History Manga / PrivateActress

* SecretKeeper: [[spoiler:An asymmetric one -- Sendou ''did'' realise that Shiho wasn't the real Miyu (Miyu had a birthmark on her hand and Shiho lacked it), but didn't say anything since he appreciated how she kept him company in his last days. Shiho doesn't realise this until his secretary Egawa tells him his FamousLastWords: "Miyu is with me... ''now''."]] Shiho's work involves to be one of these too, helping her clients keep afloat lies for different reasons.

* AnguishedDeclarationOfLove: From [[spoiler:NonRoyalPrincess Mayumi]], to [[spoiler:Tomoomi]], albeit in a [[{{Yandere}} delusional]] IfICantHaveYou way.

* IdenticalStranger: Shiho and NonRoyalPrincess Rurika are exactly alike, the only real difference being Shiho's TsurimeEyes and Rurika's TaremeEyes.

* TheOjou: Mayumi from chapter 15, who hires Tomoomi to pretend he's her boyfriend to [[RelationshipSabotage avert an unwanted]] [[ArrangedMarriage arranged date]]. [[spoiler:She's actually more of an UnrequitedTragicMaiden, with some touches of {{Yandere}}]].

* CuteAndPsycho: [[spoiler:Kana/Satoka]], Shiho's rival. '''And holy shit, H O W'''.

* TraumaInducedAmnesia: Shiho actually ''{{invoke|dTrope}}s'' this trope on [[spoiler:[[CuteAndPsycho Satoka]], traumatising her so badly in an incident involving fire and the setting of a movie that Satoka mentally reverts to a child-like state, unable to remember any recent events. This is seen as an alternative to ''killing'' her: Shiho's last "client" ask her to punish Satoka for [[DrivenToSuicide causing the death of his girlfriend]], which he had been trying to do until he was fataly wounded by Satoka herself, and Shiho felt that this was the best course of action against [[SerialKiller someone]] like [[EnfanteTerrible her]]]].

* TraumaInducedAmnesia: Shiho actually ''{{invoke|dTrope}}s'' this trope on [[spoiler:[[CutePsycho Satoka]], traumatising her so badly in an incident involving fire and the setting of a movie that Satoka mentally reverts to a child-like state, unable to remember any recent events. This is seen as an alternative to ''killing'' her: Shiho's last "client" ask her to punish Satoka for [[DrivenToSuicide causing the death of his girlfriend]], which he had been trying to do until he was fataly wounded by Satoka herself, and Shiho felt that this was the best course of action against [[SerialKiller someone]] like [[EnfanteTerrible her]]]].

* CutePsycho: [[spoiler:Kana/Satoka]], Shiho's rival. '''And holy shit, H O W'''.

* JerkAssFacade: Shiho is sometimes hired by someone who wants to make themself look like a total asshole when they're not. This also turns out to be why [[spoiler:Ruriko Daichi]] seems to be such a bully.

* TheBusCameBack: [[spoiler:Matsumae, the reporter, and Konomi, the child star]], return in chapter 29.

* ChastityCouple: Averted! [[spoiler:Shiho and Tomoomi actually sleep together few days after meeting, and later we learn that Shiho had [[TheirFirstTime her first time]] with her FirstLove Naoya... few weeks before he died of illness]].

* CutePsycho: [[spoiler:Kana/Satoka, Shiho's rival. '''And holy shit, H O W''']].

* JerkAssFacade: Shiho is sometimes hired by someone who wants to make themself look like a total asshole when they're not.

* LadyDrunk: Ruriko Daichi puts away enough to be called a "beer barrel," despite lacking a hard head.

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: [[spoiler:Shiho's boyfriend]]'s first name is translated as Tomoomi or as Chiomi, depending on the translator.

* LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: Sayuri Nagasawa is the Light, Ruriko Daichi is the Dark. [[spoiler:Shiho and Kana/Satoka have a darker form of this dynamic]].

* MisMatchedEyes: When impersonating [[spoiler:Miyuki Sugiyama]], Shiho must wear special contact lenses since the girl she's acting as had differently colored eyes. [[spoiler:It turns out these pretty eyes are what caused her death, as her killer (with similar eyes) targeted her for them.]]
* MissingMom: The young actress Konomi's mother, Masami, died some time ago, and Konomi misses her terribly. Not only she rejects her father's girlfriend, but she also feels drawn to a certain copy of a Renoir painting because it reminds her of her mom. [[spoiler:Subverted when Shiho finds out Masami might be alive and living abroads.]] [[spoiler:Then it's DoubleSubverted when it turns out Masami ''did'' die while in New York... [[PosthumousCharacter three years ago]].]]
* MistakenForCheating: Happens in the third chapter. [[spoiler:A guy named Kouichi Kuwabara hires Shiho to pose as his lover to speed-up his divorce, therefore invoking the trope. Then Kouichi's sister-in-law Chie turns out to be one of Shiho's school mates and follows them - unaware that her ''sister'' is the one who actually has a lover. And then things get more and more convoluted.]]
* NeverGotToSayGoodbye: [[spoiler:When Shiho was a little girl, she was initially raised by her maternal grandmother. At some point they had a fight and Shiho threw a tantrum and ran from home to an arcade. That same day her granny had a heart attack, collapsed and ultimately died in the hospital.]]

* TheOjou: Mayumi from chapter 15, who hires Tomoomi to pretend he's her boyfriend to [[RelationshipSabotage avert an unwanted]] [[ArrangedMarriage arranged date]]. [[spoiler:She's actually more of an UnrequitedTragicMaiden, with some touches of {{Yandere}}.]]

** [[spoiler:Masakazu Ogata's ''actual'' wife, who is shown as a quiet and sad lady who is often alone at her BigFancyHouse. Her son Kyousuke tells Shiho that she is "a little mentally unstable", implied to be a consequence of Ogata's constant womanizing. This is confirmed when, after seeing Shiho, Mrs. Ogata tries to kill herself; for worse, when Shiho and Kyosuke try to aid her, she mistakes her for Sayuri again and begins to insult and threaten her. (Though she later comes to her senses, realises the mistake and asks Shiho who she ''actually'' is.)]]
** Later, in the BoardingSchool two-parter, Ophelia the character becomes vital to [[spoiler:the confrontation between Shiho and the murderous AlphaBitch Kana Juumonji, who recite Hamlet lines to each other with Kana playing Ophelia so perfectly that she's still reciting her lines as she's taken away by the police, her deceit uncovered.]] [[spoiler:Kana/Satoka ''actually'' becomes this towards the end, after Shiho successfully scares her into TraumaInducedAmnesia [[ItsPersonal as specific punishment]] for having caused the deaths of Misaki and later Yuuichiro's, aside of the people whose deaths she provoked before.]]
* OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent: Shiho, Chie, etc.
* {{Otaku}}: During the meeting with the boys of a nearby school, Shiho has a kinda... odd run-in with a TallDarkAndHandsome boy who's a huge anime fanboy. That boy turns out to be Tomoomi Hanamura, whom she starts dating some time later.
* OutlivingOnesOffspring: At least two cases involve Shiho posing as girls whose deaths deeply traumatized their parents: Miyu Sendoh was supposedly killed in London alongside her mother but the police NeverFoundTheBody, so her lethally ill father Sendoh's biggest desire is to see her one last time, whereas [[spoiler:Miyuki Sugiyama's father Shigehide went pretty much mad after she was murdered by a SerialKiller]].

