By Leroy Douresseaux
September 1, 2013 - 11:28
Midnight Secretary Volume 1 cover image |
Rated “M” for “Mature”
The shojo manga, Midnight Secretary, focuses on 22-year-old Kaya Satozuka. She prides herself on being an excellent secretary and a consummate professional at Tohma Corp., a tableware manufacturer. So, when she is reassigned to the office of the company’s difficult Managing Director, Kyohei Tohma, Kaya is unconcerned. Then, Kaya discovers Kyohei’s secret.
As Midnight Secretary, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 5) begins, Kaya gets a new assignment at Tohma Corp. She is Kyohei Tohma’s new executive secretary. The young managing director is rumored to be prickly and quite attractive, both of which turn out to be true. However, Kaya is unfazed… until she discovers that Kyohei is a shameless womanizer and a vampire.
THE LOWDOWN: Although I’ve only just read the first volume of the Midnight Secretary manga, I am a fan, and I can’t wait to read more. It is more humorous than racy, but the “biting scenes” can come across as intensely passionate as a romance scene in a yaoi manga. Midnight Secretary’s sex-by-vampiric-innuendo may be why it is rated for mature readers.
Visually and graphically, Midnight Secretary sometimes looks as if it comes from some pre-World War II era. Much of that is due to Kaya’s conservative look – in terms of her clothing and hairstyle. Creator Tomu Ohmi seems to want to make sure that Midnight Secretary does not look like just another vampire manga. It isn’t.
POSSIBLE AUDIENCE: Readers looking for a unique shojo vampire romance will want to try Midnight Secretary.
Rating: A- /10