Kiss Me at the Stroke of Midnight, Vol. 3

午前0時、キスしに来てよ ​[Gozen 0-ji, Kiss shi ni Kite yo] #3

by Rin Mikimoto

Hinana prizes her reputation as a serious high school student, too focused on getting into college to pay attention to boys. But she’s a secret fairytale romance freak, sneaking away from her studies to see A Roman Holiday and tucking pop idol magazines into her textbooks. When her celebrity crush comes to her school to film a TV episode, she has to pretend to be totally uninterested even as she desperately tries to get close to him. However, she’s not the only one who’s not what she appears… her dreamboat isn’t just a pretty face either!

Genres: Manga, Romance, Young Adult, Shojo, Contemporary, Graphic Novels, Fiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published April 13, 2016

About the author

• Associated name: Mikimoto凛
• Name in native language: みきもと凛
• Blood Type: AB
• Zodiac: Taurus

5月18日生まれ。おうし座。AB型。『SHE'S ALL THAT』で第18回BF新人まんが 大賞佳作を受賞してデビュー。代表作は、『近キョリ恋愛』。
Rough Google translation:
Debut was awarded the 18th BF rookie comics Award Honorable Mention in the "SHE'S ALL THAT". Masterpiece is, "Close Range Love"(Kinkyori Renai).

Reviews

[**Sognatrice di libri** · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mi piace un sacco questa storia e i due protagonisti li trovo adorabili insieme.

[Dani(elle) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nope! No, thank you!.

I gave the series 3 volumes to improve but it did not. The mangaka tried to make things more balanced by having Hinana being a closet perv and creeping on Kaede but it does not bridge the gross gap created by their respective ages and situations. The bonus chapter at the end involving the girl who marries her homeroom teacher just goes to show how okay they are with this dynamic and I'm not hype on that.

I did like that Nana was not made Kaede had to kiss someone who a role and overall their chemistry is good - it's just creepy.

To give an idea of how much I don't feel this book, there was a queer-baiting kiss with the antagonist and my little fujoshi heart did not even flutter.

[Bookarune · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un tome un peu en dessous des précédents mais j'ai beaucoup rigolé dans les dernières pages! Les dessins sont toujours aussi beaux!

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

It really sucks when you flip to the next chapter and it turns out to be a one-shot instead. I'm super hyped for the next volume-my poor wallet. Super fun series that I didn't expect to like much at all.

[D E N Z · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I have to be honest, I am still not yet completely sold with this series. I can't help but compare it to her previous work, Kyou no Kira-kun, which I loved so much. On the other hand with this series, I still feel like everything is happening so fast, and the "twists"/characters just keeps on piling and piling. While I appreciate how this series is different from the rest because of its focus on the celebrity world x high school life thing, I'd still prefer if this story was paced more slowly/thoroughly. 🤔

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kaede's ex-bandmates are trash.

Definitely going to pick up now with some major drama, honestly, this one needed more Au-Chan.

[Leila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fell in love with the characters and I can’t wait to keep going with the series I do recommend if you just wanna read a lil bit of romance and it has a good amount of pages plus a short read.

[Florence Mullot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Je commence à perdre un petit peu patience avec Kiss me at midnight. Même si la romance reste très mignonne, cela ne fait pas tout. J’ai l’impression que l’on part dans tous les sens, et que Rin Mikimoto nous pond des trucs vraiment pas abouti pour mettre des bâtons dans les roues de nos deux héros. Il y a un côté beaucoup trop comique voire je m’en foutiste dans l’histoire qui ne me plait pas du tout. Au moins, j’ai mis le doigts sur ce qui me gênait.

Je n’ai rien contre de l’humour dans un shojo, mais il faut savoir le doser et que cela ne devienne pas ridicule. Ici, franchement… entre Mitsuki, le narcissique, qui ne trouve rien de mieux à faire que de violenter Hinana pour atteindre Kaede, et Aki qui devient très lourd… J’ai du mal. J’avoue que je n’ai jamais compris, dans les triangles amoureux, ceux qui veulent faire casser un couple pour leur propre intérêt. Pour moi, ce n’est pas de l’amour, c’est de l’égoïsme. Sans compter qu’Aki n’est pas du tout développé depuis trois tomes, donc aucun attachement, et donc aucune pitié vis-à-vis de son comportement.

