Hitomi-chan Is Shy With Strangers (Japanese: 瞳ちゃんは人見知り, Hepburn: Hitomi-chan wa Hito Mishiri) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Chorisuke Natsumi. It was serialized on Akita Shoten's online platform Manga Cross from September 2018 to May 2025.
Premise
One day while on his way to school, Yuu Usami meets a new transfer student named Hitomi Takano, who has an intimidating appearance. However, he later discovers she is actually shy. Yuu befriends Hitomi and over time, they start to develop feelings for each other.
Characters
Hitomi Takano (鷹野 瞳, Takano Hitomi)
Hitomi is a first-year high school student who has a scary appearance, but is actually shy and wants to be more social. She befriends Yuu on their way to school after Yuu realizes Hitomi is far more gentle and friendly than her intimidating presence suggests.
Yuu Usami (宇佐見 優, Usami Yū)
Yuu is a second-year high school student who befriends Hitomi. He is nicknamed "Usa-kun" (ウサ君) for short. While not nearly as athletic as Hitomi or Kaoru, he is a good student and tutors Hitomi in math.
Kaoru Usami (宇佐見 カオル, Usami Kaoru)
Kaoru is Yuu's younger sister, and Hitomi's classmate. She is much more athletic than Yuu and naturally outgoing. She admires that Hitomi has large breasts and toned abs.Ch. 3
Publication
Written and illustrated by Chorisuke Natsumi, Hitomi-chan Is Shy With Strangers was serialized on Akita Shoten's online platform Manga Cross [ja] from September 20, 2018, to May 1, 2025.[3][4] Akita Shoten collected its chapters in twelve tankōbon volumes, released from May 20, 2019,[5] to July 18, 2025.[6]
In May 2021, Seven Seas Entertainment announced that they had licensed the series for English release in North America in both physical and digital format.[7] The first volume was released on October 5, 2021.[8]
Caitlin Moore of Anime News Network described the first volume as a "mediocre iteration of the [romantic comedy] genre", and noted stylistic similarities to Azumanga Daioh in its artwork and humor, though she found the characters less engaging. She criticized the repetitive jokes and excessive fanservice, arguing that the series would likely only resonate with either newcomers to the genre or devoted fans seeking similar works, leaving little appeal for general audiences.[26]
^【9月20日付】本日発売の単行本リスト. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. September 20, 2023. Archived from the original on September 20, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
