Hot Gimmick

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 uniquein 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. =]

This will be my first review. I chose Hot Gimmick because it's the least enjoyable manga I've read so I feel like it needs my critique the most. I think some people might find my scoring a little harsh, but I think my ratings fairly illustrate my feelings toward this manga. There's a simple reason why I stuck with it all the way instead of adding it to my dropped list and it's because I'm not a quitter. Story: 4 There isn't single scrap of originality to the story. Really the only good thing it has going for it is the perverse way the reader can'thelp but continue reading. It's just your basic love triangle (actually it's more like a reverse harem). By the end of the short series, you don't really get the feeling that the characters matured any and it definitely did not leave me wanting more. I was actually very happy to say good riddance because the plot development was pushing non-existent once I easily figured out all the predictable "twists". Art: 2 The volume covers are misleading, in my opinion. When you look at the colored chapter images you get a completely different feeling than when you look at the sloppy, chicken-scratch art in the actual chapters. There are times when the art is stereotypical shoujo with big eyes and lots of sparkle (which is fine, I guess) but most of the time (and especially when the characters are shown from a profile view) the art is empty and the characters are ugly. I also hate when manga-ka get lazy and use photo manips for background images instead of drawing it, and manips are used far too often in Hot Gimmick. Character: 4 The only thing keeping this from being a 3 or a 2 is Shinogu. Even he was lame, cheesy, and his ending was predictable and laughable, but at least he was likable throughout the entire series. I would say my biggest problem with characterizations would be Hatsumi and Ryoki's relationship with each other. *Possible spoilers* Ryoki was constantly mentally, physically, and sexually abusive to Hatsumi. Hatsumi had the lowest sense of self-worth out of any character I've ever read about. She was a terrible shoujo heroine and I was kind of rooting for her to suffer because anyone that dumb deserves it. I hated Ryoki. Everything about him was disgusting and cruel, which means I hated Hatsumi even more. Weak-willed protagonists are my least favorite things. They were terrible characters. Enjoyment: 4 I'm being generous. And the only reason it's this high is because I had some kind of weird, morbid fascination that allowed me to finish the series in a relatively short amount of time (a couple of days) rather than tortuously dragging it out. Overall: 3 I would not recommend this manga to anyone unless you like weak-willed female protagonists who passively tolerate abuse.

I am writing this completely from memory because it has been years. When I read this as a high school girl, I did not think it was bad. The art attracted me immediately but the story was not as interesting to me as it was to my girl friends. The main love interest was just "showing her tough love" and presenting how much he could care for her by putting her through "difficult" situations. No. I write this now because most of the other reviewers ragged on the protagonist for her passive attitude or somehow blamed the protagonist for having a watered down personality. However, weall know a girl like that in real life. There are many girls (and people in general) who are passive to their situation because they never realized they were a victim until it was too late. What should not be okay is a boy, no matter their age, willingly assaulting and abusing another person. It is not up to the victim to speak up and that is definitely one thing this series fails to acknowledge. I remember the "competing" love interest was also not that great. He was boring and, while he might have cared more than the protagonist's boyfriend, I remember him being emotionally abusive and forcing her into terrible situations as well. I recommend this to no one and I implore you to find a friend who loves you and enjoy a good anime instead because nobody deserves to be in a relationship as bad as this one. Do not give them your money!