On est aussi dans du comique de répétition qui encore une fois n’est pas drôle pour moi. Autant les scènes avec Kaede et Hinana sont ultra mignonnes, et l’on sent que le couple, encore une fois, communique beaucoup et avec sincérité (une grande ola parce c’est à 99% le problème dans les shojos), autant les apparitions de Shige… Du coup, on stagne pas mal.

Sans compter l’histoire bonus qui prend un bon quart de ce tome de Kiss me at midnight… J’aimerais vraiment quelque chose de plus concret maintenant que ce soit dans l’évolution de la relation des personnages, qui ne se voient pas assez d’ailleurs pour que cela se produise, que dans le secret de Kaede et l’adoption de Hinana qui doit avoir de l’importance si elle a été citée. Il y a beaucoup de choses qui ne sont pas développées et qui le mériteraient plutôt que les petits coups bas mesquins que l’on voit.

[Rereader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am going to come across as a massive hypocrite here, but I don't care. Ayase kissing Mitsuki after Mitsuki tried to force a kiss on Hinana was FUCKING GOLD. Serves that dickhead right for trying to be a creepy-ass shithead to my girl (also, him admitting that Ayase's a good kisser was BRILLIANT). It was nice seeing Ayami get in contact with Ayase and tell him about Mitsuki's scheme, too. I find it amusing that Mitsuki was so sure that Ayami wouldn't say anything when he told Ayami his entire plan, despite Ayami CLEARLY NOT ON BOARD FOR IT. Then again, Mitsuki is clearly narcissistic, so his daunting lack of common sense in this situation probably makes sense with that context. Anyway, that aside.

I really enjoyed this volume! I also love the fact that this series keeps piling on the manga romance tropes/cliches and it straight-up doesn't bother me. Let's see, in the three volumes I've read, I have seen:

1. Love at first sight/insta-love

2. Childhood friend love interest

3. Main girl is dense when it comes to childhood friend's feelings

4. Childhood friend love interest declares "war" on the main love interest (FUCK THAT SHIT)

5. Multiple misunderstandings

6. Possessive language (fuck that, too)

7. Outside group/adversary trying to break up the main couple

8. Hints that a former love interest/lover of the male love interest will stir up drama/trouble

I think that's all, but quite frankly that's a lot for the first three volumes. And yet, I'm honestly really enjoying this. It is by no means the best or original, but it's perfect for a fun, romantic-drama romp. I had a lot of fun with this volume and look forward to the rest of the series.

Side note: I love how forward Hinana and Ayase are with each other when it comes to physical attraction/affection. So damn funny and so damn cute at the same time!

[Bryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

It continues to walk right up to the edge of a trope, look over the cliff, and then saunter off whistling. Can it possibly keep this up?

For instance, the absolutely awesome moment in which Hinana is being menaced by Kaede's frenemy, and Kaede bursts in to save her, and her first thought is 'wow, Kaede looks really good dressed like that!'. In the hands of a different mangaka this would come off as trivialising violence against women, but for me it totally worked; she's not in any real danger, and she knows it, and she is really appreciative of Kaede's physical appeal, even in moments when it is embarassing or inconvenient. So what in another manga would have been a chance for the hero to white-knight and the girl to sob and worry about her reputation etc etc etc is here just -- an annoying that that happens which is not particularly interesting to Hinana given all the other things happening in her life.

[Abi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fun! I'm very intrigued by Kaede's past. Hinana's secretly perverted ways made me laugh really hard in this one. I also enjoyed her reaction to Kaede at work. I love these books! I'm a little annoyed that there was a chunk at the end of the book with an extra chapter from one of Mikimoto's other manga series though. I haven't read the series, so it just meant the book was shorter than it looked for me. That aside, great stuff! Also, the manager is the absolute light of my life! He's hilarious! 5 stars.

Reread January 13th, 2022
This was a fun reread! Hilarious, sweet, and turning shoujo tropes on their heads as always! 5 stars.

