Club 9, Volume 1 Book

She's cute. She's a barrel of fun. She's irrepressible. And...a bit of a klutz. She's Haruo Hattori, and now she's leaving her little country farm town, her boyfriend, and her loony family for college in the big city. Before she leaves, she makes a pledge that she'll remain true to her boyfriend, despite all the temptations a big city can throw at her, and the temptations pile up like cordwood when the need for a few yen to rub together nets her a job at Club 9, a hot hostess bar. The charming country girl lights a lot of fires in the hearts of the club patrons, and her short skirt is fanning the flames! How ya gonna keep `em down on the farm once they been to Club 9? Collecting the story-arc from issues #13-19 of the Super Manga Blast! ongoing series. Club 9 is raucous slice-of-life, fish-out-of-water comedy as only What's Michael? creator Makoto Kobayashi can craft.

Publishers Weekly

It's been a few months since Haruo "Hello" Hattori left her small farm town to go to college in the big city. To say she's experienced culture shock would be an understatement. Taking the bumpkin Haruo and placing her in the fast-paced city is akin to putting Paris Hilton on a farm. However, Haruo's making new friends, influencing people and becoming one of the most popular hostesses in the Ginza District's tempting Club 9. Her clients include movie stars, captains of industry, comic book artists, sports stars and everything in between; she doesn't put out, but that doesn't stop everyone from being charmed by the naive but bodacious young woman. In this volume, she's showered with expensive gifts on her 19th birthday, trying to stay chaste for her hometown boyfriend and dealing with temptation and life in the fast lane. Club 9 is a laugh-out-loud series that doesn't require a lot of background knowledge. Although there are a few outrageous elements (e.g., haunted apartment buildings), it's not a fantasy tale. Kobayashi knows how to craft likable characters that readers will laugh, cry and cheer for. The facial expressions help explain most scenes, as do the variety of angles, page layouts and interesting perspectives. Club 9 is easy on the eyes and hard on the funny bone. (Feb.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.