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ひとりじめマイヒーロー [Hitorijime My Hero] #1
Hitorijime My Hero, Vol. 1
Holding Out For a Hero
Masahiro Setagawa doesn't believe in heroes, but wishes he could: He's found himself trapped in a gang of small-time street bullies, and with no prospects for a real future. But when high school teacher (and scourge of the streets) Kousuke Ohshiba comes to his rescue, he finds he may start believing after all...in heroes, and in his budding feelings, too.
Masahiro Setagawa doesn't believe in heroes, but wishes he could: He's found himself trapped in a gang of small-time street bullies, and with no prospects for a real future. But when high school teacher (and scourge of the streets) Kousuke Ohshiba comes to his rescue, he finds he may start believing after all...in heroes, and in his budding feelings, too.
194 pages, Paperback
First published February 25, 2012
110 people are currently reading
1368 people want to read
About the author
Memeco Arii
36 books91 followersMemeco Arii (Arii Memeko ありいめめこ) is a Japanese manga artist.
Other associated names:
有井メメコ
ARII Memeko
Other associated names:
有井メメコ
ARII Memeko
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 235 reviews
November 30, 2019
Eh... the cons definitely outweighed the pros with this one. The biggest pro is that the art is fun and cute, but the immediate downside to the art is that so many of the characters look so much alike that it's sometimes difficult to tell who you're looking at. On a similar note, the dialogue is really poorly formatted! Conversations overlap each other a lot and many of the speech bubbles don't clearly indicate who's talking, especially when the speaker is "off-screen", so there were entire conversations in this book where I had no clue who was saying what.
The entire beginning of the book is so confusing, though I don't know if that's because this is a spin-off of Hitorijime My Boyfriend, which I didn't realize until I had finished this manga. On the off case that it's entirely my fault for missing that, I'm not counting off for how confusing the beginning was, otherwise that probably would've been enough to knock this down to 1 star.
The biggest issue, though, that I think a lot of readers will have with this book is the age gap in the romance. You know from pretty early on that the romance is going to be between a high schooler and a high school teacher, which I know is a deal-breaker enough on its own for many folks (I wasn't aware of it beforehand or I probably wouldn't have agreed to read and review this, either), but on top of that, the student is 15 years old and the teacher is 27. Any chance I could ever have of rooting for this couple was pretty thoroughly shattered once I realized that.
On a final note, the main character keeps calling himself people's "underling", which I take it means he's their servant, basically. I've never heard of this or read a story featuring it before and I didn't enjoy it. Is this a common trope that I've somehow missed in my many years of manga reading?
Thank you so much to the publisher and Amazon Vine program for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
The entire beginning of the book is so confusing, though I don't know if that's because this is a spin-off of Hitorijime My Boyfriend, which I didn't realize until I had finished this manga. On the off case that it's entirely my fault for missing that, I'm not counting off for how confusing the beginning was, otherwise that probably would've been enough to knock this down to 1 star.
The biggest issue, though, that I think a lot of readers will have with this book is the age gap in the romance. You know from pretty early on that the romance is going to be between a high schooler and a high school teacher, which I know is a deal-breaker enough on its own for many folks (I wasn't aware of it beforehand or I probably wouldn't have agreed to read and review this, either), but on top of that, the student is 15 years old and the teacher is 27. Any chance I could ever have of rooting for this couple was pretty thoroughly shattered once I realized that.
On a final note, the main character keeps calling himself people's "underling", which I take it means he's their servant, basically. I've never heard of this or read a story featuring it before and I didn't enjoy it. Is this a common trope that I've somehow missed in my many years of manga reading?
Thank you so much to the publisher and Amazon Vine program for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
December 7, 2020
First of all, a disclaimer about I may certainly have missed something, because although this is listed as Vol.1, it is apparently a spin-off of another series. Presumably the characters were introduced there; I never entirely grasped who was who except for the younger brother, or what their relationships were or why I should care about them.
As for the actual story here: We have a boy from a bad home (it's implied that his mother is a whore, and certainly she doesn't take much care of him) who is lonely and falls in with a gang. They seem to just loaf around and not actually commit crimes. They send him to the convenience store for snacks and on other not-illegal errands.
We have a teacher who is very tough and beats up boys in gangs. He beats up the MC's gang. It turns out he is the older brother of the MC's classmate and the MC, again lonely, ends up hanging out at his classmate's home cooking for him and a bunch of other young men who live/hang out there (These are the characters I assume we were supposed to know already that I don't). The MC is hero-worshiping the teacher/older brother until the teacher says some really crude sexual stuff to him and he becomes really uncomfortable and starts avoiding the place. Of course he can't avoid the man because he's a teacher, so they meet at school. The teacher asserts he was just trying to make the kid realize he was gay, because we all know telling a teen virgin that they want to be fucked violently is the best and healthiest way to put them in touch with their sexuality.
The kid has a job, so he focuses on that, but the guys from the teacher's house and from his old gang keep showing up and bothering him at work, eventually he goes somewhere with the gang guys, the teacher comes and beats them up again, getting the kid hurt in the process, then takes him home and they become boyfriends.
I saw nothing romantic in this. It was a story about a grown up in a position of authority taking advantage of an abused youth who was willing to do anything to belong somewhere. If I have anything positive to say about the book it was that it seemed to be a pretty realistic depiction of how this process works and why teens with no supportive networks are easily drawn into gangs and unhealthy sexual relationships.
