Hot Gimmick

This will be my first review. I selected Hot Gimmick because it's the least enjoyable manga I've ever read, and I feel it warrants my critique the most.

Some may find my scoring a bit harsh, but I believe my ratings accurately reflect my feelings towards this manga. The sole reason I persisted with it until the end, rather than dropping it, is that I'm not one to give up easily.

Story: 4

The story lacks any originality whatsoever. Its only redeeming quality is its perverse ability to compel the reader to continue reading despite everything. It's essentially just your standard love triangle (or more accurately, a reverse harem). By the series' conclusion, you won't sense any character growth, and it certainly didn't leave me craving more. In fact, I was relieved to bid it farewell as the plot development was virtually nonexistent once I easily predicted all the twists.

Art: 2

The volume covers are misleading, in my opinion. The colored chapter images convey a completely different vibe compared to the sloppy, chicken-scratch art within the actual chapters. At times, the art is stereotypical shoujo with large eyes and lots of sparkle (which is fine, I suppose), but most of the time, especially when characters are shown from a profile view, the art feels empty, and the characters appear unattractive. I also despise when manga artists get lazy and use photo manipulations for background images instead of drawing them, and this technique is overused in Hot Gimmick.

Character: 4

The only thing preventing this score from being a 3 or even a 2 is Shinogu. Even he came across as lame, cheesy, and his ending was predictable and laughable, but at least he remained likable throughout the series. My biggest issue with the characters would be Hatsumi and Ryoki’s relationship. *Possible spoilers ahead* Ryoki consistently subjected Hatsumi to mental, physical, and sexual abuse. Hatsumi exhibited the lowest self-worth of any character I've encountered. She was an awful shoujo heroine, and I found myself rooting for her suffering because anyone that foolish deserves it. I loathed Ryoki; everything about him was repulsive and cruel, which made me hate Hatsumi even more. Weak-willed protagonists are my least favorite trope. They were terrible characters.

Enjoyment: 4

I'm being generous here. The only reason it scores this high is due to some strange, morbid fascination that allowed me to finish the series in a relatively short period (a couple of days) rather than dragging it out painfully.

Overall: 3

I wouldn't recommend this manga to anyone unless you enjoy weak-willed female protagonists who passively tolerate abuse.

I thoroughly enjoyed this series. The main male character is incredibly authentic. Initially, he displays a somewhat immature side, teasing the female lead as if she were someone he could bully. However, over time, he begins to realize his feelings for her and decides to step back for a while. Throughout this journey, he doesn't show genuine affection towards any other woman.

The main female character starts off terrified of the male lead. But as time progresses, she begins to warm up to him, sensing there might be more to him than she initially thought. Though he hurts her emotionally, he never physically harms her. At first, she dislikes him entirely but eventually finds him quite endearing.

The artwork is decent but not the best I've ever encountered. As the story unfolds, many characters start looking quite similar, with the exception of the male lead and his friend.

I absolutely adored this series. It turned out to be one of the most captivating love stories I've read in ages, ultimately sparking my interest in manga. I would recommend it to anyone who has ever been intrigued by an arrogant guy or wished for something thrilling to happen in their lives.

I am writing this entirely from memory, as it has been years since I first encountered it. When I read this as a high school student, I didn't find it particularly bad. The artwork immediately drew me in, but the story didn't captivate me as much as it did my friends. The main love interest was supposedly showing "tough love," demonstrating his affection by putting her through "challenging" situations. No.

I write this now because many other reviewers criticized the protagonist for her passive demeanor or blamed her for having a seemingly weak personality. However, we all know someone like that in real life. There are numerous girls—and people in general—who remain passive in their circumstances until it's too late to realize they were victims. What should never be acceptable is any boy, regardless of age, willingly assaulting and abusing another person. It is not the victim's responsibility to speak up, and this series fails to recognize that crucial point. I recall the "competing" love interest wasn't much better either. He was dull, 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. Instead, I urge you to spend time with a friend who truly cares about you and enjoy a good anime. Nobody deserves to be in a relationship as toxic as the one depicted here. Do not give them your money!

Hot Gimmick is a manga penned by Miki Aihara. This Shojo Manga zeroes in on Hatsumi Narita, a timid teenager residing within Japan's Company Housing complex. The narrative pivots around the challenges and lifestyles characteristic of such environments, with the core dynamics stemming from her interactions with significant males in her life: her brother, a childhood bully turned romantic interest, and an old friend who has returned to the complex.

Art: The artwork is commendable but lacks diversity. All characters are depicted as attractive, yet the tones and shading remain consistently light, offering minimal contrast. Unlike series such as Rurouni Kenshin, stark blacks are scarcely present here.

Story: While engaging, the plotline tends to be predictable. The essence of its appeal lies in not taking it too seriously; it offers humor and slight tension centered around relationships.

Characters: Though somewhat clichéd, they remain likable. Depth is limited, but sufficient variation exists among them to maintain intrigue.

