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キスよりも早く[Kisu yori mo Hayaku] #1
キスよりも早く1 [Kisu Yorimo Hayaku 1]
幼い弟を抱えて路頭に迷っていた高校生・梶文乃は、担任の尾白一馬に拾われる。「同情するなら結婚して！」という売り言葉に買い言葉で、2人は結婚!! 弟を養うために先生を利用しようとした文乃だが、先生の愛に惹かれ始めて…!? ナイショのエンゲージロマンス！
188 pages, Paperback
First published July 5, 2007
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October 23, 2023
As usual, my review will cover the entire series from start to end (all 12 volumes). I'll be talking rather extensively about several parts of the manga, so there will probably be a few spoilers about a few specific things, mostly regarding the relationship of Fumino and Kazuma.
I've reread this manga several times since I was a teenager and while I do have a general fondness for the tone, art, characters, plots, comedy, and what not, since it has a lovely art style and a very sweet tone, I'm an adult now and have developed a greater awareness of the world that has made me realize that a core principle of this book is severely flawed:
A teacher should not date/marry/be romantic/be sexual with a student and a 24 year old person should not date/marry/be romantic/be sexual with a 16 year old person.
What's even more, a 24 year old person should not want to be with a 16 year old and they should not wait in the background for them to hit age 18 before initiating a more intimate physical relationship, as that's literally a quality of sexual grooming and a tactic predators use to avoid legal trouble.
Had this not been an issue, I'd probably give this manga a 4 or 5, but as it stands, I can only in good conscience give a 2.5, MAYBE a 3, and I do hold a major criticism about it despite my higher rating and fondness.
Now, before anyone raises a hand to say something against my criticism of why student-teacher and teenager-adult relationships are NOT okay: I am fully aware that Japanese law tends to have a very low age of consent and that, in the context of Japanese law, a 16 year old being with a 24 year old may not be illegal or even that socially taboo.
However, legality does not equate to meaning that something is ethical. While the two often align side by side and we hope that our laws reflect ethics, they are not mutually exclusive concepts.
I also know for a fact that Japanese law saying "13 is the age of consent" is a gross oversimplification of actual Japanese law and isn't the whole picture. It's also really only ever used by creepy, predatory people who want to justify why they think having sex with 13 year old Japanese children is totally fine.
Firstly, there's actually a law released after the "13 is age of consent" law that affects this definition and forces it to include girls up to age 16 under the definition of "minor" (the law was part of a child welfare act, by the way), only exempting them in a circumstance where they're married (something that must be done with parental consent, as discussed below).
Secondly, most prefectures have many "corruption of minors" laws in place that add additional protections on top of increasing the age of consent. For example, in Tokyo, the age of consent is age 18 and marriage cannot be legally done without parental consent until age 20. If people want to marry sooner, it's with parental consent and women must be 16+ and men must be 18+. There are also instances where relationships with age gaps of any degree require parental approval to prove "sincere romantic relations" as a clause to be exempt from laws seeking to protect minors from abuse by adults.
Thirdly, although there's an uncomfortable amount of people who are okay with things of a pedophilic, predatory nature in Japan, as a whole, Japanese society recognizes the age of 20 as the age at which a person is truly an adult, celebrated with a national holiday. So, it's not as if Japanese society isn't aware, it just has some terrible laws.
Fourthly, there's currently a huge social movement within Japan to undo the "13 is age of consent" law and make it nationally much higher, in the 16-20 year old range, so the law may change any day now.
As of 2023, the age of consent is now 16 across the whole country. Due to the hard work of many activists and voters, the age was raised, and continues to be 17+ in many prefectures due to additional laws that protect minors. This cements my point that the law being so low did not represent the sentiments of Japanese society as a whole. Many people are still pushing for additional reforms to raise it to 18 and do more work to better protect Japanese minors and women from abuse and assault.
Additionally, there's no social or biological reasoning that teenagers in Japan would inherently be more mature than teenagers anywhere else in the world, and therefore are capable of dating adults without issue. This isn't a debate of "you can't judge a culture based on your own culture's standards." (I have seen some people use this argument to dispel concerns about minors in relationships with adults). Literally all human brains take about 20 solid years to fully develop. A 16 year old in Japan being groomed by a 25 year old is just as much of a victim as an American teen going through the same thing. Please don't try to deny Japanese children the right to be children so that you can feel okay about adults having sex with them.
We on the same page now? Good. Let's continue.
This manga kind of takes advantage of the fact that Fumino lacks parents to decide if her relationship with Kazuma is okay and if she, at 16, can marry. It kind of glosses it over and starts to regard Fumino like an emancipated minor who can decide for herself if she wants to marry, though, it seems kind of counterproductive to allow a girl the ability to marry someone and then once she's married take away that status until she's of age to put her under her husband's mercy.
Also, we'll later talk about the legality of their "marriage."
I'm not sure what Japanese law says about the legality of relationships involving someone with authority being with a person under their authority (ex: student and teacher, boss and employee, doctor and patient, lawyer and client, etc.) but the nature of such a relationship is a contributing factor to the issues with Kazuma and Fumino being together.
Since this series wants so heavily for Fumino and Kazuma to keep their relationship a secret, I believe that there probably is some illegality to it and also some degree of social stigma, enough that the school where Fumino attends and Kazuma works would likely punish one or both of them, if indeed their relationship was made known to the faculty (Kazuma would likely be fired and Fumino could be expelled).
I will say that Kazuma is not The Worst possible outcome this manga could have had for a male lead and, as far as older male leads goes, he's rather harmless. He doesn't really touch Fumino (hence the title "Faster than a Kiss"--they're married without ever having even kissed) and he does keep a certain distance from her physically and emotionally, even encouraging her to find love with someone her own age and being adult enough to recognize that it's likely her feelings for him are just a crush and that she'll eventually outgrow them, which makes him hesitate in encouraging/reciprocating (but only at first).
Sadly, because the naive teenager says "Uhm, no, my feelings are legit and you have to be responsible for me forever" we're supposed to dismiss him being an adult who has reasonable qualms with their relationship and go "Yes, true love triumphs over all!"
Like, we were so close with Kazuma, but the author wanted to be like "no, no, don't agree with him, he's wrong, their relationship is good, you should want it."
The moments where Kazuma reveals feelings of a romantic nature and does things that speak to him being romantically attracted to Fumino (such as showing jealousy, kissing her neck, hugging h telling her he wishes to possess her, alluding to his attraction to her, etc.) are reserved for specific moments within the narrative, usually relating to Fumino realizing how she's grown feelings for Kazuma and her attempting to further their relationship as a result.
Kazuma's actions generally amount to him admitting his own feelings and some chaste physical contact, and their relationship usually goes back to being light and carefree after this emotional moment, but, still, just because he didn't grope her or have sex with her doesn't mean it's okay to act like that towards a 16 year old.
When I read about this man who operates under the pretext of being this girl's husband and says things like "I want to bind you as a man, too" and "if we continue, I won't be able to stop" and behaves in any sort of romantic way towards her, even if he doesn't cross certain lines, I can't help but think it's like... he's having his cake and eating it, too.
Because not only does he have an extraordinary amount of control over her life as both her husband and teacher--which allows him to cultivate her affection/trust for him while stamping out the competition, like his own appropriately aged brother, and making it so he cannot be untangled from her daily life, which would allow her clarity to analyze their relationship and her feelings--it provides him access to her emotionally and physically in a close relationship that clearly comes with a romantic/sexual connotation while he waits for her to become old enough for a more intimate degree of physical contact.
Which, again, this kind of stuff is considered grooming.
Sure, he ultimately doesn't hurt Fumino or make it seem like he wouldn't let her go or be with someone else if she wanted to, but it's a weird and bad situation because she's clearly at his mercy as someone younger who looks up to him and is enamored with him. She isn't in a position to be immune to any manipulation or really have the wherewithal to recognize it.
The reasons why age-gaps and power-imbalance relationships are inherently bad is because when two people don't stand on equal footing, even if the person with power doesn't overstep and abuse their power, the person who is under the other's power will always be subject to that possibility and is therefore going to alter their behaviors to be subservient to the other's will.
If a person is in a relationship where dissent can be punished in a major way or they're emotionally powerless to the other, it becomes murky as to whether or not the person is acting of their own free will or just deferring to the will of their partner to avoid negative consequences in their life and relationship.
Kazuma is both Fumino's husband* (I'll speak on this later, as I said, their marriage isn't straightforward) and her teacher, so he's in a position that allows him to basically control every aspect Fumino's life, which leaves Fumino with little agency or power over to advocate for herself. At home, at school, Kazuma has the power and authority, plus, he has power and authority over her little brother, which is also a means by which he could manipulate Fumino.
It's not necessarily what he does so much as what the power and authority imbalance ALLOWS him to do.