As for the actual story here: We have a boy from a bad home (it's implied that his mother is a whore, and certainly she doesn't take much care of him) who is lonely and falls in with a gang. They seem to just loaf around and not actually commit crimes. They send him to the convenience store for snacks and on other not-illegal errands.
We have a teacher who is very tough and beats up boys in gangs. He beats up the MC's gang. It turns out he is the older brother of the MC's classmate and the MC, again lonely, ends up hanging out at his classmate's home cooking for him and a bunch of other young men who live/hang out there (These are the characters I assume we were supposed to know already that I don't). The MC is hero-worshiping the teacher/older brother until the teacher says some really crude sexual stuff to him and he becomes really uncomfortable and starts avoiding the place. Of course he can't avoid the man because he's a teacher, so they meet at school. The teacher asserts he was just trying to make the kid realize he was gay, because we all know telling a teen virgin that they want to be fucked violently is the best and healthiest way to put them in touch with their sexuality.
The kid has a job, so he focuses on that, but the guys from the teacher's house and from his old gang keep showing up and bothering him at work, eventually he goes somewhere with the gang guys, the teacher comes and beats them up again, getting the kid hurt in the process, then takes him home and they become boyfriends.
I saw nothing romantic in this. It was a story about a grown up in a position of authority taking advantage of an abused youth who was willing to do anything to belong somewhere. If I have anything positive to say about the book it was that it seemed to be a pretty realistic depiction of how this process works and why teens with no supportive networks are easily drawn into gangs and unhealthy sexual relationships.
March 25, 2019
The central relationship is a twenty-something high school teacher sexually harassing or possibly committing statutory rape on one of his teenage students (ages are a little vague, but they are 12 years apart). Way too icky for me.
Also, this is one of those manga that tries to conflate slapdash art and writing with high energy excitement. I found it hard to distinguish characters, with two major ones drawn exactly the same way except for clothes as near as I could tell. The word balloons and captions with one to three words each are sprayed across the page in a random manner that makes it difficult to tell who is speaking as individual sentences become a puzzle to track through the mess.
The final nail: this is a spin-off of some other manga which I have not read.
Also, this is one of those manga that tries to conflate slapdash art and writing with high energy excitement. I found it hard to distinguish characters, with two major ones drawn exactly the same way except for clothes as near as I could tell. The word balloons and captions with one to three words each are sprayed across the page in a random manner that makes it difficult to tell who is speaking as individual sentences become a puzzle to track through the mess.
The final nail: this is a spin-off of some other manga which I have not read.
September 11, 2017
2,5
Pues no sé dónde está mi reseña, pero no me da tiempo a reescribirla xD
A grandes rasgos, que el age-gap de 12 años y sin remordimientos, pues no me gusta en exceso...
Pues no sé dónde está mi reseña, pero no me da tiempo a reescribirla xD
A grandes rasgos, que el age-gap de 12 años y sin remordimientos, pues no me gusta en exceso...
July 7, 2020
Yikes on several bikes, my dudes.
I guess I’ll preface this by saying that I used to read a fair bit of queer-themed manga in middle and high school. The majority hasn’t aged well with how LGBT+ representation has grown in recent years, but I’m not opposed to catching a new story if it handles its themes well and breaks the mold on some of the squicky tropes associated with the older genres.
So. Hitorijime My Hero. I watched the anime years ago, and while I don’t remember much of it, I thought it had likable enough characters and a passable story (other than, of course, the age difference - but we’ll get to that). A friend who’s way more into the manga scene than I am recommended that I check out the manga, and well, here we are. Uncomfortable and irritated.
The Good?
It’s got an interesting art style that doesn’t lean too far into feminine vs. masculine design. The main character is likable in his own way, the side characters have their funny moments, and there’s no outright villain for conflict. I think the main couple is written with the intent that they are both meant to have genuine feelings for each other. It reads fairly quickly. It has energy. Ignoring everything Not Great™️ about it, it’s an okay read, if a bit meh. It gets a second star. Whatever.
And speaking of everything Not Great™️ about it:
The Bad. Whoo, boy, The Bad.
First and foremost, it’s difficult to read, for many reasons. One is the formatting. I’m not sure how much was lost in translation, but it’s nonsensical at times. It’s a sequel series to a one-volume story, and we are not given any sort of clear context or even a “Here’s Everything You Missed” blurb about that previous story. Having seen the anime, I could vaguely follow what was happening, but I can only imagine what it was like for those who went in without background. The speech bubbles are a jumbled mess, and there aren’t distinct voices to rely on for complicated dialogue exchanges. I think the translators did what they could to translate faithfully, with a detailed notes section at the end about different foods and cultural points mentioned in the story. So I think it’s just not very well written. It’s hard to follow, and a lot of points aren’t well supported by the story, despite being literally written into the story.
Second (and probably my weakest quibble with it), the character designs are maddeningly similar. Part of the difficulty in following the story is that characters look too much alike, and then that design similarity makes it even more challenging to read conversations. Why does the MC look so similar to a prominent character from the previous story, making it almost impossible to tell who’s who if you don’t pay attention to their one difference (their pupils)? It’s frustrating and doesn’t really make any sense if you’re not trying to make a point about how certain characters look alike. Is it the artist’s style or just a bad design decision? Who knows.
