Desire Climax
Encyclopedia
is a shōjo
manga
series by Ayane Ukyō. It was serialized in Shueisha
's Margaret
manga magazine from 2004 to 2006, and collected in seven bound volumes
. The series is published in France by Panini Comics
France and in Germany by Egmont Manga.
The next day her mother tells Mio that their landlord, who happens to be among her father's closest friends, has offered her a job as a maid at their mansion. Eager to help the family, he feels that it will be safer at night that way, and her mother agrees to this despite her daughter's opposition. To her horror, Mio finds out that the violent man who stole her kiss is none other than Shoei Jinnai, the son of their landlord and the most popular and high-achieving student at her high school; so much so that he is widely known as 'Prince Jinnai'
In his own strange way, the Prince starts to treat her as his girlfriend, going so far as to tell Mio he loves her. When they finally start dating, Mio's brother Hinata becomes extremely jealous and tries to interfere with their relationship. When Mio catches them kissing, she runs home, but the next morning their house is demolished on the Prince's order.
Shoei (Prince) Jinnai: Shoei is Mio's closest childhood friend and the scion of a very wealthy family, although Mio initially doesn't recall their past together. His father is the Omori family's landlord. He is popular, athletic, intelligent and handsome, adored by many girls in school, popular among both ladies and gentlemen. He is deeply in love with Mio. He manipulates events so that Mio is first forced to work in his home as a maid, then to live there. Spoiled and extremely wealthy, he lacks in compassion, consideration and empathy towards others. Mio later takes it upon herself to re-educate him to be a better person. Later they become a couple.
Hinata (Hina) Omori: Mio's little brother, though not by blood. He is in fact the illegitimate son of Mr. Jinnai and is the Prince's half-brother. It is not clear how he found out or how long he has known about his origins, but it is known that he has been in love with his "sister" for some time. On many occasions, Hinata has demonstrated a cruel streak and manipulative personality: he wants Mio and is willing to use tricks and lies to separate her from the Prince. Unknown to Mio, he has been working as a male escort (prostitute). After running away from home, Hinata moved in with his pimp, before moving into the Jinnai house.
Mr. Tomoe: Hina's pimp. Hina moves in with him after running away. Later, Mio moves in with him too after he offers her a job and tells her that Hina is staying with him. Mio does not know Mr. Tomoe is Hina's pimp. He also seems to know a lot about Hina and Mio's family issues with the Jinnais, showing Hinata where to find his birth mother.
Hayato: Prince's oniwaban (spy) is nineteen years old. Since his real job serves little purpose most of the time, he acts as the gardener for Jinnai house. He is very friendly and listens to Mio's problems, and seems to know more than he lets on.
Asako: Mio's mother. She is very sickly and stays in the hospital. Shoei has a close relationship with her, because she was his wet nurse
(mother figure) when he was a child. There is some evidence of their closeness in that she calls him by his given name and he frequently visits her at the hospital. She often says or requests things from the Jinnai family without asking her children, and currently owes the Jinnai family a debt of over one-billion yen.
Mr. Jinnai: Shoei's father and Hinata's biological father. Mr. Jinnai is usually very carefree and extremely gentle, so much so that Mio says she can not refuse even his most unusual requests. However, he has been shown to become very serious and even frightening in times of stress. Afterwards, he reverts to his usual character. At some point in the past, he and Mio's father were very close friends, and Mr. Jinnai wishes to keep caring for Mio and her family because of it.
Jun-chan: A friend of Mio's from school.
", but found the actions of the male characters to be "very caricatured". Lillaz found that the art was good, but that it "lacked originality". In a short review for volume four, the reviewer for AnimeLand described the manga as "morally violent", and found the fifth volume "repetitive". They found the "reversal of roles" in the final volume to give a "rather amusing" new dimension to the work. The reviewer for Manga News found the gardener a "dynamic" character.
Shojo
The term refers to manga marketed to a female audience roughly between the ages of 10-18. The name romanizes the Japanese 少女 , literally: "little female". Shōjo manga covers many subjects in a variety of narrative and graphic styles, from historical drama to science fiction — often with a strong...
manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series by Ayane Ukyō. It was serialized in Shueisha
Shueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
's Margaret
Margaret (magazine)
is a biweekly Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Shueisha, primarily for girls from 11 to 15 years old, although some stories are read by adult women. It was first released as a weekly magazine in 1963. In 2009, the circulation was 154,584...
manga magazine from 2004 to 2006, and collected in seven bound volumes
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
. The series is published in France by Panini Comics
Panini Comics
Panini Comics is an Italian comic book publisher. A division of Panini Group, best known for their collectible stickers, it is headquartered in Modena, Italy...
France and in Germany by Egmont Manga.
