From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hot Gimmick (ホットギミック, Hotto Gimikku
?) is a 12-volume shōjo manga by
Miki Aihara that was
serialized in the Japanese manga anthology Betsucomi from December 2000 to July
2005. The English release is currently published by Viz Media. In addition to
the manga, there are also two drama CDs and an alternate ending
novel entitled Hot Gimmick S.
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.
The first volume of this series is mostly an introduction for
all the characters and plotlines, and any possible readers of this
series are warned that things do not stay as they seem for long.
The main male characters (Ryoki, Azusa, and Shinogu) all quickly
swap places as the story continues on through the series. For this
reason, Hot Gimmick is targeted much more at a mature
audience, as it addresses several adult themes that are not
entirely appropriate for younger readers; most pointedly, the
normalization of an abusive relationship. Hot Gimmick
delves into a deeper side found in every society, while still
maintaining its shōjo roots.
Characters
The Narita
Family
- Hatsumi Narita (成田初, Narita
Hatsumi
?), 16
- The main character of the series. At the beginning of the
series she is a second-year student at Takazono High School, a
public school. When her younger sister Akane's fear of being
pregnant leads Hatsumi into purchasing a pregnancy test for her,
Ryoki Tachibana sees her with it and, in exchange for keeping this
secret, Hatsumi becomes Ryoki's personal slave. However, when
Hatsumi's childhood friend, Azusa Odigiri, moves back into the
complex, she finds she has feelings for him. These feelings don't
waver even after certain events rise up that would ordinarily cause
her to sever ties with Azusa. Near the middle of the series however
an absence of Azusa causes Hatsumi to shift attention and
rationalize her now developing feelings for Ryoki, which she later
concludes is love, with the hope Ryoki's actions will become less
domineering.
- Hatsumi is good-hearted but gullible. She doesn't form her own
opinions and, despite talking herself up and reassuring herself
that she will be assertive, has extreme difficulty standing up to
people who misuse her. She is almost incapable of making her own
decisions and spends more time thinking about others' well-being
than her own. Hatsumi's low self-esteem is most likely the product
of her upbringing; it is improbable she has ever been encouraged to
set goals for herself outside of schoolwork and staying below the
radar of the complex gossip hounds.
- Akane Narita (成田茜, Narita
Akane
?), 14
- Hatsumi's younger sister; somewhat of a floozy. She dates many
boys, and early on harbors a none-too-inconspicuous crush on Ryoki.
After being rejected by him (and briefly taking out her anger on
Hatsumi), she begins to develop feelings for Ryoki's best friend,
Subaru Yagi. At the beginning of the series, she is a third-year
student (it is mistakenly stated in earlier publications that Akane
is a second-year) at a local public junior high school. Despite
being beautiful and popular, Akane is actually very insecure in a
real relationship. She supports Hatsumi and Ryoki's relationship,
occasionally offering her sister's boyfriend advice.
- Shinogu Narita (成田凌, Narita
Shinogu
?), 19
- The eldest of the Narita children. At the beginning of the
series, he is a freshman law student at Hitotsubashi University. He
isn't home much due to various part-time jobs. Hatsumi learns later
that Shinogu is in fact adopted. He was taken in by the Naritas
when he was a small child, but his parents had left behind extreme
debt when they died. In an attempt to repay the money to his
adoptive parents, Shinogu moves out of the house and holds down a
slew of part-time jobs, placing aside his dreams of medical
school.
- Shinogu is kind and helpful. Like Hatsumi, he often puts others
before himself. He is very dedicated and believes in doing the
right thing, but is often wracked with guilt concerning the trouble
he put his parents through, and his feelings for Hatsumi. Shinogu
is in love with Hatsumi but, in an effort to not burden her with
his feelings, tries to put distance between them. In the end, he
tries to dissolute his adoption from the Naritas in an attempt to
distance himself from Hatsumi further and become a priest, but he
changes his mind at the last minute and chose to remain with his
adoptive family.
- Hikaru Narita (成田輝, Narita
Hikaru
?), 4
- Hatsumi's younger brother. At the beginning of the series, he
is in kindergarten.
- Shihoko Narita (成田志保子, Narita
Shihoko
?)
- The mother. She is very afraid of Mrs. Tachibana, and does
whatever she can to please her. Later in the series, she overcomes
this fear and addresses Mrs. Tachibana about her continued
mistreatment of their family.
- Toru Narita (成田徹, Narita
Tōru
?)
- The father. He takes the blame for Miho Odagiri's death by
confirming Azusa's conclusion that he was her lover, but it is
later revealed that he was paid by his office superior, Shuichiro
Tachibana, to be his scapegoat. He spends much time working away
from home due to his unfavorably low position on the company
ladder, but in the end returns to Tokyo under Shuichiro's orders as
an apology for all the hardships the latter had given him and his
family, he is presumably living again with his wife and children.
Went to college with both Azusa's and Ryoki's fathers.