** [[spoiler:At some point, Shiho-as-Miyu is attacked and beaten up by a thief who tries to steal Sendou's luggage. In comes a '''very''' angry Sendou, [[CurbStompBattle who knocks out the guy with a single punch]] ''despite being seriously ill and not expected to live for too long''.]] It's later discussed by Shiho and her agent, eith the latter telling Shiho "For his daughter, any father would do the same".
** Similarly, [[spoiler:when Mr. Sugiyama realises that "Miyuki" (Shiho acting as his dead daughter's reincarnation) might be at the mercy of the man he believes to be Miyuki's killer, he goes searching for her. And right on time -- Mizuhara the SerialKiller has Shiho-as-Miyuki as his target, and Sugiyama's BigDamnHeroes is vital to both save her and catch him.]]

** Subverted later, however: [[spoiler:Shiho believes that Tomoomi is her mother's boyfriend but it turns out Sayuri is dating ''someone else'', and she hired Tomoomi to pose as her boyfriend to keep her actual lover's identity hidden.]]

* RealityIsUnrealistic: [[http://www.mothertalkers.com/2007/03/30/1462/renting-out-family-members/ There ARE actual Private Acting companies in Japan.]]
* {{Reincarnation}}: One of Shiho's jobs is centered on this concept. [[spoiler:A woman named Kozue Sugiyama hires her to pretend she's the reincarnation of her older sister Miyuki, who was murdered at age 7 and would be around the same age Shiho is, had she been reincarnated immediately after death.]] This very unusual request comes from how [[spoiler:Kozue and Miyuki's father was traumatised by Miyuki's murder that he's been trapped in his pain for 16 years; Kozue believes that if, he thinks Miyuki has been reincarnated and has a happy second life, he'll start properly living again.]]
* RescueRomance: [[spoiler:Shiho and Tomoomi clash at first, but start to warm-up to each other after she rescues him from the punks that beated him up, takes him to her apartment and then tends to his bruises. And then OneThingLedToAnother... ]]

* SympatheticMurderer: Shiho once plays one of these [[spoiler:in the movie she and Kana/Satoka star in.]] The trope is also lampshaded when the director comments on how Shiho makes the killer look so sad and woobie-ish that one wants to hug her despite her crimes.

* WhiteDwarfStarlet: [[spoiler:Shiho's mother ''almost'' turns into this]]. She actually relies more on her acting talent than her gorgeous looks, but [[spoiler:once she gets [[TwoFaced heavy scars on one side of her face]] after surviving a terrible incident, it's very hard for her to keep up. (It's hinted at the end, however, that she might be able to recover her career by switching to stage acting.)]]. At the same time, her old rival Ruriko Daichi is absolutely ''terrified'' by the prospect of becoming one of these, which is what makes her become a LadyDrunk.

* YokoOhNo: [[spoiler:Tomoomi is hired by Sayuri to pose as her lover, and a bunch of jealous Sayuri fanboys attack him. Shiho walks into this and quickly pulls a BigDamnHeroes by ''pretending she is her own mother'' to calm them down.]]
* YourDaysAreNumbered:
** Several chapters of the manga involve people whose lives are almost finished, and someone close to such persons hires Shiho to deal with them.

** Also happens in the third chapter, where [[spoiler: IllBoy Kouichi Kuwabara would rather have everyone believe he's a cheating asshole than let them know he's dying of illness. [[SubvertedTrope Or that's what it seems]].]]
** And in chapter four, [[spoiler:a youg man named Matsumura hires Shiho to hold a fake wedding and make his aging and not too far from death mother happy. The catch is, Mrs. Matsumura is an actress too and a ''very'' famous one... Then things go FromBadToWorse.]]

** Shiho once unbuttons her shirt... [[spoiler:to show a HUGE ASS SCAR on her torso. (Which thankfully is a false one)]].

* AnguishedDeclarationOfLove: From [[spoiler:NonRoyalPrincess Mayumi]], to [[spoiler:Tomoomi]], albeit in a delusional way.
* AttackAnimal: A pair of CreepyCrows commanded by [[spoiler:a middle schooler named Mai. She is the BetaBitch to AlphaBitch Kanna from the BoardingSchool two-parter, and she uses them to attack Shiho and a girl from Kanna's GirlPosse who was on the verge of a HeelFaceTurn. (And in the past, to cause the death of another girl...)]]

** Tomoomi is another example, as part of his BigScrewedUpFamily, considering the fact that his biological father is his legal ''grandfather.'' (The specifics are never delved into.)

* SerialKiller: [[spoiler:Kana Juumonji, [[EnfanteTerrible before turning 16]], had already caused several deaths.]] Also [[spoiler:Miyuki Sugiyama's killer, Dr. Mizuhara, a man with MisMatchedEyes who killed people (and specially girls) with similar characteristics; when he targets Shiho-as-Miyuki, she and Mr. Sugiyama manage to catch him.]]
* SiblingYinYang: Shuuto Tanabe is a PrettyBoy MrFanservice. His younger twin brother Yuuto is just as good-looking, but [[ShrinkingViolet extremely awkward and insecure]]. Shuuto wants to help Yuuto with his love life, so he hires Shiho for this... [[spoiler:It actually turns out to be a case of ''SplitPersonality'' - see below.]]

* SplitPersonality: [[spoiler:As a child, Yuuto Tanabe was sexually abused by his uncle and ParentalSubstitute. As a result, he created a personality named "Shuuto" that dealed with extreme anger issues coming from the abuse, and under his influence he [[TheDogBitesBack burned his uncle's house]]. From then on, "Shuuto" and the original Yuuto co-existed more or less in peace as he grew into a MrFanservice -- until Yuuto took control back and fell in love with GirlNextDoor Kana, causing "Shuuto" to snap, [[SplitPersonalityTakeover fully take over]] and try hiring Shiho to get Yuuto's girlfriend away. And ''then'' it turns out there's a ''third'' personality, "Satoru", who has been lying dormant ''underneath'' the two, but wants to get this mess resolved...]]
* StockShoujoBullyingTactics: In her super prestigious ElaborateUniversityHigh's middle school section, Fuyuka Sakuragi was subjected to this. (According to her friend Miyako she had her stuff stolen, garbage was dumped on her desk, her sketchbook was ripped and stepped on, etc.). Then she died in strange circumstances, and soon Shiho is hired to pose as a middle schooler and find out the truth... [[spoiler:She was tormented and murdered by AlphaBitch Kana Juumonji and her GirlPosse [[HeKnowsTooMuch for seeing what she should have not]], who then try to do the same to Shiho.]]

