Hot Gimmick

(Viz, 2003-2005)
™ and © Viz Communications, Inc.
Graphic novel; Read right to left; B&W

Teen-age girl Hatsumi is between a rock and a hard place. Living with nosy neighbors in a city housing complex, she tries to do her older sister Akane a big favor. But, just when she thinks that no one saw her buy a pregnancy test, up pops her childhood tormenter Ryoki. As he blackmails her to be his “slave” lest he tattle on her, can Hatsumi ever get in the clear?

Luckily for her, her old friend Azusa has returned to school, more popular than ever. Can he rescue her from the malicious designs of Ryoki, who may want to claim his payment in a way that is too close for her comfort? And will that ruin her chances of happiness with the one she really cares about?

Female readers who love the sexual innuendo in Seventeen and Teen People, this one’s for you. Drawn in a style somewhere between an ad for American Eagle and Hot Topic, Aihara magnifies how one tiny faux pas can result in a mountain of trouble. The mental torture and social awkwardness that arise tiptoe between realism and nightmare, which is ample fodder for those addicted to adolescent soap operas.

— Oliver Chin

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Notes

Writer

Artist

#11

December, 2005
Cover Price: $9.99
1 copy available for $8.00

Miki Aihara

Book #2

June, 2009
Cover Price: $17.99
1 copy available for $14.99

Miki Aihara