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The Complete Series

Hot Gimmick: Volume 1
Hot Gimmick: Volume 2
Hot Gimmick: Volume 3

all reviews by eva

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Hot Gimmick Volume 1
by Miki Aihara
ISBN: 1591162149
Viz, 2003

Remember back in high school when you would convince your mother that you were *cough* much too sick to *cough* go to school and as soon as she left for work you would *cough, cough* turn on Days of our Lives to see what Jack and Jennifer were up to?  No?  Maybe it was just me.  But it is the same kind of compelling/repellent characters in quasi-believable situations combined with over the top drama that draws me to Hot Gimmick.  Hatsumi is a good girl who cares more about others than she cares about herself.  Ryoki is a controlling jerk who has never had a reason to grow up.  Azusa is the pretty boy who has returned to town determined to solve the mystery behind his mother s death.  Shinogu is Hatsumi s brother who has a few secrets of his own.  Put these four characters together, add a little revenge, mistaken identity, parental scheming, and a dash of sexual tension, and the result is pure soap opera.  Miki Aihara s artwork is clean, the layout is easy to follow, and there are very few  shoujo moments  of butterflies and flowery backgrounds, making the story seem more immediate and realistic.  It is because of this sense of realism that Hot Gimmick, and Hatsumi in particular, can be difficult to buy into.  A soap opera depends on the viewer s ability to suspend disbelief.  If the audience is unwilling to go along with the outrageousness of the characters and plot, the whole thing falls apart.  In order for Hot Gimmick to work, the reader must be willing to wait a very, very long time as Hatsumi slowly, slowly begins to assert herself.  For some, the wait may be too long.

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Hot Gimmick Volume 2
by Miki Aihara
ISBN: 1591162270
Viz , 2003

After much prompting, Hatsumi confesses her feelings to Azusa and he kisses her. While she blushes with happiness, the look on Azusa's face is cold. Ryoki, furious upon learning that Azusa and Hatsumi are now a couple, tries to tell Hatsumi that Azusa is up to something and demands that his slave have nothing more to do with Azusa. Hatsumi, confident that Azusa will protect her, tells her master to get stuffed then sneaks out of the house to meet Azusa for her first real date. Azusa slips something into Hatsumi's drink, causing her to get woozy and sleepy very quickly. Luckily, Shinogu is a waiter at the club and sees Hatsumi in distress, paying for her cab ride home. Azusa, disgusted that his dastardly plan was foiled, tells Shinogu that he is awfully protective of a girl who isn't really his sister. Ryoki, who is in complete control of the rest of his life, is not sure how to react to his new feelings for Hatsumi and the hold he sees Azusa has over his slave. Shinogu, who has previously appeared only as a doting brother, suddenly becomes a player in the drama when it becomes clear that he already knew he is not related to Hatsumi. And, what happened to cause Azusa to want revenge so badly he is willing to hurt his childhood friend? After volume two, the reader begins to question who the heroes of this story really are.

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Hot Gimmick Volume 3
by Miki Aihara
ISBN: 1591162289
Viz , 2004

Hatsumi arrives at a party thrown by Azusa only to discover she has been set-up. Azusa has told his friends that Hatsumi is ready, willing and up for grabs. It turns out Azusa wants Hatsumi to feel the same sense of betrayal his mother felt after being dumped by her lover, Hatsumi s father, and for her father to have to deal with a broken daughter the way Azusa had to pick up the pieces after his mother died of a broken heart. Ryoki rescues Hatsumi, then proceeds to berate her for falling for a guy who never loved her. When he makes a pass at her, Hatsumi accuses Ryoki of being like the guys at the party; he continues to push her regardless of her feelings. Not liking the comparison, Ryoki offers to make Hatsumi his girlfriend instead of his slave. Hatsumi 's passive nature has never been more obvious than in this volume. Hatsumi is faced with attempted rape, but does almost nothing to defend herself and tells no one about the incident, even after Shinogu asks her what happened. She continues to allow herself to be belittled by Ryoki, Ryoki's mother, and even her younger sister. Ryoki is the only one who seems to show any growth at all when he attempts to fix Hatsumi's problems by telling her what they are. If anything, Hatsumi and Ryoki serve as good examples of what not to do in these situations. Starting with this volume, libraries in conservative areas may want to move this series to their adult collection.

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