Fumino is someone who is less experienced, less powerful, and less able to process things and make good choices because, at the age of 16, her brain is still growing and she is still in the processing of becoming independent.
The relationship is simply inherently skewed in an unhealthy way by nature of Fumino, the minor, being wholly dependent on Kazuma, the adult.
He doesn't have to manipulate her malicious or sexually abuse her for her to be in a situation that is precarious, since he has power over her and she isn't in a position to see abuse of that power if it occurs, and that alone is problematic.
It's why most places have laws in place to try to prevent this; the power imbalance inherently allows for exploitation and it can be difficult to decide whether the relationship is indeed healthy or if the alleged victim is merely being manipulated or threatened into behaving like it is.
The two of them end up "married" because Kazuma wants to see Fumino taken care of after she and her brother run away from a relative's home; he is, in fact, the only adult who looks for them and seems to care about their well-being. We later find out that the marriage wasn't actually legally binding, since Kazuma never submitted the marriage paperwork, and that the marriage ultimately was the only way Kazuma saw as a way to make his situation with Fumino work, not only because she was resistant to his help, claiming that he wouldn't care enough to take full responsibility by marrying her, but because as an unrelated adult, he didn't really have the grounds to take responsibility for Fumino's well being in any other context besides becoming her husband.
Despite this fact, however, Fumino believed it was legitimate and acted accordingly, and Kazuma allowed himself to show interest in her and let her believe this facade, so we'll continue on that premise.
Now, the legality of everything in this series isn't really well implemented (clearly.)
Despite Fumino and her very young brother fleeing their relatives' care and having no parents, no one from the courts or police ever come sniffing after things to verify that the minor has a guardian and that the guardian is taking care of their charge.
Fumino transitions from being under her relatives' guardianship to Kazuma's without incident. Did her relatives not report her missing? How did Kazuma know she had run away then? Why didn't the relatives, if they didn't want Fumino anymore, forfeit custody so the courts could find a new guardian? Why were her and her very young brother's welfare never checked into by authorities? Even if Fumino, at 16, isn't a priority for the system since she's so close to aging out, her brother, who is only in preschool, should be.
Since Kazuma can't actually be her legal guardian, since their relationship is a secret and he never submitted their marriage papers to be processed as a legal document, does the school and court just... presume Fumino is still with the relatives she ran from, despite them never appearing to do anything that a legal guardian has to for kids this young? Teppei especially should have flagged the system on multiple accounts because his 16 year old sister can't act in place of a guardian as a minor herself.
I guess that's why Ryo exists; he babysits when the couple needs alone time and then can lie on school records to keep Fumino and Teppei's lack of legal guardianship a secret so they can remain with Kazuma. How wonderful and illegal!
Usually a child who loses their parents is assigned by the courts to a new situation; despite Fumino being a teenager, until she's an adult, she should be legally obligated to exist under the guardianship of someone and that person be held accountable for her whereabouts and well-being.
The book does later attempt to have Fumino's paternal uncle become their guardian and she refuses and goes to be with Kazuma but like... her uncle should have gone to the courts and been like: "Okay, I want proof of my niece's marriage and I want to contest it because, as a 16 year old, she needed the consent of a guardian, which I doubt was granted to her." and there would've been a whole thing about it, but because this story didn't really examine things outside of "wouldn't it be fun if a teacher and student married and had to keep it secret?" none of the legality of this situation is really ever addressed outside of it being a minor conflict for them as needed.
Anyway, outside of this glaring criticism, which is so big because it's so central to the series, I do have some fondness for the series.
I just REALLY wish it aligned more with my ethics because despite this not being the worst, I still very much dislike student and teacher romantic relationships that involve high school students and generally think of them as precarious, bad things that aren't worth the risk.
I don't want to just go "well, it could have been worse" because I don't want any part of this normalized or not treated with the severity that it should. Just date people your own age who you don't have the ability to control/ruin the life of. That fixes and avoids SO many issues and is just so much easier for everyone.
I've reread this manga several times since I was a teenager and while I do have a general fondness for the tone, art, characters, plots, comedy, and what not, since it has a lovely art style and a very sweet tone, I'm an adult now and have developed a greater awareness of the world that has made me realize that a core principle of this book is severely flawed:
A teacher should not date/marry/be romantic/be sexual with a student and a 24 year old person should not date/marry/be romantic/be sexual with a 16 year old person.
What's even more, a 24 year old person should not want to be with a 16 year old and they should not wait in the background for them to hit age 18 before initiating a more intimate physical relationship, as that's literally a quality of sexual grooming and a tactic predators use to avoid legal trouble.
Had this not been an issue, I'd probably give this manga a 4 or 5, but as it stands, I can only in good conscience give a 2.5, MAYBE a 3, and I do hold a major criticism about it despite my higher rating and fondness.
Now, before anyone raises a hand to say something against my criticism of why student-teacher and teenager-adult relationships are NOT okay: I am fully aware that Japanese law tends to have a very low age of consent and that, in the context of Japanese law, a 16 year old being with a 24 year old may not be illegal or even that socially taboo.
However, legality does not equate to meaning that something is ethical. While the two often align side by side and we hope that our laws reflect ethics, they are not mutually exclusive concepts.
I also know for a fact that Japanese law saying "13 is the age of consent" is a gross oversimplification of actual Japanese law and isn't the whole picture. It's also really only ever used by creepy, predatory people who want to justify why they think having sex with 13 year old Japanese children is totally fine.
Firstly, there's actually a law released after the "13 is age of consent" law that affects this definition and forces it to include girls up to age 16 under the definition of "minor" (the law was part of a child welfare act, by the way), only exempting them in a circumstance where they're married (something that must be done with parental consent, as discussed below).
Secondly, most prefectures have many "corruption of minors" laws in place that add additional protections on top of increasing the age of consent. For example, in Tokyo, the age of consent is age 18 and marriage cannot be legally done without parental consent until age 20. If people want to marry sooner, it's with parental consent and women must be 16+ and men must be 18+. There are also instances where relationships with age gaps of any degree require parental approval to prove "sincere romantic relations" as a clause to be exempt from laws seeking to protect minors from abuse by adults.
Thirdly, although there's an uncomfortable amount of people who are okay with things of a pedophilic, predatory nature in Japan, as a whole, Japanese society recognizes the age of 20 as the age at which a person is truly an adult, celebrated with a national holiday. So, it's not as if Japanese society isn't aware, it just has some terrible laws.
Fourthly, there's currently a huge social movement within Japan to undo the "13 is age of consent" law and make it nationally much higher, in the 16-20 year old range, so the law may change any day now.
As of 2023, the age of consent is now 16 across the whole country. Due to the hard work of many activists and voters, the age was raised, and continues to be 17+ in many prefectures due to additional laws that protect minors. This cements my point that the law being so low did not represent the sentiments of Japanese society as a whole. Many people are still pushing for additional reforms to raise it to 18 and do more work to better protect Japanese minors and women from abuse and assault.
Additionally, there's no social or biological reasoning that teenagers in Japan would inherently be more mature than teenagers anywhere else in the world, and therefore are capable of dating adults without issue. This isn't a debate of "you can't judge a culture based on your own culture's standards." (I have seen some people use this argument to dispel concerns about minors in relationships with adults). Literally all human brains take about 20 solid years to fully develop. A 16 year old in Japan being groomed by a 25 year old is just as much of a victim as an American teen going through the same thing. Please don't try to deny Japanese children the right to be children so that you can feel okay about adults having sex with them.
We on the same page now? Good. Let's continue.
This manga kind of takes advantage of the fact that Fumino lacks parents to decide if her relationship with Kazuma is okay and if she, at 16, can marry. It kind of glosses it over and starts to regard Fumino like an emancipated minor who can decide for herself if she wants to marry, though, it seems kind of counterproductive to allow a girl the ability to marry someone and then once she's married take away that status until she's of age to put her under her husband's mercy.
Also, we'll later talk about the legality of their "marriage."
I'm not sure what Japanese law says about the legality of relationships involving someone with authority being with a person under their authority (ex: student and teacher, boss and employee, doctor and patient, lawyer and client, etc.) but the nature of such a relationship is a contributing factor to the issues with Kazuma and Fumino being together.
Since this series wants so heavily for Fumino and Kazuma to keep their relationship a secret, I believe that there probably is some illegality to it and also some degree of social stigma, enough that the school where Fumino attends and Kazuma works would likely punish one or both of them, if indeed their relationship was made known to the faculty (Kazuma would likely be fired and Fumino could be expelled).
I will say that Kazuma is not The Worst possible outcome this manga could have had for a male lead and, as far as older male leads goes, he's rather harmless. He doesn't really touch Fumino (hence the title "Faster than a Kiss"--they're married without ever having even kissed) and he does keep a certain distance from her physically and emotionally, even encouraging her to find love with someone her own age and being adult enough to recognize that it's likely her feelings for him are just a crush and that she'll eventually outgrow them, which makes him hesitate in encouraging/reciprocating (but only at first).
