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Fate plays an unusual trick on a privileged boy in this adorable shojo!

Being carried around everywhere and having handsome Megumi act like a slave may seem ideal, but Suzuka just wishes he would stop. Can anything be done about Megumi's captive state? Or is Megumi doomed to see Suzuka as his master...forever?

Carefree Megumi Kuroishi was living a life of luxury until the day a girl named Suzuka Kogami walked into his life. All of a sudden, Megumi finds himself kneeling at Suzuka's feet and prostrating himself like a servant! What Megumi doesn't know (until that very moment anyway) is that his family is cursed to follow the orders of the Kogami family.

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

21 people are currently reading
2278 people want to read

About the author

Matsuri Hino

104 books1,703 followers
Name in Japanese: 樋野 まつり

Matsuri Hino was born on January 24 in Hokkaido. She was a bookshop keeper who one day decided to become a manga artist, and all of nine months later, in 1995, she published her first manga title, Kono Yume ga Sametara (When This Dream Is Over), in Japan's LaLa DX magazine.

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5 stars
1,493 (37%)
4 stars
924 (23%)
3 stars
980 (24%)
2 stars
406 (10%)
1 star
160 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
Profile Image for Lara.
4,213 reviews346 followers
March 8, 2012
Man, I thought this one was terrible--I can handle a ridiculous plot like this one has, but the execution of it is...really not great. It's like the equivalent of all those teen paranormal romances I've quit reading less than halfway through lately--practically zero actual character development, just a bunch of stuff happening for little to no believable reason, and with no transitions between events. And the bonus story about the teacher? Ew! Meh. No thanks.
Profile Image for Megan M.
354 reviews12 followers
March 17, 2012
Meh.

Just an incredibly meh volume. The art is beautiful and the concept seemed interesting, but story just didn't work for me.
Profile Image for Amy Norris.
120 reviews34 followers
Read
October 5, 2017
DNF halfway. This was unbearable even by shoujo standards.
Profile Image for Erin Cataldi.
2,539 reviews63 followers
December 9, 2021
I randomly selected a book that was the first in a series to read for our manga discussion and it just so happened to be this title. I'm not that familiar with manga but I was able to dive right in. The story was... interesting, but got annoying quickly. Megumi Kuroishi had been living a pretty carefree life with his father, but that all changed when Suzuka Kogami came to live with him in his father. She was the daughter of the owners of the house and they had been missing for over a decade. Upon her return an ancient curse went into effect and now Megumi can't stop being Suzuka's servant. He dotes on her at all times and he can't stop. After a while though he realizes that even without the curse he would still be doting on lovely, Suzuka, he is obsessed with her. She just wants to make him see her as not just a master and maybe something more. Weird and kinda creepy. Good illustrations.
Profile Image for Luna's Little Library.
1,487 reviews207 followers
April 26, 2016
Overall Series Rating 2.5 Stars

I like the artwork and this sounded cute… so I kept at it.

I have a stubbornness about finishing stories (I should let this go) but the characters in Captive Heart feel flat. I read MeruPuri by the same author and had real problem with the relationship dynamics, I’ve got similar problem in Captive Hearts. Both Megumi and Suzuka are entirely too accepting of “the curse”. Once you get past volume 1 everybody just seems to go along with the fact that the two of them are in love (except for a brief concern from Megumi’s mother).
Profile Image for Emmi.
21 reviews
January 28, 2025
Man merkt dass die Story ursprünglich aus einer Kurzgeschichte entstand.
Verschollene Erbin, main character genießt das Erbe, Erbin taucht unvorhergesehen auf, er kann sie nicht leiden weil sein Erbe nun weg ist, irgendwas mit einem Fluch, sie kommen sich doch näher und mögen sich plötzlich, wegen dem Fluch haut sie wieder nach China ab, er reist ihr hinterher um sie zurück zu holen weil sie doch seine große Liebe auf einmal ist - das passiert alles im ersten!!! Kapitel. Danach hat man das Gefühl die komplette Story ist durch und fragt sich was noch kommen soll. Der Rest des Bandes ist gefühlt nur noch filler plus 2 nichtssagende Kurzgeschichten.