[Selena Pigoni · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main story for the series only took up 2/3 the volume or so and seems to be trying to add some drama. It was okay.

The highlight for me was the short story for Love's Reach at the end. Was it great? No, but it was cute and fluffy, and I like cute and fluffy manga. I know nothing about Love's Reach the series, but I think I'm going to need to check it out after this special chapter.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art and story are super fluffy. I'm rooting for the main couple (Kaede and Hinana), but I low-key love Ah-chan (the childhood friend).

[saeedeh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this mangaka's style of drawing!
I think this manga will be adopted for an anime!

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Today’s post is on Kiss Me at the Stroke of Midnight, Vol. 3 by Rin Mikimoto. It is 192 pages long and is published by Kodansha Comics. The cover has Hinana on it looking very cute. As it is the third in the series you need to have read the first two volumes to understand the story. There is some mild foul language, no sex, and no violence in this volume. The intended reader is someone who likes shojo romance, Cinderella-like stories, and humorous manga. The story is told from third person close of different characters moving as the story does. There Be Spoilers Ahead.
From the back of the book- Tangled up

As summer vacation nears, Hinana finds herself free of her usual babysitting responsibilities. But her best friends are busy with band practice and part-time work, so she’s finished all her summer assignments in just three days! With time to spare Hinana visit Kaede, and they make a promise that will bring them closer. Before the young couple can rejoice, vindictive friends from Kaede’s past return, and their grand scheme is to take what is most precious from the prince…


Review- We get some plot development in this volume with meeting some of Kaede’s old group members. They are very angry at Kaede for leaving the group but we, the readers, still don't know why he did leave the group. So to get back at him, one of them, Mitsuki, wants to mess with Hinana. Hiana is clueless about it but Kaede isn’t. I hope that plot point doesn’t last too long as I don’t like abusive story lines and Mitsuki, shown to be a self-centered idiot, would do that to hurt Kaede and not understand why what he did was wrong. But the volume ends with Hinana knowing more about Kaede and maybe will be more on her guard around his old group. I am curious about where the story is going next.


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.

[frau.meln · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aufmachung

Ehrlich gesagt, hätte ich die Reihe wahrscheinlich nicht gekauft, bei Betrachtung des Covers und des Klappentextes.

Tatsächlich gefallen mir die S/W Illustrationen im Innern wesentlich besser. Irgendwie habe ich das Gefühl, dass er dort die Liebe zum Detail für die Charaktere so richtig hervorsticht. Auch die Chibi Zeichnungen sind unfassbar toll.



Protagonisten

Anfangs dachte ich wirklich, die beiden könnten nicht gegensätzlicher sein. Aber dieses anfängliche Bild macht es umso spannender.

Hinana ist sehr fleißig, lernt gern und ist unfassbar strukturiert. Jeder Tag beginnt exakt gleich. Sie ist klug und sieht sich in ihrer Freizeit gern allein Liebesfilme in einem kleinen Kino an.

Ayase hingegen ist ein gut aussehender Superstar, der in der Öffentlichkeit Inkognito bleiben muss. Er ist sehr selbstsicher, hat einen Hinterfetisch, doch scheint er Gentlemen zu sein.



Fazit

Schade, dass dieser Band 1 Kapitel weniger umfasst. Ich schnuppere zwar gern woanders rein, aber irgendwie war es mir diesmal viel zu schnell vorbei. Die Geschichte scheint jedoch immer turbulenter zu werden. Ich bin so gespannt, welcher Geheimnisse noch ans Licht kommen werden.

[Luana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Questo è sicuramente un manga carino, che intrattiene, ma che al contempo lascia sempre un po' perplessi. La storia tra Hinana e Kaede prosegue alla grande, anche se devono viverla in segreto - tanto più che le quattro persone in croce che sono a conoscenza della tresca, non ne sono molto entusiaste. L'agente di Kaede li controlla come un falco, mentre il migliore amico della ragazza non vuole cedere. E poi, ci sono gli ex compagni del gruppo idol di cui faceva parte Kaede, che lo odiano giusto un po' e che vedono in Hinana uno strumento per rendergli la vita difficile. Un bel casino che non sembra destinato a risolversi tanto presto.
Per il resto, posso anche capire l'attrazione che prova la ragazzina, ma certe uscite di Kaede sono veramente assurde, per non parlare della sua ridicola fissazione per i "culetti". Forse qualcuno deve informarlo del fatto che lui è un adulto che sta frequentando una minorenne: magari è il caso di darsi una regolata. Magari, eh...