Sadly, because the naive teenager says "Uhm, no, my feelings are legit and you have to be responsible for me forever" we're supposed to dismiss him being an adult who has reasonable qualms with their relationship and go "Yes, true love triumphs over all!"
Like, we were so close with Kazuma, but the author wanted to be like "no, no, don't agree with him, he's wrong, their relationship is good, you should want it."
The moments where Kazuma reveals feelings of a romantic nature and does things that speak to him being romantically attracted to Fumino (such as showing jealousy, kissing her neck, hugging h telling her he wishes to possess her, alluding to his attraction to her, etc.) are reserved for specific moments within the narrative, usually relating to Fumino realizing how she's grown feelings for Kazuma and her attempting to further their relationship as a result.
Kazuma's actions generally amount to him admitting his own feelings and some chaste physical contact, and their relationship usually goes back to being light and carefree after this emotional moment, but, still, just because he didn't grope her or have sex with her doesn't mean it's okay to act like that towards a 16 year old.
When I read about this man who operates under the pretext of being this girl's husband and says things like "I want to bind you as a man, too" and "if we continue, I won't be able to stop" and behaves in any sort of romantic way towards her, even if he doesn't cross certain lines, I can't help but think it's like... he's having his cake and eating it, too.
Because not only does he have an extraordinary amount of control over her life as both her husband and teacher--which allows him to cultivate her affection/trust for him while stamping out the competition, like his own appropriately aged brother, and making it so he cannot be untangled from her daily life, which would allow her clarity to analyze their relationship and her feelings--it provides him access to her emotionally and physically in a close relationship that clearly comes with a romantic/sexual connotation while he waits for her to become old enough for a more intimate degree of physical contact.
Which, again, this kind of stuff is considered grooming.
Sure, he ultimately doesn't hurt Fumino or make it seem like he wouldn't let her go or be with someone else if she wanted to, but it's a weird and bad situation because she's clearly at his mercy as someone younger who looks up to him and is enamored with him. She isn't in a position to be immune to any manipulation or really have the wherewithal to recognize it.
The reasons why age-gaps and power-imbalance relationships are inherently bad is because when two people don't stand on equal footing, even if the person with power doesn't overstep and abuse their power, the person who is under the other's power will always be subject to that possibility and is therefore going to alter their behaviors to be subservient to the other's will.
If a person is in a relationship where dissent can be punished in a major way or they're emotionally powerless to the other, it becomes murky as to whether or not the person is acting of their own free will or just deferring to the will of their partner to avoid negative consequences in their life and relationship.
Kazuma is both Fumino's husband* (I'll speak on this later, as I said, their marriage isn't straightforward) and her teacher, so he's in a position that allows him to basically control every aspect Fumino's life, which leaves Fumino with little agency or power over to advocate for herself. At home, at school, Kazuma has the power and authority, plus, he has power and authority over her little brother, which is also a means by which he could manipulate Fumino.
It's not necessarily what he does so much as what the power and authority imbalance ALLOWS him to do.
Fumino is someone who is less experienced, less powerful, and less able to process things and make good choices because, at the age of 16, her brain is still growing and she is still in the processing of becoming independent.
The relationship is simply inherently skewed in an unhealthy way by nature of Fumino, the minor, being wholly dependent on Kazuma, the adult.
He doesn't have to manipulate her malicious or sexually abuse her for her to be in a situation that is precarious, since he has power over her and she isn't in a position to see abuse of that power if it occurs, and that alone is problematic.
It's why most places have laws in place to try to prevent this; the power imbalance inherently allows for exploitation and it can be difficult to decide whether the relationship is indeed healthy or if the alleged victim is merely being manipulated or threatened into behaving like it is.
The two of them end up "married" because Kazuma wants to see Fumino taken care of after she and her brother run away from a relative's home; he is, in fact, the only adult who looks for them and seems to care about their well-being. We later find out that the marriage wasn't actually legally binding, since Kazuma never submitted the marriage paperwork, and that the marriage ultimately was the only way Kazuma saw as a way to make his situation with Fumino work, not only because she was resistant to his help, claiming that he wouldn't care enough to take full responsibility by marrying her, but because as an unrelated adult, he didn't really have the grounds to take responsibility for Fumino's well being in any other context besides becoming her husband.
Despite this fact, however, Fumino believed it was legitimate and acted accordingly, and Kazuma allowed himself to show interest in her and let her believe this facade, so we'll continue on that premise.
Now, the legality of everything in this series isn't really well implemented (clearly.)
Despite Fumino and her very young brother fleeing their relatives' care and having no parents, no one from the courts or police ever come sniffing after things to verify that the minor has a guardian and that the guardian is taking care of their charge.
Fumino transitions from being under her relatives' guardianship to Kazuma's without incident. Did her relatives not report her missing? How did Kazuma know she had run away then? Why didn't the relatives, if they didn't want Fumino anymore, forfeit custody so the courts could find a new guardian? Why were her and her very young brother's welfare never checked into by authorities? Even if Fumino, at 16, isn't a priority for the system since she's so close to aging out, her brother, who is only in preschool, should be.
Since Kazuma can't actually be her legal guardian, since their relationship is a secret and he never submitted their marriage papers to be processed as a legal document, does the school and court just... presume Fumino is still with the relatives she ran from, despite them never appearing to do anything that a legal guardian has to for kids this young? Teppei especially should have flagged the system on multiple accounts because his 16 year old sister can't act in place of a guardian as a minor herself.
I guess that's why Ryo exists; he babysits when the couple needs alone time and then can lie on school records to keep Fumino and Teppei's lack of legal guardianship a secret so they can remain with Kazuma. How wonderful and illegal!
Usually a child who loses their parents is assigned by the courts to a new situation; despite Fumino being a teenager, until she's an adult, she should be legally obligated to exist under the guardianship of someone and that person be held accountable for her whereabouts and well-being.
The book does later attempt to have Fumino's paternal uncle become their guardian and she refuses and goes to be with Kazuma but like... her uncle should have gone to the courts and been like: "Okay, I want proof of my niece's marriage and I want to contest it because, as a 16 year old, she needed the consent of a guardian, which I doubt was granted to her." and there would've been a whole thing about it, but because this story didn't really examine things outside of "wouldn't it be fun if a teacher and student married and had to keep it secret?" none of the legality of this situation is really ever addressed outside of it being a minor conflict for them as needed.
Anyway, outside of this glaring criticism, which is so big because it's so central to the series, I do have some fondness for the series.
I just REALLY wish it aligned more with my ethics because despite this not being the worst, I still very much dislike student and teacher romantic relationships that involve high school students and generally think of them as precarious, bad things that aren't worth the risk.
I don't want to just go "well, it could have been worse" because I don't want any part of this normalized or not treated with the severity that it should. Just date people your own age who you don't have the ability to control/ruin the life of. That fixes and avoids SO many issues and is just so much easier for everyone.
February 1, 2013
This is such a sweet shoujo manga!!! I try not to read more, but the next thing I know is that I am reading the next volume! I usually try not to read mangas where the romance is between a teacher and a student, but this was all safe with nothing Rated R. Instead, this manga is being considered like a kiddy manga by me now. I am trying to find out what the sensei's age is again. I think they said it in the story but I failed to remember it. Anyways, this story is super awesome, a bit cheesy, but very romantic. My favorite character is Teppei, Fumino's baby brother. He almost seems as though he's Sensei's and Fumino's child at points! I intend to finish this manga until the end and keep updating. Good job Meca Tanaka! I admire you for writing such a nice manga!
June 15, 2016
I loved this manga very much. Love Ojiro Kazuma character <3 kyaaah !! And teppei is very cute, hhe. Recommended manga !
May 14, 2017
Overall rating: 3.5 Stars
I really liked Faster than a Kiss, but I am, at the same time, relieved that it has come to a swift end.
The Faster than a Kiss manga has a lot of good points, ranging from the beautiful, cute and funny art, to the hilarious dialogue and wonderful characterization. The blurb and cover give it no justice. Initially, I believed it was some overly sappy, romantic gag that presents nothing but the realization that you've wasted your time hunching over the toiler seat and ridding yourself of the sappiness. I don't really remember how I've been persuaded to read this, but I'm glad I did, 'cause it is worthwhile. To some degree.
However, throughout the manga, we see a repetition in every volume: Fumiko lands herself in some sort of trouble, and some guy who's very interested in her has the chance to prove himself by saving her, yet is unable to 'cause her teacher hubby swoops in to save the day instead. They both have this pretty intimate moment, but do nothing 'cause they don't want Fumiko to (probably) wind up pregnant if things get to far. In addition, it would've been nice to see what happened to the other characters, and a little insight on Kazuma and Fumiko's relationship at the end (no worries, y'all, this is shoujo manga, so 'course they got their happy ever after). Moreover, I would've liked a more solid plot with real conflicts.