** Kana/[[spoiler:Satoka]] is this too.

* TragicKeepsake: [[spoiler:A poetry book that the businessman Sendou left for Shiho, with a small note in which he reveals that he knew she was just an actress hired by his assistant to pose as his long-lost daughter to keep him company in his last days of life... but thanks her for staying by his side anyway.]]
* TraumaInducedAmnesia: Shiho actually ''{{invoke|dTrope}}s'' this trope on [[spoiler:[[CutePsycho Satoka]], traumatising her so badly in an incident involving fire and the setting of a movie that Satoka mentally reverts to a child-like state, unable to remember any recent events. This is seen as an alternative to ''killing'' her: Shiho's last "client" ask her to punish Satoka for [[DrivenToSuicide causing the death of his girlfriend]], which he had been trying to do until he was fataly wounded by Satoka herself, and Shiho felt that this was the best course of action against [[SerialKiller someone]] like [[EnfanteTerrible her]].]]

* WholeEpisodeFlashback: Chapter 17, in which [[spoiler:Shiho tells Tomoomi about how she started doing P.A jobs, and then about her dead FirstLove Naoya Koshiba, the first person she had a P.A work with.]]
* WiseBeyondTheirYears:
** Shiho is this through and through.
** Tomoomi, too.
* {{Yandere}}: [[spoiler:Mayumi from chapter 15, who ''stabs'' Tomoomi [[IfICantHaveYou when he confronts her]].]]

* AloofDarkHairedGirl: The 'image' that Shiho projects while at school.
* AlphaBitch: [[spoiler:Kana Juumonji]] from the BoardingSchool two-parter. Followed by BetaBitch [[spoiler:Mai]] and a GirlPosse.

* TheBeard: [[spoiler:What Chie's sister ''actually'' was to [[StraightGay Kouichi]].]]
* BecomingTheMask: Several of Shiho's works involve her all but believing she's truly the person she pretends to be. In example, she develops some degree of real affection towards [[spoiler:Sendou, the guy whose long-lost daughter she impersonates]], to the point that her manager mistakenly believes [[MayDecemberRomance she's falling in love with him]] and calls her out.

* BigScrewedUpFamily: [[spoiler:The Hanamura clan, which Shiho's boyfriend Tomoomi is a member of. I.e, his father was extremely old so Tomoomi had nieces and nephews ''older'' than himself, one of them being the FortuneTeller Masaomi/"Johannes" -- who resents Tomoomi for reasons of his own...]]
* BitchInSheepsClothing: A certain actress who works with Shiho at some point, Ruriko Daichi, is known for being sweet on stage and a total bitch to her co-workers, especially her personal attendants. [[spoiler:Ruriko turns out to be more of a ''very'' bitter {{Tsundere}} than this.]]
* BodyDouble: Some of Shiho's assignments, like the one coming from IllGirl Kyouko Itou. Tomoomi also does those as well, like when [[spoiler:he covers for his relative and the local FortuneTeller, Masaomi/"Johannes", and ends up kidnapped in his place...]]
* BroodingBoyGentleGirl: [[spoiler:Shiho and Naoya]]
* TheBusCameBack: [[spoiler:Matsumae the ButtMonkey reporter and Konomi the child star]] return in chapter 29.
* ButtMonkey: A tabloid reporter named Hiroki Matsumae suffers several... funny inconveniences in the episode he appears in. That leads him to cross paths with Shiho [[spoiler:and find out who she is. [[SecretKeeper He doesn't tell, though]]]]. Hiss butt-monkey status does not persist beyond the larger part of his introduction and vanishes afterwards.

* DestinationDefenestration: In the last chapter, [[spoiler: the vengeful Yuuichirou tries to kill Kana, now known as Satoka, when she's standing near a window. [[SubvertedTrope She tricks him into falling off said window]], however, and he dies of the injuries he sustains -- but not before entrusting Shiho with what she considers her "last P.A job": Satoka's definitive punishment.]]
* DisappearedDad: [[spoiler:Shiho's father, as said below, was a famous actor named Masakazu Ogata, who's known for three things: his brilliant career, [[SilverFox his good looks]], ''and'' his [[TheCasanova womanizing]]. Shiho, raised only by her mom and then by her nanny Makiko, understandably has MANY issues related to him; for his part, Ogata [[LockedOutofTheLoop is completely unaware of Shiho's existence]] until VERY late in the story]]. [[spoiler:To be fair, when he ''does'' learn about Shiho's heritage, he [[ParentsAsPeople tries to help her as much as he can - even if it doesn't always work]]]].
* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler:Shiho finally earns her own place in entertainment, and her parents are able to get married few later. And ''then'', Tomoomi [[TheBusCameBack returns to her side]]]].
* EnfanteTerrible: [[spoiler:Kana/Satoka had been killing people ''ever since she was a little girl''.]]

* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: Shiho often changes hairstyles when the role requires it. [[spoiler:As a part of her complete re-invention, the light-haired Kana Juumonji cut her hair shorter, straightened and dyed it black to reappear as Satoka Ryoudo]], only hers was coupled with cosmetic surgery (not that the art shows it).
* FanDisservice:

-->She's an angel, and I am a demon.

* GenreSavvy: Tomoomi, who deduces how much of Shiho's attitude is purely acting and how much is true almost at first sight. The discovery [[OhCrap almost sends pooor Shiho into a panic.]]
* GoodScarsEvilScars: [[spoiler:The reason why Shiho's mother stops acting.]] Additionally, towards the end we meet aspirant actors [[spoiler:Mariko Soriarno]] and [[spoiler:Yuuichiro Minamoto]]; the first [[spoiler:acquires a big scar on her face when she gets acid thrown on it]], and the latter has one [[spoiler:on his wrist, coming from him trying to commit suicide to join his dead girlfriend Misaki]].

** [[spoiler:Shiho pretty much takes Mariko Soriarno under her wing after they meet, but gets even more involved in her cause when she learns Mariko is the illegitimate kid of the rich entrepreneur that her Filipina mother was TheMistress to, and has come to Japan [[WelldoneSonGuy to attend a specific audition and have him watch her perform]].]]
* HoneyTrap: [[spoiler:Kana/Satoka and her manager brewed a plan against Shiho's father via trying to make everyone believe they were involved. With some {{indy ploy}}ing from Ogata and Shiho, [[OutGambitted this failed]]. (Though at the cost of Satoka properly recognizing Shiho as the girl who ruined her plans at the BoardingSchool.]]

** [[spoiler:Genderflipped by Kouichi Kuwabara... who [[WoundedGazelleGambit uses this to his advantage]]: he ''is'' ill, but his illness is less serious than he makes it look.]]