[Nadina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm so conflicted about the age gap between Hinana and Kaede, but mainly because Hinana is still in high school, were the characters both 2 years older I would not have an issue with it.
Other than that the plot of this volume was not bad and I did enjoy the characters, their interactions and the plot, as well as the growth and change the characters showed.
I was not a huge fan of the special manga included "Love's Reach" there was a questionable age difference again, and it just was very fast paced. If I weren't wanting to add the review for the book I probably would have skipped it.
Hoping the next volume is better again.

[Mandy Sickle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up the first of the series on kindle unlimited to check it out and ended up reading the entire series ending up staying late to finish. I just loved the idea for this one the celebrity and the high school girl just works. I love that they both grew so much over the course of the series. This is a quick fast paced sweet whirlwind romance. I'm going to need these for my collection. I was super sad to see the series end but I'm so glad that I got a happy ever after. It's a beautiful story with equally beautiful artwork.

[Soobie has fog in her brain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Non penso mica che Nana sia una closet perv come afferma un'altra recensione. Anzi, quel suo continuo desiderio di toccare Kaede mi sembra naturale. Molto più naturale di altri manga in cui le protagoniste sono santarelline. Mi riconosco anch'io in quei suoi momenti pieni di indecisione.

O magari sono una closet perv anch'io...

Toh, son comparsi anche i membri dei Funny Bone che hanno qualcosa da recriminare nei confronti di Kaede.

[-moonprismpower- · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far, I really enjoy this series....
but... why does it take so long just to KISS someone??????
Why does shojo manga do this to me????? Stop talking and planning out a first kiss and just freakin do it!!!!


Also... I HATE when volumes look nice and thick and get you all excited (lol), JUST TO HAVE A SHORT STORY TAKE UP 1/4 of the book!!!!!!!

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate that she went off with his ex-bandmate. Why would she do that? I can't stand when characters go off with someone who says they know/are friends with someone. Okay great, you two are friends. What's that got to do with me? You're their friend/associate not mine so I have no reason to be hanging out with you.

[georgiaotaku · Rating 5 out of 5]

Would have been 5 stars if not for the extra story at the end. Actually no, I’ll give it 5 stars because the main story was great. I’m unsure why we have this extra story that is unrelated to this series that takes up 1/3 of the book. I ended up skipping it after a few pages because I felt nothing for it.

[Glasdow Teacosy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The band complications felt contrived.

This volume didn't hit me right. I was bored a lot of the time and skimmed. The Love's Reach extra manga at the end was disjointed and felt like a 4-coma manga fleshed out for a gag short story. That kitchen scene, tho…

[Cam · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5) Kaede et Nana sont vraiment trop mignons. J'aime ce mélange entre l'univers scolaire de la lycéenne et le monde du divertissement qui entoure Kaede, sans que cela n'aille trop loin dans le cliché. En revanche, bien déçue de voir que le chapitre hors-série prenne autant de place. Ça a clairement cassé ma lecture.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

That band member Mitsuki is no good. Really interested in that backstory. Hinana also seems to have one, because she acted quite weird with the piano thing. Ayase and her are really cute though. And I’m glad that the other band member at least has a conscience and told Ayase.

[Usagi Tsukino · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is for the Italian edition.

[Ana Nenina Rusa · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's building up!

[Marika Babbo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Il primo volume è molto introduttivo..adesso si inizia a vedere veramente quanto può essere contorta la mentalità giapponese 😅 ma l'ho adorato fa morire dal ridere in alcune pagine 😂😂

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story.8: I Call Dibs
Story.9: She's Really Cute
Story.10: If You Want It So Badly, Then Do It with Me
Special Content: The Genius Girl's Happy Wedding