Overall, Faster than a Kiss is nice, funny, sweet and cute; yet, nothing especially new has been brought to the table. So, if you're either someone who is a sucker for romance or is looking for something extremely light to read, I recommend this.
I really liked Faster than a Kiss, but I am, at the same time, relieved that it has come to a swift end.
The Faster than a Kiss manga has a lot of good points, ranging from the beautiful, cute and funny art, to the hilarious dialogue and wonderful characterization. The blurb and cover give it no justice. Initially, I believed it was some overly sappy, romantic gag that presents nothing but the realization that you've wasted your time hunching over the toiler seat and ridding yourself of the sappiness. I don't really remember how I've been persuaded to read this, but I'm glad I did, 'cause it is worthwhile. To some degree.
However, throughout the manga, we see a repetition in every volume: Fumiko lands herself in some sort of trouble, and some guy who's very interested in her has the chance to prove himself by saving her, yet is unable to 'cause her teacher hubby swoops in to save the day instead. They both have this pretty intimate moment, but do nothing 'cause they don't want Fumiko to (probably) wind up pregnant if things get to far. In addition, it would've been nice to see what happened to the other characters, and a little insight on Kazuma and Fumiko's relationship at the end (no worries, y'all, this is shoujo manga, so 'course they got their happy ever after). Moreover, I would've liked a more solid plot with real conflicts.
Overall, Faster than a Kiss is nice, funny, sweet and cute; yet, nothing especially new has been brought to the table. So, if you're either someone who is a sucker for romance or is looking for something extremely light to read, I recommend this.
November 9, 2011
This series has been super duper cute!
I'm normally against the whole teacher/student romance deal, but it's so sweet, I can't help not liking it!
I'm normally against the whole teacher/student romance deal, but it's so sweet, I can't help not liking it!
January 10, 2013
this is just super sweet! one of the best shoujo mangas that i have read so far.
i love the characters and the relationships that they have with each other. each one is unique and will grow on you.
it's just frustrating how they never kiss!!! oh my gawd! -___-" how is that even possible in real life? but aside from that... i just fell in love with the story. :D
this is a good read. this manga gave me sleepless nights, its a page turner.
and btw. kazuma and fumio is just a very lovely couple. i dont want to miss the manga's mascott, teppei. he's just adorkable!!!! >_<
i love the characters and the relationships that they have with each other. each one is unique and will grow on you.
it's just frustrating how they never kiss!!! oh my gawd! -___-" how is that even possible in real life? but aside from that... i just fell in love with the story. :D
this is a good read. this manga gave me sleepless nights, its a page turner.
and btw. kazuma and fumio is just a very lovely couple. i dont want to miss the manga's mascott, teppei. he's just adorkable!!!! >_<
May 2, 2017
This is a really cute manga. I like Fumino. I think she's really strong trying to care for her brother.
I really like Kazuma. I like that he doesn't take advantage of her and actually likes to tease her. I think that while they will have a rocky relationship it will be a strong one.
Teppei is really cute!
I really like Kazuma. I like that he doesn't take advantage of her and actually likes to tease her. I think that while they will have a rocky relationship it will be a strong one.
Teppei is really cute!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 27, 2012
This manga is really great, I've read numerous mangas similar to this one though. Nevertheless I am completely swept by the male character, every move he makes is just so intriguing. I admire the female character for her strength and courage. Overall fascinating series, 5/5 :)
August 11, 2015
Marking 1/9 volumes I've read.
Absolutely sweet and charming, there's not a single thing I don't love about this manga but I just can't right now, I need some time to recover from the fact that it ended...
Absolutely sweet and charming, there's not a single thing I don't love about this manga but I just can't right now, I need some time to recover from the fact that it ended...
August 11, 2012
3.5 Stars
I blame Diana for this...
A very cute manga. But I don't think I'll keep on reading.
I blame Diana for this...
A very cute manga. But I don't think I'll keep on reading.
April 2, 2014
A student-teacher relationship? They don't always end well, but this one's really cute!
April 28, 2017
Sweet and fluffy with loads of charm. A unique take on the genre
July 14, 2017
*This review is for the series as a whole with 4 out of 5 stars*
After reading this manga, I was debating to myself on what rating I should give it. You see, when I was just in the middle part of this story, I already concluded that I will be giving it a 3.5 star rating, but man!!!! I love love love the ending. It was far from what I imagined and that’s really a relief. After the scene with sensei’s father, I thought everything will be cliché, but man! I didn’t anticipated the ending. It’s absolutely a perfect HEA, and you know how I’m such a sucker for that hehe. I’m just so happy with how everything turned out. I’m super happy that I shed a tear. It’s just, it seems like I was there in this story and felt what sensei and Fumino was feeling at that moment.
Kisu Yori mo Hayaku or also known as Faster than a Kiss in English is a story of Fumino, a highschool student who after getting tired of moving from one relatives to another, decided to ran away together with her younger brother, Teppei. While on the park, her sensei (teacher) approached them and asked what she’s doing. She got pissed so she demanded him to marry her so he can take good care of her and her brother. Out of tension between their confrontation, sensei said yes. And that is the start of their “secret” married life.
Unlike book reviews, I don’t mind sharing some spoilers when I’m reviewing a manga, so get ready haha. So what made me shed a tear? It was on the part where Fumino is walking down the aisle towards sensei. My! That was just so heartwarming. No words spoken, it’s just the two of them looking so lovingly at each other. If this manga would have made it into an anime, I’m pretty sure I’ll be watching that scene over and over again. It’s just so rewarding that after what they’ve been through, the happy moments and hardships they’ve shared, they finally able to overcome all of those and finally get married for real. It’s just beautiful. And speaking of beautiful, their first kiss indeed was so beautiful. Aww.. and thinking about it, I guess I’m going to start re-evaluating my feelings about the rain lol haha. Wanna know why? Well, that’s something you should find out for yourself. *wink
The idea of a student falling in love with her teacher is something that isn’t new to me. I’ve read and watch movies with that same logic before so I am really excited to find out how the author will remedy that and made me interested in this story to the extent of finishing it. And my! I sure did enjoyed this one.
Some may find it gross but hey hey hey, the professor is just 24 years old so it’s fine. Plus with a handsome face like that, I wouldn’t be having any second thoughts. Plus, he look so hot with or without glasses, but I think I’ll go for a glasses look for sensei. Why’s that? Well, he look so dang hot without his glasses so to avoid any women gawking at him, it’s better if he wear his glasses or I could kill someone haha.
I always love highschool romances so it wasn’t really a surprise that I enjoyed this one. Faster Than a Kiss wasn’t really in my radar until I stumbled to this one. It’s only 12 volumes and it’s already completed so I decided to check out the sypnosis and I like the idea, plus, the characters looks so good together so why not? It’s the shortest in my manga TBR so I decided to read it first. You see, I don’t usually read the manga without watching the anime first but seeing that it doesn’t have one, I guess I’ll have to check this out myself eh?
I have to say that Faster Than a Kiss is not your typical student falling in love with her sensei story. It’s not just the romance that is covered with this manga but it has so much more. You see, it’s just 12 volumes but it’s composed of so many chapters. I thought I know what’s going to happen next or I know how it’ll end but I was surprised with all the scenes the author added to this story. I love that it also includes about friendship, about family especially about relationship between siblings and also about not just love triangle but I guess that’s 5? Well, you see, Fumino is quite a Rapunzel in this story because of her long hair feeling lol haha.
The reason I was torn between 3.5 and 4 star rating because this manga had some confusing chapters. I’m not just talking about the drawing but also for the English translation, but then I realized that I should be thankful. Without these amazing translators who works so hard even without compensation, I was able to read this story eh? So I guess the only issue for me were the drawing. I’m not saying it’s bad, but there were some scenes and parts that was confusing that it made me spend a long time examining the pages to understand the scenes and the action it’s trying to portray. But I think that’s only a total of 2-3 chapters, all other chapters were great. And speaking of great, you can browse my favorite scenes from this manga here. *wink
The conflict, well, there’s so many conflicts in this story, but I’m so glad that the author didn’t add some annoying ones. Well, unless you count the part about sensei’s father, because that was downright annoying, but so far it didn’t stretched the far, because we finally got to see Fumino and sensei’s wedding, ayeeii. But even without the wedding, with cute Teppei around, they already look like one cute family. And my, Fumino and Teppei cosplaying while welcoming sensei everytime he comes home was quite cute, haha.
