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Midnight Secretary – Tomu Ohmi: Series Review

Midnight Secretary originally ran in Petit Comic josei manga magazine from 2007-2009. It was published by Shogakukan in 7 volumes which we’ve gotten here in English from Viz media. The final volume was released in North America on September 2, 2014.



The Gist: Kaya Satozuka is a brilliant secretary who excels at her job, which is why she doesn’t bat an eye when she’s assigned to be personal secretary to Kyohei Touma, the very difficult managing director of Touma Foods. It doesn’t faze her when her new boss seems determined to make her fail, and she even manages to take it in stride when she discovers the secret behind his prickly behavior…he’s a vampire! But while Kaya easily adapts to late nights and keeping a schedule of his “dinner dates,” will her ultra-competence help when Kyohei’s smoldering gaze starts turning her way?!

Volume 7 Cover

Volume 7 Cover





The Review: Midnight Secretary is a guilty pleasure of a story for a romance loving audience. Tomu Ohmi could have stuck with typical romance stereotypes for this series, and granted some aspects are, but others help this series stand out and become one of the few josei series chosen for publication here in North America. For instance, Kyouhei is a typical dominant male personality – aloof, moody mysterious – great elements to make readers want to know more about him. Kaya on the other hand, is not the typical fainting female that you tend to find in romance stories such as these. She’s strong, defiant, pushy – won’t give in to emotion so easily. That makes her a more likable female protagonist for this genre. Even by the end of the story when Kyouhei and Kaya have finally made a commitment, Kaya is willing to stand up for Kyouhei and give up some of her own dreams for his sake, never crying over what can never be. While the plot of the story seems to follow a typical romance pattern of meet, conflict, fall in love – the story doesn’t end there, and more conflicts tend to arise once the two protagonists commit to their feelings. I was left guessing to the end how the mangaka was going to draw the series to a close.

Paneling, toning, setting, and characters

Paneling, toning, setting, and characters





The Art: As well as interesting plot and characters, Midnight Secretary could not have been as successful if it weren’t for Tohmu Ohmi’s drawings being so pleasing to look at. Her character designs are very attractive and she puts in great effort on settings as well. Paneling and toning really help to set the mood of the story with a push towards the gothic at times due to Kyouhei being a vampire. The more intimate scenes in the series are very tastefully done. Color pieces really are striking with interesting symbolism thrown in for good measure. Overall it’s no surprise that Midnight Secretary has been one of the most demanded josei series by readers here overseas.



The Audience: Midnight Secretary is a josei series aimed at an older female audience. Mature content as well as nudity would rule this series out for younger girls. Romance fans will love this series, though.



The Media: Midnight Secretary volumes 1-7 are available now in North America under the Shojo Beat imprint from Viz media.

Heart of Manga Rating: ♥♥♥♥ Recommend.

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3 Comments

  • Uhm..this manga is so addicting I couldn’t stop reading it.. It is one of favorite I’m sad cause I’m not satisfied, because I want to know what happens after kaya and kyouhei got married to many questions to ask but when will you release the season 2?? I love this manga

    • This series is done. I don’t think there are any plans currently for a sequel. But Tomu Ohmi may revisit it some day. You never know.

  • […] (Anime News Network) Mad Manga on vols. 2-8 of Knights of Sidonia (Cartoon Geek Corner) Laura on vols. 1-7 of Midnight Secretary (Heart of Manga) Khursten Santos on The Night Beyond the Tri-Cornered Window (Otaku Champloo) […]

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