Kimi wa Pet
Tramps Like Us

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WARNING: This review contains some spoilers so read at your own risk.

I first heard of this story when I stumbled upon a jdrama which was based on this manga a few years ago. I really find the idea of a person being someone else’s pet amusing. I know what you’re thinking, wahahaha. This one isn’t kinky at all, it was actually pretty wholesome.

Kimi wa pet is a story of Sumire who stumbled upon a box containing a young Takeshi. She fed him and found out that he had nowhere to go. Takeshi wants to stay, but he can only stay if he becomes her pet. ... Thinking that saying such preposterous things would discourage Takeshi, Sumire was surprised he agreed. Both of their lives after that encounter changed forever. Was it for good or bad?

This story started with introducing Sumire who I would say is a perfect example of a “strong independent woman”. That would have been a great thing right? Unfortunately because of it, her boyfriend of 5 years cheated on her and made her feel that it was all because of her that it had happened. She is also not that well liked in their office because she looks really stiff and strict. But her life took a turn after taking in Takeshi whom she’d named Momo, which was her dead pet’s name.

Kimi wa pet is quite a lengthy read for a josei so it includes a lot of scenes not only focusing about the relationship between the main characters but also about some of the side characters as well. And speaking of characters, this story has a lot of them so I find it hard to keep track of them sometimes. Just like most manga that I’ve read, Kimi wa pet has a lot of very funny scenes that left me laughing my heart out. Maannn! I still can’t stop myself from laughing just thinking about those scenes, lol.

Aside from the happy ones, Kimi wa pet had a lot of scenes that I really hated. Unfortunately this story contains one of the things I hate in romance, which is the third party. I just keep on hating the other girl that I also ended up hating the other love interest of Sumire as well. He was actually a pretty ideal guy and I love how he reacts to Sumire. You can really see how he adores her, plus they really look good together. He can be pretty funny too lol, just too bad he wasn’t able to keep that image for me until the end. Although I kind of pity him a little in the end.

As for the main character Sumire, I really liked my first impression of her. She’s a really tough chick and she doesn’t accept b*llsh*t. She can be really harsh at times but I guess that’s just how she is. Little by little, I’ve got to really see the real her and why she’s like that. She looks really tough but she can be fragile too. I really like her character, but I just hated how she can’t always voice out her real feelings and how she always delays informing her boyfriend about her pet, that in the end, I don’t think he ever found out. I also liked Momo’s influence on her, ever since they were living together as master and pet, Sumire was finally able to create connections with other people and express herself. I just find it really interesting getting to know her character in each chapter.

Momo on the other hand is very fun to read. I usually don’t like childish characters, but his childishness is not in an annoying way. He is also very outgoing so it’s hard to imagine those hardships he experienced in the past and in the present too. When he’s with Sumire, he’s very childish and playful which makes him look like a real pet dog, lol. He ran away from home. That’s why he doesn’t have a place of his own, so despite his age you could say that he knows a lot about life. I guess he also has this promiscuous side to him, but I think it was only seen around 2 times while I was reading this story. He’s years younger than Sumire but he taught her a lot of things. I also LOVE how he loves Sumire so much, I just can’t imagine how he’s been feeling all those times while Sumire is still in a relationship with her boyfriend, who is also her first love.

As for the romance, I guess it’s already pretty obvious who’s going to be the main couple right? There were a lot of annoying characters who really irritated me but I guess that just helps Sumire realize whom she really wants to be with. The hint is actually there in its early chapters, but I like how the mangaka transitioned her feelings until she finally realized that she’s in love. Their official relationship started in a long distance romance, but I love how the two of them made it work. I particularly like their virtual date, it was really cute. I also love the fact that the two of them didn’t sacrifice anything in their life just to make their relationship work, even though it could mean that they’ll be in a long distance relationship.

I also love the fact that this manga didn’t just end after the two of them were finally in a relationship but we’ve got to read more! It didn’t just focus on the relationship between the two but also the friendship between Sumire and her best friend. Actually, this manga didn’t just show me romance, but it also gave me life lessons and realizations that we could apply in our daily life. We’ve also got to read about friendships between the characters and work life (especially about relationships between coworkers). Isn’t that nice?

Kimi wa pet is highly recommended for every romance lover. I am certain that this will really entertain you, *wink.

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 anatomically ... proportionate. 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.

I loved the first 25 chapters of Kimi wa Pet, but not so much the rest of it. Everything I found intriguing at the beginning of the story-- Sumire's refreshing personality, her relationships with Momo and Hasumi, and her funny yet relatable work environment-- all ended up needlessly frustrating as the story dragged on and on without any real change. In the 5th chapter, Sumire is in a relationship with Hasumi, however she has Momo living with her as a pet. By the 40th chapter-- the situation is still pretty much the exact same, save for a few minor details. At this point, I was ... almost over the manga as it had seemed bloated with filler, and I was worried that the story would repeatedly drag on until the final volume.

Unfortunately for both Kimi wa Pet and me, the story took a worse turn that simply being a drag. Something unexpected occurred in the middle of the manga which left a bitter taste in my mouth and completely hanged my view of the story. Spoilers ahead-- but something about falling in love with the person who raped you when you were black-out drunk just isn't something I'm into (and neither should anyone else be). Combine that with a plethora of other grievances about the manga-- such as Sumire's long-term emotional cheating on Hasumi, a weird time travel plot-twist at the end, the lackluster side couples, confusing paneling, and bad pacing issues-- the manga just ends up falling flat on its face for most of the series.

Now don't get me wrong, Kimi wa Pet has its moments. I was enthralled with the first few volumes of the story, and even in the latter chapters, there were still a couple moments that pulled on my heart strings or made me smile with glee. The last 15 or so chapters had a good amount of development between Sumire and Momo, which I liked because I wanted them to be together. The ending is relatively nice, and it IS a decent manga as far as mature/adult relationships go-- however, none of that is enough to save Kimi wa Pet for my own enjoyment. 6/10.