Although there’s no annoying conflicts, I have to say that there’s this annoying character that I really want to kill myself. And who would that be? Well, it’s sensei’s younger brother Shouma. My! He was really a pain in the ass. He’s hot and he’s cold and is downright jerk. If there are different classes of jerks, he’ll be in class A. I understand about his feelings towards Fumino but going to deal with his action of getting behind sensei and Fumino was so frustrating and irritating to watch/read. He’s just lucky that sensei didn’t lose his cool and was able to handle it maturely (well, not most of the time, haha).
For Fumino’s character, she was introduced as this badass chick who beat up guys who are doing bad to her classmates, but when she’s finally living with sensei, she somewhat loses her groove and was always in a situation where sensei always rescues her. Don’t get me wrong, I like her character but the saving the damsel in distress we’re too much. But on the other hand, she sure loves her younger brother so much. I love how she’ll do anything just for him and that really soften my heart. And ofcourse, I adore her kindness even to those who doesn’t deserves it, her cool, her courage and her guts. My! This girl is really something. And you know what else? I love how she fight so hard for sensei. She’s the kind of girl that knows what she wants and fights for it, and that’s the kind of attitude I like for a heroine.
Sensei on the other hand is definitely a prince charming material. He’s so nice, so good looking and everything you need for a guy is within him. He’s just too perfect which makes his character unrealistic. But even with that perfect attitude and appearance, I have to say that it didn’t stop me from liking him genuinely. I did not fall-in-love-with-him-and-wanting-to-become-the-heroine way but I really love his character. And my, didn’t I tell you how sensual his way of disinfecting Fumino’s wounds? haha. But beyond that perfect appearance, his distorted past makes up for it thus making his character relatable. What he’s been through and how he was able to get past them makes me so proud of him. Despite what he’s been through, I’m happy that he was able to become what he is now and finally found the woman who will love him and makes him happy.
There’s still some issue about his father and his relationship with sensei from way back before that wasn’t introduced to us completely but I guess the part where he bought Fumino’s wedding dress is enough to compensate it haha sucker.
Most POV of the manga were taken from the main character either the girl or the guy or from a third party, but for this one, I guess it’s safe to say that it was mostly from Fumino unless you’ll include some individual parts like the one from Shouma who was struggling about his feelings towards Fumino. I always love to hear about sensei so it was great that he had 1 chapter that is taken from his own POV, it was short yes but at least it was on the part where he talks about his feelings toward Fumino.
Both of the main characters confesses their feelings in the early volume so I thought after that all will be going to be predictable but the twist and turn surprised me.
This is the third shojo manga that I’ve read but differently not my first shojo anime so I have a lot to compare with, but so far, I find this one enjoyable. It didn’t just made me fall in love but it made me laugh my heart out.
And oops, I almost forgot. Aside from the romance and a little bit of comedy, I was eyeing to Fumino’s younger brother, Teppei. My! I guess he’s one of the most cutest character I’ve encounter so far.
If you love YA and drooling over a hot sensei, then Faster Than a Kiss is definitely for you.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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After reading this manga, I was debating to myself on what rating I should give it. You see, when I was just in the middle part of this story, I already concluded that I will be giving it a 3.5 star rating, but man!!!! I love love love the ending. It was far from what I imagined and that’s really a relief. After the scene with sensei’s father, I thought everything will be cliché, but man! I didn’t anticipated the ending. It’s absolutely a perfect HEA, and you know how I’m such a sucker for that hehe. I’m just so happy with how everything turned out. I’m super happy that I shed a tear. It’s just, it seems like I was there in this story and felt what sensei and Fumino was feeling at that moment.
Kisu Yori mo Hayaku or also known as Faster than a Kiss in English is a story of Fumino, a highschool student who after getting tired of moving from one relatives to another, decided to ran away together with her younger brother, Teppei. While on the park, her sensei (teacher) approached them and asked what she’s doing. She got pissed so she demanded him to marry her so he can take good care of her and her brother. Out of tension between their confrontation, sensei said yes. And that is the start of their “secret” married life.
Unlike book reviews, I don’t mind sharing some spoilers when I’m reviewing a manga, so get ready haha. So what made me shed a tear? It was on the part where Fumino is walking down the aisle towards sensei. My! That was just so heartwarming. No words spoken, it’s just the two of them looking so lovingly at each other. If this manga would have made it into an anime, I’m pretty sure I’ll be watching that scene over and over again. It’s just so rewarding that after what they’ve been through, the happy moments and hardships they’ve shared, they finally able to overcome all of those and finally get married for real. It’s just beautiful. And speaking of beautiful, their first kiss indeed was so beautiful. Aww.. and thinking about it, I guess I’m going to start re-evaluating my feelings about the rain lol haha. Wanna know why? Well, that’s something you should find out for yourself. *wink
The idea of a student falling in love with her teacher is something that isn’t new to me. I’ve read and watch movies with that same logic before so I am really excited to find out how the author will remedy that and made me interested in this story to the extent of finishing it. And my! I sure did enjoyed this one.
Some may find it gross but hey hey hey, the professor is just 24 years old so it’s fine. Plus with a handsome face like that, I wouldn’t be having any second thoughts. Plus, he look so hot with or without glasses, but I think I’ll go for a glasses look for sensei. Why’s that? Well, he look so dang hot without his glasses so to avoid any women gawking at him, it’s better if he wear his glasses or I could kill someone haha.
I always love highschool romances so it wasn’t really a surprise that I enjoyed this one. Faster Than a Kiss wasn’t really in my radar until I stumbled to this one. It’s only 12 volumes and it’s already completed so I decided to check out the sypnosis and I like the idea, plus, the characters looks so good together so why not? It’s the shortest in my manga TBR so I decided to read it first. You see, I don’t usually read the manga without watching the anime first but seeing that it doesn’t have one, I guess I’ll have to check this out myself eh?
I have to say that Faster Than a Kiss is not your typical student falling in love with her sensei story. It’s not just the romance that is covered with this manga but it has so much more. You see, it’s just 12 volumes but it’s composed of so many chapters. I thought I know what’s going to happen next or I know how it’ll end but I was surprised with all the scenes the author added to this story. I love that it also includes about friendship, about family especially about relationship between siblings and also about not just love triangle but I guess that’s 5? Well, you see, Fumino is quite a Rapunzel in this story because of her long hair feeling lol haha.
The reason I was torn between 3.5 and 4 star rating because this manga had some confusing chapters. I’m not just talking about the drawing but also for the English translation, but then I realized that I should be thankful. Without these amazing translators who works so hard even without compensation, I was able to read this story eh? So I guess the only issue for me were the drawing. I’m not saying it’s bad, but there were some scenes and parts that was confusing that it made me spend a long time examining the pages to understand the scenes and the action it’s trying to portray. But I think that’s only a total of 2-3 chapters, all other chapters were great. And speaking of great, you can browse my favorite scenes from this manga here. *wink
The conflict, well, there’s so many conflicts in this story, but I’m so glad that the author didn’t add some annoying ones. Well, unless you count the part about sensei’s father, because that was downright annoying, but so far it didn’t stretched the far, because we finally got to see Fumino and sensei’s wedding, ayeeii. But even without the wedding, with cute Teppei around, they already look like one cute family. And my, Fumino and Teppei cosplaying while welcoming sensei everytime he comes home was quite cute, haha.
Although there’s no annoying conflicts, I have to say that there’s this annoying character that I really want to kill myself. And who would that be? Well, it’s sensei’s younger brother Shouma. My! He was really a pain in the ass. He’s hot and he’s cold and is downright jerk. If there are different classes of jerks, he’ll be in class A. I understand about his feelings towards Fumino but going to deal with his action of getting behind sensei and Fumino was so frustrating and irritating to watch/read. He’s just lucky that sensei didn’t lose his cool and was able to handle it maturely (well, not most of the time, haha).
For Fumino’s character, she was introduced as this badass chick who beat up guys who are doing bad to her classmates, but when she’s finally living with sensei, she somewhat loses her groove and was always in a situation where sensei always rescues her. Don’t get me wrong, I like her character but the saving the damsel in distress we’re too much. But on the other hand, she sure loves her younger brother so much. I love how she’ll do anything just for him and that really soften my heart. And ofcourse, I adore her kindness even to those who doesn’t deserves it, her cool, her courage and her guts. My! This girl is really something. And you know what else? I love how she fight so hard for sensei. She’s the kind of girl that knows what she wants and fights for it, and that’s the kind of attitude I like for a heroine.
Sensei on the other hand is definitely a prince charming material. He’s so nice, so good looking and everything you need for a guy is within him. He’s just too perfect which makes his character unrealistic. But even with that perfect attitude and appearance, I have to say that it didn’t stop me from liking him genuinely. I did not fall-in-love-with-him-and-wanting-to-become-the-heroine way but I really love his character. And my, didn’t I tell you how sensual his way of disinfecting Fumino’s wounds? haha. But beyond that perfect appearance, his distorted past makes up for it thus making his character relatable. What he’s been through and how he was able to get past them makes me so proud of him. Despite what he’s been through, I’m happy that he was able to become what he is now and finally found the woman who will love him and makes him happy.
