http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... harts.html
Sorry about the Fail link, it was the first I found.
I read the whole series of Hot Gimmick when Alex was a newborn - it was the only stuff my sleep-deprived brain could handle. Talk about soap opera! I wanted to slap Hatsumi silly, and her little sister... the male characters just made me laugh (I've forgotten their names), the saintly older brother was just to goody-two-shoes and had the ending he deserved; the male model was a brilliant villain, and as for the geeky boyfriend... heh. I had a crush on him, but I like guys with glasses. ;-)
Wilma wrote: Yes, Pips I realize the author does not endorse the behaviour and the characters acting in disagreeable ways makes for a good soaper. I think the soapy action is why I like Hot Gimmick although I don't want to.
About manga and anime in academia, from the other side of the coin: I like to give my students some perspective, some context to some of the things I talk about in class, and sometimes I mention manga or anime (among other things). The other day I shocked a visiting Japanese student because I knew about ganguro in Shibuya.