The
Tachibana Family
- Ryoki Tachibana (橘亮輝, Tachibana
Ryōki
?), 17
- Hatsumi's biggest fear since she was a child, due to him
pushing her down the stairs. He turns Hatsumi into his personal
slave, but also wants her as his girlfriend. Although he seems to
be a complete jerk to her, there are times when he lets his guard
down and shows that, despite his odd way of showing it, he
genuinely cares about her (An example of this is in chapter 4 when
he gets jealous of Azusa and orders Hatsumi to kiss him. After it's
over, we see that his heart is thumping wildly and that he doesn't
understand why, asking himself, "Wh-what is this?"). At the
beginning of the series, he is a second-year student at the
prestigious private school, Kaisei Academy. It is revealed that
when Hatsumi and Ryoki were kids in the company housing complex,
that Hatsumi was Ryoki's sole friend, while Hatsumi was also
friends with Azusa. Nevertheless, Ryoki did not treat Hatsumi well,
even as a child, going as far as pushing Hatsumi down a flight of
stairs, emotionally scarring her. This is revealed later to be
unintentional, giving young Ryoki an anxiety attack.
- Ryoki becomes easily angry or jealous and does not like
displaying other emotions. It is clear he has only ever been prized
for his intelligence (which he reaffirms constantly around Hatsumi
by calling her "dimwit," "birdbrain," etc. in an effort to remain
superior to her in at least one respect). Ryoki's family is
disjointed and loveless, which is why he finds Hatsumi's devotion
to her family incomprehensible, and considers them rivals for her
affection. His family's past actions have also influenced his views
in relationships as well, such as strictly practicing and prizing
monogamy in his relationship with Hatsumi, no doubt because of his
father's past known affair with Azusa's mother. This could also be
from his father why Ryoki has shown great insecurity in his trust
with relations involving Hatsumi, feeling at any second that she is
off "flirting with other men", just as his father had. He also
expects just the same commitment level and monogamic views from
Hatsumi, which is seen throughout the series as a humorous
assertion of power; with Ryoki demanding she should keep
conversations with all men under one minute, answer the phone on
the first ring when he calls, show up at least an hour early to all
dates, and often overreacts when a male's name is mentioned in
conversation, even if it's just Hikaru, Hatsumi's little brother.
Most characters in the series rightly accuse him of acting too
paranoid about anything that directly or indirectly involves
Hatsumi.
- Natsue Tachibana (橘奈津江, Tachibana
Natsue
?)
- Ryoki's mother and the undisputed "queen" of the company
housing complex. She delights in manipulating the lives of those
beneath her, starting malicious rumors and relocating workers based
on their family's reputation. Multiple times she tries to separate
Hatsumi and Ryoki, seeing Hatsumi as unsuitable and undeserving of
her son. Natsue is presumably obsessed with controlling the people
of the complex because she has almost no control in her own family
(Ryoki never listens to a word she says and rebuffs her concerns
with no emotion, and Shuichiro, in his rare appearances, easily
undermines her at every turn). Natsue and Shuichiro are in an
arranged marriage due to the wishes of their parents.
- Shuichiro Tachibana (橘柊一郎, Tachibana
Shūichirō
?)
- Ryoki's father, he mostly stays at a hotel near the company so
he hardly ever returns to the complex. Shuichiro and Natsue have an
arranged marriage. As such, Shuichiro feels no love toward his wife
or his son. When a young Ryoki asks his father why he's never
around, Shuichiro alludes to a lover, whose identity is later
revealed to be Miho Odagiri, Azusa's mother. The reason for
Shuichiro never showing up to meet her when he said he would is
unknown as of book 11, which is a paradox, since he claims he asked her to leave
her life, but she always chose Azusa and her husband. The reader
assumes this is because Miho thought Shuichiro would remain
persistent, as he did after their first separation.
The Odagiri
Family
- Azusa Odagiri (小田切梓, Odagiri
Azusa
?), 16
- An old friend of Hatsumi's. They were very good friends when
they were younger; he always protected her from Ryoki. When he
returns, he is a popular model doing magazine work and TV
commercials. His return prompts Hatsumi to realize she has loved
him since childhood.
- At the beginning of the series, Azusa is outwardly nice,
protective, caring and generous. As time goes on and secrets are
revealed, Hatsumi discovers he is in fact manipulative,
self-destructive and severely depressed. Azusa is obsessed with
revenge, using all his money from modeling to pay private
detectives to discover who the lover of his mother was, and
consequentially who was responsible for her death. He is
unconvinced that anyone truly cares for him and remains emotionally
distant.
- Minoru Odagiri (小田切実, Odagiri
Minoru
?)
- Azusa's father. Works mostly overseas so he hardly lives with
his son. Divorced Azusa's mother, supposedly because she was having
an affair. He is about to remarry, but worries about Azusa's
opinion of it.
- Miho Odagiri (小田切美宝, Odagiri
Miho
?)
- Azusa's mother. She left with Azusa when Minoru divorced her
(and she became ostracized by the other wives in the complex). She
soon fell ill but remained optimistic that her lover will return to
her, as he promised. Died three years prior to the beginning of the
series.