** Finally, [[spoiler:the legal wife of Shiho's father is not just TheOphelia, but this as well. Shiho implies that Mrs. Ogata is so frail in all senses that this is the biggest reason why she and Ogata wouldn't get divorced despite their marriage being over for years.]]
* ItsPersonal: Several of Shiho's works have her getting emotionally involved with her clients and their motivations, specially if they have suffered painful losses in the past. Specially obvious in the cases related to [[spoiler:her nanny Makiko, Mariko Soriarno, and Yuuichirou Minamoto -- all of these people were deeply hurt and asked her to take up their cases, so Shiho works hard to do so.]]
* IWillWaitForYou: [[spoiler:Tomoomi must take over his family's company, which will require him to be away from Shiho for years. Shiho promises not just to wait for him, but to become the best actress in Japan just like he will become the best executive.]]

* LadyDrunk: Ruriko Daichi
* LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: Sayuri Nagasawa is the Light, Ruriko Daichi is the Dark. [[spoiler:Shiho and Kana/Satoka as well.]]
* TheLostLenore: [[spoiler:Naoya Koshiba, for Shiho. Lampshaded when she tells Tomoomi about him and finished by saying that even when she does sincerely love Tomoomi, she'll never forget Naoya.]]
* MamaBear: Shiho bonds with a girl named Konomi and becomes this to her. [[spoiler:Since her manager/her dad's girlfriend is more interested in [[StageMom dominating the girl's career rather than her well-being]], Shiho decides to protect Konomi -- which includes dealing a passionate performance to calm down a Konomi who's in an HeroicBSOD state, and then pulling a DivingSave to save her from being run over by a train.]]

* ButtMonkey: A tabloid reporter named Hiroki Matsumae suffers several... funny inconveniences in the episode he appears in. That leads him to cross paths with Shiho [[spoiler:and find out who she is. [[SecretKeeper He doesn't tell, though]]]].
* ChastityCouple: [[spoiler:Averted! Shiho and Tomoomi actually sleep together few after meeting, and later we learn that Shiho had [[TheirFirstTime her first time]] with her FirstLove Naoya... few before he died of illness]].

* ButtMonkey: A tabloid reporter named Hiroki Matsumae suffers several... funny inconveniences in the episode he appears in. That leads him to cross paths with Shiho [[spoiler:and find out who she is. [[SecretKeeper He doesn't tell, though]].]]
* ChastityCouple: [[spoiler:Averted! Shiho and Tomoomi actually sleep together few after meeting, and later we learn that Shiho had [[TheirFirstTime her first time]] with her FirstLove Naoya... few before he died of illness.]]

* ClarkKenting: Sort of. All Shiho has to do to disguise herself as an older woman and pose as Ruriko's new assistant is [[{{Meganekko}} putting on a pair of glasses]].

* CreepyCoolCrosses: The motif of [[spoiler: Kana/Satoka.]]
* CutePsycho: [[spoiler:Kana/Satoka, Shiho's rival. '''And holy shit, H O W'''.]]

* DisappearedDad: [[spoiler:Shiho's father, as said below, was a famous actor named Masakazu Ogata, who's know for three things: his brilliant career, [[SilverFox his good looks]], ''and'' his [[TheCasanova womanizing]]. Shiho, raised only by her mom and then by her nanny Makiko, understandably has MANY issues related to him; for his part, Ogata [[LockedOutofTheLoop is completely unaware of Shiho's existence]] until VERY late in the story.]] [[spoiler:To be fair, when he ''does'' learn about Shiho's heritage, he [[ParentsAsPeople tries to help her as much as he can - even if it doesn't always work]].]]
* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler:Shiho finally earns her own place in entertainment, and her parents are able to get married few later. And ''then'', Tomoomi [[TheBusCameBack returns to her side]].]]

* EvenTheGirlsWantHer: Many of Shiho's classmates are seriously wet for her.
* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: Shiho often changes hairstyles when the role requires it. [[spoiler:As a part of her complete re-invention, the light-haired Kana Juumonji cut her hair shorter, straightened and dyed it black to reappear as Satoka Ryoudo.]]

** Shiho once unbuttons her shirt... [[spoiler:to show a HUGE ASS SCAR on her torso. (Which thankfully is a false one).]]
** In chapter 24, a very pretty woman shows up wearing a night gown that has quite the cleavage. [[spoiler:Too bad the poor girl is Misaki, who's having a mighty mental breakdown that includes her popping pills, having a RageAgainstTheReflection moment, drawing a cross on the wall in her own blood, and then commiting a BathSuicide.]]

* GenderBlenderName: [[spoiler:Makiko's child Hiromi is actually a ''boy''. But since Hiromi is an unisex name in Japan, Shiho easily used it to make herself pass as the nanny's former lover's long-lost ''daughter''.]]

* GuileHero: Shiho often acts like one. As examples we have the first episode, where [[spoiler:she immediately comes up with a more or less believable scenario to convince Sendou that she is his long-lost daughter]], the time when [[spoiler:she accepts to pretend being the long-lost child of a corrupt politician with the intention of destroying his career instead]], and how towards the end [[spoiler:she manipulates Satoka and everyone in the set of the movie they're filming so she can punish Satoka for her past deeds.]]
* HeldBackInSchool: [[spoiler:Eventually, Shiho has to repeat a school year due to her absences - specifically, after the BoardingSchool case which took her ''weeks'' to solve. She's TOTALLY and comically pissed at Kana [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking for this]].]]

** [[spoiler:Shiho was born from an affair between Sayuri and an already married veteran actor, Masakazu Ogata. Shiho is very aware of it, and this is one of the reasons why she didn't go into stardom from the very start: she doesn't want anyone to learn about her origins.]] This makes things '''super''' awkward when, in the second story, [[spoiler: she is hired by none other than ''her half-brother Kyousuke'', who is LockedOutOfTheLoop [[note]](he knows his dad is a womanizer but NOT that he had an illegitimate child)[[/note]], to pass as his girlfriend.]]

* AnguishedDeclarationOfLove: From [[spoiler:NonRoyalPrincess Mayumi]], to [[spoiler:Tomoomi]].

* PsychicPowers: In an otherwise SliceOfLife manga, some people that Shiho met turn out to have such abilities. They are [[spoiler:the stage magician Takanori Mikumo]] ({{telekinesis}}) and "Johannes" [[spoiler:aka Masaomi Hanamura]] ([[{{seers}} precognition]], [[{{telepathy}} mind reading]]). At another point, Shiho appears to channel the spirit of a decides mother, and whether it's a case of MethodActing run amok [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane or not is left un clear.]]

* PsychicPowers: In an otherwise SliceOfLife manga, some people that Shiho met turn out to have such abilities. They are [[spoiler:the stage magician Takanori Mikumo]] ({{telekinesis}}) and "Johannes" [[spoiler:aka Masaomi Hanamura]] ([[{{seers}} precognition]], [[{{telepathy}} mind reading]])

* YokoOhNo: An in-universe example: [[spoiler:Tomoomi is hired by Sayuri to pose as her lover, and a bunch of jealous Sayuri fanboys attack him. Shiho walks into this and quickly pulls a BigDamnHeroes by ''pretending she is her own mother'' to calm them down.]]

