Inose Hinata, 35, is a hopelessly single, attractive woman who runs an English conversation school out of her apartment. But everything changes one fateful evening when Shotaro, a former student, knocks on her door--and he's no longer the shy kid she remembers. At 18, just about to finish high school, Shotaro has transformed into an irresistibly hunky, confident young man. Even more shocking, he asks for her hand in marriage!

Seventeen years her junior, Shotaro's maturity, charm, and burning passion leave Hinata breathless. As the lines between their past teacher-student relationship begin to blur, can Hinata resist his hot and heavy advances? And, more importantly, does she even want to?

My Former Student is a Hunk?! has story and art by Shinichirō Nariie. English translation is done by Jess Leif with an adaptation by Solo Mia and lettering by Carl Vanstiphout. Published by Seven Seas Entertainment (January 27, 2026). Rated OT.

Content Warning: unwanted sexual contact

Rebecca Silverman
Rating :

Of all of the things I was expecting from this manga about a boy showing up on his teacher's doorstep the minute he turns eighteen, a thoughtful discussion of how sex is forced on boys who are expected to be grateful for it was not one of them. But you know what? It's an important discussion, and there's no reason why a racy manga about a nominally forbidden relationship shouldn't be a place to have it. Sho-kun has been in love with Hinata since he was a little boy, and he took her seriously when she sidestepped his eight-year-old marriage proposal by saying, “Maybe when you're eighteen.” (She's seventeen years older than him.) He's spent his entire life saving himself for her, something, he notes, that boys are often made fun of for. As he tearfully questions why it's weird for boys to wait to have sex, he's also working through the trauma of a friend forcing him to look at her naked breasts, which feels like a betrayal of both the fact that he's been saving himself for Hinata and of their friendship. He's not mature enough to recognize that she's using him to validate her shame in her own body, but she also can't see that in using him that way, she's not treating him like a person. Even worse, he got an involuntary erection from the situation. He's just feeling generally terrible about himself, and that's both valid and points out that “boy” does not equal “horny all the time.” Shockingly enough, boys are people too.

In the specific case of this book, it's also about showing Hinata how serious he is and always has been about her. There are definitely some issues with the premise that will make this a no-go for some readers (and if it's not the age gap, it may be Hinata's ludicrous breasts), but there's an earnestness underlying the prurient plot synopsis that surprised me. This isn't just about being hot for teacher; Sho has genuine feelings for Hinata. And she's had enough terrible experiences that, when combined with a late-volume make out scene, could lead to the interpretation that she's demisexual – and he's the first person to provide the emotional connection she needs to feel sexual desire.

There's some real potential here. I didn't love the entire book, and I don't really care for the art, but it seems to be handling its subject matter with a lot more emotional intelligence than I was expecting. I'm not entirely comfortable with the age gap between Sho and Hinata, but I am invested in their story. If this can continue to balance sexy with smart, it may be a surprise hit.

Lucas DeRuyter
Rating:

I really should have expected that a new work from Shinichirō Nariie, the singular pen name duo behind See You Tomorrow at the Food Court, would be a masterclass in character motivated writing and exploring socially sensitive issues; and yet I was still floored by the first volume of My Former Student is a Hunk?!. I went into this manga expecting some elevated teacher/student MILF smut, and instead experienced a considered and earnest exploration of love, attraction, and the cyclical impact those experiences can have on a person's identity and self-esteem. In a social moment when discourse around age-gap relationships and struggles in dating have never felt more prevalent, My Former Student is a Hunk?! feels like not only an exceptional piece of fiction, but perhaps even an important one.

My Former Student is a Hunk?! follows Inose Hinata, a thirty-five year old woman who teaches elementary aged students English as a second language, and Shotaro, one of her former students who finally feels like he can act on his puppy-dog crush for her now that he's eighteen. Out of the gate, it's obvious that every named character in this work is EXCEPTIONALLY hot! Not only does Shinichirō Nariie have a knack for creating attractive character designs, they're also skilled in poses, expressions, and framing that highlights a character's charm points further and inspires the reader's imagination as much as a given character's. Especially when his current stature is juxtaposed with his diminutive childhood frame, it is positively erotic to even just see Shotaro tower over Hinata now that he's an adult. This also makes the moments when the beefy young man easily embraces or envelopes the full-figured woman all the more impactful.

This effective art also helps carry this intentionally slow-burn of a story. On his eighteenth birthday, Shotaro confesses his love to Hinata, his first crush, and asks her to marry him; which she denies largely on the grounds that the seventeen-year age gap between them is too wide for them to even consider dating. While My Former Student is a Hunk?! has the structure of a “will-they-won't-they” romance, Shinichirō Nariie is actually using this familiar template to explore some prevalent and personal ideas about relationships.

While Hinata defaults on their difference in age being the reason that they shouldn't date, she actually has a lot of insecurities about relationships and her capacity for sexual attraction. She's also deeply insecure about being single at her age, and very clearly does not like herself enough to be able to bring her best self into a relationship. While her character arc isn't anywhere close to resolved by the end of the first volume, it's already clear that Shotaro's unconditional affection for her is already beginning to give her the confidence to start seriously fostering romantic feelings for the first time in her life; and it's very sweet to see this play out.

On the other end of the spectrum, for as mature as Shotaro comes off, he's actually somewhat emotionally stunted. Literalized in Shotaro having an advanced form of growing pains called Osgood-Schlatter disease, he has refused to entertain the idea of a romantic or sexual relationship with anyone besides Hinata for his entire adolescence. Some of the most affecting emotional moments in My Former Student is a Hunk?! come in the wake of Shotaro not being sure how to process his emotional and physical reaction to a girl in his class exposing her naked body to him, and Hinata consoling him and explaining that everything he's feeling is natural and okay for him to feel.

By the way, the scene where Fujieda sexually assaults Shotaro by exposing herself to him is an instance of masterful writing and maybe my favorite moment in a fantastic manga volume. While this scene easily could have been a cut and dry event to progress the plot, Shinichirō Nariie gives Fujieda just enough character depth for the reader to sympathize with her. Though less than explicit, it's implied that Fujieda is dealing with body dysmorphia and thinks that her petite body is the reason that Shotaro won't go out with her. Meanwhile, Shotaro doesn't have the life experience necessary to realize what Fujieda is going through, nor the language and confidence needed to really support the young woman after rejecting her. The conflict between them is incredibly human, honest, and I've seen more relationships than I can remember dissolve due to similar misunderstandings and immaturity.

If I had to ding My Former Student is a Hunk?! for anything it would be that the translation is a little stilted at times. Hinata brings up that Shotaro is specifically seventeen years younger than her repeatedly throughout the volume in a way that feels clunky and less than naturalistic, and there are other instances of the translation feeling more literal than than in line with how these characters would talk in these kinds of settings. Regardless, My Former Student is a Hunk?! is brilliant, I cannot recommend it enough, and I'm so curious to see what its future volumes have to say about socially stigmatized relationships, how close connections help people mature, and the vulnerability and anxiety intrinsic to dating.