Masahiro Setagawa is a hopeless teenager who is often used by the neighborhood bullies as an errand boy. Defenseless, Masahiro knows that nobody will ever save him. However, his life drastically changes when he meets Kousuke Ooshiba, a man known as the "Bear Killer," who takes down neighborhood gangs.
A year later, Masahiro and his former friend, Kensuke Ooshiba, attend high school, only to find that Kousuke is their math teacher. While the three grow closer, Masahiro starts to view Kousuke as his "hero," and Kousuke develops an urging desire to protect Masahiro. However, their normal lives take a turn when Kensuke's childhood friend, Asaya Hasekura, returns, seeing Kensuke as more than just a friend, much to his surprise. Will the three boys be able to live a regular high school life? Or will forbidden love keep them apart forever?
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
little_bat
never have i ever... wanted to watch an anime that glorifies emotional dependency :( “you can decide, do you want to sleep with me or not have anything to do with me at all“ (couple 1) “enough, stop pretending, i know you want me to screw you“ (couple 2) “i didn‘t mean the relationship when i asked ‚so this is the end?‘.“ (couple 2) does the art even matter if you hate the show’s concept of love? my inner alarm bells were triggered so many times throughout this show. it is sickening to think about how many people are stuck in unhealthy relationships like these. seriously guys, ieven liked Super Lovers, but this is a whole new level. make a reality check before you’re tricked into fangirl mode. DEFINITELY DO NOT WATCH IF YOU’VE EXPERIENCED EMOTIONAL ABUSE IN YOUR PAST!
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couple (1):
uke1 and seme1 haven‘t seen each other since elementary school when they meet again in high school and seme1 drops that „sex or not spending time“ line. let me remind you, at this point they’re strangers, they missed crucial years for anybody’s character development! while the anime suggests somebody who is in love would say something like that uke1 wants his old best friend back so bad that instead of punching him and moving on, he realizes he’s in love with that jerk.
WTF, this is emotional dependency at its best. you’re so afraid to loose an important person that you would do anything said person demands. and adults comment „they were close as kids, must mean they love each other“ - great, so this is the level of depth this anime has...
in their actual relationship this pattern continues. seme1 can’t stand that uke1 has a best friend and is constantly mean to him. uke1 complains but does nothing no matter how unbearable it gets. it is sickening that the show implies this is ok and what love looks like and obviously gets away with it, looking at all the good reviews. just to be clear, this is not seme1 „having a character“, but simply being shitty. if he had any character at least you‘d be able to say uke1 has a messed up taste, but nah, there’s just nothing they could actually love each other for.
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couple (2):
neglected child meets man with helper complex. this dynamic of the main couple sounds dark and quite promising, both sides have a good psychological reason to fall in love. the gang history of both of them as well as the present teacher student situation feel a little like too obvious choices, but whatever, i like it, it‘s sexy. or so i thought. the problem is not the age gap but how seme2 behaves in this scenario.
uke2 lived in hell when seme2 lets him stay at his home. hero turns stray into housewife (eye roll), secretly feelings develop as familiarity builds up over the years. but ok, if the grooming a bride vibes don‘t turn you off, it‘s cute.
when the teenager finally shows signs of a crush but doesn’t make a move the adult gets impatient. deciding the time of restraint and patting hair is over because he might get some 15y old booty now he drops line 2 from above, in a casual conversation. eww. and to top his shitshow off he lies about not being able to return the teen‘s feelings, although he actually expects him to come forward afterwards.
WTF. we understand you can’t restrain your desires any longer, we know the drill, but is uke2 so unimportant to you, you didn‘t even think this through for 2 consecutive minutes? of course, not only does this crush self esteem, it destroys all the security you built up for him all. these. fucking. years. - for what? a quicker fuck? that’s just disgusting. how selfish can a person be? could this be handled any worse? is „l’m just not a hero“ all you got as an excuse for being an absolute ass? why don‘t you stop him from running away?
down falls the neglected child and with it all the likeability of seme2. but of course this is not the end of things, because... yeah, this is shonen ai.
future „romantic“ events include:
breaking into your student‘s apartment when your bad conscience is finally bugging you. not caring for the pace your 15y old is comfortable with, constantly telling him he needs to show more initiative. playing games about being found out at school although your partner doesn’t want it. knowingly hurting your partner for the sake of teaching him a oh so ‚valuable‘ life lesson. using your friends for a stupid loyalty test to further provoke the thought that the relationship is in constant danger. not seeking the healthy conversation immediately, making sure to trigger his insecurity problems, repeatedly, knowingly. seriously saying line 3!!!
all of this is painful to watch. because again - this is emotional dependency. when everything good that ever happened to uke2 is connected to seme2, then without him, he has simply nowhere to go. breaking up or even trying to avoid the other to think means going back to life in hell. and seme2 doesn‘t care enough to act a tad more responsible and prevent his lover from scarring. instead he is provoking the poor teenager again and again.
being in love is no excuse for totally misusing your position of power. don’t get me wrong, nobody’s perfect. but we’re talking bare minimum common sense here. seme2 could’ve easily taken the pressure from uke2 and given him the assurance he knows this boy needs. you don’t need to be a hero to tell your loved one that it’s ok to have doubts. that he can stay at home anyways. but he doesn’t. why this is considered love i don‘t know, to me it certainly is nauseating.
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if i have to give the anime credit for anything then it would be that it is bold enough to pick the topic of being stuck in an unhealthy relationship.
i think it’s great that gay relationships in general are normalized by the characters. i like the artstyle. i like that it concentrated on an established relationship. that it showed how difficult relationships with big age gaps are for the more experienced partner.
but in the end i can‘t forgive that it‘s romanticizing emotional abuse.
actually nobody should.
the devil lies in the details stated above.
i don‘t want to overlook everything just because this is anime and the industry cannot overcome its tropes. or just because it is shonen ai and there is not a lot of better stuff out there.
i hope someday the quality of my favourite genre will change into something the gay community mustn‘t be ashamed of - No.6 and banana fish are a good start, watch them instead if you haven‘t already, they have an actual genre besides shonen ai. it’s quite sad that this show has almost a rating as high as those...
