Sumi Kitamura is the second eldest in a parentless family of six. One day after her older brother leaves town, her younger brothers and sisters are taken away. The only way for her to get them back is to make a lot of money fast. On her quest to find money, a man offers to give her the money if she marries him...
She is a Japanese manga artist who does mainly shojo manga. Her works are primarily serialized in Margaret magazine, with series published in collected volumes by Shueisha, though she has also been featured in fellow Shueisha publication Ribon, as well as illustrating the novel adaptation of her own Stepping on Roses series in Cobalt.
I love the romance in this manga, but this volume was mostly about the scheming of Soichiro's downfall. Arghh, can I just say that I hate that stupid maid Keiko! She's ruining everything! Her antics throughout this one made me want to punch her. First, she assaults Soichiro in the bath. Then, she acts like Komai tried to rape her. And then, she poisons Soichiro's food! I wonder what her motivations are for all this. They must be paying her well or something because she is super persistant. I felt bad for Komai at the end, that Soichiro believed Keiko over him. They seemed to know the whole time that Keiko was a spy, but all of a sudden Soichiro didn't believe it. They should have fired her a long time ago. Hopefully Komai comes back. I didn't really like him to begin with, but I definitely felt for him after the events of this volume.
Even though it took a back seat to the nefarious plots, I liked seeing Soichiro and Sumi's relationship. As a couple, they are just so pretty together. The drawings of them are gorgeous! This manga has some of the prettiest drawings I've seen. Some of my favorites were the bathtub scene and when Sumi was tying his tie for him. Talk about some sexual tension between the two of them. I feel the worst for Nozomu's poor wife. First off, she's married to a psychopath. Nozomu is not right in the head. Second, she's stuck with a man that's in love with another woman. I understand that it's an arranged marriage, but she seemed like such a nice girl. She tried to please him in any way and he was just cold towards her. Nozomu was too busy obsessing over Sumi to show his own wife some attention.
I want Komai to come back in the next volume! Also, for that maid Keiko to bugger off. I hate reading about all this drama and it makes me yell at the pictures. But secretly I have to admit that it's fun to read, no matter how dramatic or over-the-top the plots are...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
After Natsuki, Soichiro's spying and manipulative cousin, sets his sights on destroying Soichiro's position as president and potentially ruin Sumi in the process, he looks to encourage Nozomu obsession and infatuation with Sumi. While Sumi and Soichiro's relationship seems to be become more tender and compassionate, Natsuki sends a spy disguised as a maid, Keiko is determined to find some dirt on Sumi and Soichiro. She practically has the entire household convinced and may ruin the budding romance starting to flower for this couple.
I have been looking forward to this issue for three to four months. I enjoy the budding romance of Soichiro and Sumi. The mystery thickens as Natsuki threatens to destroy all that Soichiro has been plotting and planning for years leaves the reader hopeful yet sullen over the success of Natsuki and Keiko. I anxiously await the next volume which is due out April 5, 2011. It's already pre-order!
So many things about this is messed up and wrong. I like the other parts, like Soichiro being happy because of his gift. There are just some characters that have the biggest influence on this story that ruin it for me.
Keiko is the worst maid ever. I can't believe the ending. Nozomu is also even creepier in this volume than before, which looks like it's going to be a reoccurring theme. There's also the office guy with the circular glasses that is also grouped in the "creepers."
Soichiro doesn't make the best choices but he's better and improving. He does shout a couple of times, though, but everyone isn't perfect.
Sumi... Well. She still is quite dumb but I feel bad for her now. Her husband isn't really listening to her (which is a problem).
So, yes, this improved upon the last volume but only a bit. I think I'm gonna stop reading the series. There are too many parts that I don't like.
New maid Keiko Kinoshita enters the Ashida household under the guise of helping out, but she's actually a spy for the vice president of Soichiro's company. As Sumi struggles to keep her past a secret, will Keiko's insidious schemes destroy the couple?
