A manga published in 2009 by Takeshobo and serialized in Vitaman Magazine, it follows the story of Nitta Shin. After acquiring a crushing debt, his loan agent tells him that he can escape repayment if he keeps a particular woman company. After meeting up with Kanoko he gradually learns that this arrangement might not be as easy as he thought.
The story of a salaryman and his meeting of a lonely, rich girl, Velvet Kiss is a Seinen created by Harumi Chihiro. It's finished and collected into 4 volumes. Digital Manga
has the English license and released all four volumes in the US.
This series provides examples of:
- Allergic to Love: Kano doesn't really understand romantic gestures, especially kissing. At one point Nitta tried to kiss her, and she just kind of stared at him blankly until he stopped. Later he tries a slightly indirect approach, which ends up freaking her out a little.
- Am I Just a Toy to You?: The central point of Nitta's dilemma. He has an 80 million yen debt hanging over his head, and to pay it off, he has to cater to the whims of a girl who treats him like a sex toy.
- A Party, Also Known as an Orgy: The get-togethers Kano and her friends have on a regular basis.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Kanoko's stepmother. Also Rumi.
- Bittersweet Ending: Kanoko's stepmothers evil schemes come to light, and her father and his company are saved, though her mother is still long dead. Kanoko and Nitta become better people, but its implied they won't be together, essentially being Maybe Ever After.
- Character Development: Kano goes through a lot of this through the story, Nitta, a smaller though still large measure.
- Coitus Uninterruptus: In one chapter Yuki, Kano's friend is getting a call from her saying she won't make it. He didn't see any need to tell the girl he was with at the moment to stop.
- Defector from Decadence: As the manga progresses, Kano grows more disillusioned with her idle lifestyle and unwilling to put up with all the random sex.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: One of the main points of the story is how Nitta is (reluctantly) getting Kano to open up.
- Dysfunction Junction: Kano has lots of issues, but Nitta isn't exactly a pillar of confidence either.
- Enemy Mine: At one point Nitta voices this, saying that people who hate Yoriko for whatever reason should be sought as allies in her ouster. In his words "There's gotta be Anti-Yoriko clique."
- Everybody Has Lots of Sex: As to be expected from a manga published as hentai in the West. Not only do Kano and Nitta constantly get it on, but we get many looks into the rich orgies Kano used to eagerly participate in.
- Explicit Content: Very close to porn.
- Friends with Benefits: This is how Kano's friends and her get along really.
- From Bad to Worse: It starts with Nitta getting saddled with a crushing debt. The first half of the story things actually improve, though he doesn't really notice. Then the last dozen chapters basically push him lower and lower as nearly everything and everyone abandons, and uses him, until he finally pushes back.
- Girlish Pigtails: Kano's default hairstyle.
- The Hedonist: Kano's orgy friends, but especially Yuki. Nitta's brother is a milder and a more positive example. Kano is also this at the beginning of the series, but receives Character Development, turning her into a lesser example.
- Horrible Judge of Character: Nitta, with the girlfriend who used his signature to borrow 80 million yen, Kanoko's stepmother who he judges as to be a gentle and caring person without bothering to double check this before trusting her, and finally Rumi with whom his "accidental" meetings were more than a little suspicious.
- I Will Wait for You: What the ending and epilogue ultimately amount to for both Nitta and Kano. In fact, Nitta waited over 3 years before he got a phone call from her once she got the company back, and they still may or may not end up together.
- Information Broker: Nitta's brother plays this role, getting details of Nitta's debt as a special one.
- Intrepid Reporter: Nitta's brother meets one who turns out to have a beef against the company of Kano's father for ruining her own family.
- If It's You, It's Okay: Kano seems to do only certain things with Nitta, that she doesn't do with her friends.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Ishizuka, who set up Nitta's meeting with Kano in the first place, is what you'd expect from an old businessman who's Seen It All, but he's also one of the few people in Kano's life (and her father's company) who isn't a Corrupt Corporate Executive or a rich kid in a constant orgy. He's also shown to have Undying Loyalty to her family and actually cares about her. His only crimes not having the spine to stop the messed-up things going on in the company and forcing the bogus debt on Nitta as a way to maybe provoke some change.
- Likes Older Women: Yuki, Kano's friend, with Kano's stepmother.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Early in the story Nitta calls Kano out on what she does with her friends has no meaning, Kano retorts this trope to Nitta about him spending time with her to pay his debt.
- Only Six Faces: As with the rest of Harumi Chihiro's works, there are a limited number of female faces, so it can be hard to tell them apart at times.
- The Ojou: Deconstructed. Kano's rich, but it doesn't seem that her father cares for her, she absolutely hates her stepmother, her friends are just people she has orgies with, and the best person around her was basically strongarmed into becoming a sex toy, and all but loathes her.
- Porn with Plot: There's a good deal of intrigue and suspense to go with the once a chapter sex scenes.
- Primal Scene: Kano walked into one in her early childhood, which might explain why she's a bit screwed up in the head.
- Sexual Karma: Used as part of everyone's characterization. Kano's friends are only ever seen having sex with each other and random people. The first sign Nitta's brother isn't quite so useless is how he loves his girlfriend. Kano's stepmother is pretty much the quintessential Vamp. Kano is initially no better than anyone else, but slowly becomes more intimate as she starts to defrost. And Nitta starts off completely dominated by all of his partners, until he grows a spine.
- Suicide Pact: The Doctor who helped Yoriko poison Kano's mother and father tries to invoke this with her when truth comes out. She resists and gets cut but survives.
- Tsundere: Kano is the classical version of the trope, leading to a deconstruction. Her behavior leaves Nitta none the wiser about her true feelings, causing him to hate her and get as far away from her as possible the moment she gives him spare time.
- The Vamp: Kanoko's stepmother.
- Villain Ball: Kanoko's stepmother got Nitta fired, which just freed him up to work against her.
- Wicked Stepmother: Later chapters confirm that Kanoko's stepmother is this.
- With Friends Like These...: Kano's friends are...not the type of friends you normally see.
