My Lover Is Just Too Innocent to Handle Vol. 1 Manga Review (Minor Spoilers)

Synopsis

Plain high school student Hasegawa is a part of the school gardening club, and one day, is approached by the popular boy at school, Hiyama. Hiyama asks him out, but Hasegawa mistakenly thinks it’s part of a bet. Hiyama insists that it’s not, and once that’s cleared up, the two teenage boys start to date. Through their sweet high school life, they start to puzzle through what kind of love they want to have.

The Good

My Lover Is Just Too Innocent to Handle Vol. 1 is a light and fluffy read about two high school boys: Hasegawa, who considers himself a nobody, and Hiyama, the popular one. You’ve probably heard of that kind of match up many times, but I’ve found that it doesn’t get old because opposites do attract. In the case of these two, the manga jumps straight into the confession that Hiyama launches at the unsuspecting Hasegawa. When Hasegawa accepts, they start to grow closer, but not without some hilarious misunderstandings.

The manga manages to avoid a lot of the pitfalls of a high school setting with its comedic pacing. In the space of one volume, the story traverses through a confession scene, a school festival, a school play…you get the idea. What makes this manga stand out is that the artist Hirota has managed to make these events funny in some way, while making room for really sweet moments between Hasegawa and Hiyama as they slowly get to know each other.

One key point in getting to know each other is their shared exchange diary, which is a notebook that they pass between each other. Even when another character points out how archaic it is, it doesn’t faze Hiyama, which is really nice. While some readers might be a bit uncomfortable at how easily the other characters assume that the boys only want girlfriends, the story does take strides not to dwell on it too much. I’m a little curious as to how everyone will react when they find out that Hasegawa and Hiyama are dating, since they two have been trying to keep their relationship a secret (mostly out of embarrassment rather than fear or shame).

Hasegawa repeatedly thinks that he is boring compared to Hiyama, but you can see that his words don’t match with his appearance at all. His ruminating never really goes too far into being annoying, but Hasegawa often thinks little of himself, and that really holds him back in terms of understanding why Hiyama likes him. This manga captures the essence of innocent love really well. While Hasegawa is the only one that has had a girlfriend, it’s really clear that he had never really thought about what it means to like or want to date someone, and somehow always just ends up going along with it, much to Hiyama’s chagrin. This starts to change as the two write in their exchange diary and spend more time together, and by the end of this first volume, they’re finally on the same page in terms of the kind of “like” they have for each other.

I particularly enjoyed the school play chapter because the love rival (yes, there is one) has a flashy costume, and Hiyama is recruited to be the prince in the class’ theatrical play. While the play itself isn’t that important, it leads to a major revelation between Hasegawa and Hiyama.

The Verdict

I was surprised at how funny the antics of Hasegawa and Hiyama are together. I didn’t think My Lover Is Just Too Innocent to Handle Vol. 1 was anything more than a romance, but I was snorting at the art or whatever misunderstanding that Hasegawa has stirred up with Hiyama every few pages. Reading this manga made me smile all the way through. My Lover Is Just Too Innocent to Handle Vol. 1 makes for a pick-me-up read that is cute, funny, and light. All the moments and insights into Hasegawa and Hiyama’s relationship just shows that “dating” and “love” doesn’t need to be rushed, and that it can come from imperfect photos, old-school exchange diaries, and hilarious misunderstandings. Hasegawa and Hiyama are just starting to understand the meaning of “like,” and even if the story goes through all the typical high school experiences, it has a new spin that will make even grizzled BL readers laugh.

If you like My Lover Is Just Too Innocent to Handle Vol. 1, you might also like…

• My Love Mix-Up! by Wataru Hinekure and Aruko
• Go For It, Nakamura-kun!! by Syundei
• You and I Are Polar Opposites by Kocha Agasawa

Credits

Story and Art: Hirota
Translated by: Katelyn Smith
Letterer: Katie Blakeslee
Published in English by Yen Press

Thank you to Yen Press for providing a review copy. Receiving this copy did not affect the reviewer’s opinions as expressed here. 

Article edited by: Bill Curtis

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