Ai no Kusabi

Riki and Iason on the 4th volume Tokuma Shoten edition cover.

Ai no Kusabi is a Japanese novel written by Rieko Yoshihara. Originally serialized in the yaoi magazine Shousetsu June between December 1986 and October 1987, the story was collected into a hardbound novel that was released in Japan in 1990. The story takes place on the planet Amoi, ruled by a computer called Jupiter, which has imposed a number of strict social rules on its population. The Elites, humans that are genetically engineered by Jupiter, occupy the capital city of Tanagura and travel to the pleasure city of Midas, which has a slum called Ceres. They are ranked amongst themselves by hair color with the Blondies being the highest. Under Jupiter's restrictions, the Elites are all sterile and forbidden from indulging in sexual activities. Blondies and other elites keep "pets" (young teenagers) purely for voyeuristic purposes and they are kept for about a year before being discarded. Further emasculation is seen in the "Furniture," young boys (that were all once mongrels) who serve the Blondies.

Iason Mink, a high-class Blondy, runs into Riki, a black-haired Mongrel, makes him his "Pet" which Riki resents being. As Riki learns of the dangers Iason faces by keeping him, he finds himself developing feelings for his master. Focusing on the relationship between Iason and Riki, Ai No Kusabi also explores issues of caste systems and social exclusion.

The novel was partially adapted into a two-episode anime OVA by Anime International Company, the first episode released in August 1992, and the second in May 1994. In November 1993, an audio drama entitled Dark Erogenous was released focusing on a time period left unexplored in the original novels. A new anime OVA adaptation, also from AIC, was scheduled to begin releasing in Japan in 2009 but it was delayed due to financial problems. The first OVA of four announced for the remake titled Ai no Kusabi ~ petere Kanjū ~ was released on Jan 18, 2012. The second OVA ~ pardo Setsuyoku ~ was released on Feb 15, 2012 with volume 3: ~ congressus Kaikō ~ released on March 21st and the last announced volume 4: ~ retino Inbaku~ on April 18th.