Enjoyment: Initial engagement might take time (though never boring), but the manga truly shines through its comedic elements and jaw-dropping moments.

Conclusion: Hot Gimmick stands slightly above average. It features some risqué scenes but isn't defined by them. I purchased the VIZBIG edition, which compiles three volumes into one. Priced at $20 per book, with four books available, savings can be found on platforms like Amazon. Securing the set for approximately $45-60 would constitute a good deal.

Better Recommendations in Shojo: Consider exploring Fruits Basket or Nana for superior storytelling in this genre.

Normally, I wouldn't waste my time writing about something I detest, but I recently came across this manga online and it triggered some terrible memories. I didn't finish reading this manga during high school, yet I still feel entitled to talk about it since, in my opinion, no one should ever read it from start to finish (I skimmed through a few pages just to see how it ended).

Yes, this review will contain spoilers. Proceed with caution.

It's better to use the pages of this manga as toilet paper than to let your brain process even a single word. Hot Gimmick is absolute trash, featuring a female protagonist who has the mental capacity of a goldfish. Even as a teenager, I found this manga to be morally questionable. The main character seldom thinks for herself and is easily manipulated by everyone around her, including family and friends. At some point, it becomes nearly impossible to sympathize with her despite her near gang-rape experience and her continued relationship with an abusive boyfriend—this is when you realize just how poor the writing and storytelling are.

What truly bothers me is that this is categorized as a Shoujo manga. Granted, there might be plenty of Shoujo manga out there that are also garbage, but that doesn't justify why Hot Gimmick should fall into the same category. I was a naive teenager who read parts of it but was smart enough to stop. However, there are many young impressionable girls out there, and this manga should be flushed down the toilet before they get a chance to read it. It’s not worth anyone's time or thought. I understand that some people may not care if something is "morally" wrong (what are morals anyway, right?), but the writing in this manga is so bad that almost none of the characters are redeemable—not even the submissive and innocent main character.

Normally, I don't write reviews. But this manga desperately needs another one, and not in a good way.

Story: 3

The story revolves around a girl forced into sexual slavery by a wealthy man, who threatens to expose her sister's promiscuity otherwise. This would tarnish their family’s reputation in their apartment complex. The protagonist prioritizes her family's image over her own well-being, which is why I dropped the manga. Her self-sacrificing martyrdom is sickening, almost justifying the harassment she endures. The male lead is equally despicable, a true jerk, but his actions are supposedly justified because he loves her. Disgusting.

Characters: 3

I've read other manga with weak female leads and antagonistic males, but they didn’t make me feel as uncomfortable as this one. Watching the protagonist passively accept everything made me ill. She’s so overly nice that it becomes nauseating. She isn’t even realistic. The male lead is a classic jerk-in-love stereotype, which supposedly excuses his behavior, but not for me. He remains an arrogant ore-sama throughout. The supporting characters don’t develop either, except for her selfish sister who exploits her.

Art: 7

The artwork was commendable. Shoujo expressions were appropriately used during puns, and the drawings were pretty good overall.

Enjoyment: 3

I didn't enjoy this manga at all. The only redeeming quality was the art. Otherwise, it left me feeling disturbed without any actual rape scenes. Well done, mangaka. I’d give you a 4 for effort!

I do not recommend this manga. It’s disturbing and makes you feel sick. Avoid it.

I don't usually write reviews, but this one really bothered me. A lot of the story is decent, like the scandal between the families from eight years ago and the revelation about the non-blood-related brother. That's all fine and dandy. HOWEVER, the main character being such a pushover, getting hit and not reacting, taking orders from the jerk as if it's common sense... (it makes me realize how American I am) — plus, most of the characters are awful throughout most of the story.

That's all that needs to be said.

While I was reading this manga, initially, I found the story to be quite ordinary. It seemed like a typical narrative where a love triangle emerges, and a couple forms while one guy is left out in the cold. Predictably, this guy is portrayed as the despicable one whom the main heroine has no interest in falling for. However, unexpected twists and developing mysteries soon unfolded. By the conclusion of the story, the ending was surprisingly fitting, though upon reflection, it couldn't have ended any other way.

Overall, I would still recommend reading this manga, but I found the heroine extremely irritating. She lets men dominate her life excessively and fails to grasp the gravity of her actions. In the beginning, the story might appear to progress slowly and seem overly cheerful—trust me, something unfortunate will happen sooner rather than later.

Additionally, I felt that one of the main male characters was overly fixated on sex. He equated sex with being the most crucial aspect of a relationship, which sends an inappropriate message to the audience. I also disliked how the heroine allowed herself to be pushed around by this male character.

Hot Gimmick somewhat sets the premise of Cinderella: A poor but attractive young woman meets a rich and handsome young man. However, it quickly turns into a blackmail master-slave narrative with desperate attempts to justify the main character's feelings towards an abusive love interest.

