The series by mangaka Hanamaru Kira was published under the title “Okuremashite Seishun” starting in October 2023 in Kodansha’s shojo magazine Dessert. Recently, the series concluded and will end with five volumes.
At the end of February 2026, the series launched in English through Kodansha USA.
How was it?
Wakaba Kayano is twenty years old and a university student. She should really be in the middle of a new phase of life, but internally she is still clinging to something she never truly got to experience: her school days. While others deepened friendships in high school, had their first dates, hung out together after class, or collected small romantic moments at school festivals, Wakaba mostly studied. Her youth was shaped by discipline, ambition, and the desire to get into university.
On Halloween, Wakaba puts on her old school uniform and is overcome by the desire to make up for that feeling she missed out on back then at least once. In the process, she meets Fumito, who is also dressed like a high school student. Wakaba initially genuinely believes he is a student and goes on a date with him that comes pretty close to her idea of an ideal school romance. When it later comes out that Fumito is also a university student, the initially somewhat awkward irritation dissolves, but the beginning intentionally remains a little strange.
That exact opening is the point where Hitting Rewind With You can briefly stumble. The fact that Wakaba initially goes on a date with someone she believes to be a high school student is a setup that inevitably makes you pause. Even if the situation clears up quickly and the manga never develops a problematic dynamic from it, the first impression still feels a little odd. At this point, you have to be willing to grant the story that it understands its own absurd impulse and does not take it too seriously. Once Fumito’s actual age is clarified, the volume settles into its tone much more comfortably.
At its core, this is not an age-gap story, but rather about two young adults who both feel like they missed out on something. Wakaba sacrificed her youth to studying. Fumito, meanwhile, was heavily focused on basketball and likewise never had many typical romantic experiences. That makes their dynamic pleasantly balanced. Neither of them is the experienced one guiding the other along. Both are awkward in their own way, both are beginners, both are trying to experience these belated moments together.
That in particular is one of the great strengths of this first volume. Hitting Rewind With You is not simply about Wakaba romanticizing her school years while Fumito serves as the perfect projection surface. Instead, a kind of shared game develops between them. They wear school uniforms, go on dates, recreate classic romantic moments, and try to feel something they never had before. That could easily feel very artificial, but the manga is self-aware enough to soften that danger. It knows its premise is silly. It also knows that Wakaba sometimes behaves in a completely over-the-top manner. That is exactly where much of its charm comes from.
Wakaba is clearly the heart of the volume. She is a lovable mess with a wonderfully nerdy enthusiasm. The moment she gets the chance to recreate a supposedly classic high school experience, she throws herself into it completely. A date after school, a festival, a visit to an amusement park, little moments together in uniform. For Wakaba, none of this is trivial — it is almost sacred. She reacts dramatically, awkwardly, emotionally, and sometimes with such intensity that you cannot help but smile.
At the same time, she never becomes just a joke character. Her longing is understandable, even if you personally may not share it. Not everyone wants to relive their school years. For some, that time was wonderful; for others, stressful; and for still others, simply a phase they are glad to have left behind. The manga absolutely romanticizes youth, but it does so consciously through Wakaba’s perspective. For her, the school uniform does not merely represent a particular stage of life, but a version of herself she never got to try out. She does not actually want to be a student again. She wants to finally experience the feelings she missed back then.
Fumito works very well as her counterpart. He is calmer, a bit teasing, and surprisingly willing to go along with Wakaba’s ideas. At the same time, he never feels like a passive companion. He plays along, observes her, reacts to her moments of overwhelm, and still gives her enough room to indulge in her fantasies. He has that slightly reserved, somewhat tsundere-like energy without ever coming across as cold or unpleasant. One particularly nice aspect is that he never makes fun of Wakaba. He could mock her enthusiasm, but he does not. Instead, he takes her wishes seriously, even when the situations are often ridiculous.
Because of that, their relationship develops surprisingly naturally. Of course, everything here is highly constructed: two university students putting on school uniforms to recreate missed-out youth dates. But emotionally it works because both are on equal footing. You quickly feel that something is developing between them, even while Wakaba repeatedly doubts whether Fumito is interested in her at all.
Content-wise, the volume intentionally stays light. There are no major dramas, no heavy conflicts, and no deeply serious exploration of lost youth. Hitting Rewind With You is a sweet, slightly silly romance. At the same time, this is also where a possible weakness of the series lies. The concept is very specific and already gets used quite extensively in the first volume. Several classic dating scenarios are already covered, which raises the question of how long the premise can sustain itself.
The convenience of certain situations also stands out. The manga arranges its romantic moments very neatly, sometimes almost too neatly. Coincidences, opportunities, and perfect little scenarios line up rather smoothly. Anyone looking for realism definitely will not find it here. But that also does not seem to be the goal. Hitting Rewind With You wants to be a playful, charming fantasy about making up for missed memories. As long as you embrace that, the opening works very well.
The art style is modern, clean, and very fitting for a light romance. The characters look attractive, the romantic moments have enough sparkle, and the comedy scenes are further elevated by the strong “face game.”
The series is being published by Kodansha in a large-format edition.
Is Hitting Rewind With You worth reading?
Hitting Rewind With You is a light, humorous, and lovable romance opener with an original core idea. The beginning is briefly awkward, and the concept could become challenging in the long run, but the first volume makes a lot out of it. Wakaba is a compelling protagonist because she is embarrassing, honest, enthusiastic, and incredibly likable. Fumito complements her well without stealing the spotlight.
Anyone who enjoys classic shojo romance but wants a small variation on familiar school romance stories will likely feel right at home here. Hitting Rewind With You is not heavy, dramatic, or especially profound. Instead, the manga is warmhearted, funny, charming, and pleasantly self-aware in all the right places.