QQ Sweeper is a shoujo manga written and illustrated by Kyousuke Motomi (creator of Dengeki Daisy), which was serialized in Betsucomi from 2014 to 2015 and compiled into three volumes. It was published in English by Viz Media. It was followed by a sequel series, Queen's Quality, which began publication immediately after QQ Sweeper ended and is still ongoing.
The homeless Fumi Nishioka dreams of a Prince Charming to sweep her off her feet, but when she encounters the mysterious Kyutaro Horikita, a beautification committee member, she gets more than she bargained for. Kyutaro isn't just good at cleaning in a physical sense—he's a "Sweeper," who literally cleans the hearts and minds of humans, freeing them of negative energy. When Fumi assists him on a mission, she becomes his apprentice, but finds he may just sweep her off her feet... if she can survive that long.
Queen's Quality picks up shortly after the first series ends, with Fumi learning to control her mysterious powers, Kyutaro working alongside her, and the destiny that could await her... if others don't control Fumi first.
This manga contains examples of:
- Art Shift: Depending on the scene and the mood, the art changes frequently from a more realistic style to a stylized, super-deformed one.
- Big Bad: Bug handler Ataru is this in QQ Sweeper; he plots to use Fumi for his own gain and is implied to be the one who 'cursed' her and removed her memories in an attempt to hatch the Black Queen. His schemes continue in Queen's Quality.
- Big Creepy-Crawlies: Negative emotions in people's minds take the form of insects, with Jerk Jock Sakaguchi having a huge centipede reside in his mind.
- Big Damn Heroes: Kyutaro is nearly overwhelmed by a giant centipede until Fumi punches it out.
- Big Damn Kiss: Fumi and Kyutaro share a few of these after they start dating.
- Cliffhanger: QQ Sweeper ends with a cryptic hint at what lies ahead.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Fumi keeps her past a well-guarded secret, and Kyutaro's is similarly troubled.
- Death of Personality: Volume 9 of Queen's Quality has Fumi contemplating whether to bring Fuyu back at the cost of her own personality.
- Deuteragonist: Fumi and Kyutaro have relatively equal focus.
- Driven to Suicide: To lure Fumi into a trap, Ataru manipulates Kaori into trying to kill herself.
- The Heartless: The mind bugs are made of negative emotions and energy.
- Heel–Face Turn: In Queen's Quality, Ataru turns over a new leaf, and helping save him from other clans and his own demons becomes a major part of the plot.
- Hive Queen: The Queen can control numerous spirits, for good or ill, and Ataru wishes to use Fumi to spread illness.
- The Jinx: Fumi's curse brings bad luck, personality changes, and misfortune wherever she goes. It's hinted this is a result of the Black Queen residing inside her.
- Journey to the Center of the Mind: Kyutaro, Fumi, and other Sweepers access Mind Vaults to do their cleaning.
- Knight of Cerebus: While the tone of the series is fairly serious, lighthearted and silly moments to lighten the mood are frequent. Anything Ataru involves himself in is very dark with no humor at all.
- MacGuffin Super-Person: Fumi has both a White Queen and a Black Queen inside her, and either one emerging will greatly impact the world.
- Made of Evil: The bugs and stains in people's minds are made of negative emotions and energy, and if they linger too long they'll devour it completely.
- The Man Behind the Monsters: Bug handlers can control and guide bugs to suit their purposes.
- Manipulative Bastard: After Ataru fails to take Fumi by manipulating everyone into bullying her, he targets a classmate named Kaori, who joined in on the bullying, to get Fumi to submit before he makes Kaori kill herself.
- Mind Control: Bug handlers can control minds, and Queen's Quality reveals Fumi also has this power.
- Mundane Made Awesome:
- Cleaning a room really well can save people's lives.
- Kaori uses a small rock to break free of her mental prison and let Fumi in.
- Official Couple: Fumi and Kyutaro start dating at the end of Queen’s Quality Volume 9.
- Princess Classic: Fumi often imagines herself as this, especially when being bullied.
- Relationship Upgrade: Between Fumi and Kyutaro at the end of Queen’s Quality Volume 9.
- Replacement Goldfish: Kyutaro worries this is happening with Fumi, who reminds him of Fuyu, his childhood crush. It ends up being moot when he learns Fumi is Fuyu.
- Save the Villain: Volume 5 of Queen's Quality has Fumi and Kyutaro trying to save Ataru.
- Sequel Series: Queen's Quality picks up where the original series left off, featuring old dangers and new ones.
- Serious Business: Cleaning, for Kyutaro and eventually Fumi.
- Short-Runner: QQ Sweeper has only three volumes.
- Shout-Out: The Void's main area, physically and conceptually, greatly resembles Yami Yugi's soul room from Yu-Gi-Oh!.
- Sleep Cute: Kyutaro and Fumi, though they're really only under the spell of Kyutaro's hypnosis.
- Stepford Smiler: Fumi puts on a cheerful facade to hide the fact that she's cursed, and has terrible nightmares.
- There Are No Therapists: Averted. Cleaning only takes care of the symptoms, not the problem, and victims who have been infested are given counseling and therapy so the negative energy stays away.
- Trauma-Induced Amnesia: Fumi has no memory of her time as Fuyu, with trauma from her curse hinted to be the cause.
- Warrior Therapist: The Sweepers can help out by talking infested victims through their feelings, most strikingly when Fumi saves Kaori by showing how much she can relate to her, and that even having a small dream is a reason to go on.