It's a rather disturbing story, to say the least, portraying a girl being pressured into falling in love with an abusive partner who treats her like a slave, but somehow it's "okay" because he "loves" her. The main character's passive response to various sexual assaults, including attempted gang rape, was more aggravating than anything else.

The message this story conveys is so terrible that even though I appreciated Miki Aihara's artwork, I couldn't give it more than a 3 overall. If this work were created as adult content, I might be more forgiving, but since it targets a young female audience, there are just too many morally wrong elements for it to be acceptable.

I've never written a review before. I can't say I've read all the manga or seen all the anime, but I've read my fair share of manga. However, I've never written a review before. Well, Hot Gimmick made me feel an emotion extreme enough to write a review. And I've never done that before.

It's horrible. I hate it. There are no "bad guys" but all the characters are terrible people. *SPOILER* The main character is in an abusive relationship. I've seen couples, I've been part of a couple, and I loathe girls who date guys that treat them like dirt. Yes, I hate those guys too, but they only act that way because there are no consequences for their actions. I'm not saying that all girls should date unattractive geeks with glasses because they'd 'treat them better', but that's reality and this is a manga. There are no ugly people in this world. Absolutely everybody except the guy the main character is dating and his mom treats her with the utmost care. Well, her childhood friend tried to have her raped. The author still tries to redeem his character though. Remember what I said about there not being any "bad guys"? He damn well tried to rape her just to piss someone else off. But he's not a bad guy. Her boyfriend, who blackmailed her, physically abuses her, verbally abuses her, is not ashamed at all of the fact that he cares about himself and only himself, isn't a "bad guy" because he 'only wants to do it with [her]'. Like not screwing the girl his mom picked out for him redeems him. There are, of course, characters who seem to genuinely care about the main character, but she stays with the guy who hits her? Who actually thinks her only purpose in life is to be his personal slave? *SPOILER* There's no nudity in this manga, so if you're looking for some freaky S&M doujinshi this isn't it. It's the story about a horrible person, surrounded by horrible people in an average world and the author tries to make bullies and corrupt rich people look like knights in shining armor. If a guy like Ryoki Yachibanan existed in real life, he'd get the crap kicked out of him trying to rape the neighbor girl, I don't care who his mom is. And you'd think that she, and I know this is gonna come out of left field, might not want to continue dating someone who constantly beats her up. It's not a dystopian society, so there's no call for it.

It's just a really, really bad manga. I kept reading it, thinking the payoff would be so sweet when she finally dumps the asshole and starts seeing someone else, anyone else, but no, the guy forces her back into an abusive relationship, and she just cries and goes with him because "I can't help I love him". She doesn't, by the way. Being the main character, we see her perspective often, and he terrifies her. I can't stress enough how bad of a person he is, and yet, she's worse, because she lets him be a bad guy.

At first glance, Hot Gimmick seems to diverge from the typical abusive boy-stupid girl relationship stereotype. This is mainly because the main characters often come across as too edgy in being themselves.
However, this impression only holds true at a surface level. Upon deeper inspection, it becomes clear that the characters are well-developed and their actions are mostly justified. It surprised me to see so many negative reviews.
Firstly, Hatsumi, who appears not very bright, unassertive, and annoyingly accommodating, initially comes off as a poor role model. But on closer examination, she shows devotion to her friends and family and values everyone's feelings, which leads to her constant troubles. Her ability to be gentle to all, regardless of how they treat her, forms the core of the story. Enter Ryouki, the most despicable character imaginable. His behavior, motivated by his lack of friendships and a proper family, is understandable and straightforward. Naturally drawn to Hatsumi due to her kindness, he struggles with communication and dealing with people, leading to their tumultuous relationship.
Their dynamic may seem overly pushy or violent, but it stems from their stark differences—Hatsumi is shy and overly concerned about others, while Ryouki doesn't care for anyone else. Hatsumi’s character development is minimal until the end when she finally makes a decision and stands firm, a significant step given her personality. Meanwhile, Ryouki’s growth is subtle yet substantial; he becomes aware of his feelings despite being annoyed by them, even if he continues to mistreat Hatsumi.
For fans of Azusa-Hatsumi or Shinogu-Hatsumi pairings, these were doomed from the start since Ryouki is central to the plot, and his personality aligns uniquely with Hatsumi’s kindness. While Ryouki’s actions towards Hatsumi seem heartless, they are easier to forgive compared to Azusa and Shinogu's betrayals. He's simply an asshole (in love with her), without ulterior motives. The sexual tension between them can be attributed to his feelings and her passivity, with his frequent mentions of wanting to practice furthering the narrative.
Overall, I enjoyed the story. The supporting characters were well-developed, though the dramatic twists felt excessive. The artwork was good, albeit with minor room for improvement. I wouldn’t recommend it to those who don't seek underlying motives behind actions, as it would merely appear as an abusive tale of a naive girl and an obnoxious boy.