Story
The Omori are a poor family.Mio Omori's father died when she was young, and her mother has been hospitalized for some time with an unspecified illness. She lives alone with her little brother Hinata, doing a number of part-time jobs to get by. One night, when going home after work, she encounters upon a violent young man who throws money at her, saying he'll 'buy her', after stealing her first kiss.The next day her mother tells Mio that their landlord, who happens to be among her father's closest friends, has offered her a job as a maid at their mansion. Eager to help the family, he feels that it will be safer at night that way, and her mother agrees to this despite her daughter's opposition. To her horror, Mio finds out that the violent man who stole her kiss is none other than Shoei Jinnai, the son of their landlord and the most popular and high-achieving student at her high school; so much so that he is widely known as 'Prince Jinnai'
In his own strange way, the Prince starts to treat her as his girlfriend, going so far as to tell Mio he loves her. When they finally start dating, Mio's brother Hinata becomes extremely jealous and tries to interfere with their relationship. When Mio catches them kissing, she runs home, but the next morning their house is demolished on the Prince's order.
Characters
Mio Omori: Although poor, naive and often indecisive and emotionally weak, Mio has good intentions and is a very hardworking girl. Mio lives with her brother, Hinata, while their mother is in hospital. Due to an incident in her childhood, in which she was kidnapped in place of Shoei, she lost her memory of her friendship with him. In a meeting many years later, Shoei offers to buy her, claiming she now "belongs to him". She falls in love with Shoei.Shoei (Prince) Jinnai: Shoei is Mio's closest childhood friend and the scion of a very wealthy family, although Mio initially doesn't recall their past together. His father is the Omori family's landlord. He is popular, athletic, intelligent and handsome, adored by many girls in school, popular among both ladies and gentlemen. He is deeply in love with Mio. He manipulates events so that Mio is first forced to work in his home as a maid, then to live there. Spoiled and extremely wealthy, he lacks in compassion, consideration and empathy towards others. Mio later takes it upon herself to re-educate him to be a better person. Later they become a couple.
Hinata (Hina) Omori: Mio's little brother, though not by blood. He is in fact the illegitimate son of Mr. Jinnai and is the Prince's half-brother. It is not clear how he found out or how long he has known about his origins, but it is known that he has been in love with his "sister" for some time. On many occasions, Hinata has demonstrated a cruel streak and manipulative personality: he wants Mio and is willing to use tricks and lies to separate her from the Prince. Unknown to Mio, he has been working as a male escort (prostitute). After running away from home, Hinata moved in with his pimp, before moving into the Jinnai house.
Mr. Tomoe: Hina's pimp. Hina moves in with him after running away. Later, Mio moves in with him too after he offers her a job and tells her that Hina is staying with him. Mio does not know Mr. Tomoe is Hina's pimp. He also seems to know a lot about Hina and Mio's family issues with the Jinnais, showing Hinata where to find his birth mother.
Hayato: Prince's oniwaban (spy) is nineteen years old. Since his real job serves little purpose most of the time, he acts as the gardener for Jinnai house. He is very friendly and listens to Mio's problems, and seems to know more than he lets on.
Asako: Mio's mother. She is very sickly and stays in the hospital. Shoei has a close relationship with her, because she was his wet nurse
Wet nurse
A wet nurse is a woman who is used to breast feed and care for another's child. Wet nurses are used when the mother is unable or chooses not to nurse the child herself. Wet-nursed children may be known as "milk-siblings", and in some cultures the families are linked by a special relationship of...
(mother figure) when he was a child. There is some evidence of their closeness in that she calls him by his given name and he frequently visits her at the hospital. She often says or requests things from the Jinnai family without asking her children, and currently owes the Jinnai family a debt of over one-billion yen.
Mr. Jinnai: Shoei's father and Hinata's biological father. Mr. Jinnai is usually very carefree and extremely gentle, so much so that Mio says she can not refuse even his most unusual requests. However, he has been shown to become very serious and even frightening in times of stress. Afterwards, he reverts to his usual character. At some point in the past, he and Mio's father were very close friends, and Mr. Jinnai wishes to keep caring for Mio and her family because of it.
Jun-chan: A friend of Mio's from school.
Volumes
Reception
Reviewing the first volume, a reviewer for Manga News regarded the "strong point" of the manga to be its depiction of poverty in Japan. The reviewer found the brutality of the scenes between Mio and Jinnai to be confronting. AnimeLand regarded the first volume's story as 'sordid', disliking the non-consensual relationship that Mio is in, but noting that the author is popular with Japanese girls, "who do not seem affronted by the scenes of domination by horny males". Faustine Lillaz, writing for Planète BD, "gained the impression of a modernized CinderellaCinderella
"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
", but found the actions of the male characters to be "very caricatured". Lillaz found that the art was good, but that it "lacked originality". In a short review for volume four, the reviewer for AnimeLand described the manga as "morally violent", and found the fifth volume "repetitive". They found the "reversal of roles" in the final volume to give a "rather amusing" new dimension to the work. The reviewer for Manga News found the gardener a "dynamic" character.