Manga Mondays (1): Hot Gimmick Vol. 1 by Miki Aihara

Manga Mondays "is a weekly feature exploring the world of manga"; Hosted by Alison Can Read.

Title: Hot Gimmick Vol. 1
Author: Miki Aihara
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
Rating: 4 Stars
Source: Bought
Age Rating: PG-13

Synopsis:

In company-owned rabbit-hutch apartments live tenants who can't afford to live anywhere else, and the apartment complex in which high-school girl Hatsumi Narita lives is ruled over by the rumor mongering, self-righteous Mrs. Tachibana. Get on Tachibana's bad side, and life becomes hell. When Hatsumi has to buy a pregnancy test because her popular sister Akane is late, Mrs. Tachibana's son, Ryoki, who used to bully Hatsumi as a kid, promises not to tell the world about Hatsumi's secret, only if she becomes his slave. Suddenly Azusa, Hatsumi's protector in their youth, reappears to save her again! He's moving back into the neighborhood! Despite the budding romance between Hatsumi and Azusa, Ryoki has control over her through the secret that could ruin the lives of everyone in Hatsumi's family, and he hasn't forgotten who his slave is!

Hatsumi is a sensible and mild-mannered young girl, but she suddenly finds herself in a swirl of drama that threatens to drive her totally crazy. Her younger sister is a shameless flirt and might be pregnant. [Oh no!] An old friend is back in town and is now a famous (and hot) fashion model.[Swoon...]Her neighbor is a bully and is blackmailing her to be his love slave. [Hate him!!]And this is just the beginning! Miki Aihara turned the manga world upside down with her salacious, outrageous, and funny hit series. If you think being a teenager in America is hard, wait until you read Hot Gimmick. These Tokyo boys and girls are really messed up!

Buy Links

 Amazon – Barnes and Noble

My Thoughts

Out of the frying pan and into the fire!

This is just what Hatsumi’s day has been like. She goes from trying to buy a pregnancy test for her sister without anyone seeing her to becoming the slave of the person she hates most in the world. The story itself is pretty fast paced with a lot of surprises thrown in. It was definitely a book with a lot of emotions both for the characters and the readers themselves. There were many times where I wanted to stop reading because I was so angry at certain people in the book, but I always came back for more. All in all it was a fun and intense read that will put you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions, but it also gets you thinking and can really pull at your heartstrings.

Hatsumi is a sweet girl and I really empathized with her a lot. She has a big heart, but sometimes it can get her into a little trouble. All in all I really liked her character and will continue to root for her as the series progresses. She is one of those characters that really steal your heart and I can’t wait to find out how the rest of her story goes.

The other main character is Ryoki who is not one of my favorites. He is a very interesting character in his own right though. He can be a bit overbearing at times, but he also has a sweet side to him that shows through at just the right moments. It is plain to see for me anyway that he really does care for Hatsumi in his own way. I’m not quite sure where things will go in this series, but I hope I get to see a little more about him and his back story in later volumes.

Overall this is a fun read that Shojo fans should definitely pick up!