-->"I am a Private Actress. As long as someone is willing to pay for it, '''I can play any role'''."

Shiho Kobayakawa is the most popular girl at her school. She's pretty, polite, softspoken, booksmart... almost the spitting image of the YamatoNadeshiko aka ideal Japanese woman. What her classmates don't know, however, is that Shiho has two part time jobs to pay for her expenses and education. The first is as a simple movie extra... but the second is one as a ''private actress'', meaning an actor and stand-in who is hired for personal purposes rather than fame. For example, if a young man needs someone to pretend to be his girlfriend so their family will stop nagging him about lack of commitment to relationships, he can go to Shiho's agency and hire her to pose as his girlfriend for some time, which she will do for as long as it's needed and the requester can pay her.

* AlphaBitch: [[spoiler: Kana Juumonji]] from the BoardingSchool two-parter. Followed by BetaBitch [[spoiler: Mai]] and a GirlPosse.
* AnguishedDeclarationOfLove: [[spoiler: From NonRoyalPrincess Mayumi, to Tomoomi.]]
* AttackAnimal: A pair of CreepyCrows commanded by [[spoiler: a middle schooler named Mai. She is the BetaBitch to AlphaBitch Kanna from the BoardingSchool two-parter, and she uses them to attack Shiho and a girl from Kanna's GirlPosse who was on the verge of a HeelFaceTurn. (And in the past, to cause the death of another girl...)]]
* BathSuicide: How [[spoiler: Misaki]] killed herself.
* TheBeard: [[spoiler: What Chie's sister ''actually'' was to [[StraightGay Kouichi]].]]
* BecomingTheMask: Several of Shiho's works involve her all but believing she's truly the person she pretends to be. In example, she develops some degree of real affection towards [[spoiler: Sendou, the guy whose long-lost daughter she impersonates]], to the point that her manager mistakenly believes [[MayDecemberRomance she's falling in love with him]] and calls her out.

* BigScrewedUpFamily: [[spoiler: Then Hanamura clan, which Shiho's boyfriend Tomoomi is a member of. I.e, his father was extremely old so Tomoomi had nieces and nephews ''older'' than himself, one of them being the FortuneTeller Masaomi/"Johannes" -- who resents Tomoomi for reasons of his own...]]

* BroodingBoyGentleGirl: [[spoiler: Shiho and Naoya]]
* TheBusCameBack: [[spoiler: Matsumae the ButtMonkey reporter and Konomi the child star return in chapter 29.]]
* ButtMonkey: A tabloid reporter named Hiroki Matsumae suffers several... funny inconveniences in the episode he appears in. That leads him to cross paths with Shiho [[spoiler: and find out who she is. [[SecretKeeper He doesn't tell, though]].]]
* ChastityCouple: [[spoiler: Averted! Shiho and Tomoomi actually sleep together few after meeting, and later we learn that Shiho had [[TheirFirstTime her first time]] with her FirstLove Naoya... few before he died of illness.]]
* ChekhovsGunman: ... You really thought that [[spoiler: Kana Juumonji]] would disappear so easily from th story?

* CutePsycho: [[spoiler: Kana/Satoka, Shiho's rival. '''And holy shit, H O W'''.]]

* DisappearedDad: [[spoiler: Shiho's father, as said below, was a famous actor named Masakazu Ogata, who's know for three things: his brilliant career, [[SilverFox his good looks]], ''and'' his [[TheCasanova womanizing]]. Shiho, raised only by her mom and then by her nanny Makiko, understandably has MANY issues related to him; for his part, Ogata [[LockedOutofTheLoop is completely unaware of Shiho's existence]] until VERY late in the story.]] [[spoiler: To be fair, when he ''does'' learn about Shiho's heritage, he [[ParentsAsPeople tries to help her as much as he can - even if it doesn't always work]].]]
* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler: Shiho finally earns her own place in entertainement, and her parents are able to get married few later. And ''then'', Tomoomi [[TheBusCameBack returns to her side]].]]
* EnfanteTerrible: [[spoiler: Kana/Satoka had been killing people ''ever since she was a little girl''.]]

* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: Shiho often changes hairstyles when the role requires it. [[spoiler: As a part of her complete re-invention, the light-haired Kana Juumonji cut her hair shorter, straightened and dyed it black to reappear as Satoka Ryoudo.]]

** Shiho once unbuttons her shirt... [[spoiler: to show a HUGE ASS SCAR on her torso. (Which thankfully is a false one).]]
** In chapter 24, a very pretty woman shows up wearing a night gown that has quite the cleavage. [[spoiler: Too bad the poor girl is Misaki, who's having a mighty mental breakdown that includes her popping pills, having a RageAgainstTheReflection moment, drawing a cross on the wall in her own blood, and then commiting a BathSuicide.]]
* {{Foil}}: [[spoiler: Kana/Satoka]], to Shiho.
-->"She's an angel, and I am a demon"
* GenderBlenderName: [[spoiler: Makiko's child Hiromi is actually a ''boy''. But since Hiromi is an unisex name in Japan, Shiho easily used it to make herself pass as the nanny's former lover's long-lost ''daughter''.]]

* GoodScarsEvilScars: [[spoiler:The reason why Shiho's mother stops acting.]] Additionally, towards the end we meet aspirant actors [[spoiler: Mariko Soriarno]] and [[spoiler: Yuuichiro Minamoto]]; the first [[spoiler: adquires a big scar on her face when she gets acid thrown on it]], and the latter has one [[spoiler: on his wrist, coming from him trying to commit suicide to join his dead girlfriend Misaki.]]
* GuileHero: Shiho often acts like one. As examples we have the first episode, where [[spoiler: she immediately comes up with a more or less believable scenario to convince Sendou that she is his long-lost daughter]], the time when [[spoiler: she accepts to pretend being the long-lost child of a corrupt politician with the intention of destroying his career instead]], and how towards the end [[spoiler: she manipulates Satoka and everyone in the set of the movie they're filming so she can punish Satoka for her past deeds.]]
* HeldBackInSchool: [[spoiler: Eventually, Shiho has to repeat a school year due to her absences - specifically, after the BoardingSchool case which took her ''weeks'' to solve. She's TOTALLY and comically pissed at Kana [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking for this]].]]

