Memeko Arii

A yaoi romance between a good boy who didn't know he was waiting for a hero, and a bad boy who comes to his rescue! Now a hit anime on Amazon Prime! "I don't like caramel sauce. I prefer something bitter..." Masahiro Setagawa doesn't believe in heroes, but wishes he could: He's found himself in a gang of small-time street bullies who use him to run errands. But when high school teacher (and scourge of the streets) Kousuke Ohshiba comes to his rescue, he finds he may need to start believing after all...and as their relationship deepens, he realizes a hero might be just what he was looking for this whole time.

Hitorijime My Hero 1

Katerina Thorson

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. 


  "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.

A yaoi romance between a good boy who didn't know he was waiting for a hero, and a bad boy who comes to his rescue! Now a hit streaming anime! "I don't like caramel sauce. I prefer something bitter..." Masahiro Setagawa doesn't believe in heroes, but wishes he could: He's found himself in a gang of small-time street bullies who use him to run errands. But when high school teacher (and scourge of the streets) Kousuke Ohshiba comes to his rescue, he finds he may need to start believing after all...and as their relationship deepens, he realizes a hero might be just what he was looking for this whole time.

Hitorijime My Hero 2

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I am so glad that volume 2 was much better than volume 1. There are still a lot of things that need work; however, it was a lot less confusing than the first volume. 

This volume definitely touches on quite a few themes and obviously the biggest is age gap between partners. Although Kousuke wants to be selfish and keep Masahiro to himself, he understands that he is potentially putting a damper on Masahiro's ability to grow as a young adult and make friends. A lot would find Kousuke "evil" or a "pedophile" but he understands his actions as an adult in love with a teenager. We also have to understand that Masahiro was forced to grow up fast and does not act like a regular teenager. 

The issue I had with the first volume was that it was VERY confusing to follow along with. The speech bubbles were confusing, the panels were packed, the beginning made no sense what so ever, and there are too many POV's. While, we still have some of those issues some were fixed. My biggest issue that I still am struggling with are the speech bubbles. While we now know who is actually talking now, there are still many random speech bubbles. 

Another issue I still have is that Asaya and Masahiro look like they could be twins if one didn't wear "rich boy" clothes and the other punky clothes. I think there is not much difference between the two and because of that I struggle sometimes with who is who. Also there are just way too many characters. An author or mangaka shouldn't have to put a page that lists all the characters and their faces. I understand a side character or two...this one has 11 side characters. 

What I did love was the development of Masahiro's personality. He is becoming more independent and starting to actually make friends and do things. He still is very unsure of himself and his relationship with Kousuke but I can see that becoming less of an issue in future volumes. 

This was definitely a better start than the first volume and I can't wait to continue on.

Hitorijime My Hero 4

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
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As I get further into the volumes of  Hitorijime My Hero, I am starting to love it more and more. The art style is slowly growing on me, the story line is getting better with each volume and the characters are starting to make sense. 

We are FINALLY given that long-awaited backstory of Masahiro and his home life. Which, we pretty much already guess, is awful. He doesn't have a dad, his mom spends all their money on alcohol, and there is obviously physical abuse that happens as well from her "pimps" that come to the house. We also were finally given a present scene interaction with Masahiro and his mom and it wasn't great. 

This volume gives a reader insight as to why Masahiro is naive, careful, and was easily able to fall into the gang crowd. Gangs are a chosen family, a made-up family of misfits. Masahiro never really had a great family dynamic and the gang life gave him something he thought was more "positive". That is until he was brought into the Ohshiba household. 

Hitorijime My Hero Vol. 4 definitely stepped it up a notch when it came to character and story development. We are seeing the growth between Masahiro and Kousuke and the growth of them as individual people. Masahiro still has a ways to go but he is finally growing a backbone. Also, I just love the relationship between Kensuke and Asaya. And of course the plot is actually starting to make sense and pieces are slowly falling into place.

We are also being exposed to some secrets from side characters and a potential side plot that could effect Masahiro and Kousuke's relationship. It will be interesting to see where Arii will take the plot next and how these mini side-plots could be a catalyst for some of our main characters.

All in all, this was a great volume and I look forward to the next one!

Memeco Arii

A yaoi romance between a good boy who didn't know he was waiting for a hero, and a bad boy who comes to his rescue! Now a hit streaming anime! "I don't like caramel sauce. I prefer something bitter..." Masahiro Setagawa doesn't believe in heroes, but wishes he could- He's found himself in a gang of small-time street bullies who use him to run errands. But when high school teacher (and scourge of the streets) Kousuke Ohshiba comes to his rescue, he finds he may need to start believing after all...and as their relationship deepens, he realizes a hero might be just what he was looking for this whole time.

