Hot Gimmick 2
Ages: Older teens

Hatsumi is on Cloud 9 when male model and childhood buddy Azusa asks her tobe his girlfriend. But all is not as well as it seems. Hatsumi still has to get our from under the creepy clutches of her master-slave relationship with Ryoki who insists on continuing to blackmail her. And on the night of her first date with Azusa, her dad intervenes and grounds her. But that is not the worst of it because something's up with Azusa and her knight in shining armor nay not be as he seems.

Reviewed by: Editor - 12/04

I have a friend who has been an avid Hot Gimmick fan ever since the manga's started to appear on the shelves. She would always rant to me of the antics of Hatsumi, Ryoki, Azusa, and eagerly enlighten me on every little detail of the plot. So when I was first asked to review the second book in the series, my first reaction was to gasp in horror and run in the opposite direction. However, after reading this book (Drawn by Miki Aihara), I can see what would charm a reader into the land of obsessive fan girls. The plot is entertaining, with a bunch of twists and turns. And the real villain of the story is not who you would think it is. That alone intrigued me enough to want to read the first book. The art is cute, with absolutely gorgeous eyes. (Although sometimes, they're just too big for the characters bodies.) My other tiff with the art is that I think the main character looks too young for her actual age. Other then that, this is a beautifully drawn piece, and I enjoyed reading it. I would say this is an example of shoujo at it zany best. After all, in a plot filled with models, love slaves and the wackiest apartment building ever, what else could it be? I think the age range on this manga should be rather high, from about 14 at the least to 16. This manga contains many mature themes, such as teenage sex, smoking, drinking and the whole "love slave" idea. All in all, I would say that while this manga is an enjoyable ride, there is no real value to the book. I would rate it a 7 out of 10.

Reviewed by: Vivian Baker - 03/05