There’s still some issue about his father and his relationship with sensei from way back before that wasn’t introduced to us completely but I guess the part where he bought Fumino’s wedding dress is enough to compensate it haha sucker.
Most POV of the manga were taken from the main character either the girl or the guy or from a third party, but for this one, I guess it’s safe to say that it was mostly from Fumino unless you’ll include some individual parts like the one from Shouma who was struggling about his feelings towards Fumino. I always love to hear about sensei so it was great that he had 1 chapter that is taken from his own POV, it was short yes but at least it was on the part where he talks about his feelings toward Fumino.
Both of the main characters confesses their feelings in the early volume so I thought after that all will be going to be predictable but the twist and turn surprised me.
This is the third shojo manga that I’ve read but differently not my first shojo anime so I have a lot to compare with, but so far, I find this one enjoyable. It didn’t just made me fall in love but it made me laugh my heart out.
And oops, I almost forgot. Aside from the romance and a little bit of comedy, I was eyeing to Fumino’s younger brother, Teppei. My! I guess he’s one of the most cutest character I’ve encounter so far.
If you love YA and drooling over a hot sensei, then Faster Than a Kiss is definitely for you.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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April 19, 2020
No me gustó ni la historia, ni los diálogos, ni el arte "sobre actuado". Pero lo peor de todo es el humor ordinario que me pareció inclusive más problemático que el romance profesor/alumna.
Cero absoluto.
Ejemplo de a lo que me refiero con arte sobre actuado.
Cero absoluto.
Ejemplo de a lo que me refiero con arte sobre actuado.
October 16, 2021
It still carries a ton of nostalgia for me. However, it's now super cringey... and a bit inappropriate now that I'm an adult. Darn me for still really liking the teacher, even though their age gap is still awkward and not really appropriate (even if he refuses not to touch her till she's older like a groomer).
Read
December 5, 2025I just couldn't get behind the student/teacher romance in this case.
May 2, 2019
This is one of my favourite manga! It is fun with a very good plot. I love the story and the art. Even the translation to English is proper. I would definitely recommend to read.
August 17, 2017
Ch.0
Explains who the characters are and how Kaji Fumino and Ojiro Kazuma ended up married. Kaji and her brother Teppei lost their parents. They keep getting moved from one family member to another as no one wants them. She decides to quit school to take care of him, but Ojiro-Sensei finds her and pleads with her to come back. She taunts him, daring him to marry her to take care of them. He agrees... but as her teacher they must keep it secret. Ojiro dotes on Teppei and requires that both due "happy housewife" cosplay for him to make dinner (as Fumino has no talent in this area). Yet he keeps physical distance from her given her age and the situation. Sensei does like to tease her at school though. He has a secret past as being a ruthless gang member, which caused his family to sever ties. Neighbor Ryuu knows their secret- he is also Teppei's kindergarten teacher and watches him occasionally. Motorcycle ride & nearly caught by the school guidance counselor. We learn that Fumino actually encouraged/cheered up Sensei once when he was a new teacher and nervous. She worries she is making things hard for him and tries to leave with Teppei.
This chapter is cluttered and crazy. It gives a lot of good info but actually feels out of sync with the upcoming chapters in my view.
Ch.1
We see Fumino defending bullied girls. Fumino starts to understand how hard Ojiro-Sensei works. Sensei does sleep with them, but just in the same room, despite Fumino's seduction efforts. Sensei tries to get Fumino to trust and rely on him, while she tries to keep him from being caught. Two gang members get a compromising photo of the two and lure her away. Ma-Kun comes and kicks their butts. They exchange rings.
This one had better flow, although the gang stuff is of course way out of the realm of possibility. Teppei is super cute here.
Ch.2
Fumino wants to be closer to Sensei, as he seems to dote on Teppei but remain reserved with her. He won't tell her about his past. So she follows the "pudding guy" who promises to tell her more. Of course, he's a leader of a gang. Ma-kun rescues her, but there is kind of an uneasy friendship there.
Weird chapter. I like that they are getting closer by learning about one another's past but the idea that she would have followed the pudding guy as savvy as she was before makes no sense.
Ch.2.5
One-Shot. Asai Akai is asked by "Cyborg" Konno (Konno Mitsuki) to go out with her for one month in exchange for a difficult to get ticket. He agrees, despite being a playboy who never dates just one girl. She claims she wants to experience this kind of relationship before going to a new strict school. He starts to realize that despite her robotic and serious outward appearance, that by paying attention he could learn what she did and didn't like. He learns she is actually sick (brain tumor) and fears she won't live after a scheduled surgery, hence the relationship. At first he is angry and then scared (his mom had died recently) but realizes he loves her and always wants to give her "sunflowers."
While completely unrelated, it was super cute. I wouldn't mind more of these two.
Explains who the characters are and how Kaji Fumino and Ojiro Kazuma ended up married. Kaji and her brother Teppei lost their parents. They keep getting moved from one family member to another as no one wants them. She decides to quit school to take care of him, but Ojiro-Sensei finds her and pleads with her to come back. She taunts him, daring him to marry her to take care of them. He agrees... but as her teacher they must keep it secret. Ojiro dotes on Teppei and requires that both due "happy housewife" cosplay for him to make dinner (as Fumino has no talent in this area). Yet he keeps physical distance from her given her age and the situation. Sensei does like to tease her at school though. He has a secret past as being a ruthless gang member, which caused his family to sever ties. Neighbor Ryuu knows their secret- he is also Teppei's kindergarten teacher and watches him occasionally. Motorcycle ride & nearly caught by the school guidance counselor. We learn that Fumino actually encouraged/cheered up Sensei once when he was a new teacher and nervous. She worries she is making things hard for him and tries to leave with Teppei.
This chapter is cluttered and crazy. It gives a lot of good info but actually feels out of sync with the upcoming chapters in my view.
Ch.1
We see Fumino defending bullied girls. Fumino starts to understand how hard Ojiro-Sensei works. Sensei does sleep with them, but just in the same room, despite Fumino's seduction efforts. Sensei tries to get Fumino to trust and rely on him, while she tries to keep him from being caught. Two gang members get a compromising photo of the two and lure her away. Ma-Kun comes and kicks their butts. They exchange rings.
This one had better flow, although the gang stuff is of course way out of the realm of possibility. Teppei is super cute here.
Ch.2
Fumino wants to be closer to Sensei, as he seems to dote on Teppei but remain reserved with her. He won't tell her about his past. So she follows the "pudding guy" who promises to tell her more. Of course, he's a leader of a gang. Ma-kun rescues her, but there is kind of an uneasy friendship there.
Weird chapter. I like that they are getting closer by learning about one another's past but the idea that she would have followed the pudding guy as savvy as she was before makes no sense.
Ch.2.5
One-Shot. Asai Akai is asked by "Cyborg" Konno (Konno Mitsuki) to go out with her for one month in exchange for a difficult to get ticket. He agrees, despite being a playboy who never dates just one girl. She claims she wants to experience this kind of relationship before going to a new strict school. He starts to realize that despite her robotic and serious outward appearance, that by paying attention he could learn what she did and didn't like. He learns she is actually sick (brain tumor) and fears she won't live after a scheduled surgery, hence the relationship. At first he is angry and then scared (his mom had died recently) but realizes he loves her and always wants to give her "sunflowers."
While completely unrelated, it was super cute. I wouldn't mind more of these two.
February 15, 2017
Manga Status: Complete
Number of Chapters: 57
Genres: Shoujo, Comedy, Drama, Romance, School Life, Slice of Life
This review is for the manga series as a whole.
This manga follows Kaji Fumino, a 16-year-old high school student. Fumino and her little brother, Teppei, are orphans that move from one relative to another on a regular basis. That changes when Fumino marries Ojiro Kazuma, a man eight years her senior... and her homeroom teacher.
So, I sort of felt weird about the whole student/teacher relationship at first.... It's a taboo in a good amount of countries. But their relationship isn't overly mature in the least. Kazuma is well aware of the fact that she is still a teenager, and though they skip many steps before jumping into marriage, Kazuma and Fumino develop a relationship that is sweet, caring, and rather wholesome, at a slow pace. So don't let that part of the story stop you from reading it (that is, if it bothers you.)
The characters are super likeable. I mean it. Since it's a shoujo manga that is pretty much a romance and slice-of-life, there isn't really an obvious antagonist; if I had to say, there were just annoying characters that stood in the way of Fumino and Kazuma.
Fumino is sweet and really does have her brother in mind when she does things. That being said, she doesn't always make wise decisions, but I can hardly blame her for that. She's brave and heroic and pretty funny. Overall she's a heroine that I enjoyed reading about.