** [[spoiler: Shiho was born from an affair between Sayuri and an already married veteran actor, Masakazu Ogata. Shiho is very aware of it, and this is one of the reasons why she didn't go into stardom from the very start: she doesn't want anyone to learn about her origins.]] This makes things '''super''' awkward when, in the second story, [[spoiler: she is hired by none other than ''her half-brother Kyousuke'', who is LockedOutOfTheLoop [[note]](he knows his dad is a womanizer but NOT that he had an illegitimate child)[[/note]], to pass as his girlfriend.]]
** [[spoiler: Shiho pretty much takes Mariko Soriarno under her wing after they meet, but gets even more involved in her cause when she learns Mariko is the illegitimate kid of the rich entrepreneur that her Filipina mother was TheMistress to, and has come to Japan [[WelldoneSonGuy to attend a specific audition and have him watch her perform]].]]
* HoneyTrap: [[spoiler: Kana/Satoka and her manager brewed a plan against Shiho's father via trying to make everyone believe they were involved. With some {{indy ploy}}ing from Ogata and Shiho, [[OutGambitted this failed]]. (Though at the cost of Satoka properly recognizing Shiho as the girl who ruined her plans at the BoardingSchool.]]

* IllGirl: Subverted: Shiho is not sickly, but pretends to be so people won't suspect her when she takes time off school to work.
** [[spoiler: Genderflipped by Kouichi Kuwabara... who [[WoundedGazelleGambit uses this to his advantage]]: he ''is'' ill, but his illness is less serious than he makes it look.]]

** Finally, [[spoiler: the legal wife of Shiho's father is not just TheOphelia, but this as well. Shiho implies that Mrs. Ogata is so frail in all senses that this is the biggest reason why she and Ogata wouldn't get divorced despite their marriage being over for years.]]
* ItsPersonal: Several of Shiho's works have her getting emotionally involved with her clients and their motivations, specially if they have suffered painful losses in the past. Specially obvious in the cases related to [[spoiler: her nanny Makiko, Mariko Soriarno, and Yuuichirou Minamoto -- all of these people were deeply hurt and asked her to take up their cases, so Shiho works hard to do so.]]
* IWillWaitForYou: [[spoiler: Tomoomi must take over his family's company, which will require him to be away from Shiho for years. Shiho promises not just to wait for him, but to become the best actress in Japan just like he will become the best executive.]]

* LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: Sayuri Nagasawa is the Light, Ruriko Daichi is the Dark. [[spoiler: Shiho and Kana/Satoka as well.]]
* TheLostLenore: [[spoiler: Naoya Koshiba, for Shiho. Lampshaded when she tells Tomoomi about him and finished by saying that even when she does sincerely love Tomoomi, she'll never forget Naoya.]]
* MamaBear: Shiho bonds with a girl named Konomi and becomes this to her. [[spoiler: Since her manager/her dad's girlfriend is more interested in [[StageMom dominating the girl's career rather than her well-being]], Shiho decides to protect Konomi -- which includes dealing a passionate performance to calm down a Konomi who's in an HeroicBSOD state, and then pulling a DivingSave to save her from being run over by a train.]]

* MisMatchedEyes: When impersonating [[spoiler: Miyuki Sugiyama]], Shiho must wear special contact lenses since the girl she's acting as had differently colored eyes. [[spoiler: It turns out these pretty eyes are what caused her death, as her killer (with similar eyes) targeted her for them.]]
* MissingMom: The young actress Konomi's mother, Masami, died some time ago, and Konomi misses her terribly. Not only she rejects her father's girlfriend, but she also feels drawn to a certain copy of a Renoir painting because it reminds her of her mom. [[spoiler: Subverted when Shiho finds out Masami might be alive and living abroads.]] [[spoiler: Then it's DoubleSubverted when it turns out Masami ''did'' die while in New York... [[PosthumousCharacter three years ago]].]]
* MistakenForCheating: Happens in the third chapter. [[spoiler: A guy named Kouichi Kuwabara hires Shiho to pose as his lover to speed-up his divorce, therefore invoking the trope. Then Kouichi's sister-in-law Chie turns out to be one of Shiho's school mates and follows them - unaware that her ''sister'' is the one who actually has a lover. And then things get more and more convoluted.]]
* NeverGotToSayGoodbye: [[spoiler: When Shiho was a little girl, she was initially raised by her maternal grandmother. At some point they had a fight and Shiho threw a tantrum and ran from home to an arcade. That same day her granny had a heart attack, collapsed and ultimately died in the hospital.]]

* TheOjou: Mayumi from chapter 15, who hires Tomoomi to pretend he's her boyfriend to [[RelationshipSabotage avert an unwanted]] [[ArrangedMarriage arranged date]]. [[spoiler: She's actually more of an UnrequitedTragicMaiden, with some touches of {{Yandere}}.]]

** [[spoiler: Masakazu Ogata's ''actual'' wife, who is shown as a quiet and sad lady who is often alone at her BigFancyHouse. Her son Kyousuke tells Shiho that she is "a little mentally unstable", implied to be a consequence of Ogata's constant womanizing. This is confirmed when, after seeing Shiho, Mrs. Ogata tries to kill herself; for worse, when Shiho and Kyosuke try to aid her, she mistakes her for Sayuri again and begins to insult and threaten her. (Though she later comes to her senses, realises the mistake and asks Shiho who she ''actually'' is.)]]
** Later, in the BoardingSchool two-parter, Ophelia the character becomes vital to [[spoiler: the confrontation between Shiho and the murderous AlphaBitch Kana Juumonji, who recite Hamlet lines to each other with Kana playing Ophelia so perfectly that she's still reciting her lines as she's taken away by the police, her deceit uncovered.]] [[spoiler: Kana/Satoka ''actually'' becomes this towards the end, after Shiho succesfully scares her into TraumaInducedAmnesia [[ItsPersonal as specific punishment]] for having caused the deaths of Misaki and later Yuuichiro's, aside of the people whose deaths she provoked before.]]

* OutlivingOnesOffspring: At least two cases involve Shiho posing as girls whose deaths deeply traumatized their parents: Miyu Sendoh was supposedly killed in London alongside her mother but the police NeverFoundTheBody, so her lethally ill father Sendoh's biggest desire is to see her one last time, whereas [[spoiler:Miyuki Sugiyama's father Shigehide went pretty much mad after she was murdered by a SerialKiller. ]]

** [[spoiler: At some point, Shiho-as-Miyu is attacked and beaten up by a thief who tries to steal Sendou's luggage. In comes a '''very''' angry Sendou, [[CurbStompBattle who knocks out the guy with a single punch]] ''despite being seriously ill and not expected to live for too long''.]] It's later discussed by Shiho and her agent, eith the latter telling Shiho "For his daughter, any father would do the same".
** Similarly, [[spoiler: when Mr. Sugiyama realises that "Miyuki" (Shiho acting as his dead daughter's reincarnation) might be at the mercy of the man he believes to be Miyuki's killer, he goes searching for her. And right on time -- Mizuhara the SerialKiller has Shiho-as-Miyuki as his target, and Sugiyama's BigDamnHeroes is vital to both save her and catch him.]]

** Subverted later, however: [[spoiler: Shiho believes that Tomoomi is her mother's boyfriend but it turns out Sayuri is dating ''someone else'', and she hired Tomoomi to pose as her boyfriend to keep her actual lover's identity hidden.]]

