Student x Teacher

Manga cover of the student x teacher series Faster than a Kiss

In case you’re confused, in japan word x word signifies a pairing, usually in a romantic way. I just thought I’d touch upon this subject briefly. It’s something that intrigues me more than bothers me.   I am an avid reader of mostly all types of literature, and this includes comics, graphic novels and manga. Also, since I’m a [mostly] broke college student, I tend to read my manga from online scanlation sites such as onemanga.com and mangafox.com. I don’t like to be biased and choosy with what I read–I think approaching and trying all different genres and stories makes for a more balanced reader, and more importantly, writer–so I tend to browse through short, updated series or completed series.

It’s mostly blind choosing. And more often than not I tend to choose shojo (female) series. And more often than not, these stories revolve around an increasingly romantic relationship between a high-school student and a teacher.  Normally this would be disturbing because it’s borderline pedophilia (in the U.S), but the school system in Japan is a bit different and MOST of the time the student is 17/18 years old, and the teacher is fresh out of college or graduate school, so between 22 & 25. Not so bad, right?

The premise is nearly always the same. Student encounters teacher outside of school, where the teacher looks like a normal person, and falls in love with him. Then when she gets to school, she finds out the man she’s in love with is her teacher! Oh no! Disastrous! What follows are situations where the two “lovebirds” lumped together, therefore increasing the sexual tension between them. By the end of the series, the student is with the teacher once she’s safely graduated.

There are a few variations, some kookie than others. In Faster than a Kiss for example ( the picture on top), the student has lost her parents and her homeroom teacher decides to take her in and care for her as if they were married. Very odd.

But I don’t mind reading these stories. The romantic developments are cute enough that if you ignore the age and status factor, the stories are plausible and enjoyable. And be honest, who’s never had a crush on a teacher before? It happens.

What I’m questioning is this: why is it such a big topic in Japan? Japanese high-schoolers don’t actually end up dating their teachers, do they? Maybe it’s the whole ‘taboo’ vibe the situation gives off. People like to flirt with what’s taboo, especially if it adds some spice to the mix. Also, Japan is known for tackling strange and out-of-the-norm subjects in their anime and manga.

Thoughts?