Und das Ganze zieht sich jetzt irgendwie noch auf 5 Bände. Manchmal muss man Sachen wirklich nicht künstlich strecken.
Profile Image for Sara Thompson.
490 reviews9 followers
June 18, 2022
This book was a collection of 3 romantic mangas. A Manga is an asian style graphic novel (for those who didn't know). They are not as seriously drawn as American graphic novels and this one was super over the top but it worked.
The stories are interesting tales of love but in the early stages of the relationship. The relationships are very innocent. I am not even certain there was any kissing. The first story is great - about a young man cursed to be the servant of a young girl and some times he has manservent fits.
Not only are the stories fun but the author inserts little notes through out the book which only add to the stories. She admits that they are silly and over the top which makes it easier for the reader to get into the stories.
My son actually picked out this book and the second volume but I have a feeling that this is not a book for boys. It's too romantic and silly and no fighting (unless boys getting hit over the head by a girl counts).
A fun and easy read but more time consuming that I thought. I expected to get both volumes done this afternoon and only got one which is nice to know that they take a little more effort (most manga are super quick reads and pricey when you buy them at the bookstore).
Profile Image for Ebster Davis.
658 reviews40 followers
October 23, 2013
This story is a really cute little romance. It's not too complicated (Even with the supernatural "curse" and the main character's best friend ending up as a transexual).

I thought it was interesting that the "manservent" boy was raised in wealth and luxury; he's actually pretty spoiled at the start. The long-lost heiress was raised in a hard-working middle-class family, she who knows how to do things for herself. They're really sweet to each other from the start, so of course you're rooting for them to get together.

Because of an ancient curse on their families, the main character gets really neurotic "manservent attacks" when he is around the heiress...where he wants to take care of her and make sure she's doing OK at school etc.., but really doesn't know how to show concern in a non-creepy/overbearing way. It was kind of cheesy, but it made me laugh.

In the margins of the book there are little notes from the writer. She/he seemed so excited and appreciative to be a manga writer; like it was a dream come true. The notes also talked about how the story was thought up...through a conversation with a friend about how a story doesn't have to be "realistic" at all to be enjoyable...That's basically how I would classify this story: Not realistic, but still fun.
Profile Image for Meme.
110 reviews
May 22, 2017
3.5 Stars

The last third of the book was two different filler stories that had nothing to do with the main story. Not bad but they are just fillers which took away from the main story.
Profile Image for Yoyomaus Die Büchereule.
2,222 reviews31 followers
February 13, 2021



Seit jeher dienen die Ahnen des kleinen Megumi der Familie Kogami als Butler. Nachdem die kleine Tochter der Familie Suzuka geboren wird, verschwinden die Kogamis spurlos und Megumi erbt das gesamte Vermögen mit dessen Vater. Jahre später hat sich Megumi an ein Leben in Saus und Braus gewöhnt, liebt seinen Luxus und widmet sich seinen Studien, als sein Vater erneut aufbricht, um die Familie Kogami zu suchen. Ehe sich Megumi versieht, steht er der mittlerweile erwachsenen Suzuka gegenüber, welche nicht ein einziges Wort japanisch spricht. Sofort scheint Megumi Feuer und Flamme für das Mädchen zu sein, spricht sie mit Mylady an und versucht ihr jeden Wunsch von den Lippen abzulesen, was dem Mädchen gehörige Angst einjagt. Megumi erkennt sich selbst nicht wieder und erfährt von seinem Vater, dass ein Fluch auf seiner Familie liegt. Einst stahl ein Dieb eine heilige Schriftrolle von den Kogamis und als dieser Dieb die Rolle öffnete, wurde er mit dem Fluch belegt, dass all seine Nachkommen der Familie Kogami zu dienen hätten. Für Megumi bricht eine Welt zusammen, da er sich um seinen Luxus und seine Freiheit sorgt. Doch schnell wird klar, dass Suzuka keinesfalls seine Situation ausnutzen, sondern ihm sogar helfen möchte, den Fluch zu lösen. Nach und nach kommen die beiden sich näher, doch immer wenn Megumi Suzuka in die Augen schaut, scheint der Fluch seine Wirkung zu zeigen und er mutiert zum überfürsorglichen Butler.

Den Manga hatte ich durch Zufall entdeckt und fand die Geschichte ganz lustig beschrieben und auch das Cover ganz ansprechend. Enttäuscht wurde ich nicht. Ganz im Gegenteil war ich sehr überrascht über die Story. Die Charaktere sind vielschichtig gestrickt, haben allesamt ihr eigenen Macken und sind doch ganz herzig. Megumi mit seiner schnöden Art kommt dem Leser zu Beginn sehr verwöhnt und eigensinnig vor, doch als der Fluch zuschlägt wird er für den Leser immer sympathischer. Er hadert oft mit sich selbst und versucht doch das Beste aus seiner Situation zu machen. Auch Suszuka ist ein ganz herziger Charakter, den man einfach ab der ersten Minute gern haben muss. Sie gibt sich Mühe die japanische Sprache zu lernen und nutzt ihre Situation keinesfalls aus. Trotzdem bleibt ihre Vergangenheit bis auf ein paar Hinweise erst einmal im Dunkeln. Die Zeichnungen sind auch sehr gut gemacht und sind ebenfalls breit gefächert. Besonders Spaß machen die Situationen, in denen der Fluch zuschlägt und Megumis Vater seine Auftritte hat. Die Karikaturen und Chibis, die hier dargestellt werden sind einfach der absolute Oberhammer. Einzig die schnelle Abhandlung in der Story dämpft den Lesespaß ein klein wenig, weshalb es auch einen Stern Abzug gibt. Ich hätte mir schon mehr Details gewünscht. Besonders, wenn es um die Vergangenheit von Suzuka und Megumi sowie um den Fluch und deren Beziehung zueinander geht.