The third Bad, and the biggest one, is the age difference. In the physically intimate relationship. Between a 15 year old high school student. And a 27 year old high school teacher. That’s a TWELVE YEAR DIFFERENCE jumping over the age of consent line.
Is 12 years a huge difference in a relationship? Reasonably large, but not terribly offensive, if both parties are able to legally consent and are in similar places mentally. When it’s 12 years between a teenager and an almost 30 year old adult? And the story itself acknowledges MULTIPLE TIMES that it’s illegal? That’s not very cash money.
Say what you want about the MC’s upbringing forcing him to mature more quickly than he should, or that he doesn’t really see his love interest as a teacher but more of a cool older brother figure (to some extent), or that the two genuinely like each other. I don’t really know if I would say it’s grooming. But as someone who is currently 24, the idea of dating someone in high school is all kinds of ick to me. It’s an uncomfortable difference of age where they currently are in their lives, perfectly illustrated by the author at the back of the book in a sketch featuring the love interest at the age of 15 standing next to the (VERY MUCH A TODDLER) three year old MC.
The author couldn’t simply half that difference and have it be a 6 year difference between them? A 24 year old, fresh-faced newbie teacher who previously knew his 18 year old student for years outside of school? The complication of a brotherly relationship evolving into a romantic one? NOT taking a minor’s virginity (the Youth Protection Law makes the age of consent 18 in Tokyo)? Waiting until the MC graduates and there’s no longer a conflict on moral or legal grounds? Not being gross by setting up the prospect of an illegal physical relationship being maintained for three years? Just... changing the story?
Is it fair to judge a story for what it isn’t? Probably not. Hitorijime My Hero is a standard for the genre, falling into familiar, overdone, outdated tropes (illegal and otherwise). It doesn’t innovate, it doesn’t challenge, and it doesn’t even bother trying to create a compelling exploration of love, sexuality, and age. Read it if you like, but acknowledge the many flaws. There’s nothing new here, and even with passable characters, there are plenty of better options for queer-themed stories in manga as well as in graphic novels. Invest yourself into something that’s worth it.
I guess I’ll preface this by saying that I used to read a fair bit of queer-themed manga in middle and high school. The majority hasn’t aged well with how LGBT+ representation has grown in recent years, but I’m not opposed to catching a new story if it handles its themes well and breaks the mold on some of the squicky tropes associated with the older genres.
So. Hitorijime My Hero. I watched the anime years ago, and while I don’t remember much of it, I thought it had likable enough characters and a passable story (other than, of course, the age difference - but we’ll get to that). A friend who’s way more into the manga scene than I am recommended that I check out the manga, and well, here we are. Uncomfortable and irritated.
The Good?
It’s got an interesting art style that doesn’t lean too far into feminine vs. masculine design. The main character is likable in his own way, the side characters have their funny moments, and there’s no outright villain for conflict. I think the main couple is written with the intent that they are both meant to have genuine feelings for each other. It reads fairly quickly. It has energy. Ignoring everything Not Great™️ about it, it’s an okay read, if a bit meh. It gets a second star. Whatever.
And speaking of everything Not Great™️ about it:
The Bad. Whoo, boy, The Bad.
First and foremost, it’s difficult to read, for many reasons. One is the formatting. I’m not sure how much was lost in translation, but it’s nonsensical at times. It’s a sequel series to a one-volume story, and we are not given any sort of clear context or even a “Here’s Everything You Missed” blurb about that previous story. Having seen the anime, I could vaguely follow what was happening, but I can only imagine what it was like for those who went in without background. The speech bubbles are a jumbled mess, and there aren’t distinct voices to rely on for complicated dialogue exchanges. I think the translators did what they could to translate faithfully, with a detailed notes section at the end about different foods and cultural points mentioned in the story. So I think it’s just not very well written. It’s hard to follow, and a lot of points aren’t well supported by the story, despite being literally written into the story.
Second (and probably my weakest quibble with it), the character designs are maddeningly similar. Part of the difficulty in following the story is that characters look too much alike, and then that design similarity makes it even more challenging to read conversations. Why does the MC look so similar to a prominent character from the previous story, making it almost impossible to tell who’s who if you don’t pay attention to their one difference (their pupils)? It’s frustrating and doesn’t really make any sense if you’re not trying to make a point about how certain characters look alike. Is it the artist’s style or just a bad design decision? Who knows.
The third Bad, and the biggest one, is the age difference. In the physically intimate relationship. Between a 15 year old high school student. And a 27 year old high school teacher. That’s a TWELVE YEAR DIFFERENCE jumping over the age of consent line.
Is 12 years a huge difference in a relationship? Reasonably large, but not terribly offensive, if both parties are able to legally consent and are in similar places mentally. When it’s 12 years between a teenager and an almost 30 year old adult? And the story itself acknowledges MULTIPLE TIMES that it’s illegal? That’s not very cash money.
Say what you want about the MC’s upbringing forcing him to mature more quickly than he should, or that he doesn’t really see his love interest as a teacher but more of a cool older brother figure (to some extent), or that the two genuinely like each other. I don’t really know if I would say it’s grooming. But as someone who is currently 24, the idea of dating someone in high school is all kinds of ick to me. It’s an uncomfortable difference of age where they currently are in their lives, perfectly illustrated by the author at the back of the book in a sketch featuring the love interest at the age of 15 standing next to the (VERY MUCH A TODDLER) three year old MC.
