Desire Climax (欲情(C)MAX) is a shōjo manga series by Ayane Ukyō. It was serialized in Shueisha's Margaret manga magazine from 2004 to 2006, and collected in seven bound volumes. The series is published in France by Panini Comics France and in Germany by Egmont Manga.

Story

The Omori are a poor family. Mio Omori's father died when she was young, and her mother has been hospitalized for some time with an unspecified illness. She lives alone with her little brother Hinata, doing a number of part-time jobs to get by. One night, when going home after work, she encounters upon a violent young man who throws money at her, saying he'll 'buy her', after stealing her first kiss. The next day her mother tells Mio that their landlord, who happens to be among her father's closest friends, has offered her a job as a maid at their mansion. Eager to help the family, he feels that it will be safer at night that way, and her mother agrees to this despite her daughter's opposition. To her horror, Mio finds out that the violent man who stole her kiss is none other than Shoei Jinnai, the son of their landlord and the most popular and high-achieving student at her high school; so much so that he is widely known as 'Prince Jinnai'. In his own strange way, the Prince starts to treat her as his girlfriend, going so far as to tell Mio he loves her. When they finally start dating, Mio's brother Hinata becomes extremely jealous and tries to interfere with their relationship. When Mio catches them kissing, she runs home, but the next morning their house is demolished on the Prince's order.

Characters

Volumes

Reception

Reviewing the first volume, a reviewer for Manga News regarded the "strong point" of the manga to be its depiction of poverty in Japan. The reviewer found the brutality of the scenes between Mio and Jinnai to be confronting. AnimeLand regarded the first volume's story as 'sordid', disliking the non-consensual relationship that Mio is in, but noting that the author is popular with Japanese girls, "who do not seem affronted by the scenes of domination by horny males". Faustine Lillaz, writing for Planète BD, "gained the impression of a modernized Cinderella", but found the actions of the male characters to be "very caricatured". Lillaz found that the art was good, but that it "lacked originality". In a short review for volume four, the reviewer for AnimeLand described the manga as "morally violent", and found the fifth volume "repetitive". They found the "reversal of roles" in the final volume to give a "rather amusing" new dimension to the work. The reviewer for Manga News found the gardener a "dynamic" character.