My Thoughts:
Soichirou's cousin Natsuki sends in an undercover maid into the Ashida household to try to get dirt on Sumi's background. She gets close a couple of times, but thanks to some quick thinking from Komai, Natsuki still doesn't know that Sumi is really a poor girl that Soichirou paid to marry him. Keiko pulls out all kinds of stops, though. I do not like that girl one bit. I hope she won't be around long. Especially since she's managed to run Komai off. =[
Sumi and Soichirou seem to be getting closer, though Soichirou is still is tsundere self. That guy needs to make up his mind. I think he's already in love with Sumi and Sumi likely feels the same way, but she's fighting it because one of the first things Soichirou ever told her is that he would never love her and she was never to fall in love with him. I feel bad for her because she sure could use some happiness.
Another person I feel bad for is Nozomu's wife Miu. She's a really sweet girl, but he doesn't want her at all. He only married her to further his own ends. I figure he's most likely scheming on how to take Soichirou down. He's still obsessed with Sumi, though and Sumi is still terrified of him. I think Miu knows now that Nozomu is in love with Sumi. After that one night, I don't see how she can't know. I just hope she doesn't take it out on Sumi since she doesn't know the whole story.
I cannot explain how much I am enjoying this series. It's alot of fun to read. Sometimes, so frustrating you want to throw the book across the room....but, still fun. ---------------------- Keiko is really annoying. Everyone is "on" to her little tricks, but nobody seems to want to we expose her. Except Komai, when she starts acting like he was making passes at her and attempting to rape her, which everyone knows he wouldn't do. He shouldn't have left, since that made it seem like Keiko had won. But, really, Soichiro should have listened to him and sided with him, after all his years of having Komai's service.
Also, Nozomu is still annoying, and still needs to leave Sumi alone.
I thought it was going to get better. It follows the same overly used formula as every other manga of its genre and becomes the Ross & Rachael "will they, won't they". Too much emotional and sexual abuse being used as twist. Characters we're supposed to be cheering for fall flat, and seem too new to the world they've been in their whole lives. A poor girl forced to take care of children who aren't hers, threatened by debt collectors, barely able to make ends meet... She would pay attention more to her surroundings, watch people. Street smarts are almost nonexistent. Tried to give the series a chance, hoping it would get better. I can't read any further.
This great manga from Rinko Ueda continues in volume 4. I can only hint at developments, because I don't believe in spoilers. Why is Nazumo's wife so upset? Will the children give away Sumi's station in life? Why has Soichiro missed an important meeting? And finally......the biggest cliffhanger so far! A really unexpected turn!No hints! Do read this Melodramatic Manga Masterpiece.
Man oh man, am I SICK of Mr. Cousin (or ex step cousin??)and his scheming maid!!!! Everyone is so damn greedy!!!! And Nozomu is just so cold to Miu. the girl is trying so HARD to get his attention!
But at least, the kids looked so precious in their western clothes!!! Love the kids!!! Lol
If you're a female brunette (or anybody other than Sumi), you're essentially set up to be a baddie.
The new maid, Reiko, arrives at the Ashida's residence. Komai, the ever faithful butler, is suspicious of her from the beginning -- after initially agreeing with him, Soichiro changes his mind and agrees to let her stay. Komai's suspicions are correct, because Reiko was hired by Natsuki to dig up Sumi's background and to prove that she's not a worthy wife for him.
Reiko is so "by the book" bad that it's laughable. She interrupts the couple each time they get intimate, she sabotages Sumi's cooking by adding a laxative into the onigiri (riceballs), and she skulks around Sumi's old home like a wannabe detective. Of course, who could forget the bungled seduction scene when she offers to wash Soichiro's back, wink wink.
Nozomu's wife, Miu, on the other hand, is so pathetic in trying to find ways to win her husband's love. In most fiction where the marriage is obviously one arranged for political gain, it's not common for the wife to want the husband to be in love with her. Miu may have only known a sheltered life, but I suppose that doesn't mean that she wanted to be in a loveless marriage of her own. When she married Nozomu, she wanted him to be doting and devoted to her alone; not to another woman, one she considered her friend.
Still loving this series very much. All of Sumi's outfits are so ruffly and impractical: I love them!
