Mr. Sahara & Toki-kun – Series Review & Episode Guide

Toki is a teenage delinquent with an infamous reputation. He smokes, skips classes, and starts brawls. All the other students and staff view him as an unruly troublemaker, while Toki lazes around without believing in himself. However, a new teacher's arrival changes his trajectory.

Mr. Sahara is a young high school teacher starting his first day on the job. Due to his handsome looks and easygoing personality, he becomes popular with the students. Unlike most, Mr. Sahara approaches Toki with genuine concern. He doesn't dismiss the rebellious teen as a lost cause. Instead, he motivates Toki and encourages him to take his studies seriously.

Inspired by his mentor, Toki starts showing up for classes. He befriends Rise, one of the students sitting beside him. Toki's grades are terrible. He's at risk of failing his exams. Mr. Sahara introduces him to Todo, a senior student who is intelligent and popular. Todo helps him study. Despite learning a lot, Toki is disappointed. He assumed Mr. Sahara would be giving him private tutoring lessons instead.

Mr. Sahara is close with all his students. He maintains a warm relationship with Toki and helps him settle in class. Toki develops a secret schoolboy crush on his kind-hearted teacher. He always hopes they can spend alone time together. However, Toki gets nervous and struggles with his feelings. Despite his friendliness, Mr. Sahara doesn't show any romantic signals.

Let's begin the Mr. Sahara & Toki-kun review by addressing the elephant in the room. A romance between a schoolteacher and his student is highly problematic. The age difference between an adult and his teenage love interest raises many red flags. To make matters worse, a teacher should be a trusted figure for vulnerable youths. Mr. Sahara misuses his authority by taking advantage of his influence over Toki. He should know better than to entertain an unethical relationship with a troubling power dynamic.

Despite the insidious nature of the romance, Mr. Sahara & Toki-kun downplays the scandal. The characters behave obliviously, never consider the repercussions, and even encourage the hookup. The series excludes parental figures or opposing voices who may object to the inappropriate relationship. Instead, it pretends to be a carefree, cheerful high school drama while promoting dangerous ideas. Also, the story lacks complexity since it avoids sensitive topics. Mr. Sahara & Toki-kun seems ignorant for not addressing the real-life risks of a teacher-student couple.

At least Mr. Sahara & Toki-kun is written coherently. I can follow the straightforward narrative without confusion. It's faint praise, but other BL shows struggle to meet the bare minimum. With that said, the storylines are dull and unoriginal. Like a lifeless high school drama, it relies on tired tropes that offer little surprise or substance. Besides lots of pointless fluff, even the serious plots feel juvenile due to the unsophisticated writing. The series approaches the topics shallowly without nuanced themes. Every episode resembles a corny, childish after-school special.

Mr. Sahara's actor (Takumi Kizu) looks so handsome. Casting such a dreamboat as the leading man is a massive win for BL fans. Unfortunately, the bland role doesn't showcase his charisma. He has no personality besides being a mentor with a pretty face. I also condemn Mr. Sahara's creepiness toward a student, but he's too dull to hate passionately. His costar (Rintaro Hachimura) is guilty of overacting. The series includes over-the-top moments, like comical scenarios ripped from a manga. Yet, the performer exaggerates too much and can't execute the humour.

The series has a superficial understanding of how to write a love story. It only focuses on cliched relationship drama like confessions, secret crushes, or love triangles. The uninspiring plots don't illustrate why the leads are attracted to each other. Toki becomes lovestruck in the first episode, even though he barely knows his teacher. Meanwhile, Mr. Sahara shows no signs of returning his feelings. Yet, a romance springs up anyway without much justification. The couple also shares zero chemistry. This drama pretends otherwise, but there's no desire in the passionless scenes.

Although a secondary pair exists, their romance is underdeveloped. The characters vanish during the story's second half instead of highlighting their bond. The last few episodes also introduce a pesky rival. I rooted for Nekoto since he's an age-appropriate love interest. That said, his relationship drama occupies too much time without achieving anything. The focus should have shifted to relevant plots. From the icky couple to the iffy writing, everything about Mr. Sahara & Toki-kun feels vapid. If not for the sake of doing a review, I'd never want to watch this lousy BL series.