Kazuma has a shady past as a Yanki, but it's a fantastic teacher with a heart of gold. And his attitude towards Fumino is fun to watch, because he clearly likes her but knows that their marriage is initially one of convenience. He's also aware that she's younger than he is, and that he could very well lose his job if their marriage was found out, but that doesn't stop him from doing what he thinks is right.
Even the lesser characters are great: Teppei, Fumino's four-year-old brother, is adorable. Ryuu, Kazuma's best friend and neighbor, is absolutely hilarious and ships Kazuma x Fumino so hard.
The artwork is actually quite nice. It's not the best I've seen, but it's not bad by any means. Sometimes I think that there are some panels that are just so flat out gorgeous that I stare at them for a little longer than necessary, but whatever.
I thoroughly enjoyed this series and got through all of it in just a few days. I just couldn't stop reading. I'm glad that I took the plunge though (this was one of my first mangas that didn't have an anime adaption tied to it.) It is definitely on my list of recommendations!
Number of Chapters: 57
Genres: Shoujo, Comedy, Drama, Romance, School Life, Slice of Life
This review is for the manga series as a whole.
This manga follows Kaji Fumino, a 16-year-old high school student. Fumino and her little brother, Teppei, are orphans that move from one relative to another on a regular basis. That changes when Fumino marries Ojiro Kazuma, a man eight years her senior... and her homeroom teacher.
So, I sort of felt weird about the whole student/teacher relationship at first.... It's a taboo in a good amount of countries. But their relationship isn't overly mature in the least. Kazuma is well aware of the fact that she is still a teenager, and though they skip many steps before jumping into marriage, Kazuma and Fumino develop a relationship that is sweet, caring, and rather wholesome, at a slow pace. So don't let that part of the story stop you from reading it (that is, if it bothers you.)
The characters are super likeable. I mean it. Since it's a shoujo manga that is pretty much a romance and slice-of-life, there isn't really an obvious antagonist; if I had to say, there were just annoying characters that stood in the way of Fumino and Kazuma.
Fumino is sweet and really does have her brother in mind when she does things. That being said, she doesn't always make wise decisions, but I can hardly blame her for that. She's brave and heroic and pretty funny. Overall she's a heroine that I enjoyed reading about.
Kazuma has a shady past as a Yanki, but it's a fantastic teacher with a heart of gold. And his attitude towards Fumino is fun to watch, because he clearly likes her but knows that their marriage is initially one of convenience. He's also aware that she's younger than he is, and that he could very well lose his job if their marriage was found out, but that doesn't stop him from doing what he thinks is right.
Even the lesser characters are great: Teppei, Fumino's four-year-old brother, is adorable. Ryuu, Kazuma's best friend and neighbor, is absolutely hilarious and ships Kazuma x Fumino so hard.
The artwork is actually quite nice. It's not the best I've seen, but it's not bad by any means. Sometimes I think that there are some panels that are just so flat out gorgeous that I stare at them for a little longer than necessary, but whatever.
I thoroughly enjoyed this series and got through all of it in just a few days. I just couldn't stop reading. I'm glad that I took the plunge though (this was one of my first mangas that didn't have an anime adaption tied to it.) It is definitely on my list of recommendations!
June 6, 2016
see full review @ Katie's Corner
I’ve read this story 2 times, and to say the truth the second time it wasn’t holding my interest. I mean, the first time I finished the story in a day or so, but the second time I have been putting it aside every 2 or 3 chapters. I finally made myself sit down and finish it this morning. I finally understood why I was so frustrated with the story. It was a shoujo in every essence of it. Okay, maybe not in every as the romance between a teacher and a student, but in how the relationship progressed it was way too shoujo. The first time I read the story I just wanted to know faster how it ended, but the second time, I just wanted to remember some details, and as some other as kissing issue was coming to it annoyed me a lot.
The story progresses fast in the time lapses. It covers about 3.5 years. That’s quite a lot for 57 chapters. However, the relationship doesn’t progress that fast. It does progress fast in some aspects but in others it is taking snail steps. The emotional growth of the relationship between Kazuma and Fumino is very fast and interesting, however, their physical one is really slow. I am not counting small assaults; I’m taking about a real, normal kiss here. I’m seriously astonished with Kazuma for having such great self-control. He was living with a girl who he loves for three years, and plus they’re married!
I guess for me the story lacked he hotness. I liked the concept a lot. I loved the situations; it just lacked that small physical contract. But that’s for me. Overall, this story is fantastic as a comedy and slice of life and of course shoujo genre representative. The characters are well developed. You see them in different situations and you fall in love with them. No matter what you love the characters and their banter. At the end no matter how frustrated you were you still love the story and imagine what will happen next. I hope you’ll find some time to read this sweet story! You’ll have lots of fun. Enjoy it to its fullest and don’t forget to share your thoughts below! Stay tuned for more reviews as well as promos. Don’t miss your next favourite book or manga! Happy reading!
XOXO
Katie
P.S.
I have just found an extra chapter, which was released some years after the final chapter, and trust me your mind will be blown. I had no idea that the author would put such a bold scenes after how mild the whole story was.
I’ve read this story 2 times, and to say the truth the second time it wasn’t holding my interest. I mean, the first time I finished the story in a day or so, but the second time I have been putting it aside every 2 or 3 chapters. I finally made myself sit down and finish it this morning. I finally understood why I was so frustrated with the story. It was a shoujo in every essence of it. Okay, maybe not in every as the romance between a teacher and a student, but in how the relationship progressed it was way too shoujo. The first time I read the story I just wanted to know faster how it ended, but the second time, I just wanted to remember some details, and as some other as kissing issue was coming to it annoyed me a lot.
The story progresses fast in the time lapses. It covers about 3.5 years. That’s quite a lot for 57 chapters. However, the relationship doesn’t progress that fast. It does progress fast in some aspects but in others it is taking snail steps. The emotional growth of the relationship between Kazuma and Fumino is very fast and interesting, however, their physical one is really slow. I am not counting small assaults; I’m taking about a real, normal kiss here. I’m seriously astonished with Kazuma for having such great self-control. He was living with a girl who he loves for three years, and plus they’re married!
I guess for me the story lacked he hotness. I liked the concept a lot. I loved the situations; it just lacked that small physical contract. But that’s for me. Overall, this story is fantastic as a comedy and slice of life and of course shoujo genre representative. The characters are well developed. You see them in different situations and you fall in love with them. No matter what you love the characters and their banter. At the end no matter how frustrated you were you still love the story and imagine what will happen next. I hope you’ll find some time to read this sweet story! You’ll have lots of fun. Enjoy it to its fullest and don’t forget to share your thoughts below! Stay tuned for more reviews as well as promos. Don’t miss your next favourite book or manga! Happy reading!
XOXO
Katie
P.S.
I have just found an extra chapter, which was released some years after the final chapter, and trust me your mind will be blown. I had no idea that the author would put such a bold scenes after how mild the whole story was.
August 18, 2015
I LOVED most of the series, and it did have a good ending, but there were a few chapter before the end that I just couldn't stand. キスよりも早く1 Kisu Yorimo Hayaku 3 キスよりも早く1 Kisu Yorimo Hayaku 2 キスよりも早く1 Kisu Yorimo Hayaku 6 キスよりも早く1 Kisu Yorimo Hayaku 4 キスよりも早く1 Kisu Yorimo Hayaku 5 キスよりも早く1 Kisu Yorimo Hayaku 8 キスよりも早く1 Kisu Yorimo Hayaku 7 キスよりも早く1 Kisu Yorimo Hayaku 9 キスよりも早く10 Kisu Yorimo Hayaku 10 キスよりも早く12 Kisu Yorimo Hayaku 12 キスよりも早く11 Kisu Yorimo Hayaku 11
November 15, 2015
Read this some years back.
Fumino, a 16 yr old high school student and her 4yr old brother, Teppei, are soon orphaned when both of their parents die. They move from one relative's house to another until they Fumino gets tired of constantly moving that she decides to quit school and support Teppei and herself alone. To her surprise her high school teacher, Kazuma Ojiro, finds her and her brother at the park and he tries to convince her to come back to school. During their conversation Fumino (without really meaning it) suggests that Ojiro marry her in order to support her and her brother. He accepts. For obvious reasons they have to keep the marriage a secret from everyone and Fumino wonders what her teacher's intentions are. However, they sleep in separate rooms, he dotes on her little brother and aside from asking them to do cosplay everyday Ojiro doesn't ask much from Fumino. But can she rely on him or she just better off cutting her losses and running again?
While the premise seem a tad pedo to me, I thought the story was rather cute and done very well. Fumino is a very strong personality and very likable. Ojiro was also very kind and very careful with how he treated Fumino and their precarious situation. Although certain dramas pop up the characters were strong enough not to get completely swept away in it.
The art was very sweet and the story was very easy to read. If you are interested in a sweet shoujo you might consider picking this one up.
