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Or, perhaps more precisely, manga series made into television series, but I prefer to stick with the naming convention. I read and reviewed the manga, called Tramps Like Us in the US version, a while back, and have just finished watching the ten episode Japanese drama, thanks to the magic of the internet.

For the most part, the television series is very true to the characters and the plot, although, unsurprisingly, some things were cut. The most notable difference was the addition of a character, a meddling psychiatrist who has his own love problems, which are somewhat similar to Sumire's. I usually hate small dogs, but the psychiatrist guy has a really cute chihuahua (apparently they can be adorable with fur!).

Look how similar the characters look!

Overall, I think I preferred the manga to the show, but it was definitely nice to watch, and certainly worth the fairly minimal time commitment. Certain plot lines that were abandoned, like Hasumi's misadventures in Hong Kong, were not at all missed. On the other hand, I thought the longer written series allowed for a more natural and meaningful connection to develop between Sumire and Takeshi.

The only part that really disappointed/irritated me was the ending. Rather than go with the ending from the series, which I really rather liked, they did something different. Of course; isn't that always the way? I suspect this may have resulted from the abbreviated timeline; perhaps the characters did not seem ready for the commitment of the actual ending yet. Still, not as satisfying.