Hello again, on this cold March afternoon. (So cold, my hands are a bit unresponsive from the cold, made evident by the fact I had to respell unresponsive at least 4 times ._.) Today I bring you... *drum roll* HOT GIMMICK! *squeal*
Hot Gimmick
Story & Art by: Miki Aihara
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Synopsis: The story revolves around Hatsumi Narita, a passive sixteen-year-old girl who lives in a company housing complex that is ruled by the tyrannical Mrs. Tachibana, the wife of the company's vice president. How a family behaves in the housing complex can affect an employee's status in the company. When her promiscuous younger sister Akane thinks she might be pregnant, Hatsumi gets talked into buying her a pregnancy test. Unfortunately, things don't go exactly as planned and Hatsumi is blackmailed by Ryoki Tachibana, the arrogant teenage son of the powerful Tachibana family who bullied her as a kid, into being his slave.
Art Review: 4.5/5I love everything about Miki Aihara's style except for her eyes. I'm not sure why, but they always bothered me. Despite that, the backgrounds are amazing, the detailing is awesome, I especially love how clean the art comes out.
Story Review: Without a doubt, this is one of my FAVORITE mangas of all time. I read from start to finish for this series and I fully enjoyed it. The story flows so well together, even with the sideplots of Akane, Hatsumi's little sister. Finding out Asuka's past was so suspenseful and perfectly timed to make the series all the more dramatic. Ryoki's commanding nature makes this manga so frustrating, because Hatsumi is just so incapable of making her own decisions and incapable of seeing what is right for her. Let's get it out there; I know all you readers out there wanted Hatsumi to be with Shinogu too.. *spoiler alert* Grr, Shinobu, why did you have to go and shave your head and become a priest?! WHYYY D:< *spoiler alert* One can connect so well with the passive Hatsumi in her abusive relationship becoming normalized. Additionally, I am the type to hate when people reuse characters to make additional plot devices, the usage of Asuka is actually pretty good. This manga as a whole delves into the deeper workings of society, as shown in Mrs.Tachibana's tyranny. The ending was super cute, despite *spoiler alert* Ryoki marrying Hatsumi. I SO wanted Shinogu to be with Hatsumi, I don't care if they are adopted brother and sister. *spoiler alert* Overall, this was a fantastic manga, if you are a shoujo fan, I highly recommend you read Miki Aihara's work, all of it is simply amazing~
10/10
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