Fumino, a 16 yr old high school student and her 4yr old brother, Teppei, are soon orphaned when both of their parents die. They move from one relative's house to another until they Fumino gets tired of constantly moving that she decides to quit school and support Teppei and herself alone. To her surprise her high school teacher, Kazuma Ojiro, finds her and her brother at the park and he tries to convince her to come back to school. During their conversation Fumino (without really meaning it) suggests that Ojiro marry her in order to support her and her brother. He accepts. For obvious reasons they have to keep the marriage a secret from everyone and Fumino wonders what her teacher's intentions are. However, they sleep in separate rooms, he dotes on her little brother and aside from asking them to do cosplay everyday Ojiro doesn't ask much from Fumino. But can she rely on him or she just better off cutting her losses and running again?
While the premise seem a tad pedo to me, I thought the story was rather cute and done very well. Fumino is a very strong personality and very likable. Ojiro was also very kind and very careful with how he treated Fumino and their precarious situation. Although certain dramas pop up the characters were strong enough not to get completely swept away in it.
The art was very sweet and the story was very easy to read. If you are interested in a sweet shoujo you might consider picking this one up.
May 22, 2016
Mini thought review: A light heartwarming shoujo read. Was great, funny even until it became annoyingly repetitive-
1.Fumiko does something incredibly stupid
2.horizons look bleak for her (gang leader kidnaps her/random sleazy guys tag her/ she almost drowns/gets injured a lot/ gets sick a lot)
3. Her Sensei husband comes crashing in(sometimes literally) to save the day and then offer a piggyback home.
4.FIN
It was interesting at first, funny even until that scenario played around 4-5 times within the first 4 chapters. All it leaves an impression of Fumiko being incapable of doing anything and practically needs someone to save her ever single time. At least that I get (since she's just lost her parents) ,what I don't understand is how dense and naive she can be. After all, it was her who mentioned that since the death of her parents she has grown mature and responsible. Well I ain't see any of that yet.
Who I loved: Adorable Teppei
November 9, 2017
I found a romance manga called Faster Than a Kiss by Meca Tanaka in a recommended section of the online website I use. The story follows a sixteen year-old girl named whose parent's passed away, and because her and her four year-old little brother, Teppei kept running away from cruel family member's homes, they are now homeless. Until, Fumino's 24 year old English teacher named Kazuma, agrees to fake marry Fumino and give them a place to live. Little do they know, might catch real feelings for each other. I like how cute they can be with each other and how funny the author can make the book even when she is talking about a high school student being homeless so she has to secretly live with her English teacher and on top of that has to care for her let alone having to take care of a little four year old boy with school work. I didn’t like that even though the reader knew Kazuma had feelings for Fumino, he would show barely any signs. Kazuma almost never told Fumino his past or what he was thinking or feeling. Other than that, it is a great romance. Anyone who loves love, this is great. I know I say Faster Than a Kiss like one whole book but there are many. Don’t worry fellow fan girls! You can go onto Kiss Manga to read all the books for free. If Kiss Manga isn’t working you can also go onto Manga Rock. Both apps worked for me and are free on the app store. Have fun reading!
January 31, 2009
I first read this sometime in December because the LaLa advertising got to me and I liked the art. I re-read it today because I'm avoiding doing work, but the first 3 chapters about the main characters are unfailingly cute. The trouble comes if you start expecting, you know, more from the story. As a shoujo junkie, this doesn't bother me, but if you're looking for something meaty, you probably aren't going to get it from this series in general. The art makes me happy, though, and the teacher in this student/teacher romance is total nerd bait. +++??? :D
As a side note, this collection ends on a short story about two students at the same school as Fumino that I skipped the first time around because I was eager to continue with the main plot. Don't skip it! I read it today and it was an absolutely lovely little story. If it were just that story, I would have given this 4 stars.
As a side note, this collection ends on a short story about two students at the same school as Fumino that I skipped the first time around because I was eager to continue with the main plot. Don't skip it! I read it today and it was an absolutely lovely little story. If it were just that story, I would have given this 4 stars.
August 10, 2012
Very sweet story :)
So Fumiko & her little brother lost her parents and they run away after being sent from relative to relative. She decides to quit school and take care of her brother - they need money & her brother is the only person she has left. So her English teacher takes her up on her offer when she yells what he'll do, marry her & support them. So they're living the marriage lifestyle, and learns how to cook from him, and they fight a lot in the beginning. She becomes nicer and then there's a rumour going around about Sensei & a high school student. He denies it of course. Fumiko's brother is happier too :) he's adorable & she doesn't want to ruin his life so she decides to leave & they're at the train station when sensei comes after them & tells her he'll keep her & make sure she's happy! :) I'm waiting for them to fall in love!!!!
So Fumiko & her little brother lost her parents and they run away after being sent from relative to relative. She decides to quit school and take care of her brother - they need money & her brother is the only person she has left. So her English teacher takes her up on her offer when she yells what he'll do, marry her & support them. So they're living the marriage lifestyle, and learns how to cook from him, and they fight a lot in the beginning. She becomes nicer and then there's a rumour going around about Sensei & a high school student. He denies it of course. Fumiko's brother is happier too :) he's adorable & she doesn't want to ruin his life so she decides to leave & they're at the train station when sensei comes after them & tells her he'll keep her & make sure she's happy! :) I'm waiting for them to fall in love!!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 28, 2013
I stumbled upon this title by doing the good recommend survey thing. after reading the summary, it have me an itchy urge to read it and see how is she going from homeless to married to her sensei. I finished it in 2.5 days so it's not excessively long like *cough* fushigi yugi *cough* Even tho there are a lot of repetitiveness in the main female character's action and the main male, I still give it a five because as an over and heavy reader, this book have something that I feel the other romantic comedy books missing. the author didn't go ridiculously overboard or to extreme measure for the hurdles or bumps in the road the main characters have to face. it's only 63 chapters so I recommend reading it if you're bored or just finish a long books and need a break.
February 24, 2017
La premisa me pareció interesante y el dibujo bonito, así que quise ver qué onda. Me imaginaba otra cosa, un poco menos cómica, más dramática.....
La historia básicamente trata de un joven profesor de secundaria que se casa con una de sus alumnas en secreto, para poder ayudarla a ella y a su hermanito y que no queden solos.
Terminó siendo bastante común. Por lo que leí, la autora tenía intenciones de hacer un one shot, pero después le dijeron que lo extendiera porque había tenido éxito. Ese cambio se nota, definitivamente se siente "alargado" sin mucho sentido. Las situaciones rozan en demasiado ridículas y no logré conectarme con ningún personaje.
Le pongo 3 estrellas al primer tomo por ser el que quizás crea algo de expectativa. Pero todos los demás tendrán 2.
La historia básicamente trata de un joven profesor de secundaria que se casa con una de sus alumnas en secreto, para poder ayudarla a ella y a su hermanito y que no queden solos.
Terminó siendo bastante común. Por lo que leí, la autora tenía intenciones de hacer un one shot, pero después le dijeron que lo extendiera porque había tenido éxito. Ese cambio se nota, definitivamente se siente "alargado" sin mucho sentido. Las situaciones rozan en demasiado ridículas y no logré conectarme con ningún personaje.
Le pongo 3 estrellas al primer tomo por ser el que quizás crea algo de expectativa. Pero todos los demás tendrán 2.
June 5, 2015
The story starts with a 16 year old girl named Kaji Famino who's parents have died. She and her little 4 year old brother are shipped around to different family members before she decides to run away on her own. While she is trying to leave, she meets her English teacher who offers to take care of them, through marrying Kaji. Though the story seems a little odd, I really liked the relationship that the two main characters' had. This is the first book of the series, and though it is not the best one, it is still very good.
Warnings
I think that there is probably a bit of language problem in it, but I normally skip over it so I don't often notice it.
Warnings
I think that there is probably a bit of language problem in it, but I normally skip over it so I don't often notice it.
September 30, 2018
I would not give a review each volume since I read this two weeks ago and I forgot instantly everything, well not everything, I remembered bits and pieces of the story.
I almost drop this manga around chapter 15, because it was instant love and it was too sweet. However, I'm such a sucker for secret marriage and the age gap was 8-9 years. Fumiko is 16 while sensei is already 25. There's nothing exciting rivalry that happened, their main problem is that their student and teacher relationship that are "secret living together" must kept hidden or they will be separated. That's all. But their love was sweet so I gave 3 stars.
I almost drop this manga around chapter 15, because it was instant love and it was too sweet. However, I'm such a sucker for secret marriage and the age gap was 8-9 years. Fumiko is 16 while sensei is already 25. There's nothing exciting rivalry that happened, their main problem is that their student and teacher relationship that are "secret living together" must kept hidden or they will be separated. That's all. But their love was sweet so I gave 3 stars.
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