Hitorijime My Hero 5

3.5/5 ⭐️
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There was just something off about this volume and I still can't even put my finger on it. 

The first bit that threw me through a loop was Hasekura and Masahiro's issue with each other. One minute they are decent with each other and the next Hasekura is this grumbling mess. Is it because Hasekura is jealous of Masahiro and Kousuke's relationship? I mean I guess I understand that, but that is no one's fault but his own. He wants something in his own relationship and isn't grateful for what he already has. So to take it out on Masahiro, who is dealing with his own shit, is a really crappy move.

The ending, does not connect to the story and was unnecessary. I understand we need a *gasp* moment but was this moment necessary. I hope when I go into the next volume that Masahiro does not get the blame for what is to come because this is all on Hasekura and his unmanageable emotions. 

I also felt like this volume took a step backwards when it came to character development, specifically communication between partners. It was like we were back at volume one again and no communication was happening at all. I understand Masahiro's insecurities. Due to his age and hormones, I think he will be struggling with this for awhile. However, that does not excuse the other older characters. 

There was definitely a lot of cute and fluffy moments and I really felt like progress was being made with Masahiro and the other characters, up until the last 15 pages or so. I just hope that this ending doesn't put the characters back to square one. I understand it was for suspense and the OMFG effect; however, it just felt really out of place. Granted we were literally warned in one scene, 20 or so pages earlier.

Hitorijime My Hero 3

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
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Anyone else absolutely impressed with Masahiro in Volume 2 and how he literally put Kousuke in his place?! That was absolutely great progress for Masahiro and him finally voicing what he wants out of their relationship. Even if Kousuke is older and has more experience, he can't always be deciding their relationship for them. So I loved Masahiro stepping out of his shell and putting Kousuke in his place. 

Which leads me to Volume 3 and how this series seems to be getting better and better. I am starting to have a better grasp of the characters (since there are so many of them) and getting a hint into each of their personalities. I absolutely love Kensuke (Kousuke's little brother) and Asaya's interesting relationship. I love the Chairman and his weird expressions (I am fairly certain he is paranoid!). There are so many great characters. 

The art style is steadily becoming a favorite of mine. It has it's own flow to it and I quite enjoy it. While it's not as whimsical as Rei Toma's work, it does have it's own appeal. 

I am grateful that the mangaka has started to let up on filling the panels with so much stuff. Yes they are still jam packed but it's not nearly as horrendous as the first volume where they stuffed everything into each panel. I get such a headache when mangaka's do that because I never know where to look first. This also goes with the speech bubbles as well! They are so much better now and you actually know who is talking. 

And of course we have multiple themes that this author presents to us and in this one it definitely plays on the forbidden romance, no-one should know but people find out trope. There are definitely homophobic scenes within this volume. Or, more so hurtful words are said when they probably weren't meant but they should have never been said. I like how each volume plays with new issues and there is a push for a resolution. 

After reading all the current volumes of Hitorijime, My Hero, I can not wait to start the anime! I heard it's better than the manga. So I want to see what the hype is about.

Hitorijime My Hero 8

Fumi Calafateanu

Izzy Huddleston

Taelyr Vecchione

A yaoi romance between a good boy who didn't know he was waiting for a hero, and a bad boy who comes to his rescue! Now a hit streaming anime! Love Is a Battlefield During their couple's getaway, Masahiro and Kousuke grow closer and closer. On the flip side, Hasekura and Kensuke's usually happy-go-lucky relationship seems to be reaching a new low. So when Hasekura unexpectedly gets some alone time with Masahiro, he decides to use it to his advantage...! Meanwhile, a familiar friend becomes a source of much-needed support for Kensuke.

Hitorijime My Hero 6

A yaoi romance between a good boy who didn't know he was waiting for a hero, and a bad boy who comes to his rescue! Now a hit anime on Amazon Prime! Masahiro Setagawa doesn't believe in heroes, but wishes he could: he's found himself in a gang of small-time street bullies who use him to run errands. But when high school teacher (and scourge of the streets) Kousuke Ohshiba comes to his rescue, he finds he may need to start believing after all... and as their relationship deepens, he realises a hero might be just what he was looking for this whole time.

Hitorijime My Hero 1

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