-Sonal-
“It might have looked that way to you, but I’m just normal ” ~ Setagawa, ep 4. And that’s practically ever BL protagonist ever, isn’t it? Anyway, if you aren’t interested in reading my entire review (because who enjoys reading long reviews, huh?), here’s a TL;DR version of it: If you’re a fujoshi or someone who's tired of the same tropes being used in BL (abusive seme, weak MC, cliché romance), then Hitorijime is something you’ll enjoy. But if you’re looking for something new, refreshing or path breaking in the BL genre, look somewhere else. This review will contain my opinions on what I liked and disliked aboutthe anime. If you’re interested, read on! Man, I remember when news of a new Shounen Ai anime was released. EVERY fujoshi account in existence went crazy over this development, and the Mystic Messenger fandom couldn’t get enough of the fact that one of the MCs totally looked like Jumin Han (which he really did from certain angles, honestly). My Insta and FB newsfeeds were littered with scenes and GIFs from episodes as and when they were released. But me being the kinda person who waits for an anime to finish airing so that she can binge watch it in a day, patiently waited for three entire months for Hirotijime to, you know, finish airing.
Now, since it’s Shounen Ai, the entire anime’s focus is on the increased closeness between our two MCs - Setagawa (the blond aka MC1) and Kousuke (the Jumin Han lookalike, aka MC2), as well as the doubts and trauma they both go through. The anime’s first three episodes, for some reason, were dedicated solely to the love story between MC1’s bestie (Kensuke) and his long lost friend Asaya (whose character design looks suspiciously similar to that of Sunagawa’s from Ore Mongatari). The dialogues were lackluster, the story had tropey elements and had certain aspects that I sincerely hoped the BL genre would have got rid of by now. The biggest sinners, ofc, are tropes where the seme kisses the uke WITHOUT HIS CONSENT and that’s portrayed as totally okay bc the seme is in love with the uke. Uh, no. Consent exists for a reason. But I digress. I did not like how this secondary romantic relationship developed – the seme gave the uke an ultimatum – bed me, or leave me. What the fuck?? That’s not what you say to someone who genuinely thinks of you as a good friend. And magically, this ultimatum made the uke realize his actual feelings for the seme and tadaaaaaaa!! They’re lovers. Again - what the fuck??
Also, the character responses were 1 second too late. So that was annoying.
However, things did improve for the better when the relationship between MC 1 and 2 was explored. But there were several things that were not explained. Like, at all. First, how does a ruffian like MC2 become a respectable teacher in a boys’ school?? How and when did he get such an education? What forced him to make the change? How was his violent past (and I’m assuming, his criminal records) NOT an issue with the principal when hiring this dude as a temp??? Second, when and why does MC1 colour his hair blond?? The change in colour isn’t even used as a plot device, so why bother changing his hair colour at all? If you really wanted him to be blond this badly, then why not make him a blond child, instead of a child with ginger coloured hair?? These two things confused me till the very end if anybody reading this review has an answer, do let me know. Third, and most importantly, how could MC2 be so chill about kissing MC1 so openly in the school hallways? I mean, I get that you don’t care about what people think and all, but DUDE. You could literally be jailed for getting physical with a MINOR. Fourth, why did MC1 have to be a minor? The setting could have easily taken place in a college instead of a school and literally everything would have remained the same, except for the fact that this anime wouldn’t have been normalizing paedophilia. Ugh.
So, anyway. Some of the dialogues were very well written, especially in the second half. My fav was when the dude who was ‘grossed out’ by MC1’s relationship (and was eventually shunned by his friend circle) said,“Nobody’s on my side. The one who speaks out is automatically the villain”. Not because it’s very deep, philosophical or ground breaking, but simply because of how REAL it was. I also enjoyed the little character details which made the show a little more memorable for me. For example, MC1 is a nice boy, yet he has ear piercings and wears rings on his knuckles (which nice guys absolutely never do in anime). His mother’s a prostitute, and it’s a miracle the boy turned out to be as normal as he is. Perhaps that’s also why he was totally chill when his bestie started dating a guy – you’re not exactly in any position to judge anybody when you yourself come from a pretty questionable place, you know. MC2 is a chain smoker (I didn’t like that, but it’s a unique quality nonetheless) and has big eyes, while it’s the uke who has smaller eyes. Generally, it’s the other way around, so this one thing that definitely stood out for me. However, MC1’s eyes were so beady (they reminded me of the eyes of the MC from Yahare Ore whatever the fuck its name is) that they actually made me not like him as much as I’d hoped. Why go for such an eye design? And he was the only one with such small eyes. Another breaking of clichés that I enjoyed was the seme encouraging the uke to take an initiative to kiss him. We don’t generally get to see that in BL bc it’s almost always the seme who’s the more dominant one (and by extension, the one more in control) in the relationship.
***Spoilers***
It was cute to see how one of MC1’s friend reacted (and handled) to his relationship with MC2. The friend then went on to join a different group of guys, and the way the group leader spoke to him made for an unnecessary (and yet more likeable) aspect of the details of the anime that I enjoyed about it.
Episode 11 was definitely the highlight of the series. It had raw dialogues, show cased the internal/emotional struggles between both our MCs when MC1 decided to call of the relationship, and both the boys reacted exactly like normal people would in such a situation. I believe that episode was handled quite well. The engagement at the end of Episode 12 was totally ripped off Yuri on Ice, but I liked how it was played out. Totally did not see that coming!
***End of Spoilers***
My scores:
Art: 6 (basic)
Story: 6 (predictable)
Sound: 6 (Catchy OP)
Characters: 7
So, why an overall score of 7? Because of late, this has been the only anime that I binge watched in two days. It was nothing path breaking, but it was definitely worth a onetime watch.
Gabbachi
Hitorijime My Herooooo! I was very excited to have another shounen ai be adapted, and I was not that disappointed. Story- basic concept that can be guessed from a teacher/student relationship. Common concerns and drama are present. If you're tired of the cliches, I wouldn't necessarily recommend this. However for those you enjoy fluffy cliches in this genre, oh boy you'll love this. Art- It's a bit lackluster. No explosions of color or movement. It's relaxing. Sound- romantic vibes all around. Gets repetitive in using the same fluff song. But the overall soundtrack is good. Characters- Is there huge character development? Ehhhh not really besides some reconciling.There was potential in other characters like the barista and the mom (you'll know what I mean). Our main character is conflicted the entire show and that's what really drives it all.
