Writer and Artist: Hirota
Publisher: Yen Press (print & digital)
Translation: Katelyn Smith
Lettering: Katie Blakeslee
Publication Date: Apr 28, 2026
Rating: Older Teen
Genre: Manga (JPN), Romance, LGBTQ+, Boys’ Love
Hirota‘s My Lover Is Just Too Innocent to Handle is a two-volume romance series about a wallflower and a social butterfly. Yen Press released the first volume in April, and while there’s still three months until the next volume, it’ll soon be complete. This seems to be Hirota’s first commercial BL and only work that’s translated into English, so what better time than Pride Month to meet a new creator? Here’s a spoiler-free look into the first volume of My Lover Is Just Too Innocent to Handle.
I’m with Hasegawa on this: popular people are kind of scary. Especially when you’re simply minding your business and spending your high school days in peace. When Hiyama asks whether he has free time, Hasegawa naturally assumes this is a bad omen. What did he do to attract the most popular guy’s attention when all he does is tend to the garden and read books in a corner?
Turns out, Hiyama wanted to confess and ask him out, which is weirder considering they never were on talking terms, but Hasegawa finds himself accepting regardless. Just like that, they start exchanging diaries, spend time during lunch and meet up just the two of them.
My Lover Is Just Too Innocent to Handle activated something the kids call “cuteness aggression” in me! It’s Hirota’s round, expressive, boba eyes and adorable pouts that made me want to bite every page. All I could think of while reading this volume was my uncontrollable urge to pinch those fictional cheeks!
This series is another Pixiv-turned-commercial high school romance story. The chapters focus on the high school events and tropes romance manga readers are all too familiar with; sports festival, culture festival, school trip, summer break, light jealousy here and there. Each chapter focuses one trope briefly, and while every event wraps up within the chapter, there’s still gradual exploration between Hasegawa and Hiyama. This is usually the case for series that go from self-publication to commercial volumes and might read as disjointed if you expect a structured, coherent story from start to finish.
That being said, Hiyama and Hasegawa’s getting familiar with each other, exploring what they want out of this relationship, and their first step towards intimacy holds everything together and makes for a soft and sweet coming-of-age story!
The first tag on Yen Press’ page is romance, which is followed by LGBTQ+ and Boys’ Love. As you might have noticed, I’m also hesitant to readily call this series BL in the sense that it’s structurally different than the usual BL works, and it isn’t serialized in a BL magazine. But it will certainly appeal not only to BL fans, but romance lovers across the board. Everything that makes a romance series is included in My Lover Is Just Too Innocent to Handle as well and brought together in a cohesive manner.
In the very first pages, Hiyama asks Hasegawa out, and the puzzled boy agrees, but they’re not in an established relationship in the classic sense yet. They exchange a notebook that they use to communicate, talk about mundane details or make plans. This helps them get to know each other more. Being the one who confessed first and in his first ever romantic relationship, Hiyama has his fair share of anxiety around how to navigate this with Hasegawa. His mood swings from confident to hopeless, and despite being the most popular guy in the class, he’s the perfect example of what we call “panicked gay”! Apologies to Hiyama, but it’s so fun watching him go through all this, and the way Hasegawa can stay calm when he’s panicking and vice versa, makes this two-volume series a charming read. It’s not a contender to be your most memorable read by any means, but a delightful and perfectly fine pick for a low-stakes, cozy read.
Hirota’s page layout and paneling don’t attempt at anything interesting and instead stay on the safest path. Considering this is the creator’s first commercial manga, it’s a visually comfortable read. There are a few instances where Hirota gives the pages some room to breathe, and the usual energetic clutter of the pages comes to a halt to underline the emotionally charged moment. I would’ve liked to see more of those instances, and the creator is clearly equipped to pull it off. So I can safely say I’ll be looking forward to their future works!
The second and final volume of My Lover Is Just Too Innocent to Handle will be coming out in September, so you won’t be waiting for too long before you complete the story. The print version has a soft touch cover, comes in standard trim size, with a color page printed on glossy paper at the beginning. If you’re looking for a simple yet sweet and fun read where navigating the budding relationship is the focus rather than a climax where the spotlight is on the confession, then this two-volume series can be a great pick!
Header image taken from Hirota’s Instagram account. An advance reading copy was sent by Yen Press in exchange for an honest review.
My Lover Is Just Too Innocent to Handle Volume 1 by Hirota is available digitally and in print on Yen Press’ website and other retailers.