The author couldn’t simply half that difference and have it be a 6 year difference between them? A 24 year old, fresh-faced newbie teacher who previously knew his 18 year old student for years outside of school? The complication of a brotherly relationship evolving into a romantic one? NOT taking a minor’s virginity (the Youth Protection Law makes the age of consent 18 in Tokyo)? Waiting until the MC graduates and there’s no longer a conflict on moral or legal grounds? Not being gross by setting up the prospect of an illegal physical relationship being maintained for three years? Just... changing the story?
Is it fair to judge a story for what it isn’t? Probably not. Hitorijime My Hero is a standard for the genre, falling into familiar, overdone, outdated tropes (illegal and otherwise). It doesn’t innovate, it doesn’t challenge, and it doesn’t even bother trying to create a compelling exploration of love, sexuality, and age. Read it if you like, but acknowledge the many flaws. There’s nothing new here, and even with passable characters, there are plenty of better options for queer-themed stories in manga as well as in graphic novels. Invest yourself into something that’s worth it.
January 15, 2021
Can we stop glamorizing problematic, toxic, and illegal relationships? It's not cute, it's unhealthy. End that trope.
This is about a high school teacher having a relationship with one of his 15 year old students. Not only do they both know it's morally wrong, the student even says it's illegal. The teacher pretty much forces himself on the student at one point after the student says stop. Yeah so that happened. And then the teacher got angry and yelled and put his hands on the child. Super toxic red flag there even if this wasn't an illegal relationship. As a queer person I found this entire thing offensive. It only perpetuates the conservative lie that gay people want to prey on children.
Besides all that problematic mess, the layout was mostly ridiculous. It was really hard to follow at times.
The art is great so it gets a star for that.
This is about a high school teacher having a relationship with one of his 15 year old students. Not only do they both know it's morally wrong, the student even says it's illegal. The teacher pretty much forces himself on the student at one point after the student says stop. Yeah so that happened. And then the teacher got angry and yelled and put his hands on the child. Super toxic red flag there even if this wasn't an illegal relationship. As a queer person I found this entire thing offensive. It only perpetuates the conservative lie that gay people want to prey on children.
Besides all that problematic mess, the layout was mostly ridiculous. It was really hard to follow at times.
The art is great so it gets a star for that.
December 17, 2019
Issue 1: How do you read a manga that has a preceding series yet not find one ounce of backstory explaining the characters’ relationships?
Issue 2: The art is so damn confusing as far as character designs and distinctions go.
Issue 3: I have no idea why the main characters like/love each other since there is no showing of these developments, making for a pretty bland take on romance and what-not.
I am just so disappointed! Most underwhelming read of 2019 for me, sad to say.
Issue 2: The art is so damn confusing as far as character designs and distinctions go.
Issue 3: I have no idea why the main characters like/love each other since there is no showing of these developments, making for a pretty bland take on romance and what-not.
I am just so disappointed! Most underwhelming read of 2019 for me, sad to say.
March 30, 2015
I'll be honest: the setting isn't the kind of setting I usually like or approve. I mean, a relationship between a 15-year old and his teacher? While the latter is mitigated by the fact that their relationship did't start as teacher and student (the teacher is the older brother of the other guy's friend), the 12 year old age difference remains. On the other hand, the way Setagawa (the student) is drawn makes him seem much older. And I ended up loving Setagawa a whole lot.
And while I would have been delighted if Kousuke was a little younger, their relationship both has the uke/seme dynamic and at the same time it hasn't. It helps that you get to see Kousuke's POV as well (in volume two, however).
If there is one thing I didn't like it's that it's a little too hyper. There are serious moments, but they kind of get lost among the gags.
But overall I really enjoyed reading this, even though it's not what I typically like. The art was good, too. And Setagawa is the most adorable little yankee character ever, omg.
And while I would have been delighted if Kousuke was a little younger, their relationship both has the uke/seme dynamic and at the same time it hasn't. It helps that you get to see Kousuke's POV as well (in volume two, however).
If there is one thing I didn't like it's that it's a little too hyper. There are serious moments, but they kind of get lost among the gags.
But overall I really enjoyed reading this, even though it's not what I typically like. The art was good, too. And Setagawa is the most adorable little yankee character ever, omg.
June 30, 2021
Honestly, most of the negative reviews for this manga are about the age difference but considering the real “romance” happened so close to the end of the book, my chief complaints weren’t even about that.
This story is confusing. Apparently it’s connected to another series, but that really shouldn’t matter because this book should be able to stand on its own. Especially as a no. 1 in a series. It was confusing. I didn’t remember anyone’s name outside of Setty and the speech bubbles often left me confused as to who was speaking.
The characters were all incredibly immature? Like, sure, they’re supposed to be high school students, but they behaved and spoke in ways that felt more like they were 12 or so? It was very strange for me.
I didn’t feel that there was any real chemistry between the main couple. They seemed to operate within each other’s spaces and that was it. I didn’t get a romance from these two. I was wary at the age gap because of what I read in other reviews but… I hardly even noticed it because of the other issues in this book.
