Kimi Wa Petto, based on the manga by Ogawa Yayoi
published by TOKYOPOP
Storyline: Iwaya Sumire is a smart, successful, tall, and beautiful career woman who's had nothing but bad luck in relationships. She finally decides to give up on men who don't have the three highs: height, education, and salary all higher than hers. Her life gets a little more complicated though, when one night she happens upon a young man who is beat up and in need of care. She takes him up to her room and nurses him back to health, never believing that he would still be there when she got back from work. They come to can agreement and the young man becomes her pet, momo. No sexual relations, just you're typical pet. This young man turns out to be an accomplished dancer with a sad family background. But what does all this mean for both of their love lives? Can love exist?
Cast:
Koyuki as Iwaya Sumire
Matsumoto Jun as "Momo" Goda Takeshi
Tanabe Seiichi as Hasumi Shigehito
*Koyuki has a supporting character role in the American movie The Last Samuri starring Tom Cruise. I am NOT on the Cruise fan boat, but this is one of my favorite movies and I was excited to recognize Koyuki, who is a wonderful actress!
Manga: (Yes, it took me a bit longer to get around to writing this review because I took time to read the first 7 volumes of the manga.)
To my knowledge, there are 14 volumes of Kimi Wa Petto (AKA Tramps Like Us). I must say, the drama follows rather closely to the manga, though certain events are jumbled out of order for the sake of a secure storyline for the 10(?) episode drama. I think you get more of the deep and complicated connection between Momo and Sumire-chan in the manga, but there's gotta be some give there--only so much can be accomplished in a short series, you know?
In regards to the art, I really love it, it's beautiful but the mangaka is not afraid to have fun and use jokes and extreme facial expressions here and there. My only complaint is the way that the character's lips are drawn sometimes. I don't know what it is, but I feel like they ruin the rest of the drawing... but this is my unprofessional opinion. The storyline is still brilliant.
Memorable Quote:
"The joy of meeting the expectations of the person you love...but the expectation kept growing and it became a monster. The joy transformed into the fear of letting that person down. I just didn't understand, after a while, the reason I was dancing for." Momo/Goda Takeshi (Matsumoto Jun), episode 7
My feedback:
This is one of the most original storylines I have come across. I mean, who thinks of having a male human for a pet? A pet! And none of that sexual stuff--which I feel is totally unnecessary in half of the storylines I read. If you're gonna include it, make it count! It's actually quite brilliant, the way that all the characters connect. The story delves into the human nature. Referring to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, I love how it concentrates and explores how the 4th/Esteem and 5th/self-actualization needs (such as Iwaya's high education and expectations for herself or Momo's desire to prove to his mother and father that he can make something of his life and earn both of their approval) really cannot be fulfilled until the 1st/physiological, 2nd/safety, and 3rd/love/belonging needs are first satisfied. Now, I'm not saying the mangaka had any of this in mind or that this is what the series is about, I'm just using personal knowledge to apply here. And I just find the underlying theme of wanting to be accepted and loved to be such a real issue that everyone, no matter their situation(s), can relate to.
My one complaint about the drama is this one repetitive, cheesy love song thing that plays in the background at moments in every episode. It's enough to drive you nuts!
Also, I find it hilarious the look that people give me when I try to tell them the storyline in a nutshell. They look at you like you're nuts! But only you know how much they are missing out on. In other words, I highly reccommend this series to everyone.
And I LOVE MATSUMOTO JUN! If I don't say it enough.<3
