Val × Love (戦×恋（ヴァルラヴ）, Varu Ravu; "War × Love") is a Japanese manga series by Ryousuke Asakura. It has been serialized in Square Enix's shōnen manga magazine Monthly Shōnen Gangan since December 2015. The manga is licensed in North America by Yen Press. An anime television series adaptation by Hoods Entertainment aired from October to December 2019.
Contents
Plot
Ever since he was a child, Takuma Akutsu had a scary face. He was shunned by his classmates and only attracted bad attention, such as the likes of gangsters and thugs. As a result, he developed social anxiety, unable to properly converse with people. This fact and his scary face only proceeded to exacerbate his bad reputation and he was known as a demon. One day, Takuma saves Natsuki and receives a revelation from Odin, the lord of Asgard, that the world will end soon and that it is on Takuma's shoulders to save the world. To help him with his mission, Odin sends his nine daughters, the nine Valkyries, down to Midgard/Earth. Odin then gives him his mission: he is to prove that love will save the world as it is said that the source of a maiden's strength is love.
Characters
Main character
Takuma Akutsu (亜久津 拓真, Akutsu Takuma)
Voiced by: Yūya Hirose
Takuma Akutsu is an einheri deemed by Odin and is the lover of the nine Valkyrie sisters. With a strong and scary build but a timid personality, Takuma, at first, is not a good lover. However, he trains himself to become a fitting einheri. He holds Mistilteinn, one of only three Tears of Yggdrasil, given to him by Odin himself.
Saotome family
Ichika Saotome (早乙女 一千花, Saotome Ichika)
Voiced by: Yumi Uchiyama
The eldest of the nine Saotome sisters and the captain of the Valkyries, Ichika Saotome is the Valkyrie of the Spear, Brunhilde. She does not approve of Takuma as the lover of her and her sisters for a good part of the first arcs, although this attitude changes during a significant battle.
Futaba Saotome (早乙女 二葉, Saotome Futaba)
Voiced by: Yumi Hara
The second of the nine Saotome sisters, Futaba Saotome is the Valkyrie of the Castle, Gerhilde. Back in Asgard, Futaba had the nickname of Her Majesty, the Queen despite being arguably the weakest of the nine. She takes care of most of the housework when she and her siblings invaded Takuma's home.
Misa Saotome (早乙女 三沙, Saotome Misa)
Voiced by: Ayaka Shimizu
The third of the nine Saotome sisters, Misa Saotome is the Valkyrie of the String, Ortlinde. A tomboyish character, Misa is looked up to by her younger siblings as a so-called "romance master" despite having no such experience herself.
Shino Saotome (早乙女 四乃, Saotome Shino)
Voiced by: Rikako Aida
The fourth of the nine Saotome sisters, Shino Saotome is the Valkyrie of the Armor, Waltraute. She is a recluse, rarely showing her person, let alone her face. She is the Valkyrie in charge of the barriers around Takuma's resident to prevent the minions of the evil god from finding the sanctuary of the Valkyries.
Itsuyo Saotome (早乙女 五夜, Saotome Itsuyo)
Voiced by: Ai Kakuma
Others
Sue (スー, Sū)
Voiced by: Hiyori Nitta
Tohru Inukai (犬飼 透, Inukai Tōru)
Voiced by: Daisuke Hirakawa
A student council secretary, Tohru Inukai is the human host of "The Fang", Garm.
Skuld (スクルド, Sukurudo)
Voiced by: Atsumi Tanezaki
Roskva (レスクヴァ, Resukuvua)
Voiced by: M.A.O
Ur (ウル, Uru)
Voiced by: Misato Fukuen
Media
Manga
Written and illustrated by Ryousuke Asakura, Val × Love was serialized in Square Enix's shōnen manga magazine Monthly Shōnen Gangan from December 12, 2015, to March 10, 2023. The chapters were collected and released in tankōbon format by Square Enix. Sixteen tankōbon volumes were released from June 22, 2016, to May 11, 2023. The manga is licensed in North America by Yen Press.
Anime
An anime television series adaptation was announced in the June issue of Monthly Shōnen Gangan magazine on May 11, 2019. The series is animated by Hoods Entertainment and directed by Takashi Naoya, with Tatsuya Takahashi handled the series composition, Kiyoshi Tateishi designed the characters, and TECHNOBOYS PULCRAFT GREEN-FUND composed the music. It aired from October 5 to December 21, 2019, on AT-X, Tokyo MX, SUN, and BS11. The series ran for 12 episodes. Rikako Aida performed the series' opening theme song "for...", while the nine Saotome sisters performed the series' ending theme song "Up-Date x Please!!!" in three groups with three versions. The series has been licensed by Sentai Filmworks and streamed it on Hidive.