Enjoyment- I will almost always enjoy a shounen ai anime just because it's still uncommon compared to other genres. Still, the anime left a sweet note with me and lifts up the heart!
Overall- I would recommend this to someone who is new to shounen ai or just anyone who loves sweet conflict.
alliciar
i used to love this anime when i was younger, but upon rewatching, i realized how problematic both of the couples were. the entire series romanticizes age gaps, student-teacher relationships, manipulation, and toxicity. though i must admit that if it werent for the issues i listed before, especially the age gap and student-teacher relationship, i would quite enjoy it. there were some cute moments, and the characters were quite enjoyable. unfortunately, these problematic elements are something i simply cannot and will not overlook, and neither should you. i understand that there arent many anime focused on lgbt relationships for people to choose from, and its frustrating tosee so many of them normalize things like pedophilia, unhealthy relationships, and abuse.
but trust me, you can find bl and gl anime that are good and unproblematic.
PaladinAlchemist
Hitorijime My Hero is a decent BL story with likeable characters and fairly healthy relationships compared to the majority of the genre. It’s pacing, though, could use some work. And by some work, I mean A LOT of work. Lucky for Hitorijime My Hero, all four main characters are engaging and play off each other well. It’s also nice to see our two couples not only interact with their love interest, but with other people - which is rarer in BL than I’d wish. There’s also more at stake than just “will they get together,” especially with Masahiro Setagawa. It’s easy to get sucked intohis story, because not only are you wondering if he and Kousuke Ooshiba will figure things out, but you’re also wondering if his bad home life will set him on a potentially dangerous path, raising the stakes of not only the story, but the success of his romantic relationship.
Despite spending time on Masahiro’s subplot and letting the characters interact with people other than their love interest, the anime spends the majority of its time focusing on the budding romantic relationships between two core couples - as any romance should.
The biggest success of Hitorijime is that it’s really easy to root for the couples. Not only are all the characters likeable, but the relationships are fairly balanced, healthy, and end up benefiting everyone involved. Unhealthy relationships can make for a good and drama-heavy story, but it wouldn’t fit the lighthearted tone of the show, so thankfully, there’s no overly forceful semes to ruin the fun, mostly relaxed atmosphere.
The animation, soundtrack, and voice acting aren’t anything to write home about, but they’re all solid and well-done.
The anime’s biggest issue, by far, is pacing. I believe this stems from the fact Hitorijime not only adapts the manga it’s named after, but a prequel too.
The first episode introduces us to the main couple. The next two episodes sidelines the main couple so heavily, that I thought they were the side couple. It was jarring, to get an intro, outro, and initial episode that seemed to set up one couple, only to switch to another pairing.
While the side couple is cute, their story isn’t nearly as engaging as our main pairing, leaving the first few crucial episodes as some of the story’s weakest. Once the story switches back to the main pairing, things smooth out until you realize that all of the plots and subplots are already wrapped up, and there’s still a handful of episodes left. There are other issues the characters have to work out, but the anime does a poor job giving the viewer cues what those problems will be until the characters are already dealing with them head-on.
If you like BL, Hitorijime My Hero is a must-watch. If you’re looking for a lighthearted, heartwarming romance, you might want to consider watching it. It’s an enjoyable, easy-to-watch story, but lacks anything that would take it from “decent & enjoyable” to “instant classic.”
Selaphii
Somehow I gave this show an 8 when it came out and I was a teen. Now, upon rewatching a few episodes as an adult, I'm flabbergasted. How did they get away with a series about a 27-29 yo kissing and sleeping (in the manga) with a 15-17 yo. Ok so what if they have Some cute moments? The shows feels a lot more boring/cliche/predatory in 2024 afted we had stuff like Given, Tadaima Okaeri, Doukyusei, Sasaki to miyano, Stranger by the Sea, which are at least closer to normal lgbt rep and not a mishmash of old yaoi tropes. I guess I never reallyliked student x teacher, though it could work if there's a time skip and they only start dating later, or meet again after a few years idfk, still icky but it would at least be LEGAL. Seriously, wtf were they on when they decided to make this series. 27 with 15 bleh. Disappointing rewatch. Bye.
annie_hinamori
Hitorejime My Hero is anime of the genre shonen ai which normalizes pedophilia and sexual harassment (in a way) and it's UNACCEPTABLE. Ok, so there are two couples, the main one: Masahiro (a 16 year old student) and Kousuke ( a 28 year old teacher) with an age gap of 12 YEARS and Asaya and Kensuke, which in one point their relationship was basically sexual harassment. Let's talk about why this anime has had the potencial to be at least a 7 but failed miserebly. First of all, pedophilia. As I said before the main couple is a relationship about a teacher anda student with an age gap of 12 years. Does this seem normal to you? Like, Masahiro is a kid and he fell in love with not only with an adult but also is his teacher. Why do the anime has the NEED to have a such a huuuuuge gap? Why can't we have a 16 year old with a 17 year old, or an 18 year old or geez even 20 year old (a little cuestionable but at least the gap isn't that huge and the younger one is soon to be an adult), but no, we want the main couple to be pedo teacher student prohibited couple. Like if you wanted the prohibited couple teacher student stuff why not make Masahiro a college student and Kouseke the teacher for one of his classes? You HAD to make it pedo. Yeah i know there are older couples with bigger age gaps but at least they both are adults. This couple is ILLEGAL. It makes sad because the couple has a kinda cute romance but they ruined. But maybe the anime is innocent romance they nay say but no. There were mutiple implications of Kousuke wanting to fuck with Masahiro, he didn't seemed very eager to fuck either. Like at one point Kousuke wanted to touch him in the school before classes began. ??? Why? This is illegal enough, Masahiro is 16, my god. This is not the only scene. Masahiro wanted to cook but Kousuke wanted to kiss him and touch him, obviously there were people at his house so he rejected so what does Kousuke do? Take him to an hotel! They end up doing nothing, just cuddling and sleeping buuuut the IMPLICATION IS ENOUGH.
Masahiro is actually a good character, he's not great but he's nice. He actually acts, kinda, like a normal gay guy, not like his friend Kensuke, but im touching this subject later. Like he can be a gay man that doesn't act femenine (sadly as the uke troupe stablished in yaoi, he is weak and his seme has to protect him and cries easily and a lot). Kousuke obviously goes for the troupe of seme, protective, jelous, possesive and strong. What pisses me up the most is the fact that on the firsts few episodes he goes: "Yeah I know how you feel but I cannot accept your feelings", but the very next episode kisses him, gets close with him and suggest him to wanting to be alone in his or Masahiro's house (sexual very much?). Liken, first he rejects him, without Masahiro actually confessing him, but doesn't wait a day to kiss him? Fun fact, when Masahiro asks him how did he got the idea that he likes him he responds: "Your eyes are yelling me I want you to break me, to fuck me" ???? HE'S A 16 YEAR OLD HELLO? So yeah, the point of this couple is that it's illegal and runs into to many troupes to be good. The last episode romance scene was kinda cute tho.
Asaya and Kensuke. Ooooh god, I HATE this couple and the characters. Asaya is super manipulative, jelous and possesive. He doesn't have a redeeming quality. The first three episodes where the couple was stabilish made me so mad. The thing is, Asaya was Kensuke childhood friend and because of changing of school and stuff, they lost contact. When they meet back, Asaya confesses he likes Kensuke but he's oblivious of the kind of liking, so Asaya force kiss him and literally goes, we cut relationship again or you fuck with me, you decide. Kensuke rejected very harshly the kiss, so it's not that situation that in the very deep he likes it. That's so wrong in many ways. Like why? Of course Kensuke is innocent and thought that was a joke, so he continued to talk to him as normal until Asaya force kiss him and ask him again, and Kensuke realizes it's not a joke. So Asaya goes "let me touch you for 5 minutes or we ain't friends anymore" Kensuke accepts this by pressure of losing his best friend again and lets him touch his body. (This last scene is taken in the rooftop in school btw). After one episode they talk and Kensuke realizes he """"likes""""" Asaya, says he doesn't want to loose him and boyfriends and happily ever after.
Kensuke love for Asaya came out of nowhere for me and feels so forced. Kensuke is the typical femenine, crying baby, innocent and bubbly uke and never made me think, haha cute or haha funny, because after all he was annoying and dumb. Asaya doesn't have a good personality, whenever he talked I wanted to punch him. When he tried to "helped" he was just been a jerk. I don't see any good in him and I just rather not see him at all.
In general, this anime is bad. I almost put it a 2, but a few times made me like the main couple (if it wasn't illegal) so there's that. If you expect a story in this one, there's basically none. They should had eliminated the gang scenes because I feel they are a waste of story and sometimes a tangent. Like in one episode they put so much focus in this and I didn't even cared. And other episode that I didn't cared about is when one of the side characters discovered the relationshop of Kousuke and Masahiro and gets mad and sad because of it... I didn't cared for him. Like i didn't even knew him, so I couldn't even get mad at him.
So, the main characters have more flaws than goods (if they have any) and the side characters I couldn't care less.
Ghrln
theme of the show: Morally questionable couple dynamics The childhood friend couple has a very concerning dynamic of the seme's tendency for blackmailing and gas lighting.......... yeah what the hell and the teacher student couple is just outright inappropriate to begin with. highly not recommended. watch better BL shows. I know BL anime is rare and far in between but we deserve better. The only positive aspect of the show is that there's a character that comments on how gross the relationship between the ADULT TEACHER and the MINOR STUDENT. I really like him -- he's a rad dude. I also like the fact thatthey do not completely villainize the neglectful parent of the main character.. She doesn't seem like a obtusely abusive mother -- just a sex worker trying to get by. Is the mother neglectful -- yes but its not because she's a bad person... It's more like how sex work is treated by society as well as the lack of social net for those who do not follow typical family structure (i am assuming the main character either has divorced parents or he never had a dad in his life).
Anyway all things considered, would not recommend.
BriannaWilliams
Okay, so I usually come to My Anime List to get recommendations for an anime, and this is my first review so bare with me, but I felt that Hitorijime My Hero was such a great Anime that I needed to review this for anyone on the fence about watching. The synopsis doesn't really do it justice and it firsts it didn't make me want to stop everything to watch it, but I found this anime through a YouTube suggestions list. At the time, I was looking for another BL to watch and low and behold this one comes into my life and I'mso thankful for it. Yes, this is a Shounen-ai anime, but that's pretty obvious.
Story (10)
Although this is your typical slice of life/high school/romance anime, the story keeps you very engaged the whole time through. If you're not convinced by the first episode definitely watch the second one, things become clear. So, what exactly is the story? Well, it centers on a boy named Masahiro Setagawa. He's in a gang because he wants to have this sense of belonging. After some circumstances (I'll try to refrain from spoilers) he meets this other young boy named Kensuke Ooshiba and through some other circumstances his older brother Kousuke Ooshiba, who is older than them. They don't specify much older, but I'm assuming in his mid twenties. He has a reputation among gangs to be very tough. Upon meeting the two, Masahiro starts to become involved in their lives and stops hanging with the gang. Kousuke feels this need to protect Mashiro and their relationship grows stronger because of it.
Another sublot to the story revolves around Kensuke and his childhood friend, Asaya Hasekura, that, after unfortunate events from when they were younger got diconnected from each other. Hasekura moves back for the start of high school and the story focus on them reconnecting. The story from here develops the characters and their relationship to one another.
So my take on the story, like I said before it kept me engaged the entire time through. The characters are well fleshed out and it has a great balance between the comedy,drama, romance. Oh the comedy in this anime. If you need an anime that delivers on the comedy it's this one. I swear I'm not lying when I literally laughed every episode. Although the comedy is great, it also has a great balance of drama, as well as the emotional parts and the romance. If you're also looking for a great BL anime, this is for you.
Art (8)
The art for this anime is actually good. The character designs are nice to look at and it provides a nice scenery. It's nothing that's distracting is basically what I'm saying. The art design isn't much to talk about because it doesn't do anything particularly unique with the animation style, so I gave it an 8 because it's still pleasing to look at.
Sound (9)
The soundtrack for this anime is very good. The opening is catchy. At first I found myself not caring for it, but over time I found myself bopping my head to it when it plays. The ending is also good and calming, but what really steals the show for me in this anime is the tracks that play during the emotional scenes. They were very heartfelt and beautiful. I watched this with my brother and he and I both said that they need to release a full soundtrack because the tracks they use are beautiful. If it's enough for me to want to download, then it's good. The sound is definitely a strong part.
Characters (10)
Okay so let's talk about the characters. There are really only four main characters in this anime with a couple of side characters, but I'll be focusing on the main four.
Masahiro Setagawa
I would say out of all the characters in this anime, Masahiro gets the most character development, which makes sense because he's our protagonist. He starts off the series as this kid that wants something different with his life. He doesn't want to be apart of this gang, but he feels he has no other options. His home life isn't great and he doesn't really have anyone looking out for him. He also does what everyone tells him to do and has the tendency to apologize for everything. Over the course of the series, we learn about his home life and how he does develop as a character. I can't say too much without giving plots to the story, but this is a very well fleshed out character, especially over a twelve episode anime.
Kousuke Ooshiba
He is the older brother to Kensuke. He's a teacher at the high school that both Masahiro and Kensuske go to. He's very tough and has a lot of street cred, but also feels the need to protect Masahiro, especially from the gang. He's very dedicated to his school work and takes a liking to Mashiro when he sees how much potential he has as well.
Kensuke Ooshiba
He's the younger brother to Kousuke. He does serve as the comedic character, but also shows much care for his brother and his friends, especially Hasekura, his childhood friend. The story doesn't focus so much his character, but he was still a delight and you still grow to like his character.
Asaya Hasekura
He is the childhood friend of Kensuke and seems to care very much about Kensuke, but he also seems very intuitive about the relationship between Masahiro and Kousuke. He usually is the first to see if something's up before anyone else. His character was also good because he seemed to play a part and pushing things that needed to be pushed.
I also want to say that I also loved the side characters. You really get involved in the all the characters. There was even an episode that focused on one of the side characters and it is very well handled and interesting. When watching this, I felt that these characters were very real in the way they interacted. It was very believable and if not for everything else that's great about this anime, the characters are really what shine here.
Enjoyment/Overall Thoughts (10)
I guess by now it's no secret that Is really enjoyed this anime. I feel like it was exactly what I needed. Like I mentioned before, I was looking for a nice BL because I had already watched all the good ones. This one though I feel like will stick with me in a different way than all the others. While the others that I've watched like Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi, Junjou romantica, Super Lover, and even Yuri On Ice have their moments of fan service, and don't get me wrong I don't mind fan service, I felt like this one was genuinely trying to tell a story of the romance between two couples without needing to incorporate any of that other stuff. It felt genuine and it doesn't feel forced in the slightest. The development of the romance in this anime is what really keeps you invested. There were so many good and cute moments where I couldn't help but just smile and squeal like a fan-girl. If it isn't obvious, I'm a fan of boys love anime, but this felt somehow refreshing in the development of the romance. For once, there was no rapey scenes, that in it's self was a surprise. The characters, like I said were well developed, you grow to love them. The story is interesting, it can be emotional and may even give you that lump in your throat at certain parts. The drama is good and so is the comedy. Above all the romance is exactly what any person looking for a good BL anime looking for. If you're looking for Yaoi, then this isn't for you , but if you simply want a shonen-ai with believable characters and a great story to match, look no further. If the whole student-teacher thing throws you off and you can't get behind it maybe this isn't for you, but this anime does such a great job at developing the relationship that you almost forget about that aspect and see just two guys falling in love. I mean if people can get behind Super Lovers, then you'll have no problem watching this. Hitorijime My Hero is a beautiful anime that really focuses on the romance part of it and isn't just smut. I hope that this becomes more recognized now that it's finished. I highly recommend this to any fujoshi, but also to anyone that loves a good love story.
thasjiaozii
*sighs* that feeling when they ruined the show with dumb tropes for absolute no reason. (whatever this is a BL, would have been shocking if it didn't include any absurd shit.) 1. kensuke and hasekura's relationship their relationship seemed straight up fake. Kensuke doesn't seem romantically or sexually attracted to Hasekura in any way. Hasekura seems to manipulate him into it it looks like kensuke only wants to be close, (as friends) "could we still be friends if were together?" kind of mindset2. kousuke and setagawa's relationship
I never realized there was a 12 year age gap between Kousuke and Setagawa
(yes I was retarded enough not to look into it) weirdest part is Setagawa is still a minor...
I wanna wrap it up quick as I can so I dont have to essay on every point
boring show, generic characters, mid art, okay animation, ass relationships and an grown ass man grooming a 16 yo
vanelya10
I am a very great fan of other types or out side of the box animes where age gaps are present. Its a real thing in real life so why shouldnt it be present in an anime? I love this couple and their dinamic in the entire anime & manga chapters. I loved this couple the moment they vibed with each others and founded out their feelings with each other, growing towards each other and exploring more than they tought it would be. I a fan of age gaps and the fact that Kousuke is a teacher it spices up the entire level of their interaction.Almost forbiden love. But as a BL anime, its a good addition to the other BL animes out there.
znapple1
It's your usual BL, I'm a sucker for cute romances so I continued watching it. However, I can't get behind the age gap of the first couple (high school freshman + teacher). Also the usual drawn out BL drama, an episode that could be 5 minutes is stretched to 20 based on a misunderstanding. And I also dislike the whole 'older man/Top dominates and bullies younger man/Bottom into realize he's gay ONLY for him. If you can look past all that, then it's a cute feel-good show. I know sexualizing high schoolers in anime is common, but I don't think it should be common: popculture is a reflection of society after all. If this was purely pornographic it wouldn't bother me, since the intent behind it would then be not to tell a good story but to fulfill a kink.
The animation can be a bit stiff at times, but considering it's not an action anime, it's fine. The voice acting is great and I enjoy the character designs as well.
CielIsAWeeb
Hitorijime My Hero embarks on a sort of dual narrative journey. The series endeavors to dissect themes of belonging, forbidden love, and and self-discovery. We learn about the life of a high schooler grappling with the complexities of rekindled friendships and emerging feelings, and another student who finds unexpected guidance and love in his relationship with his friend’s older brother. The first storyline revolves around a close friendship tested by unspoken affections and conflicting emotions. However, this relationship dynamic uncomfortably broaches the topic of being compelled into a sexual orientation or rushed into coming out this raises concerns about consent and mutual respect. While theintention is to portray a charming and humorous relationship, it often veers into uncomfortable territory. Though as the story progresses, what unfolds is a relationship that is somewhat fun and has endearing moments, including lighthearted jealousy and playful banter, which lend a sense of wholesomeness to their dynamic.
In the second narrative, we delve into the morally ambiguous territory of a relationship between figures of authority and their students. Despite attempts to romanticize the connection, the portrayal overlooks critical ethical considerations, presenting a troubling message regarding the boundaries of appropriate conduct. Surprisingly, this time, that's not my primary worry. My biggest concern is that The “love interest” warns the student against falling in love with him, yet paradoxically, when the student begins to distance himself and seek affection elsewhere, the “love interest”, out of jealousy, urges him not to hide his true feelings and proceeds to initiate a kiss. I would like to mention that shounen ai is something I am not very well versed in but something I’ve found interesting in as of recently, I’m not quite sure whether this is a common theme or not.
The progression of both storylines is swift. The narrative concerning the childhood friends, swiftly evolves from a tale of awkward reunions to a more complex exploration of unrequited love and self-realization, sacrificing the potential for a more nuanced development of their relationship. The anime also chose to tell its two distinct stories sequentially, had it tried to gradually unfold them side by side, it could have enhanced the pacing.
Despite its moral and narrative challenges, it does not skimp on moments of levity and genuine human connection. The occasional comedic interludes and well-animated expressions bring a much-needed lightness to the otherwise concerning narrative. I enjoyed the mention of “homonym” and when a certain someone said, and I quote “they’re gonna take my shirikodama” which refers to a mythical ball said to reside within the human anus.
The anime's approach to exploring the depths of human relationships, identity, and acceptance is commendable, albeit flawed in execution. The portrayal of love, wrapped in layers of controversy and moral questions, ultimately finds an unexpected footing within its own unconventional, comedic rhythm. This amalgamation of humor and drama doesn't always harmonize with traditional romantic ideals, yet it crafts a distinct space where affection, in its myriad forms, flourishes against the odds. In doing so, the series carves out a niche for itself, presenting a story that resonates with those intrigued by love's multifaceted and often perplexing nature.
SleepySera
Hitorijime My Hero isn't a very pleasant show to watch, both visually and plotwise, but it's not entirely without merits. The story falls into the trap of a lot of cliché romance stories in that it is just a series of misunderstandings and miscommunications stringed together. The characters seem to strive for maximum stupidity in all their decisions in a way that almost no real person would, which could maybe be excused with them being teenagers new to this whole romance thing, but several characters are adults, which makes it a lot harder to overlook their willfully dumb behaviour for plot's sake. The story brings up ahandful of more serious topics (most importantly the focal point of the series, the teacher-student relationship) but those generally never go anywhere, get dropped or are played for laughs right after they were supposed to be emotionally impactful themes. I don't feel like any of them are handled well.
The supporting cast stays rather bland and one-dimensional considering they are around an astonishing amount of time, but it is nice to see actual friendships in this romance-focused plot regardless.
Visually, Hitorijime My Hero is below average. The animation often feels stiff and unnatural (a surprisingly common problem in BL anime in general, that this one sadly couldn't escape). While the backgrounds tend to be nice and functional, they aren't mindblowing or anything, and can certainly not make up for the character designs - one of the biggest issues of the series. Almost all the characters look the same: exact same hairstyle, same face, same body type, maaaaybe minor differences in eye shape. The only thing to really tell them apart by is the hair color, which isn't helpful when it changes throughout the story or depending on lighting. It can be genuinely hard to tell characters apart sometimes.
The romance itsself is rather unsatisfying; the anime constantly shies away from actually visually portraying any romantic scenes for both main couples which is quite mind-boggling and comes across like censorship of even the most innocent moments.
The music is alright, it works as intended in supporting the scenes but doesn't stand out positively either. A nice exception from that is the opening, which does a great job at motivating the viewer to start each new episode with a positive mindset through its catchy energetic tune.
The voice acting is okay, the voices fit the characters well but don't exactly try to break from the norm in any way; from the whiney uke voice to the cool aloof guy voice to the deep manly typical seme voice, you get the full range of "typical BL".
Overall, Hitorijime My Hero is about as cliché as it gets for basic BL love stories, and it doesn't even do a particularly good job in delivering them in a pleasant way either, but it does have its sweet little moments that make up for its many flaws at least a little bit.
Hysokaa
Twelve parts and I will write review. Hitorijime my Hero confirmed that is one of the better. And for me it's the most beautiful anime. I love typical yaoi / shounen-ai anime like Junjou Romantica, Sekaiichi Hatsukoi - This is a typical anime for people with love to homosexual love. But Hitorijime my hero is one of my best. After view all parts i feel lucky and sad. I want second season (But I know it would be the same like first season.) Characters: Everyone character is special. First couple ist nicely, but Kousuke and Setagawa... Oh my god. I am glad, that Setagawa was first,who showed interest. (Usually first, who showed interest seme and convinces uke that they love each other.) Other characters is not so much interest, but it belongs to the story.
Story:
10/10 - Every part is special. Something unexpected appears there. The relationship of the main characters is not a typical cliché, it is always something enriched. I laughed and wept in every part.
Music:
Fantastic! All music go to my phone. Openning, ending - amazing! The music that the lovely pairs sing ... (Setagawa, Setagawa x Kousuke, Kousuke, Hasekura x Kensuke ..) I also like to listen.
Overall - I think, that there is to offer here much. I Hitorijime My Hero I love, I am dependent on it, and I accept the criticism for me, because not everyone gets into the taste. :-)
czarryno
My reviews and writing suck, don't read this. TL;DR: Shounen Ai is not for me. ------------------------------------------ I've never watched a Shounen Ai show. I'm just a straight, male anime fan who didn't really realize what he was clicking on when he logged into Anime Strike. Here is what I thought of Hitorijime My Hero. ------------------------------------------ Scrolling though MAL catching up on the top rated shows from last season, I had made my way down the list to this show. I didn't give the genres a glance as I typed the title into google to see which subscription service I needed to use to view it, but based on thetitle cover, I had a good idea of what I would be getting into. It didn't take long for my initial skepticism to have validation.
From an outsider's perspective, I have no means of comparison for this show. Although, if this is supposed to be an above average shounen ai show as the ratings suggest, I don't think this genre will ever be something I can see myself going out of my way to watch again.
*Some Spoilers ahead*
Story:
The plot of the show focuses on one of the two pairs and how they realize their love for one another, and then becomes a story of how they grow closer in their relationships through certain events and various emotional conflicts. Notice that I said "pairs". The show decides that the side pairing should take up the majority of the first 3 episodes before fleshing out the main pair. A decision I believe was made just so the show could have more BL than it already was planned to, and so that it could showcase different "top" and "bottom" troupes. The issue that really takes the cake for me though, is the #1 piece of evidence that you are watching a terrible romance: the "it was all a misunderstanding and I run away from our actually non-existent, but rather self-inflicted and imaginary, problems" cliché. Setagawa continually finds himself ramping up these scenarios and ideas in his head that Kosuke and him will never work out for this reason or that. Some of them plausible, others are problems that he creates in his head (although they may have some truth behind them) which end up hurting and straining their relationship beyond how things should have been.
All this accompanied by common romance melodrama, boils down to a poor execution at making a compelling narrative designed to show that true love can overcome all odds.
Art:
Nothing special, but there is nothing inherently wrong with it. The characters are well polished to make them show off whatever features define their character, and the surroundings and environment aren't forgotten.
Sound:
Not a big fan of the OST, but the music accompanies the situations well and the VAs fit their characters.
Characters:
All 4 main characters in this show fit into a specific troupe so that no one's favorite is left out. Setagawa is a clearly defined bottom that is very powerless, dependent, and caring. Another obvious bottom is Kensuke, the younger Ōshiba. He is the typical comic relief through his childish antics and attitude during the lighter parts of the show. This makes Kosuke and Asaya the respective tops. Kosuke is a college graduate teacher who is meant to be the calm, cool, collected, powerful, strong type with an emotional, loving side to him. Lastly, Asaya is the tall, model-esque, inquisitive, jealousy-prone, selfish type.
These 4 characters are created this way in episode 1, and have little to no development by the ending.
Enjoyment:
I finished all 12 episodes in a rather quick fashion, so something about this show must have kept me entertained enough, right?
And to that I'd say: "No, not really."
The only thing that kept me watching past a very laughably dramatic plot point in an early episode where Asaya tells Kensuke something the lines of "Leave me for good or fuck me", was the rather terrible habit of leaving things I completed. That coupled with a curiosity to complete a show in a genre I would have never watched, led me to complete this show.
Overall:
This leads to my overall score of 4/10 or "Bad".
I know this show isn't the "Steins;Gate" or "FMA:Brotherhood" of shounen ai, but it is the show that, barring an over 8/10 score on a show that airs in the future, only reassures the fact that this genre will never be my cup of tea.
PlastiicFlowers
well first off READ REVIEWS FIRST like no seriously, I went into this anime thinking it was gonna be a wholesome bl anime ha. ha. ha. yeah NO nothing of that sort, first off the age gap is like huge like at first i did not think it was gonna be like this but of course something has to be wrong with it. when i find out that the age is like um not right then i immediately drop it but i did not know about the age gap so i kept watching (and of course not knowing i got a volume of the manga)yep just my luck.
my point is DO NOT watch it it is very uncomfy once you find out about the age gap so yeah thts about it.
minoshichan
I'm not even going to talk about the actual issues that go into the writing of these characters... but this anime is just outright not it. The story makes no sense, the characters keep saying one thing repeatedly and then when they do something, their actions just... does not reflect what they are saying or thinking at all. It's like the author doesn't really try to connect the characters' thoughts and their actions at all, much less write a compelling story between the characters to make the viewers want to root for them. The issues raised when it comes to MLM and teacher-student relationshipsare solid enough to have a potentially good plot, but the buildup is just weird and out of place most of the time and the payoff is... is there even a payoff? Like, I don't really see the culmination of all the emotional turmoil at the end of every little subplot because the characters just... look cute and fuwa fuwa together for five seconds on screen and continue to repeat this routine of boring melodrama every few episodes.
I wish I could say the manga was better, and I did the manga a shot. Spoiler alert, it was only slightly better than the anime, and it still doesn't make much sense.
I don't think I have to get into the problems of the characters and the relationships formed itself as 1) a lot of other reviewers have done so prior to my own and 2) sometimes, a trashy setting is a trashy setting. Is it bad to say I can excuse problematic tropes but I cannot excuse bad, even worse, boring writing?
Not to mention the horrible art in the anime... Hasekura was supposed to be a pretty boy but he doesn't even look like a boy in some scenes. SMH.
That final episode? Horrible. I can't even waste more time talking about it.
IndoorGoblinKing
As far as the score, I went with a four. Generally a four from me just means aspects like story, acting, art, etc. left a lot to be desired, but there was enough there that 1) I'd be open to watching it again someday and 2) I can definitely still see the appeal. Here I gave Hitorijime My Hero a four not so much based on the content, believe it or not, but because this show had a lot of potential but fell flat too many times and just didn't have enough to make up for it, which sometimes made it a frustrating watch. Thiswill be kept spoiler-free.
Story (2/10): The premise is promising, I won't lie, but I think the show lost momentum by not moving Hasekura and Kensuke's arc to the end or intertwining their getting together with Kousuke and Masahiro's. I know that's not strictly following the manga, but with the manga IIRC Kousuke and Masahiro's arc is a spin-off, so there's more distinction each couple gets their own focus. The anime, however, is largely about Kousuke and Masahiro, which turns Haseukura and Kensuke's arc into more of a side story. So if you went into the show expecting one couple and get another instead, it drastically dries up interest. It gets worse considering once they get together, Hasekura and Kensuke turn into cardboard cutouts (see Characters), which turns their whole arc skippable since there's not really a lot that happens, what little that does happen isn't interesting in the first place, and frankly they don't have much chemistry.
My biggest gripe with the story, once we finally begin Kousuke and Masahiro's arc, is the lack of follow through. There are multiple times when tensions are at an all-time high and you think, "Oh, they're actually getting into serious issues. Oh, Kousuke and Masahiro might actually get caught. I wonder what'll happen next." The answer is nothing. When approaching social issues--getting outted, teacher-student relationships--things get teased out for the drama but it ultimately turns into a joke. Literally. I'm trying to keep this spoiler free, but you'll know when you've seen it, believe me. On the other hand, when Kousuke and Masahiro are in danger of being found out, a lot of this ends up being written ineffectively, by which I mean it does affect their relationships (which each other and with other characters) but again there's never any payoff. By the time I got to the final quarter of the show, I was genuinely annoyed being yanked around like that. Drama's fun but if you're going to tease raising the stakes, actually do it, otherwise why should I care what happens to them one way or the other?
Characters (6/10): Still, lot of times the draw in BL isn't so much the story itself but the dynamic. So maybe the story is generic, fine, but the manga/anime could still be worth watching just to see how our leads' personalities interact and how they ultimately fall in love. And for sure, there's a lot to love about Kousuke and Masahiro's dynamic, especially in their designs. You've got the gruff ex-delinquent teacher and the soft current-delinquent student. One's usually in a suit, the other's got piercings. Looks great.
Unfortunately, the same can't be said for our secondary leads and the supporting cast. Masahiro's friend group looks interesting, at least, but in the end they're often relegated to being static and generic until around Episode 9 when the plot finally kicks up. Our secondary leads, to be honest, aren't very memorable, both in design and in characterization. On the design level, they're actually less interesting to look at than the supporting cast, which can be a problem since they take up the first quarter or so of the show. And unfortunately after their arc ends, they often end up relegated to Comedic Ball of Sunshine Who Sometimes Gets Serious and The Comedic Soft Spoken Prince Who Gives Everyone Advice.
And, okay, all of that could be set aside. I mean, the show's not even *really* about them, so it's fine, right? And I'd agree and bump this up to a six if not for how frustrating Kousuke and Masahiro can be (and not in the fun way, either). Age gaps in romance can be interesting to work with because it gives the opportunity to test the potential problems that could arise. Something this show doesn't shy away from is that, obviously, Kousuke and Masahiro are in different places in their lives socially and developmentally. This can create tension! Masahiro is still in high school, so he's still struggling with the usual coming-of-age problems but he's also young and is stressing over this new relationship, too, let alone worrying about its ramifications; and Kousuke, being older and having more experience, doesn't always take Masahiro's struggles as seriously as he should. There's a lot of potential for growth, but Kousuke and Masahiro don't really change much as characters until maybe the last two episodes. So they *look* interesting, and they have potential to *be* interesting, but they ultimately remain static until the show's final moments, which isn't all that fun to watch and turns the drama of their relationship tedious rather than entertaining. This particular point, I should add, may not be as much of a sticking point if you're a fan of that kind of quick-turnaround; but if you're like me and prefer the characters to grow slowly over the course of the anime/manga rather than a sharp turning point, it may be more offputting.
Art, Animation, and Music (5/10): A lot of this could be summed up as "nothing all that special." Which on its own might not have totally dampened my impression of the show if not for the way my gripes with the story and characters only grew over the 12 episodes.
As I said before, the character designs are, more often than not, actually pretty decent, especially for Kousuke and Masahiro. The art style , personally, doesn't jump out at all. It's not that it's bad, but it has a rather indistinctive style. It doesn't stand out the way Mo Dao Zu Shi's got it's character designs and background art and This Boy is a Professional Wizard has a mixed media/watercolour look. It moreso stands in line with Sasaki to Miyano in that it can be considered a marked improvement over the 90s/00s in some ways, but it's not doing anything that makes it stand out. The animation doesn't stand out either, but I don't think that should be held against the show, since unlike other BL like Mo Dao Zu Shi there's not really much action going on other than dramatically running in the rain. No complaints on the animation front. Though, what I'll say about the music is I remember having the thought, "I feel like I've heard this before." It's pretty generic, almost like stock music, and it does significantly diminish the impact of Hitorijime My Hero's more dramatic, emotional scenes, which is a shame since Given and Yuri!!! On Ice have both more than demonstrated the way a good soundtrack can make turn a scene from a little sad to absolutely heartwrenching.
"Well gee, that's a lot of negative. I thought you said this show had redeeming qualities?" Yes, but in the sense that I still think it could be worth watch and I more than understand the appeal of the show for people. A lot of my frustration is actual born from what I do like about the show.
For example, I actually found Kousuke and Masahiro's dynamic interesting to watch, which, I know, was surprising to me too at the end. I could sympathize a lot with Masahiro and especially became invested in his happiness, which included wanting to see him grow as a character and getting closure on whether his relationship with Kousuke would work out. He's genuinely likeable and I felt certain parts of his character were well written, just under-utilized. With Kousuke I found him intriguing because, and I felt this was done well, it could be hard to get a good read on what he's thinking and what he wants. Not even he seems entirely sure, which complicates his position as the one with more experience. That kind of mysterious vibe kept me coming back to learn more about him. I just wish why he agreed to date Masahiro was more explored. There are indications where he, and other adults, know what's going on is inappropriate, so the show establishes we're not totally operating in a total fantasy, but as usual it never follows up. We know what Masahiro sees in Kousuke. If we're supposed to be invested in their relationship, let alone root for them, it would've been nice to see Kousuke more explored.
So!
To be honest, I wasn't sure if I'd like this one. Normally when I watch teacher/student BL it's more along the lines of "we met when we were teacher and student, then after a timeskip we met again as equals," and normally when I read or watch age-gap romance it's between adults. So when I saw the premise to Hitorijime My Hero, I went in expecting something more-so along those lines. Admittedly, I was surprised when I realized this would be a teacher/student romance in the more literal sense (which might sound obvious to some but, well, I'm willing to take the L for that). So, if you weren't aware, the romance here is between a high school student and his teacher, with of course the threat of being caught hanging over both their heads.
Overall, it gets a 4/10, along with a mixed review from me. I think this is a show that tries to be more complex than it is at times, much to its detriment, and unfortunately there isn't any wow factor in any of its other areas (characters, art, etc) that makes up for it. It's frankly better to go into it with the mentality of it being a "turn your brain off" kind of BL. If you're into the teacher/student trope, this could still be worth at least checking out, since the trope and dynamic alone could still have some sort of payoff. But if you're not already into the teacher/student romance, for any reason, I certainly don't think this is going to be the thing to get you into it.
