| | |  | MANGA | Home » » » » Hot Gimmick, Vol. 1 (VIZBIG Edition) | | | | | | | Description: | | R to L (Japanese Style)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! | | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Miki Aihara | | Paperback:
| 552 pages | | Publisher:
| VIZ Media LLC | | Publication Date:
| March 17, 2009 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 1421523485 | | Package Length:
| 8.4 inches | | Package Width:
| 5.8 inches | | Package Height:
| 1.5 inches | | Package Weight:
| 2.0 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 36 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
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 Fall in love the hard wayAug 31, 2009
I first read Hot Gimmick as part of a "Coming Attractions" manga book. It only had the first several pages of the series, but from those several pages, i was HOOKED!!! Seriously, i thought my high school experience was bad!!! From the moment you open this series, you immediately become entangled in the web of false love, false friendship, and family secrets. Its a drama for teenage, and adult tastes alike!! All around AWESOME!!!
So Bad Yet So GoodJun 20, 2009
Oh, "Hot Gimmick"! I read this manga when it was first published (the old editions), and I was really into it. Here, I'll review the whole series, but I won't give any spoilers.
Let's start with the story. Amazon's already given a summary, but I will say that the story is good. It's got some pretty great twists and it keeps you wanting more. This manga is a total soap opera. Sometimes I think Aihara made it trashy on purpose. Yep, it's definitely a guilty pleasure, but it works. The story was good all the way until the end... and then it kind of petered out. I thought it was predictable, and I didn't feel like the characters had grown any since the beginning of the series.
They were never that strong to begin with. I liked Hatsumi ok, but she was pretty passive and let people walk all over her. But at least she wasn't self-loathing like a lot of shojo characters. I love selfish, spoiled characters like Ryoki, so he was definitely my favorite. And Azusa turned out to be interesting, too. Still, they're all pretty stereotypical. That didn't bother me much, though. I can enjoy manga with stereotypical characters as long as the author makes them likable, and that was the case here.
The art is unusual. It's simple, but it's got a stylized look to it. It took me a bit to get used to it, but I liked it. This edition also has extra color artwork, which was a bonus. There's also an essay by the editor, which turned out to be kind of entertaining (she claims to like the realism of the series, which causes me to wonder what universe she's from).
"Hot Gimmick" is not the most thoughtful manga ever written, but if you're looking for a good soap opera to indulge in, this is it. The story is dripping with drama and the characters are likable, albeit a little shallow. The ending is a little disappointing, but it's still worth reading, especially with the deal the VizBig editions offer. So go ahead- get a copy, lock the door, and enjoy!
0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
The best shoujo manga title ever!Apr 30, 2009
Having being a big fan of Hot Gimmick for a long time now, I just had to get this edition even though I have all of the 12 original manga volumes. It has been my #1 and still is. There are other shoujo manga that I love a lot but this one is still on the very top of my favorite manga list.
I will be collecting the VIZBIG Editions for this title and any other editions to come in the future.
A mature shojoApr 25, 2009
I picked this up after reading a preview in Shojo Beat magazine. This one is just on the edge of shojo. I don't recommend it for anyone under 14 unless you think they can handle it. The story deals with relationships, and some are abusive. There's some language, too.
I'm glad this is a big edition, because I couldn't stop reading! You get three volumes for under the price of 2, so you really make out with the savings. I'd rather buy it this way. Plus, the book is larger, so you can see some of the smaller art. There are also color pages of the individual covers included.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
 Thumbs DownMar 20, 2009
This book has great art but it sanctions bondage, rape, and abuse and excuses it because of "feelings" and cute guys.
Abuse is nothing to joke about and Hatsumi only reminds me of millions of sad abuse victims all over the world who settle for so much less because they are caught in some sick fantasy world that abuse = love. The effects of such a distorted view of love is felt everywhere in our society--all the brokeness and heartache and yet we refuse to see the cause begins with such flawed views of love. This series had nothing but animalistic lust. The only excusable characters in this whole thing was probably Subaru and Shinogu (MAYBE Shinogu).
What annoyed me was Hatsumi kept on putting herself in stupid and vulnerable situations. She shouldn't have been seeing that abusive, rapist Ryoki, yet she kept going to his place ALONE and fueling the fire even more. What she should have done was back off and stay away. For goodness sakes, call the cops! Get a restraining order! Feelings are a mile a minute and they can change rapidly. Romance minus WISDOM is suicide.
Ryoki . . .ugh, he disgusts me so much (that was probably the author's aim). He didn't care about the girl at all, it was just sexsexsexsex, and yet they end up together in the end. What a twisted message to send to teens. He may have looked drop dead handsome, but his behaviour made him very ugly to me. To force someone into sex is rape, pure and simple. Good looks do not excuse abuse and girls, stop trying to "change" bad boys. They won't (unless God does it or something--He got the 45 Calibur Killer after all).
Reading it also violated my conscience and got me thinking on relationships in an unhealthy way. I'm sad this misguided book is aimed at impressionable teens.
It's ironic that people shun the Biblical view of relationships where true, unselfish love is promoted. Where a husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church and died for it, and for wives to respect their husbands. There was zero love and respect between the main "couple" of the story.
Next time I see a manga going in this plot direction with sexually explicit scenes, I'm slamming it shut. I've finally learned my lesson.
Taz
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