Midnight Secretary #1
Date Read: Jan 26, 2018
Date Read: Jan 26, 2018
First Published: 2008
Paperback
Adult, Fantasy Romance
Rating:
Re-Readability:
Kaya Satozuka prides herself on being an excellent secretary and a consummate professional, so she doesn’t even bat an eye when she’s reassigned to the office of her company’s difficult director, Kyohei Touma. He’s as prickly—and hot—as rumors paint him, but Kaya is unfazed…until she discovers that he’s a vampire!!
Kaya quickly accustoms herself to scheduling his “dinner dates” and working odd hours, but can she handle it when Kyohei’s smoldering gaze starts turning her way?!
Okay, so before we get on with this review, there is one thing I need to make clear: this is one of my all time favorite manga. This is not the first time I've read it. I first read it in 2009, and have returned to it time and again since.
This is, however, my first time owning a copy of the series.
So, some background. Midnight Secretary tells the story of the hardworking and serious Kaya, the titular secretary. She begins working for a difficult boss in her company, one that works very hard but also seems to find time to entertain women in his office ALL THE TIME (really, it's kind of a superpower).
That's Kyouhei Touma*. And, yes, he's a jerk, but he's also a major book crush of mine. Hey, at least I'm self-aware!!
At first, these two are at odds. Then Kaya discovers the truth about her boss. He's a fucking Vampire. In this world, vampires are born, not made. As a result, they aren't killing machines. They don't need to--they only need a little bit of human blood to survive. Blood they usually ingest through intercourse with their "victim" none the wiser, experiencing sexual pleasure instead. They kind of have it good. Only, they're allergic to sunlight, and faith, and find humans beneath them. Which probably has to do with them being beautiful and smart, and more often than not rich.
Now, half because she's blackmailed and half because she's the mother fucking boss of all secretaries, Kaya vows to be the perfect secretary for her boss. That includes learning all she can about him, and helping him even when he refuses to admit he needs help. But that doesn't include falling in love with him. AT ALL.
AT ALL I SAID.
Dammit.
(lol)
So, yes, this is a love story. If you love romance novels, you NEED this manga in your life. It's absolutely perfect. It's mostly like a contemporary romance with fantasy settings and a smattering of fantastical elements (nothing overpowering).
And it will give you THE FEELS.
Even in this first volume, that serves to set up our characters, their predicament and the beginning of their unlikely romance, you can sense that this is a story with a lot of heart, about a woman making a hard man see that loving is not a weakness, and that admitting "defeat" doesn't damage your pride.
And Kyouhei and Kaya are one of my favorite otps of all time. There's just something about these two people meeting and changing each other's lives that makes my heart pump like no other manga does!
PLEASE GO READ THIS MANGA AND THEN COME BACK AND DISCUSS WITH ME, I NEED DISCUSSION BUDDIES!
*Okay, mini rant about the official translation... It's not the best?? First of all, why do they call Touma "Tohma"? It's written "とうまきょうへい" which is literally To-u-ma Kyo-u-he-i. Why would a professional manga translation company make this dumb a mistake?... (Also, based on how often it appears in manga and anime, Touma is a really common name in Japan).
Second, I found "Mr. Director" to be really awkward. I wish it would have been just "Director". Like, I guess I get it, but maybe because I got used to shachou (director/president in Japanesee) on its own it was, like, really weird.
This is, however, my first time owning a copy of the series.
So, some background. Midnight Secretary tells the story of the hardworking and serious Kaya, the titular secretary. She begins working for a difficult boss in her company, one that works very hard but also seems to find time to entertain women in his office ALL THE TIME (really, it's kind of a superpower).
That's Kyouhei Touma*. And, yes, he's a jerk, but he's also a major book crush of mine. Hey, at least I'm self-aware!!
At first, these two are at odds. Then Kaya discovers the truth about her boss. He's a fucking Vampire. In this world, vampires are born, not made. As a result, they aren't killing machines. They don't need to--they only need a little bit of human blood to survive. Blood they usually ingest through intercourse with their "victim" none the wiser, experiencing sexual pleasure instead. They kind of have it good. Only, they're allergic to sunlight, and faith, and find humans beneath them. Which probably has to do with them being beautiful and smart, and more often than not rich.
Now, half because she's blackmailed and half because she's the mother fucking boss of all secretaries, Kaya vows to be the perfect secretary for her boss. That includes learning all she can about him, and helping him even when he refuses to admit he needs help. But that doesn't include falling in love with him. AT ALL.
AT ALL I SAID.
Dammit.
(lol)
So, yes, this is a love story. If you love romance novels, you NEED this manga in your life. It's absolutely perfect. It's mostly like a contemporary romance with fantasy settings and a smattering of fantastical elements (nothing overpowering).
And it will give you THE FEELS.
Even in this first volume, that serves to set up our characters, their predicament and the beginning of their unlikely romance, you can sense that this is a story with a lot of heart, about a woman making a hard man see that loving is not a weakness, and that admitting "defeat" doesn't damage your pride.
And Kyouhei and Kaya are one of my favorite otps of all time. There's just something about these two people meeting and changing each other's lives that makes my heart pump like no other manga does!
PLEASE GO READ THIS MANGA AND THEN COME BACK AND DISCUSS WITH ME, I NEED DISCUSSION BUDDIES!
*Okay, mini rant about the official translation... It's not the best?? First of all, why do they call Touma "Tohma"? It's written "とうまきょうへい" which is literally To-u-ma Kyo-u-he-i. Why would a professional manga translation company make this dumb a mistake?... (Also, based on how often it appears in manga and anime, Touma is a really common name in Japan).
Second, I found "Mr. Director" to be really awkward. I wish it would have been just "Director". Like, I guess I get it, but maybe because I got used to shachou (director/president in Japanesee) on its own it was, like, really weird.
