Kimi wa Petto (published as Tramps Like Us in English) is a 14 volume Josei manga series by Yayoi Ogawa detailing the life of Sumire Iwaya, a journalist and career woman.Sumire has worked hard to get where she is: an 'elite', a successful career woman with degrees from Tokyo University and Harvard, self-sufficient, competent and reliable. Unfortunately, although she's very attractive, she's also taller than most of the men she knows, which results in her boyfriend of five years leaving her for his mistress, saying she's too intimidating. Sick of putting up with male inferiority complexes about her success, Sumire decides that from now on, she'll only date men who have the 'three highs' (height, education, salary). Thankfully, an old flame from university, Shigehito Hasumi, has just that.Hasumi is Sumire's first love. Dating him brings her right back to the insecure, shy woman she was in university. She can't tell him her true feelings on anything and their relationship stays fairly formal even after they start having sex. Sumire spends the next two years trying to build a relationship with Hasumi, but the two are constantly thwarted by Shiori Fukushima, who wants Hasumi for herself, their own hectic careers (which includes a transfer to Hong Kong for Hasumi), and . . . Momo.Momo is a homeless teenager Sumire finds injured in a cardboard box outside her condo. She takes him in and feeds him. When Momo begs to stay, Sumire relents, but on one condition - he live as her pet. She is shocked and disappointed when he agrees, but grudgingly keeps her word. She soon discovers that Momo has no 'male pride'; despite being much shorter than her, having no book education to speak of, and being completely broke, Momo is happy to live with Sumire and accepts her exactly as she is. Sumire soon finds that the only person she can express all her fear and insecurities to is Momo.The manga came to an end in 2005. A ten-episode live-action series was produced in 2003. The series examines the dilemma of Family Versus Career and Being True To Yourself, and comes with a lovely Happily Ever After ending.
Action Girl - Sumire, who regularly beats up muggers and and other unsavory types with some excellent karate, including once while drunk (and not remembering it the next day). Lampshaded with a chapter in volume three that has her dressed as 'Spark Girl', one of the mascots for a theme park.
Author Avatar - Many of the throwaway and background characters have the same design Yayoi Ogawa uses for herself in the author's notes, and are referred to as 'So-and-so Ogawa' (i.e.: Genevieve Ogawa the horoscope columnist).
Easy Amnesia - One chapter has Sumire getting bonked on the head by a glass jar. After the doctor assures Momo her memory should come back and the amnesiac period will be forgotten completely, Momo tells Sumire that they're dating.
First Girl Wins - Subverted. Although Momo shows up first in the manga, backstory reveals that Sumire and Hasumi first hooked up in university. Momo doesn't end up with Rumi, Sumire and Hasumi end up with other people after dating for two years, in fact, no one ends up with the first love.
Girl in a Box - Momo is a gender-flipped example of this. He even keeps the box.
Grey and Grey Morality - a real-world version. Shiori's a manipulative little skank who will fake and blackmail her way into Hasumi's life/pants/apartment, but Sumire herself is keeping a young man in her apartment and never does tell the man she dates for over a year and agrees to marry at one point about it, even when they break up, which actually makes it all the sadder when one considers that Hasumi thinks so well of her for forgiving him for lying to her about Fukushima staying (read: blackmailing her way into) in his apartment.
Happily Married - The penultimate chapter is set about 15 years in the future and features Sumire and Momo's daughter, and Yuri's two daughters. It's implied that Momo and Sumire are still happily moving all over the globe to follow his career as a dancer and hers as a freelance journalist.
Housewife - Yuri, Sumire's best friend since school. Knits woolen underwear for her daughter.
Ho Yay - Momo and Hasumi, when Momo's trying to get rid of an old patron/boyfriend (who looks disturbingly like Elton John)
Huge Schoolgirl - Sumire is 170 cm tall, which has caused her a lot of trouble with boyfriends who feel inferior to her.
Hypnotize the Princess - A chapter late in the series has Sumire being victimised by a psychologist turned hypnotist-rapist. Unfortunately Sumire's emotions are so conflicted at this point that she happily takes the chance to check out, and can't be woken until Momo comes to rescue her.
Identical Stranger - A new character is introduced in Sumire's department who decides she is envious of Sumire's success. Cue a change of makeup, perfume, and hair colour to look as much like Sumire as possible.
Iron Lady - Sumire is well on the way to becoming this, which is good for her career (despite the jealousy of the other women in her department) but makes her romantic life more difficult. Much of the manga's plot deals with her coming to accept that this is truly her personality, and that she needs to be with someone who can be equally understanding and supportive of it.
Is That Cute Kid Yours? - In the sixth volume, plus a twist on the whole Christmas Cake Eater aspect; the woman in the park who comments to Sumire about how cute her 'daughter' is also comments on how nice it must be to have such a young, energetic husband to keep up with the kids.
I Was Quite a Looker - Yuri, who was absolutely gorgeous and fashionable as a teenager and young adult. She still is, but now it's hidden behind glasses, boring hairstyles and sweatshirts, and an extra ten pounds gained as a devoted wife and mother. Of course, when Yuri was gorgeous, Sumire was the boring dowdy one, until Yuri taught her how to clean up.
Kissing Cousins - Hasumi's impression after he finds out that Iwaya is marrying her "second cousin".
Knight Templar Big Brother: Or, rather, sister, in this case. Shinobu appears to be frigid and degrading, but she keeps an eye on Sumire, even going so far as to have attacked one of Sumire's dates with a sword after finding out that he tried to take her to a love hotel.
The Rival - Rumi, Momo's ex-girlfriend and fellow dancer.
Scooby-Doo Hoax - Sumire and Momo take a trip to a hot springs resort to follow up on a story Sumire was sent about mermaids. The legend says that mothers who die and leave children behind turn into mermaids. The story starts out as Our Mermaids Are Different, but is actually a Scooby-Doo Hoax that almost turns into a Suicide Pact between two of the previously referenced orphaned children.
Shrinking Violet - Sumire, quite literally, being both painfully shy, and bearing a name that is the Japanese word for 'violet'
Single Mom Stripper - Shiori is a variant, working in a strip club/brothel to put her younger brother through school
That Didn't Happen - It's implied that Shiori and Hasumi had a night together, and Hasumi thinks they did, but Shiori later admits nothing happened.
Tomboy and Girly Girl - Sumire and Yuri in high-school and college. Sumire is still the Tomboy to an extent, with her love of video games and pro wrestling.
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