Hitorijime My Hero

The story is well-plotted, the charachters are interesting and well developed. As for the romance, I did like it, but I wish there weren't so many episodes on a more depressing side, with all the troubles going on. That is my own personal taste though, so don't let it bother you. The ending was great and really heartwarmng. I can only recommend.

DAMN THIS IS GREAT I loved all the anime I really wanted to see it and I founded this page!

Hitorijime My Hero is an amazing just wanting a place to belong and finding that person and place story. Masahiro is a kind hearted and gentle teen who is neglected as a child, shown little to no parental love or support and has never known love. Kousuke is a man who rehabilitates youth by letting his fist fly and relay every word his mouth is too busy smoking to speak. Both feel like they're not enough and that they're just living to live until a love confession brings them together. Although, their road to happiness is bumpy and filled with some difficult situations and conversations, Masahiro and Kousuke are determined to have their happily ever after. Beautifully written and drawn, this story hooks you from episode 1 and fills you with tears, laughs and overall heartfelt goodness. I have watched season 1 more times than I can count and loved it so much I even started purchasing the manga which is just as great.

I genuinely don't understand how this is considered a beloved LGBTQIA+ love story... There are two relationships in this series. One is between two childhood friends. This story could play out innocently enough, but Hasekura pursues Ohshiba so aggressively that it veers into sexual coercion. He literally says "sleep with me or cut ties". He also forces kisses onto him and requires Ohshiba to let him touch him sexually for 5 minutes in order to maintain their friendship. Despite that abuse, they become a couple.

The other pairing is between Ohshiba's adult brother (who teaches math at their high school) and his best friend, Setagawa. Setagawa has no family or support system outside of the Ohshiba family. He says several times this is the only place he truly felt he belonged. So the fact that this adult man is pressuring this teenage boy into a relationship really puts Setagawa in a vulnerable position.

There's also the fact that several people (other kids and even adults) find out about this student/teacher pairing and, not only does no one seem to think it's inappropriate, no one does anything to help this child escape his abusive situation.

When friendships and role models slowly become "more", and the troubles that come with accepting that.

It's nicely animated and generally has a good amount of angst worked into each episode, balanced with cute "bro" moments over the dinner table. As an adult it tugged mildly at the nostalgia with accepting myself during my teenage years, but I'm guessing the high school setting was a deliberate choice and aimed at younger audiences who are currently in similar situations as our 4 main characters.