Empfehlen möchte ich diesen Manga allen, die gern humorvolle, aber auch romantische Mangas lesen. Ihr kommt hier definitiv auf eure Kosten. Ich für meinen Teil freue mich schon auf die Fortsetzungen, denn die Geschichte zwischen Megumi und Suzuka scheint recht interessant zu werden.


Taschenbuch: 192 Seiten
Verlag: Carlsen; Auflage: 1., Auflage (23. Juni 2010)
Sprache: Deutsch
ISBN-10: 3551758654
ISBN-13: 978-3551758651
Vom Hersteller empfohlenes Alter: 13 - 16 Jahre
Größe und/oder Gewicht: 11,5 x 2 x 17,7 cm
Profile Image for Lynn.
1,671 reviews45 followers
August 14, 2023
Today's post is on Captive Hearts, vol 1 by Matsuri Hino. It is 200 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover has the two main characters on it in faux Victorian dress. The intended reader is someone who likes shojo manga, romance manga, and fantasy manga. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this manga. The story is told from third person close of the male lead, Megumi. There Be Spoilers Ahead.
From the back of the book- Careless Megumi Kuroishi was living a life of luxury until the day a girl named Suzuka Kogami walked into this life. All of a sudden, Megumi finds himself kneeling at Suzuka's feet and prostrating himself like a servant! What Megumi doesn't know (until that very moment anyway) is that his family is cursed to follow the orders of the Kogami family.
Being carried around everywhere and having handsome Megumi act like a slave may seem ideal, but Suzuka just wishes he would stop. Can anything be done about Megumi's captive state? Or is Megumi doomed to see Suzuka as his master... forever?

Review- This is a very cute manga about two young adults trying to make the best of a cursed life. Suzuka doesn't want to have a lifelong servant and Megumi doesn't want to have his life revolve around her. But they have a personal connection and they want to have more. The manga in this first volume is more comedy with Megumi getting into funny situations with Suzuka and having to get out of them. The curse is only talked about in passing but Suzuka wants to find a way break the curse and free the Kuroishi family. At the end there are two short stories about young love and they are cute and quick reads. I would recommend this first volume for all shojo manga lovers.

I give this volume a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.
Profile Image for Sana Arianna.
9 reviews
November 29, 2021
The Kuroishi and Kogami families have a strange bond: for one hundred generations, the Kuroishi clan is compelled to serve the Kogami clan with their very mind, body and soul. Fourteen years ago, the entire Kogami family mysteriously disappeared. The head butler, Yoshimi, and his son Megumi reside in the Kogami house, living a life of wealth, riches, and luxury.

Megumi, in particular, is happily enjoying his easy life, until one member of the family is discovered alive and well in China. Megumi is determined to refuse to serve his new mistress Suzuka when he returns, but he quickly learns that the compulsion to serve is not one he can ignore; it is a full dark and evil curse. When they first meet, he finds himself kneeling before her and warmly kissing her hand to welcome her home then proceeding to carry her into the house. Though he tries to fight it, he soon realizes that he is not able to. Suzuka and Megumi's friendship blossoms into strong and genuinely close romance. As they learn more about the curse, Suzuka is no happier with Megumi having to suffer and together they try to find a way to break it so that they can live their lives together happily forever after.

This story is enjoyable for fans of Vampire Knight, Wanted and Meru Puri. While the drama and action isn't very edge of your seat, it's an enjoyable read for shoujo fans. The pacing is nice, a little rushed in some places and slow in others, and it finishes up nicely in just 5 volumes, so a nice small series for manga collectors.
Profile Image for ✮Octjillery✮.
718 reviews10 followers
April 21, 2022
Since I'm reading through Rurouni Kenshin (which is a much longer series than this) and finished the anime a few days ago, I KNOW I'm going to get the series burnout, and decided to grab something else unread/forgotten from my shelves to read between volumes so that I don't quit again.

