[Manga] Nee, Sensei? (ねえ、先生?)

Summary from Baka-Updates
This story is about a relationship between a teacher and his student, Homura. It just so happens that Homura’s older sister, Kaori was the teacher’s first girlfriend. Back then, the teacher would always use Homura as an excuse to run away whenever something happened, and he would never get in the “mood” whenever he was with Kaori. One day, while going through the exam papers, he noticed that Homura wrote “I like you, sensei” in a corner. Will he accept Homura’s confession?

Side Story: Unbreakable Bone
The side story is of two childhood friends who meet again after 14 years. One is a policeman now, and the other is an ex-delinquent who is working at a ramen store.

With a basic conflict, Sakuragi Yaya was able to pull the best out of the story with her appealing and reasonable set of characters, and admirable drawing skills.

The teacher-student relationship is one of the most used flavors added to a romance story. In a single volume, the manga-ka managed to bring out something new without making it dry and boring. The story is direct and does not dwell much on sappy drama the conflict brings to the characters. In addition to that, it focuses more on the struggles of Isa-san and Homura in their relationship and how it affects both of their lives. They have an adult-take on issues presented by the story.

It is also not one of those stories which look like a mere excuse for porn. Surely, there is “that” scene. But since those scenes require great timing, it does not happen every possible time they have. Their time together is sweet but not over-the-top, making the story more charming.

The characters are the biggest plus in Nee, Sensei. Isa-san has his doubts when it comes to the relationship, not to mention the age gap between him and Homura. Although he may look like a calm and composed teacher on the outside, inside he is naïve and lacking in confidence especially with his unexplored homosexuality. He is not the typical uke either who swoons over the seme. As the older one, he thinks things through and tries to understand his lover point of view.

On the other hand, Homura struggles as well to be recognized by his teacher as an adult. He is uncertain with himself if he can contain himself from being so quick-tempered every now and then. His child-like actions are understandable since he is still a high-schooler.

Sakuragi-sensei’s illustrations are well done. The characters are well-built, not super thin. Their facial expressions especially the eyes are enthralling and easy-to-read. You can tell easily what they are hinting just from their gestures. One thing that I noticed is that, there are times when the hands are too big or a finger is too long. This makes that part a little disproportional to the body.

I find this book both entertaining and engaging. A great read for yaoi fans.