So, not a recommend from me overall. Glad some people really liked it though
This story is confusing. Apparently it’s connected to another series, but that really shouldn’t matter because this book should be able to stand on its own. Especially as a no. 1 in a series. It was confusing. I didn’t remember anyone’s name outside of Setty and the speech bubbles often left me confused as to who was speaking.
The characters were all incredibly immature? Like, sure, they’re supposed to be high school students, but they behaved and spoke in ways that felt more like they were 12 or so? It was very strange for me.
I didn’t feel that there was any real chemistry between the main couple. They seemed to operate within each other’s spaces and that was it. I didn’t get a romance from these two. I was wary at the age gap because of what I read in other reviews but… I hardly even noticed it because of the other issues in this book.
So, not a recommend from me overall. Glad some people really liked it though
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 10, 2023
1.5/5
...
So... I found it less cringy than its main story but there are still big issues here.
It's STILL super gringy (afterword included lol) and super wrong.
The relationship is wrong, the attitute is wrong and the behavior is wrong and the whole message it sends is WRONG!
Not talking about the characters that are all look alikes and I felt lucky I read the main volume not long ago so I had in mind who is who.
There's zero description nor background of any character, you have somehow to know at all costs something about them from the previous read. This is not a smart move considering this is a whole 14+ volumes story. There had to be something about them in this one as well.
Apart from all this, the art is cute so there you go, half star gained for that.
Now that things are already set and the story is basically the exact same as the main volume, how will it evolve? Does is have in the end any redeeming qualities?
My curiosity (ugh I hate it sometimes lol), wants to continue all this to see where all this is going...
...
So... I found it less cringy than its main story but there are still big issues here.
It's STILL super gringy (afterword included lol) and super wrong.
The relationship is wrong, the attitute is wrong and the behavior is wrong and the whole message it sends is WRONG!
Not talking about the characters that are all look alikes and I felt lucky I read the main volume not long ago so I had in mind who is who.
There's zero description nor background of any character, you have somehow to know at all costs something about them from the previous read. This is not a smart move considering this is a whole 14+ volumes story. There had to be something about them in this one as well.
Apart from all this, the art is cute so there you go, half star gained for that.
Now that things are already set and the story is basically the exact same as the main volume, how will it evolve? Does is have in the end any redeeming qualities?
My curiosity (ugh I hate it sometimes lol), wants to continue all this to see where all this is going...
November 1, 2020
Ho sentimenti un po' contrastanti. Inizialmente non ero convinta, mi sembrava tutto molto confuso. Andando avanti ci sono degli elementi che ho trovato interessanti ma la storia rimane molto sbrigativa e confusa. Ho fatto fatica a distinguere alcuni personaggi perché si somigliano fra loro e ho trovato i protagonisti incoerenti, cosa che ha aumentato la mia confusione. Non è un manga particolarmente originale soprattutto nel trattare una relazione professore-alunno, ma è molto d'intrattenimento e spesso divertente. È un fumetto che si legge piacevolmente nonostante i cliché e la poca profondità iniziale
April 7, 2022
So far I think prefer the anime adaptation but that came out 5 years ago so I can't really remember. The main problem I have with the manga is that some characters look very similar to each other and due to the speech bubbles being a little all over the place at times it can be impossible to tell who is talking. These two things can make some scenes very confusing and I end up feeling like I've lost the meaning/significance of what was said.
Some people may have an issue with the 12 year age gap and the fact that it is a student-teacher relationship but personally it didn't bother me.
Some people may have an issue with the 12 year age gap and the fact that it is a student-teacher relationship but personally it didn't bother me.
July 21, 2021
I was really disappointed by this. Not only is this a romance between a high schooler and a high school teacher (ew), but there is never any discussion of age/consent between the two of them. Add to that the confusing and baffling storyline and lack of any development of attraction and chemistry between the two characters... Yikes.
May 25, 2022
Masahiro Setagawa has spent his life catering to other people. Stuck as a gofer for a group of bullies, he’s content with having a place to go. This all ends when a Kousuke Ohshiba, a guy wearing a shirt with a bunch of sayings all over it known for beating up bullies, shows up and beats everyone up. Unsure of what to do next, Masahiro Setagawa finds himself helping someone from school and an abandoned kitten. Who knew that the kid and the cat turned out to be the mystery hero’s little brother! Soon, Masahiro Setagawa finds himself cleaning and cooking for Kousuke Ohshiba, his brother, and all their friends.
Honestly, the only thing I liked about this book was the cute cat drawings any time the cat appeared in the story. Otherwise, I spent a good portion of this book very confused, which I guess makes sense since it turns out that it’s the spin-off of another series from the author. I haven’t read that series, so I’m not familiar with it or the characters from it and I can’t say if that would help with the confusion I had for a good portion of the book.
That said, I also would not call this a romance either. There’s a massive age difference between Masahiro Setagawa and Kousuke Ohshiba. The age difference would be fine if they were both adults, but they are not. In fact, one is in school, and the other is their much older teacher who is pushing 30! I thought Kousuke Ohshiba was an older student at first, but it turned out he’s actually a teacher who goes around beating up bullies in his free time. He basically takes Masahiro Setagawa in to clean and cook after school since he’s friendly with his younger brother.