I believe I read most of this series online years and years ago when I first got into Hino's work with Vampire Knight. I've been collecting older series that I never read or just never bought via thriftbooks for the past couple of years, and collecting Hino's works was one focus.

The story is okay. I don't love that Suzuka is in high school and Megumi is in university. You can add up the years in the beginning to figure out that Suzuka is 17, but he's gotta be at least 3 years older. There's also just really not a lot of character development and they've already fallen for each other. I know it's a 5-volume series, but you can still build up to things. This is part of why I've really started to grow out of shoujo (I mean...I am 30, but it was all still pretty tolerable in my early adulthood.)

The short stories at the end... The first is about a student being in love with her teacher (like 90% of the girls in her high school are), and him realizing he wants to protect her and be with her. Disgusting. As a teacher myself, extra disgusting.

The second story is really short and just there. It's fine.
Profile Image for Brittany.
1,344 reviews62 followers
August 2, 2023
1.5 stars?
This had potential to start with as a ridiculous kind of shojo manga. The manservent moments were over the top but at least amusing. It seemed like an old school style romance manga and that was okay. I liked the artwork. But there are no real transitions in the book and there are extremely repetitive parts. The worst though is that a little over half way there is just this random other story about a student in love with her teacher and its creepy if anything. It ends with another short story set in the snow. I just don't get these other stories and would have been more interested if it had stayed with the ridiculous servant story I was expecting.
Profile Image for Vanessa.
656 reviews4 followers
February 21, 2024
Ah, che ricordi questa serie...

Captive Heart è primissima opera di Hino Matsuri. Lo si capisce da molti fattori, partendo dai disegni, molto belli, ma ancora acerbi rispetto al tratto maturo a cui ci ha abituato nelle sue opere successive, e dalla narrazione che, seppur buona, accusa qualche difetto qua e là.

In ogni caso con Captive Heart siamo davanti a uno shoujo leggero e divertente che, a dispetto degli anni passati, considero ancora qualitativamente migliore rispetto molto shoujo contemporanei.
Profile Image for Stella.
224 reviews1 follower
January 2, 2024
For some reason the manga randomly changed into a different story without any transition (with a disgusting high school teacher x student romance might I add). And then changed into another one? And then the manga was over? The main story of Captive Hearts itself was pretty embarrassing to read. Unless they figure out a way to break the curse (which probably won’t happen for a hundred more volumes), I can’t support their romance.
Profile Image for Abi.
2,276 reviews
June 25, 2019
This was pretty funny, and I enjoyed all of the ridiculousness. However, for some reason there were also two other completely unrelated stories after the main one in this manga. I may or may not continue the story. It was very funny, but I'm not too interested in the overarching storyline. 3.5 stars.
Profile Image for Kore.
64 reviews11 followers
May 8, 2020
This was difficult to read. I love Matsuri Hino’s Vampire Knights series, it’s one of my favorites but this one I just could not finish. The plot and dialogue was ridiculous and fell flat. It’s hard for me to give such a low rating because, I really like Matsuri Hino’s illustrations. I think she is a wonderful artist. I just could not connect with this series.
Profile Image for bow down to our ace king victor vale.
615 reviews6 followers
October 7, 2022
1.45!

I like the art style !! :D it’s nice. the story and characters seemed interesting at first, but got tiring after awhile TT. the pacing was off imo, esp regarding the relationship development (ie. he came looking for her in china cuz he couldn’t bear to be apart from her + she was feeling something similar///all in ch.1 i think ajsjsj)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for R.
2,255 reviews6 followers
December 23, 2017
Love this Manga already! And the two bonus stories in the back, Real Storm and Let Time Freeze, are great too! I love the way Matsuri Hino draws and her sense of humor! I'm reading 3 of her series right now and I really like all of them!
Profile Image for Dana.
933 reviews45 followers
August 8, 2017
I love Matsuri Hino's art but man this story was a mess! Not only did it barely make sense, the art was off and way too dramatic. Quick read, but easily forgettable and you won't miss much if you pass over it in general.
Profile Image for Brandi.
6 reviews
June 28, 2018
I really love the artwork of Matsuri Hino which is why I picked up this volume. However, I just couldn't get into this story line. It feels a little rushed and not well developed. I don't think I will continue with this series.
6 reviews
March 26, 2025
I read this whole series captive hearts is a sweet manga series it's like a spin of the retelling of the cinderella story only a wealthy girl falling in love with the butler instead of a poor girl falling in love with a prince .
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Lena.
1,340 reviews
June 28, 2017
It was so great! I want to read more!
Profile Image for Liz.
681 reviews
June 29, 2017
It was hilarious and cute! 100% of it can only happen in a manga.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews

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