Club 9 is a five-volume Seinen manga by Kobayashi Makoto that tells the story of innocent country girl Haruo Hattori who becomes a club hostess in Tokyo. The first three volumes are available in English.
Club 9 provides examples of:
- A-Cup Angst: Chinatsu has a flat figure, and while she's still considered Club 9's number one hostess for her elegance and conversational skills, she's still bitterly jealous of buxom women like Aki and Haruo, and tends to grope them when she gets drunk.
- Author Avatar: Konbayashi Makoto is a parody of Kobayashi Makoto. Who could've guessed?
- Beta Couple: Fuyumi is the only girl with a steady Love Interest, a young actor that visits the cabaret just for her. They never get much focus, but ended up getting married at the end.
- But Liquor Is Quicker: Pity the man who thought a drink or two would make Chinatsu more open for his advances. See Can't Hold Her Liquor below.
- By the Hair: When a Dirty Old Man stalker attempts to kill Aki, he grabs her by the hair whie pursuing her, and ends up cutting it while trying to slash her with a knife.
- Buxom Beauty Standard: Haruo and Aki both have sizable busts, and are the Dude Magnets of the cast.
- Can't Hold Her Liquor: Chinatsu after even an itty bitty sippy cheerfully mocks and torments her customers without bounds.
- City Mouse: The main premise of the story of following the life of country girl Haruo as she tries to adapt to like in Tokyo.
- Cool Car: Haruo's pink "Fahrrari Tahstarossa".
- Cute Clumsy Girl: Haruo. No cure comes from becoming hostess Hello-chan.
- Fanservice with a Smile: It's a hostess club after all.
- Hair Flip: Proud Beauty Aki flips her hair as her Character Tic. Which she tragically has to stop doing after her stalker cut her hair while trying to kill her.
- Kimono Fanservice: The competing club has one hostess in kimono.
- Lady in Red: Hello-chan in Mama's "more daring little number". Not classy but definitely, definitely sexy.
- Nature Adores a Virgin: The men are pretty smitten with Hello-chan to begin with, but the madness only really begins when they learn that she is a virgin.
- Please Put Some Clothes On: Mangaka Lewis and his assistants have been working on a deadline rush for the last days non-stop. The much attractive, much appreciated Hello-chan visits wearing one of her Mama's more daring little numbers, red even, and makes the men weep along the lines of Please Put Some Clothes On. An emergency cover is improvised from cardboard boxes.
- Rich Suitor, Poor Suitor: While Haruo has promised to be loyal to her financially struggling boyfriend Kingoro, she's often tempted by the handsome rich men that court them, such as Kyosuke Hanazono and Koji Uryu.
- She Cleans Up Nicely: Haruo the average pretty farmgirl becomes Hello-chan the "world-class, could-live-on-it beauty".
- Skinship Grope: Haruo's Ma has a "my little girl has grown all up" moment; Chinatsu the relative board chest has "I wish I has luscious funbags like these" moments with Haruo and/or Aki.
- Street Smart: Aki, the first of the girls to befriend Haruo, is the most street-smart of the girls and is often teaching City Mouse Haruo about life in the big city.
- Supermodel Strut: A confident strut is a proud tradition of Ginza girls. SFX: B♥♥M BA-DA B♥♥M. But Proud Beauty Aki does this the most often.
- Tareme Eyes: Aki, who's something of a Hooker with a Heart of Gold and has no qualms about manipulating her customers into buying her stuff.
- Tsurime Eyes: Chinatsu, who gives a more high-class and elegant air than the other hostesses.
- Unable to Support a Wife: Kingoro, Haruo's boyfriend from her hometown, is a struggling baseball player and the fact he's unable to support Haruo is a big source of drama, especially since many rich men are after her.