The only thing that’s clear is that for some reason everyone at casa de Kousuke supports the two characters getting together. There’s so much wrong here and it’s being presented as a romance that’s supposed to be cute. It’s presented as the story of kid being saved from his bad situation by a hero that he’s now developed a crush on, but it’s actually the story of a teacher abusing his position of authority to take advantage of a student and friend of his younger brother.
Honestly, the only thing I liked about this book was the cute cat drawings any time the cat appeared in the story. Otherwise, I spent a good portion of this book very confused, which I guess makes sense since it turns out that it’s the spin-off of another series from the author. I haven’t read that series, so I’m not familiar with it or the characters from it and I can’t say if that would help with the confusion I had for a good portion of the book.
That said, I also would not call this a romance either. There’s a massive age difference between Masahiro Setagawa and Kousuke Ohshiba. The age difference would be fine if they were both adults, but they are not. In fact, one is in school, and the other is their much older teacher who is pushing 30! I thought Kousuke Ohshiba was an older student at first, but it turned out he’s actually a teacher who goes around beating up bullies in his free time. He basically takes Masahiro Setagawa in to clean and cook after school since he’s friendly with his younger brother.
The only thing that’s clear is that for some reason everyone at casa de Kousuke supports the two characters getting together. There’s so much wrong here and it’s being presented as a romance that’s supposed to be cute. It’s presented as the story of kid being saved from his bad situation by a hero that he’s now developed a crush on, but it’s actually the story of a teacher abusing his position of authority to take advantage of a student and friend of his younger brother.
June 25, 2022
Honestly, I've been avoiding this series for a long time now. Whenever I browse bl recommendations, it will always be on the top lists and I think a friend mentioned it to me a couple of times too. The problem is not only the age gap, but he's a teacher too!
Anyway, all I can say after actually reading it today is: Omigod, that art style—and Asaya's character concept art! Such beauty!! I really like the character dynamics, I swear, Ken's gang and the delinquents are so funny. I actually loved it, but the teacher/student relationship is a no-no, so I'll deduce another one star (this is actually a 4-star for me, but...) I mean, Kousuke could have been a ramen chef but why is he a teacher, why?! Also, the story is fast-paced, I wasn't actually expecting that their feelings will be developed in an instant but they're already there—it's illegal, yes!! and it's not even a standalone series, so I could only wonder what the sequels contain. Lol, Kousuke sure isn't holding back, and not even thinking about something like: I can't date him, I'm his teacher. But I really liked Setagawa's character arc here though, it's actually pretty wholesome without the student/teacher thing.
Anyway, all I can say after actually reading it today is: Omigod, that art style—and Asaya's character concept art! Such beauty!! I really like the character dynamics, I swear, Ken's gang and the delinquents are so funny. I actually loved it, but the teacher/student relationship is a no-no, so I'll deduce another one star (this is actually a 4-star for me, but...) I mean, Kousuke could have been a ramen chef but why is he a teacher, why?! Also, the story is fast-paced, I wasn't actually expecting that their feelings will be developed in an instant but they're already there—it's illegal, yes!! and it's not even a standalone series, so I could only wonder what the sequels contain. Lol, Kousuke sure isn't holding back, and not even thinking about something like: I can't date him, I'm his teacher. But I really liked Setagawa's character arc here though, it's actually pretty wholesome without the student/teacher thing.
March 30, 2019
Hitorijime My Hero tells the story of Setagawa, a runner for a small time gang. He doesn't have a strong family life and the gang he runs with basically uses him for his cooking skills and ability to do things for them as a gopher. He's burning the candle at both ends when he meets Ooshiba, a high school teacher who is also known as "The Bear Killer" for his intense fighting style. Ooshiba takes Setagawa in as he's already friends with Ooshiba's little brother, and he tries to get him away from a life of crime. Setagawa starts coming over more often and cooking for the family as Ooshiba promises to take him in as his underling and keep him safe.
Somehow they have crushes on one another. I'm not really sure how it happens. The characters are pretty underdeveloped so when the big reveal of their crushes happens, I felt like it's a bit out of nowhere. Don't get me wrong, their relationship was cute, but I just felt like there wasn't a ton of interaction or moments between the two in order to solidify having a crush of some kind.
I had a real struggle being able to tell the difference between the characters in this manga, aside from our main couple. Setagawa and Ooshiba were obvious, but it took me until the near end to realize one of the other kids Setagawa was friends with happened to be Ooshiba's brother. Maybe it was said earlier in the volume and I missed it but it threw me for a loop for a bit.
There is a significant age difference between our two main characters and honestly, I didn't pick up on it at first. I knew Setagawa was a student and Ooshiba was a teacher, but until there was a scene of them in the same school I assumed Setagawa was older than just another high school student. I also assumed (wrongly) that Ooshiba was a young teacher, one perhaps just out of school, but in looking up the show/manga a bit it seems like their age gap is much more significant, like 12-15 years. I didn't process that while reading, so it didn't influence how I thought of the book much, but now I feel much more torn about it.
I found out that this is a manga adaptation of an already popular anime, so I'm assuming the crossover just didn't translate as well to paper as it does as a show. I also believe that the manga and show itself is a spin off of another series which follows Ooshiba's younger brother Kensuke and his relationship with his friend/boyfriend Asaya Hasekura, who appear in this series. The translation may also contribute to why I found this so hard to follow in English and perhaps made things just a bit more clunky to read. The general romance was cute and I really enjoyed Setagawa as a character, it's just a little underdeveloped overall.