That stupid maid, Keiko!!! HER STUPID ACTIONS !!! SHE KEPT TRYING TO RUIN WHAT SOICHIRO & SUMI HAD TOGETHER!! God, 1st she assaults soichiro in the shower (WTF, slut much?) then pretends Komai tried to rape her (OMG SERIOUSLY) & then she poisons Soichiro - wtf is this bitch doing? I didn't really like Komai at first but after what Keiko did to him, i felt bad for him. and how could Soichiro believe Keiko over Komai - & then he quit his job :O And Nozomu - he seemed so sweet in the 1st volume - BUT REALLY, THIS FREAK IS NOT RIGHT IN THE HEAD - MIU, HIS WIFE IS SO NICE & SHE DOES EVERYTHING TO PLEASE THIS ASSHOLE, BUT HE'S TOO BUSY IN LVOE & OBSESSING OVER SUMI, THE WIFE OF HIS BEST FRIEND. LIKE PSYCHOTIC & CREEY MUCH? SERIOUSLY, HE NEEDS TO GET OVER IT - & HE EVEN HAD ALL THOSE PAINTINGS OF HER :O GROSSS I LOVE SOICHIRO & SUMI THOUGH!! :D THE'RE SO CUTE! & I JUST LOVE SOICHIRO'S HAIR - IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL - LOVE THE ROMANCE & THE VP & NOZOMU ARE PLOTTING TO TAKE OVER THE COMPANY & KICK SOICHIRO OFF THE PRESIDENT SEAT -____-
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I love this series!! The evil maid sure is interesting. I noticed a translation error for the first time in this series, which was a shame. It's a sentence that does not make any sense. I felt scared for Sumi when they went past her old house, but why was komai there late at night? And is komai gay?!?! I suspected it in the last book, but even more now. Keiko is a cunning witch, but I don't really see the point in what she's doing and how it's going to expose sumi's secrets? Also, I feel sorry for poor miu! Nozomu is a loser! Poor thing! I was interesting seeing komai leave at the end, he must be very annoyed at keiko and how soichiro didn't believe him. I still think soichiro is a jerk and Sumi deserves someone who doesn't call her an idiot, throws her aside, pushes her and just practically puts her down a lot.
Okay, so I'm REALLY getting into this manga, surprisingly.
Aaah, poor Miu!
I'm surprised that she's not flying into a jealous rage. Even women who THINK their man is cheating on them but don't have proof or don't have any reason to believe so would go crazy. She's just falling apart, the poor lamb :(
Rinko Ueda is the mangaka that brought us Tail of the Moon and as much as I liked that series, I think I love this one more. Rinko likes to show a defiant and impossible love due to the headstrong and loneliness of the main characters. It's always a tale of one part refusing to fall in love and the other party already half in love.
Hence the premise of this story. Sounds stereotypical but she does it so well.
I want Sumi to grow a bit more of a backbone and Soichiro to continue mellowing out. He's bossy and a bit of a jerk but he'll come around.
So this manga has always been a simple one where each chapter progresses simply. This time it really annoyed me. I guess due to the conflict mainly surrounding an annoying servant that Sumi is too blind to notice is not a good person.
If you are going to have simple plot then it had better be good and not contrived like this servant you would not have even allowed to enter your house! Also I didn't particularly like the end of this volume despite knowing exactly where it is headed.
This series has officially entered daytime soap drama territory and I love it. A little uncomfortable with how male characters see nothing wrong with forcing themselves on their love interests; I'm sure Ueda justifies it by not having any of these non-con advances succeed but still. The new girl Keiko is one hell of a villain.
Okay, not gonna lie, I totally got sucked into this volume! The storyline is... dare I say it... getting juicy! It's like a soap opera in a little book, and I'm LIVING for the drama!! Haha! I'm super bummed I don't have the next 5 volumes yet (DAMN YOU LIBRARY HURRY UP!!) because I'm dying to know what happens next!
The story is moving along and not just staying in one place, something that is a issue with many long running manga. Either they have the right formula here or this will only be like a 13 part series. I've like the drama so far and the story works. I'm looking forward to more!
I enjoyed it, was a fairly easy and quick read. On the one hand i love the characters and other find them annoying a strange combination that kept me reading onward. This series reminds me of a prime time soap opera, love tri-angles, blackmail, and betrayal makes for good entertainment.
There was a little bit more mature content in this volume but I still flew through it and enjoyed the ride. I feel the need to binge-read through this entire series! The drawings are beautiful. The plotline is simple and enjoyable.
Grrr... that Keiko girl maid. -.- i wanna strangle her! She's so annoying! Things are getting complicated. Her prescence is causing trouble. Ugh! Miu-chan is going insanely jealous now too. WTH! Lol Komai-kun is with the kids. XD