Shoujo Manga Maniacs

Posted by terraolsen on December 11, 2012 in Books, Opinion | 1 Comment

Shoujo Manga Maniacs:

Tanaka Meca’s Kisu Yori mo Hayaku

(Faster Than a Kiss)

By: Meg Humphrey

Not gonna lie: I have a thing for responsible-young-men-teachers. I’ve never met one in real life, but on TV and in manga they’re THE BEST. Keep in mind that this is all set in beautiful shoujo land where nothing is creepy!

Kaji Fumino and her little brother Teppei lose their parents in a car accident. They bounce around from relative to relative due to some family tensions that mostly revolve around Fumino’s temper and bad blood between the family and her deceased parents. Fumino is constantly getting into fights at school due to her short fuse and sense of justice (she always sticks up for the defenseless and doesn’t tolerate students who break the rules). She usually ends up kicking butt, but she is known for being a problem child by the staff at her high school. At the beginning of the manga, Fumino and Teppei are out on their own at night, forced out of another relative’s home. Enter Fumino’s handsome, dedicated, seemingly clumsy and awkward Homeroom and English teacher, Oujiro Kazuma!!  While fighting with Sensei, who is concerned about her well-being, Kaji angrily blurts out “then can you marry me and take care of us?!  (I don’t think so!)” Sensei’s reply is a surprising “I WILL” and thus the gimmick of the manga is born!

Fumino and Oujiro Sensei have to hide their arrangement from everyone. This is impossible, of course, and during the manga Sensei’s little brother, Shouma, as well as his friend Meg and Fumino’s Grandpa and Uncle find out. They almost get caught multiple times being seen by students from school (once they were spotted coming out of a Love Hotel together!), but they are saved every time due to Sensei’s commitment to treasuring Fumino (he cannot cross “the line”) and their mutual desire to stay together.

Every character is extremely likable! I would absolutely fall in love with Oujiro Sensei. I would want to be best friends with Fumino. Teppei is the most ideal little brother EVER. Kazuma’s childhood friend Ryuu and Fumino’s uncle, Tomoyuki are unbelievably reliable and supportive.  Even the antagonists of the Vice Principal and Kazuma’s father have redeemable qualities.

I really appreciate that this manga is 100% smut free. Often teacher-student romance manga are geared toward an older audience and generally much more racy. I don’t mean that they’re outright porn, but there are obvious sex scenes and sexual content. Faster than a Kiss demonstrates an innocent type of love. Kaji is a teenage girl who has never dated anyone; how in the world would she know how to conduct herself in a marriage, especially to a man like Oujiro Sensei (who tries not to touch her, but insists that she and Teppei wear different “New Wife Cosplays” to greet him when he comes home from work)?

I’m on my fourth read-through of this 12 volume manga. It still warms my heart and makes me cry like a baby as much as the first time. It reminds me not to take for granted the time it takes to fall in love with someone. SO GO READ IT if you want to have uncontrollable feels. It is not licensed in English, but you can find scanlations over at mangafox.com!