In terms of "Boys Love" manga's this one was one recommended we order for my library. It does not include any graphic sexual content that some of the other BL manga's I have read contain. This one has some kissing and illusions to having sex, but the art does not reflect any sex between the characters.
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Somehow they have crushes on one another. I'm not really sure how it happens. The characters are pretty underdeveloped so when the big reveal of their crushes happens, I felt like it's a bit out of nowhere. Don't get me wrong, their relationship was cute, but I just felt like there wasn't a ton of interaction or moments between the two in order to solidify having a crush of some kind.
I had a real struggle being able to tell the difference between the characters in this manga, aside from our main couple. Setagawa and Ooshiba were obvious, but it took me until the near end to realize one of the other kids Setagawa was friends with happened to be Ooshiba's brother. Maybe it was said earlier in the volume and I missed it but it threw me for a loop for a bit.
There is a significant age difference between our two main characters and honestly, I didn't pick up on it at first. I knew Setagawa was a student and Ooshiba was a teacher, but until there was a scene of them in the same school I assumed Setagawa was older than just another high school student. I also assumed (wrongly) that Ooshiba was a young teacher, one perhaps just out of school, but in looking up the show/manga a bit it seems like their age gap is much more significant, like 12-15 years. I didn't process that while reading, so it didn't influence how I thought of the book much, but now I feel much more torn about it.
I found out that this is a manga adaptation of an already popular anime, so I'm assuming the crossover just didn't translate as well to paper as it does as a show. I also believe that the manga and show itself is a spin off of another series which follows Ooshiba's younger brother Kensuke and his relationship with his friend/boyfriend Asaya Hasekura, who appear in this series. The translation may also contribute to why I found this so hard to follow in English and perhaps made things just a bit more clunky to read. The general romance was cute and I really enjoyed Setagawa as a character, it's just a little underdeveloped overall.
In terms of "Boys Love" manga's this one was one recommended we order for my library. It does not include any graphic sexual content that some of the other BL manga's I have read contain. This one has some kissing and illusions to having sex, but the art does not reflect any sex between the characters.
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March 12, 2020
A little bit messy but super cute and I really like the anime adaptation! Check it out guys :)
May 2, 2021
The art was good but the whole teacher student romance was kind of creepy. Also sometimes it was confusing because the characters look alike.
June 26, 2021
3/5 Stars
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Where to begin. I always go into the first manga/book in a series with very low expectations. It's best not to get my hopes up. I knew that many people were not a fan of the first volume but I still cleared my head going in and now I understand why so many people were not a fan of the first volume of Hitorijime My Hero.
It's so fricken confusing. I had to read the first 10 pages over and over again to finally come to the understanding that there was a time jump. We aren't told how long the time jump is, we aren't even given a hint that there was a time jump! I was so confused and didn't understand what anyone was talking about or who the new characters were.
All of the characters, just no. There were too many characters and too many point of views right off the bat. We follow Masahiro for the most part and then Kousuke's POV, and we also have the POV of Asaya (side character) as well! Plus a few quick POV's of Masahiro's old gang. It was so overwhelming and frustrating. Not only that but when the gang was introduced I didn't even know who was who, Masahiro and Asaya look exactly alike! Also who the heck is the Chairman and how did he meet the group?
The story line was confusing as shit. The beginning made no sense, I really didn't get a grasp of the plot until half way through. It was really disappointing. When I am confused and can't follow along I start to get actual headaches and by the end my headache was so bad. I am hoping in the next volume more will be cleared up.
I absolutely DO NOT like how Kousuke played Masahiro to get his attention and to "admit" that he like him. I am sorry but Masahiro gave no indication he liked him. Yes, Masahiro looks at Kousuke a lot but he admires his Sensei. So that randomness of "you like me but we can't be together" through me off so hard core. I was just like Kousuke what the hell you playing at. I think the age difference freaks people out and I would be freaked out to but there is 8 years difference between my own dad and mom (granted they met when my dad was 19 and my mom 27) so it doesn't bother me. I am weirded out a little by the teacher-student relationship but it can happen.
The art style is okay so far; however, the panels are all over the place that it's so hard to follow along. One small panel can be so full that you get overwhelmed and don't really know who was speaking or what was really going on. I think if there was a little less it would be great. And of course many of the scenes and panels are choppy and don't flow together at all.
I am hoping that the series will get better from here on out, I really love the potential story line. I love the current development of Masahiro and Kuosuke. Kuosuke kinda creeps me out a little, so I hope he develops more.
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Where to begin. I always go into the first manga/book in a series with very low expectations. It's best not to get my hopes up. I knew that many people were not a fan of the first volume but I still cleared my head going in and now I understand why so many people were not a fan of the first volume of Hitorijime My Hero.
It's so fricken confusing. I had to read the first 10 pages over and over again to finally come to the understanding that there was a time jump. We aren't told how long the time jump is, we aren't even given a hint that there was a time jump! I was so confused and didn't understand what anyone was talking about or who the new characters were.
All of the characters, just no. There were too many characters and too many point of views right off the bat. We follow Masahiro for the most part and then Kousuke's POV, and we also have the POV of Asaya (side character) as well! Plus a few quick POV's of Masahiro's old gang. It was so overwhelming and frustrating. Not only that but when the gang was introduced I didn't even know who was who, Masahiro and Asaya look exactly alike! Also who the heck is the Chairman and how did he meet the group?