* PerpetualSmiler: One of the most creepy traits of [[spoiler: Kana Juumonji/Satoka Ryoudo]] is that she almost never loses her serene smile.
* PsychicPowers: In an otherwise SliceOfLife manga, some people that Shiho met turn out to have such abilities. They are [[spoiler: the stage magician Takanori Mikumo]] ({{telekinesis}}) and "Johannes" [[spoiler: aka Masaomi Hanamura]] ([[{{seers}} precognition]], [[{{telepathy}} mind reading]])

* {{Reincarnation}}: One of Shiho's jobs is centered on this concept. [[spoiler: A woman named Kozue Sugiyama hires her to pretend she's the reincarnation of her older sister Miyuki, who was murdered at age 7 and would be around the same age Shiho is, had she been reincarnated immediately after death.]] This very unusual request comes from how [[spoiler: Kozue and Miyuki's father was traumatised by Miyuki's murder that he's been trapped in his pain for 16 years; Kozue believes that if, he thinks Miyuki has been reincarnated and has a happy second life, he'll start properly living again.]]
* RescueRomance: [[spoiler: Shiho and Tomoomi clash at first, but start to warm-up to each other after she rescues him from the punks that beated him up, takes him to her apartment and then tends to his bruises. And then OneThingLedToAnother... ]]
* TheRival: [[spoiler: Kana Juumonji/Satoka Ryoudo]], to Shiho. Ruriko Daichi, to Sayuri Nagasawa.
* SailorFuku: Shiho's all-girls school has the ''fuku'' as its uniform, and sometimes Shiho goes out with her clients while wearing it. In another work, she wears a different one [[spoiler: to impersonate the dead Miyuki Sugiyama.]] It's averted in the BoardingSchool case however, since the girls wear blazer uniforms instead.
* SecretKeeper: [[spoiler: An asymmetric one -- Sendou ''did'' realise that Shiho wasn't the real Miyu (Miyu had a birthmark on her hand and Shiho lacked it), but didn't say anything since he appreciated how she kept him company in his last days. Shiho doesn't realise this until his secretary Egawa tells him his FamousLastWords: "Miyu is with me... ''now''."]] Shiho's work involves to be one of these too, helping her clients keep afloat lies for different reasons.
* SerialKiller: [[spoiler: Kana Juumonji, [[EnfanteTerrible before turning 16]], had already caused several deaths.]] Also [[spoiler: Miyuki Sugiyama's killer, Dr. Mizuhara, a man with MisMatchedEyes who killed people (and specially girls) with similar characteristics; when he targets Shiho-as-Miyuki, she and Mr. Sugiyama manage to catch him.]]
* SiblingYinYang: Shuuto Tanabe is a PrettyBoy MrFanservice. His younger twin brother Yuuto is just as good-looking, but [[ShrinkingViolet extremely awkward and insecure]]. Shuuto wants to help Yuuto with his love life, so he hires Shiho for this... [[spoiler: It actually turns out to be a case of ''SplitPersonality'' - see below.]]

* SplitPersonality: [[spoiler: As a child, Yuuto Tanabe was sexually abused by his uncle and ParentalSubstitute. As a result, he created a personality named "Shuuto" that dealed with extreme anger issues coming from the abuse, and under his influence he [[TheDogBitesBack burned his uncle's house]]. From then on, "Shuuto" and the original Yuuto co-existed more or less in peace as he grew into a MrFanservice -- until Yuuto took control back and fell in love with GirlNextDoor Kana, causing "Shuuto" to snap, [[SplitPersonalityTakeover fully take over]] and try hiring Shiho to get Yuuto's girlfriend away. And ''then'' it turns out there's a ''third'' personality, "Satoru", who has been lying dormant ''underneath'' the two, but wants to get this mess resolved...]]
* StockShoujoBullyingTactics: In her super prestigious ElaborateUniversityHigh's middle school section, Fuyuka Sakuragi was subjected to this. (According to her friend Miyako she had her stuff stolen, garbage was dumped on her desk, her sketchbook was ripped and stepped on, etc.). Then she died in strange circumstances, and soon Shiho is hired to pose as a middle schooler and find out the truth... [[spoiler: She was tormented and murdered by AlphaBitch Kana Juumonji and her GirlPosse [[HeKnowsTooMuch for seeing what she should have not]], who then try to do the same to Shiho.]]

* SympatheticMurderer: Shiho once plays one of these [[spoiler: in the movie she and Kana/Satoka star in.]] The trope is also lampshaded when the director comments on how Shiho makes the killer look so sad and woobie-ish that one wants to hug her despite her crimes.

** Kana/[[spoiler: Satoka]] is this too.

* TraumaInducedAmnesia: Shiho actually ''[[InvokedTrope invokes]]'' this trope on [[spoiler: [[CutePsycho Satoka]], traumatising her so badly in an incident involving fire and the setting of a movie that Satoka mentally reverts to a child-like state, unable to remember any recent events. This is seen as an alternative to ''killing'' her: Shiho's last "client" ask her to punish Satoka for [[DrivenToSuicide causing the death of his girlfriend]], which he had been trying to do until he was fataly wounded by Satoka herself, and Shiho felt that this was the best course of action against [[SerialKiller someone]] like [[EnfanteTerrible her]].]]

* WholeEpisodeFlashback: Chapter 17, in which [[spoiler: Shiho tells Tomoomi about how she started doing P.A jobs, and then about her dead FirstLove Naoya Koshiba, the first person she had a P.A work with.]]

* {{Yandere}}: [[spoiler: Mayumi from chapter 15, who ''stabs'' Tomoomi [[IfICantHaveYou when he confronts her]].]]
* YokoOhNo: An in-universe example: [[spoiler: Tomoomi is hired by Sayuri to pose as her lover, and a bunch of jealous Sayuri fanboys attack him. Shiho walks into this and quickly pulls a BigDamnHeroes by ''pretending she is her own mother'' to calm them down.]]

** And in chapter four, [[spoiler: a youg man named Matsumura hires Shiho to hold a fake wedding and make his aging and not too far from death mother happy. The catch is, Mrs. Matsumura is an actress too and a ''very'' famous one... Then things go FromBadToWorse.]]

* HeroicBastard: [[spoiler: Shiho was born from an affair between Sayuri and an already married veteran actor, Masakazu Ogata. Shiho is very aware of it, and this is one of the reasons why she didn't go into stardom from the very start: she doesn't want anyone to learn about her origins.]] This makes things '''super''' awkward when, in the second story, [[spoiler: she is hired by none other than ''her half-brother Kyousuke'', who is LockedOutOfTheLoop [[note]](he knows his dad is a womanizer but NOT that he had an illegitimate child)[[/note]], to pass as his girlfriend.]]

* TheOphelia: [[spoiler: Masakazu Ogata's ''actual'' wife, who is shown as a quiet and sad lady who is often alone at her BigFancyHouse. Her son Kyousuke tells Shiho that she is "a little mentally unstable", implied to be a consequence of Ogata's constant womanizing. This is confirmed when, after seeing Shiho, Mrs. Ogata tries to kill herself; for worse, when Shiho and Kyosuke try to aid her, she mistakes her for Sayuri again and begins to insult and threaten her. (Though she later comes to her senses, realises the mistake and asks Shiho who she ''actually'' is.)]]

