , forcing the authors to make a rushed and unsatisfying
ending. The manga was doing great in Weekly Shonen Jump and the
publisher Shueisha reported millions of copies sold, what happened then?
It seems
that the problem came from Kentaro Yabuki, the illustrator , since a comment that continues
to be cited to this day wrote:
- « Shiho, Yabuki's wife,
seems to be a failed wife and mother (they had a
daughter), and spent much of her time watching videos on the
Internet. She slept with another man and “kidnapped” her daughter
while she did it. Yabuki “begged” her to come back for the sake of her
daughter, but she left shortly after, this time taking her daughter, her
computer, and her credit cards. Shiho filed for divorce in March
2009 along with a large portion of Yabuki's assets, citing a clash of
personalities, but when evidence was found on her computer that it
was her fault, she demanded cash in exchange for Yabuki's right to custody
of his daughter, to which he agreed .
Another quite curious
detail is that Haruna Sairenji practically disappears within the manga ,
and the explanation also has to do with Kentaro Yabuki's ex-wife:
- « Haruna was actually a
character based on Shiho, so it is quite obvious that Yabuki is leaving
her aside to give Yui the spotlight, which explains why Yui suddenly
blossomed out of nowhere. The fact that Shiho had demanded
more money from Yabuki due to Haruna being based on her caused Yabuki to
further cut back on Haruna's appearances and roles (yes, Shiho is a bitch)
and ultimately ended the sleeve prematurely ».
These
details about “To LOVE-Ru” offer a powerful reflection on the intersection
between the artists' personal lives and their creative work. While readers may be disappointed
by an abrupt and unsatisfying ending, it's important to remember that content
creators are also human beings with complex personal lives and emotional
challenges. This situation reminds us of the delicate balance between
artistic expression and everyday realities, as well as the need for
understanding and empathy towards those who bring our favorite stories to life.
Source: Reddit
