Finished
“Hatsumi is blackmailed by childhood bully Ryoki while her protector Azusa returns, sparking a tense love triangle.”
Hot Gimmick
ホットギミック
6.71
14,703 rank · 14,320 readers · 335 favorites
Shoujo
Comedy
Drama
Romance
Would You Love or Hate This?
AI-powered analysis tailored to your taste
Based on your preference for character-driven stories with layered emotional arcs, this title's exploration of identity and belonging would deeply resonate. The pacing mirrors series you've rated highly, and its thematic depth aligns with your appreciation for nuanced storytelling...
However, the slow initial episodes might test your patience given your history of dropping shows that don't hook you early. The art style shift in the middle arc could also be a concern...
Personalized to you
Honest pros & cons
Based on your library
Synopsis
Hatsumi is blackmailed by childhood bully Ryoki while her protector Azusa returns, sparking a tense love triangle.
In company-owned rabbit-hutch apartments live tenants who can't afford to live anywhere else, and the apartment complex in which high-school girl Hatsumi Narita lives is ruled over by the rumor mongering, self-righteous Mrs. Tachibana. Get on Tachibana's bad side, and life becomes hell. When Hatsumi has to buy a pregnancy test because her popular sister Akane is late, Mrs. Tachibana's son, Ryoki, who used to bully Hatsumi as a kid, promises not to tell the world about Hatsumi's secret, only if she becomes his slave. Suddenly Azusa, Hatsumi's protector in their youth, reappears to save her again! He's moving back into the neighborhood! Despite the budding romance between Hatsumi and Azusa, Ryoki has control over her through the secret that could ruin the lives of everyone in Hatsumi's family, and he hasn't forgotten who his slave is! (Source: VIZ Media)
What people say
Community consensus
Derived from 29 sampled reviews
4.7
/10
What 29 readers settled on.
30%
recommend
Score distribution
median 4
mode 3
σ 2.24
Agreement
Polarized
σ 2.24 · split reception
The polarity gap
5.1 pts
Recommenders 8.0 · others 2.9
Yes
No
Score over time
↓ 3.28
Running avg · Dec 2007 → Dec 2025
Snap verdicts
· shortest highly-rated reviews
- 8 “The very first time I picked up this manga, I could not put it down. I read literally twenty-two chapters in one sitting. It was amazing; there was never a moment when I thought, "How long...”
- 7 “At the time while I was reading this manga, I thought the story was pretty average in the beginning. It was just like any other story where a love triangle forms, and a couple forms while one guy...”
- 10 “I loved this series. The main male lead is so real. He is slightly childish as he still sees the girl as someone he can bully at first, but later on starts to realize he has a crush on her and lets...”
Verbosity
Short · 41%
Medium · 41%
Long · 17%
Read Order & Related
Explore the Hot Gimmick universe
Cast
See all →Gallery
See all →If you stay for this, you'll stay for these
See all →The community pairs this with
See all →Publication slate
A Manga Publication
- Format 54 × 12 ch × vol
- Total read 7h 12m approx
- Published Dec 2000 – Aug 2005
- Source Manga media type
- Ref. BS-M0616 catalog