Ranked #2924

Hot Gimmick (Manga)

I don't usually write reviews, but I thought I would for this. The story is not particularly original centering on a blackmail master-slave relationship that turns into something more. Very cliche in the shojo manga industry. Unrealistically stereotypical characters abounded

The thing that really bothered me was the main character being molested on several occasions, and almost gang-raped by her boyfriend's clique (on his orders) and not contacting any authorities or anything (and staying friends with these people). It was very disturbing that the main character was such a dolt- not a very good self-image for young girls who read this. She also definately chose the wrong guy to fall in love with-her main crush was a total jerk and treated her with nothing but disrespect and forced her to choose between him and everything else she loved on several occasions (while on other occasions verbally, physically or borderline sexually abusing her). She went along with his increasingly absurd demands even though his only goal seemed to be to sleep with her (on a couple occasions some semblance of humanity on his part showed through but these were usually a guise to get to his ultimate goal). The side story romance between the main character's sister and her childhood guy-friend was more interesting and realistic than the main story. Also, I disapproved of her ultimate guy-choice at the end. In conclusion, this is a poorly written review for a poorly written manga. read more

After picking up this manga, I thought the beginning was very interesting but as the story was unfolding, it took a long time to develop which was a little bit unnerving. Even though it was slow in progression, the plot twists did make me feel caught up in the story and was able to keep me reading until the very last chapter. If you like mystery, there's a little bit of that thrown in too. There's also very "adult" themes like sex in it but it does not take up more than 5% of the manga.

---------The GOOD---------
I liked this manga because it was very unique in its storyline. It used realistic aspects that parodied the dangers of romance [heartbreak, betrayal, etc.] and the importance of family. The climax of the plot was worth reading cause it was definitely something I did not expect. [When you begin to think that 'oh that's the story' and relax, you soon realize it ends up becoming a beginning to another twist]

I really also liked how Aihara Miki develops each character so you feel a strong attachment/emotion to them when 'its their time to shine' and you don't forget their importance afterwards if they don't come back for a few chapters. The art for it is really well done and the dialogue is good too.

It also delves into many issues that are very serious so it would be hard to understand the circumstances going on in the manga if the reader is not in high school yet.

---------The BAD---------
What I didn't like was how the main character, Hatsumi, acts. [if you are really a feminist, then this might not be the right thing for you ^^;] This manga is particularly long and if you can deal with her constantly being confused by what she wants, having very little self-confidence, or acting submissive all the time, then maybe you can make it all the way to the end of the series. It was very annoying to deal with this aspect but it causes you to focus more on the guys in the storyline and their feelings/actions and the plot itself.

***Overall, if you can stand her, its a really good read. There will be moments that will make you mad, sad, disgusted or feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Although, I personally wasn't happy with the ending but maybe you might be. If you are looking for something with depth, then this is the manga for you. =] read more