Tramps Like Us

A pet is someone that will accept you for all that you are weaknesses, strengths, and all the other quirky things wrong with you. Sumire is a woman with a pet that does exactly that, and her pet Momo whole heartedly fills that role. What you get from Kimi wa Petto is a well written and complex story about people trying to find a place in life. It's filled with likeable characters and interesting stories and situations. At times it will have you smiling and laughing to Sumire and Momo's strange interactions and at othertimes it will give you the chance torelate to their difficulties and lifestyles. Although pertaing to a human pet this manga is not an ecchi filled mess. It is however not afraid to show a good amount of skin and sex either. This is not a manga written for children. As the Josei genre suggests, this is a story for an older audience. So if you are looking for an ecchi shounen or an overly cutesy pink sunshine shoujo this is not it. The art of Mangaka is something to get used to. It has an emphasis on the eyes and lips of the characters. After the first few chapters you should get used to it. It actually makes the work a bit more distinguished and original from a lot of the other mangas out there. I ended up liking the difference. The story although not perfect moves the characters along quite nicely. It fleshes out the characters and allows itself to let the characters grow from beginning to end. Nothing too shocking but it lends itself to some unforeseen twists and turns involving multiple love triangles. There are a couple of less than stellar arcs and sidestories but it pulls itself back to the main plot eventually. The characters are what really put oomph into this manga. They are all given multiple dimensions as well as their own motivations and desires. There are few if any characters out of the many introduced that are ubearable or disliked. The real meat is the interaction between the main characters, which is incredibly well done and enjoyable to read. For those of you willing to try something different in the realms of romance and comedy this is a good read. Its one of the best in the genre and is great in terms of length if you're looking to invest your time.

Kimi wa Pet or Tramps Like Us is the manga equivalent of a nice bowl of soup. It's a dramedy revolving around the relationships of Sumire, a successful reporter whose tough exterior hides many insecurities, Takeshi (Momo), a young man Sumire picks up off the street who, in return becomes her 'pet' and finally Hasumi, Sumire's first love who becomes her boyfriend after her breakup in the beginning of the story. What makes this manga work is the chemistry between all of the characters, from the love triangles to the bitchy co-workers, to Sumire's domineering family. As a single woman in a tough work environment, Sumire putsup a tough front and plays the perfectionist. Her co-workers are torn between fear of her blunt manner and admiration for her morals and competence. Yet, underneath she is a normal woman, often insecure about her appearance, her choices and her relationships. Sumire is one of the best written women I've ever come across in a manga. The author isn't trying to give us a super woman role-model to follow or an incompetent idiot to laugh at. Sumire is real and I love her because of it. Takeshi is a freelance modern dancer, living a carefree, careless life. He dances because he loves to and doesn't have a thought for the future, which is what lands him on the streets on the first place. He plays the roll as Sumire's 'pet'; basically freeloading off of Sumire and doing whatever she wants in return. Though in other mangas this could take quite the perverted turn, Kimi wa Pet plays it straight. Takeshi, dubbed Momo by Sumire, gives her not merely companionship but the freedom to be herself. Their relationship, made exciting by Takeshi's attraction to Sumire and Sumire's growing realization of Takeshi as a man, is what holds the book together. In sharp contrast to the comfortable, easy going and honest relationship between Sumire and Takeshi, is Sumire's boyfriend Hasumi. Hasumi sees Sumire as a delicate, sweet woman, and Sumire is too insecure about the relationship to ever correct him. So when she blushes because he almost catches her smoking, he thinks she's cute and she feels guilty. Their relationship is poignant and so interesting to watch unfold because they're two wonderful people who just don't seem to belong together. Anyway, the backbone of the manga is the relationships obviously, but the plot doesn't disappoint. We go through Sumire's rises and falls in the company, her relationships and travels. We delve into her and Takeshi's past and see the relationships between all the characters change and develop along with them. At 14 volumes, it is a fairly long story but the drama is always exciting and will keep you interested. There are a few filler-like pitfalls, some for comic relief (which are hit and miss) and some which are just odd and out of place. Still, overall, the pacing is good despite the weaker points here and there. I love the artwork, but it is a matter of taste. I love the way the creator draws her character's lips (since manga characters often go without) and the eyes are gorgeous but almost creepily huge. There are a wide variety of characters, each with a different look and build, the creator even goes so far as to show you how the woman look with and without makeup. The wardrobes are varied and expressive of each character's individuality and overall the art shows an attention to detail and a great sensitivity. It's different looking and totally suits the manga. All in all, Kimi wa Pet is a fun, entertaining and funny manga that will leave you feeling good about yourself and others with a warm, fuzzy feeling in your tummy afterward. It's honest, intelligent and meaningful. A worthwhile read!

Quick version: If you haven't read this, then read it. It's amazing. Not lemme elaborate: I gave it a 10/10 across the board for a reason. Story? The development wasn't rushed. It was fun (maybe not always realistic, but hey it's manga), and not super cliched, so that was pretty refreshing for me. It also didn't over romanticize things like- "Oh Abc is SO amazing we'll get married and live a happily ever-after" and be all kawaii kawaii desu desu everywhere. Which was another thing I liked. Art? I'll tell you now, it's not your usual fluffy, skinny girls with magical proportions. Especially Momo. Any dance scene was so....*drools*. Very anatomicallyproportionate. Which was absolutely wonderful. The art also gave me this very Josei-type feeling to me. Not sure if that's universal though, haha. Character? The best part of this manga, I think, was that I hated some of the characters or their choices. It's just so wonderful. It makes it more substantial, in my opinion. Again, not always realistic, but you can relate to almost any character- and hey, it's manga, let it be. Enjoyment? Well. I was tempted to say 9 so that there was SOMETHING to say hey, it's not a magical manga, okay. But. Well. I guess it is. Since there was no point when I was reading (or rereading, or rerereading) this manga where I rushed or wanted to stop reading. I mean there's one point where I always WANT TO since it makes me feel sad, but I know it'd take away from the manga so I read through anyway. So yeah. It's amazing. Therefore. 10/10 x 4 = 10/10 Overall too. So there you have it. READ THIS SHIT. IT'LL MAKE YOU FEEL THE FEELS.

This was my first Josei manga, and it was quite the kick starter! Coming from not so realistic romances, I found the way the romance in this a bit frustrating, but it is realistic. I wish it was more popular to get an anime, but it is definitely worth it even if you prefer to wait for an anime version. You'll be hooked from the first chapter and it is worth re-reading once complete!