The Yagi
Family
- Subaru Yagi (八木すばる, Yagi
Subaru
?), 16
- Ryoki's dorky best friend, who is also a friend of Hatsumi. His
hobbies are video games and anime (especially Gundam), and collecting models and action
figures. He develops feelings for Akane, even though she often
scares him, coming on too strong for him (as she's had many
boyfriends and/or flings, and Subaru has never had a girlfriend).
At the beginning of the series he is a second-year student at
Takazono High School (Class A). Early on, it is implied that Subaru
has a crush on Hatsumi, though these later fade when he develops
feelings for Akane. He often worries about Ryoki and often tries to
help him with Hatsumi.
- Asahi Yagi (八木あさひ, Yagi
Asahi
?), 19
- Subaru's older sister. She graduated from beauty school and is
currently working as an intern at a hair salon. She has a secret
crush on Shinogu, but fails to tell him because he is "too
unattainable." She often laments the dorkiness of her brother, and
is fairly good friends with the Narita siblings as she worries
about them often.
Others
- Mariko Takato (高遠万里子, Takatō
Mariko
?), 23
- The Tachibana family's maid. She has been in love with
Shuichiro Tachibana ever since she was young, but he does not
reciprocate her feelings. She's one of the few who truly cares
about Ryoki, helping Hatsumi see that she is misreading his
loneliness, jealousy, and his love for her as him being a cold,
aloof tyrant.
- Rina Katsuragi (葛城リナ, Katsuragi
Rina
?)
- Owner of a modeling agency and Azusa's manager. She has claimed
her relationship with Azusa is one of "give and take," which
started when she took him in as a runaway. He initially offered to
sleep with her for money - instead, she took him on as a model. She
cares for Azusa, though her emotions don't seem to matter to
him.
- Shuji Kazama (風間柊司, Kazama
Shūji
?), 19
- Shinogu's friend from work, and roommate. He has a crush on
Akane and is constantly flirting with her, fully aware that she is
going out with Subaru. Despite being very flirtatious, he offers
good advice to those characters experiencing relationship problems
especially Shinogu and he doesn't attempt to destroy Akane's
relationship with Subaru (in fact, he helps them to grow closer.)
Kazama refers to himself as a "good guy."
- Ruri Saionji (西園寺瑠璃, Saionji
Ruri
?), 17
- A girl who attends Teitoko Girls Academy and is on the same
intellectual level as Ryoki. After learning of Hatsumi and Ryoki's
relationship, Natsue Tachibana makes multiple attempts to have her
son enter a relationship with Ruri instead, considering her more
deserving of Ryoki. Ruri is obsessed with beating Ryoki on practice
exams and proving she is more intelligent than he is.
Novel
Some time after the completion of the Hot Gimmick
manga, a novel with an alternate ending titled Hot Gimmick
S was created. It was written by Megumi Nishizaki and contains
original images by Miki
Aihara. The story focuses on the relationship between Hatsumi
and Shinogu, with Hatsumi narrating. Characters from the manga also
make brief appearances as well and play very little roles in the
story. A few new characters are introduced and are exclusive to the
novel.
The novel also introduces new nicknames never used in the
English translation of the manga. For instance, Hatsumi calls Akane
"Aka-chin," Hikaru "Hii-kun," and at the age of two refers to
herself as "Hami-tan" as opposed to "Hami-chan," as she does in the
manga.
At the very end of the novel a few pages from volume nine of the
manga are included, in which Shinogu and Hatsumi recall childhood
memories while trapped in an elevator, though this section was
falsely advertised as being an entirely new chapter about the
two.
Characters
- Wakana Nanami (Nanami
Wakana
?), 19
- A friend of Shinogu's, who works with him as a tour conductor.
She frequently visits him at the café where he works. Upon meeting
Hatsumi, Wakana urges her to "root" for her in her quest to have
Shinogu as her boyfriend. She is ambitious, good-looking, and
despite her pursuit of Shinogu, is not unkind. Shinogu calls her
Nana.
- Satoko Shinoda (Shinoda
Satoko
?)
- Shihoko's mother and a probation officer. She is assigned to
Yuko's family, among others. She dies before Akane is born.
- Yuko Tanizaki (Tanizaki
Yuko
?)
- Shinogu's biological mother and an old friend of Shihoko
Narita. Shihoko's mother, a probation officer, offers Yuko's family
support: both her parents have criminal records (her father for
theft, her mother for drugs), and Yuko routinely shoplifts. Years
later she becomes an alcoholic, dates an abusive gambler, and often
beats her son.
- Yuko's boyfriend
- Yuko's boyfriend, never named. He has no job and amasses
drastic gambling debts. When he loses, he vents his anger by
beating Yuko and Shinogu.
- Satoru Shionoya (Shionoya
Satoru
?)
- Shihoko's first love and biological father of Shinogu. After
being introduced to Yuko, he falls in love with her instead, and
the two elope. Years later he leaves Yuko and Shinogu to attend
university, claiming that "this is not his life."
External
links
Shogakukan
Viz Media
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