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2017 version vs. 2003
I noticed a lot of the reviews negatively compare the 2017 version of Kimi Wa Petto to the 2003 version but as someone who thought both versions had plusses and minuses I thought I'd compare them a little more fairly.
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Female Lead
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I liked the FLs in both versions but they are very different. The 2003 FL is a hard driving bitchy ice queen who would rather die than cry in front of anyone but then goes home and freaks out when no one but her pet is looking. The actress is extremely good at letting you see the vulnerability in her eyes even when she's struggling to maintain the facade. The 2017 FL is more like a class topper, she is exceptionally good at her job and always does her homework but she's deeply insecure and when she gets into a relationship with her senpai she can't bring herself to show him any vulnerabilities or flaws. It's hard to say who I prefer because they are so different from one another. I enjoyed and appreciated both.
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Male Lead
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Here's where my biases come in because I really can't stand the 2003 ML, Matsumoto Jun. He is like nails on a chalkboard for me and the main reason I wasn't able to finish the 2003 version even though I loved the FL. I'm not convinced he's a world class dancer, he's just ridiculously OTT and I couldn't ship him with the FL. The 2017 ML, Shison Jun, is much better in the role as a gifted dancer who is buckling under the pressure of his career but heals himself by becoming Sumire's pet. Shison brings a lovely vulnerability to the character but he is also able to convince you that he is actually a for real man who is maturing in front of our eyes to become a person who can truly be a partner to Sumire.
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Secondary characters
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I liked the 2MLs in both versions but the relationship the FLs have with the men is very different. The 2017 version has a lot more skinship but the sex scenes with the 2ML aren't sexy at all. The FL always looks like she's cringing whenever they get intimate and it's so incredibly uncomfortable to watch, I think on purpose to show how the FL can never be vulnerable with him. That's why I think the portrayal of the 2ML works better in the 2017 version, those horribly uncomfortable sex scenes provide an enormous contrast with the scenes of Sumire cuddling Momo.
Fukushima the receptionist was a lot more interesting in the 2017 version, we gain some insight into why she's such a schemer and it makes her a lot more sympathetic. I also found her interactions with Momo to be eye-opening, his cold-blooded side comes out with her and he's willing to harm her to protect his owner which is kind of chilling. Fukushima's relationship with Hasumi becomes poignant at the end and I was actually glad they got their happy ending.
The friend is cute in both versions, don't have much to say about that. The coworkers in the 2017 version were better developed and I especially liked the colleague who questioned the ethics of journalism.
The 2003 version has a psychiatrist with a small dog and he was great, wish they'd had the character in the 2017 version, especially because it's much longer so they had time for him.
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Story
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The 2003 version has 10 episodes compared with 16 episodes for the 2017 version. I think the 2017 version could be shorter, maybe 12-14 episodes, because it gets a little draggy and repetitive toward the end. On the other hand, the increased length means we get a lot more development of the relationship between Hasumi & Sumire and Hasumi & Momo (Momo genuinely likes Hasumi vs. the more antagonistic rivalry between the men in the 2003 version)
I think with more time to develop 2017 relationship between Hasumi and Sumire, you see how he's not a bad guy in many ways but he's insensitive and selfish when it comes to sex and Sumire will never be able to feel comfortable with him. Something I really liked is when Hasumi gets transferred to Seoul, Sumire becomes depressed and wants to call and text him and her friend observes that she prefers a relationship with an absent boyfriend. (not sure if this happened in the 2003 version since I didn't watch the whole thing)
2003 Sumire seems a lot more in love with Hasumi than 2017 Sumire who seems more in awe of him. The breakup with Hasumi is kind of heartbreaking in the 2003 version but not at all in the 2017 version.
In 2017 we also get a lot more development of Hasumi and Fukushima, including her becoming his pet and learning her back story. It made me much more sympathetic to both characters. It was interesting seeing the contrast between how the owner/pet relationship played out between Hasumi & Fukushima where she was a high school dropout with an alcoholic father vs. Sumire & Momo/Takeshi where he has a high profile career of his own.
I think the breakup was handled better in the 2017 version because it was initiated by Sumire and she and Hasumi were able to be truly honest with each other for the first and last time (both of them come clean about the pet relationships). The 2003 version had a jealous Hasumi dump Sumire after she tells him about her pet.
I prefer the ending of the 2017 version with Momo leaving to pursue his dance career in Europe while Sumire works and waits for him to return. It made more sense to me and showed the growth of the characters better than the 2003 version where the psychiatrist convinces Momo to abandon his trip to Germany and Momo ends up getting hit by a motorcycle and breaking his arm before reuniting with Surime. It feels like the 2003 version very explicitly doesn't want you to see growth in the characters and instead ends it with both of them essentially the same in an undefined relationship that isn't exactly pet and owner anymore but also isn't a full sexual relationship.
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Final Verdict
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The 2003 version has a stronger FL. The 2017 version has a more complex and interesting ML, 2ML and 2FL. The 2017 version is much longer and gets draggy but also has better character development and a more interesting ending for all the characters. Honestly, I enjoyed the 2017 version more even with the problems with the FL being significantly weaker than in the 2003 version.