* PapaWolf: [[spoiler: At some point, Shiho-as-Miyu is attacked and beaten up by a thief who tries to steal Sendou's luggage. In comes a '''very''' angry Sendou, [[CurbStompBattle who knocks out the guy with a single punch]] ''despite being seriously ill and not expected to live for too long''.]] It's later discussed by Shiho and her agent, eith the latter telling Shiho "For his daughter, any father would do the same".

* ParentWithNewParamour: Shiho is once hired to pretend being a PhonyPsychic to undo one of these situations -- the client wants to convince his very young, naive and somewhat spoiled daughter Konomi that, if her beloved MissingMom's spirit "approves" of him marrying Konomi's manager, she will approve of their marriage.

* TeenGenius: Shiho is considered as one, in regards to acting.

* WiseBeyondTheirYears: Shiho is this through and through.

* YourDaysAreNumbered: Several chapters of the manga involve people whose lives are almost finished, and someone close to such persons hires Shiho to deal with them.

[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/privateactress_446.jpg]]

[[http://manga.animea.net/private-actress.html You can read it here]].

* OfficialCouple: Shiho and Tomoomi.

* OutlivingOnesOffspring: At least two cases involve the Shiho Kobayakawa posing as girls whose deaths deeply traumatized their parents: Miyu Sendoh was supposedly killed in London but her lethally ill father Sendoh wants to see her one last time, whereas Miyuki Sugiyama's father Shigehide went pretty much mad after she was murdered by a SerialKiller.

** In the first chapter, [[spoiler: Ichima Sendou is a very rich businessman whose ex-wife and daughter were murdered in very strange circumstances years ago, and now he is fatally ill and still clings to the small hope that his daughter Miyu (whose body never was found) may be alive. His secretary Egawa hires Shiho to pretend that she is the returned Miyu, who looked almost exactly like a younger Shiho, so he will be happier in his last days...]]

* BitchInSheepsClothing: A certain actress who works with Shiho at some point, Ruriko Daichi is known for being sweet on stage and a total bitch to her co-workers, especially her personal attendants. [[spoiler:Ruriko turns out to be more of a ''very'' bitter {{Tsundere}} than this.]]

* ClingyJealousGirl: Thankfully downplayed. Shiho does feel jealousy when Tomoomi's work as a P.A involves going out with another girl, but most of the time she does her best to keep her jealousy on check.

* DisappearedDad: [[spoiler: Shiho's father, as said below, was a famous actor named Masakazu Ogata, who's know for three things: his brilliant career, [[SilverFox his good looks]], ''and'' his [[TheCasanova womanizing]]. Shiho, raised only by her mom and then by her nanny Makiko, understandably has MANY issues related to him; and for his part, Ogata [[LockedOutofTheLoop is completely unaware of Shiho's existence]] until VERY late in the story.]] [[spoiler: To be fair, when he ''does'' learn about Shiho's heritage, he [[ParentsAsPeople tries to help her as much as he can - even if it doesn't always work]].]]

* FanDisservice: Shiho once unbuttons her shirt... [[spoiler: to show a HUGE ASS SCAR on her torso. (Which thankfully is a false one).]]
** In chapter 24 we see a very pretty woman in a night gown that has quite the cleavage. [[spoiler: Too bad the poor girl is Misaki, who's having a mighty mental breakdown that includes her popping pills, having a RageAgainstTheReflection moment, drawing a cross on the wall in her own blood, and then commiting a BathSuicide.]]
* {{Foil}} - ShadowArchetype: [[spoiler: Kana/Satoka]], to Shiho.

* HeldBackInSchool: [[spoiler: Eventually, Shiho has to repeat a school year due to her absences - specifically, after the BoardingSchool case which took her ''weeks'' to solve. She's TOALLY pissed at Kana [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking for this]].]]

* IllGirl: Subverted: Shiho is not sickly, but pretends to be so people won't suspect her when she takes time off school to work. [[spoiler: Genderflipped by Kouichi Kuwabara... who [[WoundedGazelleGambit uses this to his advantage]]: he ''is'' ill, but his illness is less serious than he makes it look.]]

* PerpetualSmiler: One of the most creepy traits of [[spoiler: Kana Juumonji/Satoka Ryoudo]] is that almost never loses her serene smile.

* WhiteDwarfStarlet: [[spoiler:Shiho's mother ''almost'' turns into this]]. She actually relies more on her acting talent than her gorgeous looks, but [[spoiler:once she gets [[TwoFaced heavy scars on one side of her face]] after surviving a terrible incident, it's very hard for her to keep up. (It's hinted at the end, however, that she might be able to recover her career by switching to stage acting.)]]. At the same time, her old rival Ruriko Daichi is absolutely ''terrified'' by the prospect of becoming one of these, which is what makes her become a LadyDrunk.
* WholeEpisodeFlashback: Chapter 17, in which [[spoiler: Shiho tells Tomoomi about how she started doing P.A jobs, and then about her dead FirstLove Naoya Koshiba, the first person she had a P.A work with.]]

* YokoOhNo: An in-universe example: [[spoiler: Tomoomi is hired by Sayuri to pose as her lover, and a bunch of jealous Sayuri fanboys attack him. Shiho walks into this and quickly pulls a BigDamnHeroes by ''pretending she is her own mother'' to calm them down.]]

* SailorFuku: Shiho's all-girls school has the ''fuku'' as its uniform, and sometimes Shiho goes out with her clients while wearing it. In another work, she wears a different one [[spoiler: to impersonate the dead Miyuki Sugiyama.]] It0s averted in the BoardingSchool case however, since the girls wear blazer uniforms instead.
* SecretKeeper: [[spoiler: An assymetric one -- Sendou ''did'' realise that Shiho wasn't the real Miyu (Miyu had a birthmark on her hand and Shiho lacked it), but didn't say anything since he appreciated how she kept him company in his last days. Shiho doesn't realise this until his secretary Egawa tells him his FamousLastWords: "Miyu is with me... ''now''."]] Shiho's work involves to be one of these too, helping her clients keep afloat lies for different reasons.

* AloofDarkHairedGirl: The 'image' that Shiho projects while at school.
* TheBeard: [[spoiler: What Chie's sister ''actually'' was to [[StraightGay Kouichi]].]]

* BelligerentSexualTension: Tomoomi and Shiho start as this.

* HeldBackInSchool: [[spoiler: Eventually, Shiho has to repeat a school year due to her absences.]]

The manga itself dwells on Shiho's life and work, showing us some of the reasons and circumstances that would lead people to hire an actor. It also slowly shows us Shiho's ''real'' life, and the reasons why a girl like her would rather pose as a PA than going into stardom despite having both looks ''and'' talent to do so. . .