Love Bullet
| Love Bullet | |
 First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Koharu | |
| ラブ・バレット[a] (Rabu Baretto) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Manga | |
| Written by | inee |
| Published by | Media Factory |
| Magazine | Monthly Comic Flapper |
| Demographic | Seinen |
| Original run | October 5, 2023 – present |
| Volumes | 1 |
Love Bullet (Japanese: ラブ・バレット, Hepburn: Rabu Baretto)[a] (stylized as LOVE-BULLET) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by inee. It began serialization in Media Factory's Monthly Comic Flapper magazine in October 2023. As of September 2024, the series' individual chapters have been collected in one volume. It follows the story of Koharu, a teenage girl who is reborn as a Cupid, an immortal being whose job is to help humans fall in love. By completing missions and collecting karma, Koharu has a chance to return to her human life.
Plot
[edit]Cupids are immortal, angel-like beings with wings whose primary objective is to help humans fall in love. They are humans who have died without ever experiencing love themselves. While Cupids of the past used bows and arrows, not dissimilar to Roman mythology, present-day Cupids utilize modern weapons such as guns and grenades.
Koharu Sakurada is a 15-year-old Cupid who died five years prior in an accident. Together with Kanna, her mentor, as well as fellow Cupids Chiyo and Ena, they shoot people who they see as potential couples to make them fall in love. Completing this task earns the Cupids karma – and earning enough karma will grant them a second chance at life.
Characters
[edit]Cupids
[edit]- Koharu Sakurada (桜田 心陽, Sakurada Koharu)
- Koharu is the main protagonist. She is a 15 year-old girl who is popular for her matchmaking ability, though she has never fallen in love herself. After saving her best friend from a construction site accident, Koharu is caught and impaled by a metal rod and passes away. After five years, the Goddess of Love offers Koharu a second chance at life by transforming her into a Cupid. With the help of three other Cupids, Koharu learns to select suitable matches for humans.
- Kanna (カンナ)
- Kanna is Koharu's primary mentor who welcomes Koharu into her new life as a Cupid. Though laid-back and borderline lazy, she is resolved to teach and protect Koharu as well as she can.
- Ena (エナ)
- Ena is a focused and logical Cupid who helps teach Koharu about matchmaking.
- Chiyo (チヨ)
- Chiyo is a combative, energetic Cupid who enjoys the thrill of completing assignments more than the act of matchmaking itself, often challenging her peers to gunfights.
Humans
[edit]- Aki Tamaki (珠城 秋, Tamaki Aki)
- Aki is Koharu's best friend from school. She confesses her feelings to Koharu, but the moment is interrupted when a pole falls from a construction site overhead. Koharu pushes her out of the way, saving her life. Tamaki carries her feelings for Koharu for five years, until the now-turned-Cupid Koharu helps her find a new match.
Publication
[edit]Written and illustrated by inee, the series began serialization in Media Factory's Monthly Comic Flapper magazine on October 5, 2023.[1] It has been collected into a single tankōbon volume as of July 2024.[2][3]
Volumes
[edit]| No. | Japanese release date | Japanese ISBN |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | July 22, 2024[2] | 978-4-04-683627-4 |
Reception
[edit]On September 17, 2024, the Love Bullet author posted a comic on Twitter explaining that Volume 1 sales were low, implying that the series was under possibility of cancellation.[4] Following this announcement, Volume 1 sold out at multiple retailers, including Manga Republic[5] and CDJapan.[6][7]
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ @inee (October 5, 2023). 本日発売の月刊コミックフラッパー11月号より、 ついに『#ラブ・バレット』の連載がスタートします！ [The serialization of "#Love Bullet" finally starts in the November issue of Monthly Comic Flapper, which goes on sale today!] (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved September 25, 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b ラブ・バレット 1 (in Japanese). Kadokawa Future Publishing. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
- ^ イマドキのキューピッドは弓矢より銃器！愛の弾丸で恋愛成就「ラブ・バレット」 (in Japanese). Retrieved September 25, 2024.
- ^ @inee (September 17, 2024). お知らせ [Announcement] (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved September 25, 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ Reyna, Leo (September 20, 2024). "Girls' Love Author in Tears After Struggling Manga Sells Out Thanks to Fans Worldwide". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
- ^ "Love Bullet 1 (MFC)". Archived from the original on September 25, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
- ^ Wood, Austin (September 20, 2024). "Yuri manga fans rally to save a series they can't officially read, pushing it up sales charts and stunning its creator: "There are no words to describe how moved I am"". GamesRadar+. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
External links
[edit]- Official manga website at KadoComi (in Japanese)
- Love Bullet (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia