Hey, Sensei (Yaoi) (Yaoi Manga)
Isa is a high school math teacher who discovers, not uncommonly, that one of his students has a crush on him. What's unusual about this student, however, is that he happens to be a boy, Homura, who is also the younger brother of Isa s ex-girlfriend. At first believing Homura's advances to be a joke perpetrated in retaliation for his sister s broken heart, Isa resists, despite recognizing his weakness in the face of Homura's charms. Homura perseveres, Isa eventually succumbs, and the two of them begin a relationship.Though this student-teacher relationship is problematic from the outset, putting aside Isa's blatant irresponsibility as a caretaker of young minds, the story is really quite charming. The mutual history of the two characters gives them a place of intimacy to start from that helps to soothe the worst concerns, and Homura is so self-aware, it s difficult to feel that he's being taken advantage of. Both characters are lonely misfits of a sort even Homura with his good looks and popularity with girls and it's gratifying to watch them finding a sense of belonging with each other as the story goes on. Though Homura's impatience nearly causes him to take Isa by force at one point, thankfully he realizes this is not at all what he wants and does not go very far with it.Yaya Sakuragi's art is also a highlight. Her faces are expressive (both in the main feature and in the short extra story, Unbreakable Bones ) and her lanky character designs help to alleviate worries about the age difference between Isa and Homura as well, as Homura's body is unambiguously adult.With its sweet, idiosyncratic characters and warm love story, Hey Sensei? is easy to recommend to any fan of the genre.Hey, Sensei? is available now. --Pop Culture ShockI'm a big fan of Yaya Sakuragi, she has a way of making of the most impractical relationships seem real on an emotional level and she continues that trend in Hey, Sensei? High school student Homura has fallen in love with his straight-laced math teacher, Isa, who has a good ten years on Homura. Homura, being the very model of sensibility, as all hormonally-driven teenage boys tend to be *cough*, decides the best course of action is too sexually harass Isa. Isa is the very definition of late bloomer. He's very susceptible to Homura because while he has finally figured out he s gay by first dating Homura's sister (dear lord!) and absolutely failing to take that relationship to the next level he has never really done anything about his self-discovery. Homura really cares Isa but hasn't a clue how to capture the older man's attention, and so, attempts to forge emotional bonds by forcing physical ones.Isa is first dumbfounded by Homura's attention, but besides one cringe-worthy moment of non-consensual harassment, Isa quickly becomes emotionally drawn to the hot-headed, but generally well-meaning, student. Isa uses his adult status as a shield, first out of fear that he s being played with and later so he can keep Homura in check long enough so the two can develop a real sustainable connection before they take their relationship to the next level. Isa plays at being cool but this is his first experience in love and lust, while Homura may have sexual experience, he's overwhelmed by his new emotional attachment to this cool-looking and cool-acting man.Now, teacher-student relations are all kinds of wrong but Sakuragi carefully delves into all the kinds of psychological impediments that rise up when we fall in love with someone whose life circumstances are so completely different than our own. Both Isa and Homura struggle to communicate with each other and overcome the many insecurities and fears that could disable their relationship before it even gets off the ground. In spite of that, the work remains fairly light in tone. The consequences of dating your student are at worst a broken heart, and at best a little embarrassment over the age difference. There is no melodrama about abuse of power, perhaps because Homura takes the lead sexually, while Isa attempts to keep up emotionally with his openly affectionate young lover.Sakuragi's art is always distinctive you can never mistake her lanky and masculine figures as by anyone but her. Her few explicit sex scenes are integrated into the narrative and always serve an emotional purpose. They never feel tacked on or excessive, but then nothing about her work ever does.This volume includes a sweet one-shot, Unbreakable Bones, about a rookie policeman and his childhood friend, a lonely, ramen delivery man. The story doesn't depart too far from the tone of the main volume, and, therefore, is a nice addition to the work. This means the volume maintains the readers good will to the very end, instead of squandering it. --Comics Should Be GoodHey, Sensei? is the tale of a forbidden love between a teacher and his student. To complicate matters further, Isa used to date Homura's sister. He has always cared about the boy, and now that he is his student, he realizes that his feelings for him are inappropriate. Homura, however, chases after his teacher with a fierce determination, even failing his math exams so he is forced to attend school during break. It's during this one-on-one tutoring session with Isa that he confesses his feelings to his shy and sensitive teacher.Isa suspects that Homura is only toying with him, and he rejects his advances. His resolve is tested as Homura continues to pursue him with the sweet intensity of a teenager in the throes of love. Isa, though plagued with doubts, caves in, and the two begin a forbidden affair. During it all, Isa is afraid of having his heart broken, and worries about the ten year difference in their ages. Will Homura soon tire of him and cast him aside for someone his own age?While I didn't enjoy this book as much as Tea for Two, it does possess a certain charm. Both characters are very likeable, and they both have concerns and worries about their relationship that are realistic. They both fear the age difference, but for entirely opposite reasons. Isa is afraid that Homura will think he s an old man and quickly tire of him, and Homura fears that Isa sees him as a child and not a responsible adult. This adds tension to their relationship, especially when Homura becomes jealous when Isa spends some time with another teacher.I liked how they were able to share their apprehensions with each other and work through their troubles. I also liked how earnest Homura is in his pursuit of Isa. He wants so desperately to win him over, and to prove that he s dependable and not a kid. He's sweet and charming and it's easy to see how Isa would be swept off his feet by his attentions.Also included is the short story Unbreakable Bones. --Mangacast