Sumire is a beautiful, smart, well-educated, well-paid business woman, and it causes her a lot of trouble both in work and personal life. She's stressed and lonely at home, and when a teenage(?) boy shows up hurt on her doorstep, she (long story short) agrees to let the boy live with her if he behaves as her pet. Sumire calls the boy Momo, after the dog she had as a teenager and the the only creatures she was able to show her vulnerable side to. Sumire treats this new Momo in the same way, being herself and becoming able to release the stress of the day in his presence. Yet of course this Momo is human, with a life and personality outside being a “pet” that she has yet to find out much about.

I'm not wild about (straight, hehe ^_^;) romance, particularly not those that I'd often seen in manga with those flimsy girls who's lives revolve around whether or not boys like them. Tramps Like Us is a josei manga about an older woman and one I'd heard a lot of good things about, so I figured I'd give it a try, even if I thought my reaction would be 'better done than most, but I just can't relate.'

Only, as it turns out, I can relate. I may not be able to claim all the enviable traits of Sumire, but I can understand the feeling of being an independent and career minded woman and the isolation that can sometimes give. Sumire has no question of her self worth, but she's not invulnerable to loneliness or insecurity, and she can't help but try to put on her best mask to make others like her. And while the premise of Tramps Like Us certainly takes some suspension of disbelief, after one gets over that, the characters and their emotions, relationships, and reactions pretty much all feel quite real.

Momo is the only person Sumire can let herself be vulnerable in front of, so of course that the two will eventually end up together is a given. Going into this manga, I was wondering how the two could be kept believably “apart” romantically when they so clearly get along and even live together. But after reading this first volume, I'm actually feeling quite open to the idea this can be done.

Sumire has just been dumped by her fiance due to feeling inadequate next to such an accomplished woman. She's tired of men's inferiority complexes compared to her, and is becoming convinced the only way she can keep a man is if she makes sure to date one more accomplished than her. She thinks of the comfort she has with Momo as the comfort one gets from a pet, not a boyfriend. And she's not even entirely wrong. Momo acts much like a dog in front of her, and she knows little about Momo's life and personality outside the apartment. Despite the good things these two have going for them, they've got a long way to go toward an equal relationship that true romance can spring from.

I'm looking forward to the next volume of this series. I'm interested to see more about the sort of mistakes Sumire will make in trying to find a mate, and particularly in learning more about Momo and what he's really like, and how Sumire will react to this when she finds out herself. All the same I do have some slight quibbles (Momo's dedication to Sumire is a bit too strong too quickly to me, with not too much explanation why. Also the chapters tend to follow a 'tension is introduced...tension is resolved happily' pattern a lot, and it takes some of the fun out of wondering what will happen at the end of each chapter) so this manga doesn't get quite the highest score from me. I do harbor hope these things will be less of an issue in later volumes, though. ( )

One of the things that brought me into Tramps Like Us was the different art style. I've found that it was something a lot of people disliked, I however really love it. This is a series is one I've read about 3 times all the way through. The characters and their relationships are really very cute, and is a great feel good story.

I do enjoy how the relationships in the story aren't perfect, all the characters have to work hard to get the ending they get, or want. It's not candy coated, it's difficult and full of choices and decisions. I do however wish they kept the English title more to the original! You're my pet is just cuter, in my opinion.

Ah well, definitely worth the read! The art style may take some getting used to if you're a hard core anime fan, but, the story is worth it. ( )

The story is about a very intelligent career-woman journalist who has terrible luck with male relationships... until she acquires her human "pet". She names him "Momo" after her childhood dog and she treats the guy just like a real dog. They're perfect for each other but she doesn't put two and two together. The series is mature, funny, and very quirky. ( )