Pet

Is it Worth Watching?

Pet is the adaptation of a 2019 Pet manga by Ranjo Miyake. The initial release date was October 2019, but it was rescheduled, and the anime began airing in January 2020. This psychic anime is going to knock you off your feet.

As the anime progresses, you are introduced to a young boy Satoru who can’t do anything except watch the same anime repeatedly. The boy fails to figure out what’s wrong with him. His mother fears that he should be institutionalized. He fails to realize that her beloved boy is a psychic who is overwhelmed by other people’s emotions. An older psychic finds this boy in a hospital and teaches him how to manage his abilities—intrigued already? So was I!

The anime addresses mental health through the lens of superpowers. You might have to adjust your expectations because as the episodes follow, the story takes an entirely different turn.

The first episode fast forwards and takes us to grow up Satoru. The story starts focusing on another character, Kenji, a Jamaican bartender connected to Yakuza and Tsukasa, and Hiroki, the guys who rent his apartment.

It turns out Yakuza is employing psychics called Crushes for manipulating the memories of people for crime cover-ups. Satoru, Tsukasa, and Hiroki become his victim. These powers destroy other people’s spirits and erode their hearts. They are called pets because of their disdain and fear.

Pet is one of these series that benefits from the binge-watching model. Some of you might not find its opening that attention-grabbing, but if you trust me and continue to watch this anime, you will end up loving it.

It took me 3 to 4 episodes to map out the main characters. You might develop any affection for the characters in the first ten episodes. The protagonists of the anime struggle with toxic codependency, emotional development, and lack of self-actualization, which many watchers can relate to. The show takes too long to give depth to the characters.  

Sound and Music

The music is exciting and compliments the show. The ending and opening of the anime are fantastic. The visuals and the music create a tremendous experience. There is a fair amount of uncomfortable imagery and gore, so watch out.

Since the manga itself is short, Gen Studio decided to play it safe by following the story closely. This anime outshines the manga when it comes to art and animation.

Character Analysis

There are four main characters - Tsukasa, Hiroki, Satoru, and Hayashi.

Satoru and Tsukasa work for the same company. They started as “Pets” and later on were given the role of Crushers. Let’s analyze the main characters one by one:

As a young boy, Satoru sued to speak his mind. He demonstrated intense fear of his mother’s dark thoughts and unusual actions such as screaming in horror.

As he turns into an adult, he starts speaking up and is supportive of his teammates. He dyes his hair and gets a piercing to take his mind off the absence of Hayashi. Satoru is generally calm and collective but gets aggressive when it comes to Hayashi. It’s plain to see that he wishes to live everyday life and see Hayashi again.

Tsukasa possesses memory operation abilities. He can image water. He is an easy-going yet curious person. He is patient and persuasive when he has to be.

He deeply cares about Hiroki. He is often seen demonstrating leadership skills when planning out the course of action. You will see him covering his malicious schemes with his good-natured personality.

Hiroki has skills that let him image a goldfish. He is often seen working with Tsukasa.

He is outwardly expressive and emotional. Whenever he gets upset, he tears up.  He hates having to visit other people’s minds.

He is adamant about leaving the company and start a new life with Tsukasa. He is a quick thinker and manages to overcome his emotions with time.

Hayashi leaves for China after helping Satoru.  He is supportive, patient and speaks to others politely. He gives up the modern lifestyle and chooses to live in an apartment with a payphone, a bed, and a TV to avoid being caught. Nobody knows his whereabouts, not even his “Pet,” Satoru.

Will There Be A Season 2?

There has been no announcement for the production of the sequel yet. Season 2 remains unlikely this time. We will have to stay tuned to find out if there will be a sequel.

There were times when the show over explains the mechanics of the abilities. Then, there are instances where the narrative becomes overly complex. During scenes like these, you will find yourself counting on the next significant event.

Each character has unique desires and aspirations, but at times, their goals overlap. However, the methods they choose to achieve their goals put them against each other. That’s when drama is created.  As the show progresses, the characters become more relatable.

The show’s highlight and a justification for another season were how each character invades the subject’s brain and controls their memory. The imagination that is filtered into the anime is fantastic. The transition from images of wonder to images of horror is baffling. All characters have a unique design which makes them stand out from one other.

Conclusion

You may not find the show’s opening episodes satisfying with the ups and downs it goes through, but the latter episodes and the ending provide some solace for the inconsistent pacing. The characters are seen deceived right in front of us. Others are seen manipulated for their interests.

Pet is not for the faint of heart. At times, you will find yourself rewinding the scenes to comprehend what exactly happened. You must pay attention to detail to understand what’s going on. Pet is creative indeed, and if you are into thrillers, crime and fantasy, you will start enjoying the anime as the show progresses (even I didn’t enjoy the show’s opening). I say give it a chance.

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Pet Official Trailer