The story line was confusing as shit. The beginning made no sense, I really didn't get a grasp of the plot until half way through. It was really disappointing. When I am confused and can't follow along I start to get actual headaches and by the end my headache was so bad. I am hoping in the next volume more will be cleared up.
I absolutely DO NOT like how Kousuke played Masahiro to get his attention and to "admit" that he like him. I am sorry but Masahiro gave no indication he liked him. Yes, Masahiro looks at Kousuke a lot but he admires his Sensei. So that randomness of "you like me but we can't be together" through me off so hard core. I was just like Kousuke what the hell you playing at. I think the age difference freaks people out and I would be freaked out to but there is 8 years difference between my own dad and mom (granted they met when my dad was 19 and my mom 27) so it doesn't bother me. I am weirded out a little by the teacher-student relationship but it can happen.
"Just how long are you going to make me wait, Masahiro
The art style is okay so far; however, the panels are all over the place that it's so hard to follow along. One small panel can be so full that you get overwhelmed and don't really know who was speaking or what was really going on. I think if there was a little less it would be great. And of course many of the scenes and panels are choppy and don't flow together at all.
I am hoping that the series will get better from here on out, I really love the potential story line. I love the current development of Masahiro and Kuosuke. Kuosuke kinda creeps me out a little, so I hope he develops more.
July 11, 2025
Is there really a 12 year age gap? With a HS romance? I knew he’d be older cause he is introduced to us at the as the older brother of the other character but he is also a teacher at the school? It was hinted in a bonus page that it might be 12 year age difference which is CRAZY.
But this book was confusing. The characters aren’t really introduced to us in a consumable way. The end of the first chapter is confusing as heck. I can’t even root for this taboo relationship cause there was no foundation, I can let it go when it’s done right. I have more out from the library…
But this book was confusing. The characters aren’t really introduced to us in a consumable way. The end of the first chapter is confusing as heck. I can’t even root for this taboo relationship cause there was no foundation, I can let it go when it’s done right. I have more out from the library…
May 17, 2022
No. In the bin with you. Don't read this.
*this* is my problem with BL and why I prefer the much less common manga written by queer people (such as Blue Flag or I Think Our Son Is Gay)
This book was so confusing I literally didn't realise one was a student and one was HIS TEACHER until I read other reviews.
Also, when a "senpai" is like "i don't know if i can control myself" that is your sign to leave. Also, hes FIFTEEN.
In the absolute bin.
*this* is my problem with BL and why I prefer the much less common manga written by queer people (such as Blue Flag or I Think Our Son Is Gay)
This book was so confusing I literally didn't realise one was a student and one was HIS TEACHER until I read other reviews.
Also, when a "senpai" is like "i don't know if i can control myself" that is your sign to leave. Also, hes FIFTEEN.
In the absolute bin.
June 2, 2022
I enjoyed this but found it confusing at times and thought the pacing was a little fast for my liking. Maybe it would have been better if I read Hitorijime Boyfriend first to better understand the characters since that came before this.
I have two more volumes that I’ll read before I decide if I’m gonna continue the series. It’s quite a long series for a BL so I’m unsure if I want to commit to this yet.
I have two more volumes that I’ll read before I decide if I’m gonna continue the series. It’s quite a long series for a BL so I’m unsure if I want to commit to this yet.
January 11, 2023
Um...no.
Confusing voice bubbles, the questionable sexual relationship between a (admittedly handsome and fresh-faced) 27 year-old teacher and a mature 15 year old student, the lack of backstory since this is a spin-off, the similarity in facial structures of one of the MLs and another prominent character which baffles the reader at times were all reasons to not really get into this story.
It had a cute premise but I think it would have worked better had the above issues been addressed.
Confusing voice bubbles, the questionable sexual relationship between a (admittedly handsome and fresh-faced) 27 year-old teacher and a mature 15 year old student, the lack of backstory since this is a spin-off, the similarity in facial structures of one of the MLs and another prominent character which baffles the reader at times were all reasons to not really get into this story.
It had a cute premise but I think it would have worked better had the above issues been addressed.
June 29, 2021
An interesting start to the series, I have never read Hitorijime My Boyfriend so I felt a little lost as to the characters relationships at first but I caught on fairly quickly. While I am not a fan of teacher/student relationships in real life I am interested to see how the series will handle it and I definitely liked the chemistry between the male leads, and dammit Masahiro deserves some joy in his life. Poor kid suffers from anime parent syndrome in a bad way. Onto volume 2!
August 15, 2019
So, I had to reread the beginning bc I was pretty lost with the characters. Especially the names and nicknames and then that some character look the same but once I did I sped read through this and now I need volume 2.
May 1, 2023
I like the premise, but as some have already mentioned the characters all look very similar without getting much of an introduction. It doesn't help that it's all a little chaotic and messy: the font is hard to read, speech bubbles are all over the place and I found it hard to follow the plot or who was even talking.
August 15, 2023
These two characters have no chemistry. It's a 27 year old MAN in a relationship with a 15 year old student. He's manipulative, controlling, and confusing. He jerks this kid's emotions around. Completely abusive. The art is nice though!
January 12, 2019
...so cute! 🖤
September 3, 2020
i’m confused
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