----------------
Female Lead
----------------
I liked the FLs in both versions but they are very different. The 2003 FL is a hard driving bitchy ice queen who would rather die than cry in front of anyone but then goes home and freaks out when no one but her pet is looking. The actress is extremely good at letting you see the vulnerability in her eyes even when she's struggling to maintain the facade. The 2017 FL is more like a class topper, she is exceptionally good at her job and always does her homework but she's deeply insecure and when she gets into a relationship with her senpai she can't bring herself to show him any vulnerabilities or flaws. It's hard to say who I prefer because they are so different from one another. I enjoyed and appreciated both.
--------------
Male Lead
--------------
Here's where my biases come in because I really can't stand the 2003 ML, Matsumoto Jun. He is like nails on a chalkboard for me and the main reason I wasn't able to finish the 2003 version even though I loved the FL. I'm not convinced he's a world class dancer, he's just ridiculously OTT and I couldn't ship him with the FL. The 2017 ML, Shison Jun, is much better in the role as a gifted dancer who is buckling under the pressure of his career but heals himself by becoming Sumire's pet. Shison brings a lovely vulnerability to the character but he is also able to convince you that he is actually a for real man who is maturing in front of our eyes to become a person who can truly be a partner to Sumire.
----------------------------
Secondary characters
----------------------------
I liked the 2MLs in both versions but the relationship the FLs have with the men is very different. The 2017 version has a lot more skinship but the sex scenes with the 2ML aren't sexy at all. The FL always looks like she's cringing whenever they get intimate and it's so incredibly uncomfortable to watch, I think on purpose to show how the FL can never be vulnerable with him. That's why I think the portrayal of the 2ML works better in the 2017 version, those horribly uncomfortable sex scenes provide an enormous contrast with the scenes of Sumire cuddling Momo.
Fukushima the receptionist was a lot more interesting in the 2017 version, we gain some insight into why she's such a schemer and it makes her a lot more sympathetic. I also found her interactions with Momo to be eye-opening, his cold-blooded side comes out with her and he's willing to harm her to protect his owner which is kind of chilling. Fukushima's relationship with Hasumi becomes poignant at the end and I was actually glad they got their happy ending.
The friend is cute in both versions, don't have much to say about that. The coworkers in the 2017 version were better developed and I especially liked the colleague who questioned the ethics of journalism.
The 2003 version has a psychiatrist with a small dog and he was great, wish they'd had the character in the 2017 version, especially because it's much longer so they had time for him.
--------
Story
--------
The 2003 version has 10 episodes compared with 16 episodes for the 2017 version. I think the 2017 version could be shorter, maybe 12-14 episodes, because it gets a little draggy and repetitive toward the end. On the other hand, the increased length means we get a lot more development of the relationship between Hasumi & Sumire and Hasumi & Momo (Momo genuinely likes Hasumi vs. the more antagonistic rivalry between the men in the 2003 version)
I think with more time to develop 2017 relationship between Hasumi and Sumire, you see how he's not a bad guy in many ways but he's insensitive and selfish when it comes to sex and Sumire will never be able to feel comfortable with him. Something I really liked is when Hasumi gets transferred to Seoul, Sumire becomes depressed and wants to call and text him and her friend observes that she prefers a relationship with an absent boyfriend. (not sure if this happened in the 2003 version since I didn't watch the whole thing)
2003 Sumire seems a lot more in love with Hasumi than 2017 Sumire who seems more in awe of him. The breakup with Hasumi is kind of heartbreaking in the 2003 version but not at all in the 2017 version.
In 2017 we also get a lot more development of Hasumi and Fukushima, including her becoming his pet and learning her back story. It made me much more sympathetic to both characters. It was interesting seeing the contrast between how the owner/pet relationship played out between Hasumi & Fukushima where she was a high school dropout with an alcoholic father vs. Sumire & Momo/Takeshi where he has a high profile career of his own.
I think the breakup was handled better in the 2017 version because it was initiated by Sumire and she and Hasumi were able to be truly honest with each other for the first and last time (both of them come clean about the pet relationships). The 2003 version had a jealous Hasumi dump Sumire after she tells him about her pet.
I prefer the ending of the 2017 version with Momo leaving to pursue his dance career in Europe while Sumire works and waits for him to return. It made more sense to me and showed the growth of the characters better than the 2003 version where the psychiatrist convinces Momo to abandon his trip to Germany and Momo ends up getting hit by a motorcycle and breaking his arm before reuniting with Surime. It feels like the 2003 version very explicitly doesn't want you to see growth in the characters and instead ends it with both of them essentially the same in an undefined relationship that isn't exactly pet and owner anymore but also isn't a full sexual relationship.
-----------------
Final Verdict
-----------------
The 2003 version has a stronger FL. The 2017 version has a more complex and interesting ML, 2ML and 2FL. The 2017 version is much longer and gets draggy but also has better character development and a more interesting ending for all the characters. Honestly, I enjoyed the 2017 version more even with the problems with the FL being significantly weaker than in the 2003 version.
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