Tropes used in Ai no Kusabi include:
  • Abduction Is Love: Iason initially kidnapped Riki and made him a Pet to be with him.
  • A.I. Is a Crapshoot/Gone Horribly Right: The novel explains Jupiter's origins to power as having been this.
  • Alien Sky: Amoi has two moons that were featured in the second part of the original OVA and the new OVA.
  • All Bikers Are Hells Angels: The Bisons since they're more Delinquents than anything.
  • All of the Other Reindeer: The other Pets of Eos look down on Riki and treat him poorly for being a mongrel from Ceres. Which is a little baffling since Riki is just as good looking as any of them. And the pets' biggest value is their looks, making supposed genetic superiority a moot point.
  • All There in the Manual: It's much more complicated to understand some characters' motivations without having read the novels. If you watch the anime and listen the CD drama you will understand the story much better, because the CD drama contains parts of the story that the anime doesn't show. Like the fact that Iason is no ordinary human but some kind of Artificial Human but not an android, which explains why he is so disturbed from having feelings for Riki and also explains why he has minor blood loss or emotes little pain when he loses his legs (we know that he does feel pain due to the time Riki bit him but Iason seems to have a high tolerance for it).
  • An Arm and a Leg: Guy loses an arm and Iason loses both of his legs.
  • Angst: Riki so much due to how his life turned out and the state of his love life. First he's stolen away from his "pairing partner" that he very much loved, then Made a Slave, stripped of his freedom hurting his pride, is consistently sexually assaulted (he did not choose to be a Pet), secretly desires his captor that he should legitimately hate but can't express how he feels to his ex-lover and best friend who wants to save him due to aforementioned pride. It's complicated.
  • Animated Adaptation: The two original anime video series; the first being a partial adaptation and the second being closer to the novel.
  • Artificial Humans: Jupiter's "children".
  • Audio Erotica: Iason Mink and Riki. The very purpose of some tracks in the soundtracks and CD Dramas such as "Flashback" and "Black Moon" in the Sympathy album which didn't have any dialogue when played in the original OVA. Particularly Kaneto Shiozawa as Iason speaking seductive whispers to Riki and Toshihiko Seki's erotic monologues as Riki in the dramas and soundtracks. Which is to be expected because it's an AUDIO drama about a Sex Slave and his In-Universe irresistible master, complete with moaning, sensual BGM and related sound effects. An example when Riki get his Restraining Bolt Shock Collar of a ring...
  • Aw, Look -- They Really Do Love Each Other: Despite the nature of their relationship and Riki's hostility, there are no doubts at the end that Iason and Riki are in love with one another.
  • Badass Biker: Riki was this until stuff happened as Iason's Pet. He still managed to show his riding skills hadn't dulled upon his return to the Bisons in spite of his Badass Decay.
  • Bare Your Midriff: Riki's Pet outfit.
  • Bastard Boyfriend: Iason but Guy also counts to a much lesser extent.
  • Batman Gambit/Flaw Exploitation: This is how Iason manipulated and took down the Bison gang using Kirie's ambitions. If only Riki had taken Katze's advice to skip town...
  • The Beautiful Elite: Elites but especially the Blondies.
  • Between My Legs: The first OVA has one shot between Riki's legs of a gang before he gets into a brawl with them.
  • Big Damn Hero: In the original OVA series, upon Riki's return, he saves the Bison gang from a squad of police single-handedly with a...
  • Bigger Is Better in Bed: Covered only in the novel, Riki had trouble going to the bathroom for 3 days after the first time Iason has intercourse with him when he had been a Pet for 6 months.
  • Bishonen: Everyone but a few minor characters.
  • Bi the Way: Despite not reciprocating Mimea's feelings and being in love with Guy, Riki is suggested to also be attracted to women in the novel by masturbating to the female form. Something which even triggers Iason's jealous anger.
  • Bittersweet Ending/Downer Ending: Depending on the viewer since Riki and Iason find happiness and solace in each others' arms despite dying.
  • Black Market: The people of the Ceres slums largely survive by relying on goods from the Black Market. Unbeknownst to them save a key few, it is actually run by Iason.
  • Boys Love Genre
  • Brains and Bondage: Iason is the smartest, most superior of the Blondies and viewed by Jupiter as perfect. He also really enjoys dominating and "disciplining" his Pet. While it's not actually BDSM, Iason's games with the Pet ring are all about making Riki submissive since Riki constantly rebels against him.
  • Brainwash: Apparently common practice in Tanagura. Iason threatens to do this to Guy and turn him into a docile sex doll. Raoul pleads to Iason to dump his Pet since he refuses to have to resort to do this to Iason. In the novel, Riki suggests this be done mercifully to Guy so he has no memories of his awful actions. Lastly, this is done to Kirie to teach him "the ways of Tanagura" and turn him into a mindless and submissive Pet.
  • Break His Heart to Save Him: Riki attempted this on Guy since Iason had threatened Guy. It failed in the worst possible way.
  • Break the Haughty: It took Iason 3 years to "tame" Riki.
  • Bring My Brown Pants: Luke in the first OVA.
  • Broken Bird: Riki was this after he returned back to Ceres. Others noted how subdued and quiet he had become having lost his spark and charisma.
  • Cannot Spit It Out: Riki's stubborn refusal to admit to anyone but especially to himself that he loves Iason. When Guy confronts him so he can confess his real feelings, Riki instead tries to Break His Heart to Save Him. Guy misunderstands thinking Riki's being held captive solely due to the Pet Ring and resolves to remove it and proceed with his plan to kill Iason. Much could have been avoided if Riki wasn't ashamed to tell his ex he wanted to be with the Blondy despite hating his life as a Pet. Furthermore, Iason never directly tells Riki why he's so determined to keep him.
  • The Caretaker: Daryl was this to Riki and risked everything so Riki would remain being himself.
  • Cast Full of Gay: Justified here in a case of Situational Sexuality, as there are so few females that the men have to find other outlets.
  • Casual Kink: This is what Iason believes he's doing with Riki through use of the Pet Ring. Riki doesn't appear to agree.
  • Chains of Love: Various artwork (official and fanart) depict Riki bound in chains to Iason or surrounded by them.
  • Close on Title: The first original OVA shows the title right before the end credits roll.
  • Cock Fight: Iason and Guy over Riki. Briefly but still...
  • Cool Car/Flying Car: Particularly Iason's car in the new OVA.
  • Cool People Rebel Against Authority: Riki is famous in Ceres for this and proud of it.
  • Cool Shades: Iason's pair. Riki and Guy also wear shades for riding. In the original OVA Riki wears shades during a heist and Luke has his on 24/7.
  • Conspicuous CG: Parts of Eos, Jupiter and Iason's car are a few examples in the new OVA.
  • Crapsack World: Amoi is definitely this for many humans where one can be equated to furniture.
  • Crazy Jealous Guy: Iason flies into fits of rage every time Riki even looks at someone else but Guy actually takes it Up to Eleven.
  • Cry Cute: Both [[spoiler:Raoul and Katze[[spoiler:, until then stoic guys (mostly in Katze's case), cry when they learn about Riki and Iason's deaths.
  • Crystal Spires and Togas: Tanagura very much so in the new OVA with the Elites wearing long robes and capes.
  • Curb Stomp Battle: Guy, a normal human VS Iason, a Bio Augmented superhuman. Guess who won.
  • Curtains Match the Window: Riki has a very distinct and striking appearance with pure black hair and eyes that are quite unique for a mongrel and make him stand out in a crowd. For some reason, Riki's eyes are brown in both OVA adaptations.
  • Cyberpunk: Many themes of the Cyberpunk genre are touched upon here. The ruling class is controlled by a Master Computer and people are Genetically Engineered to fit their social class in Tanagura. Even exhibiting certain human characteristics is disgraceful among Elites.
  • Dark Secret: Riki absolutely didn't want anyone to know he not only had an intimate encounter with a Blondy but also became that Blondy's Pet. Darker yet is the fact he loves the Blondy.
  • A Date with Rosie Palms: One of a Pet's "performances" for his or her master. Riki initially refuses to.
  • Death by Sex: Iason was forbidden to actually sleep with Riki. There was no way it would end well.
  • Defiled Forever: Riki states this as a reason to Guy that they can never go back to how things were before.
  • Designer Babies: How the top class of Pets are bred at the Academy and Raoul's research and work.
  • Dirty Mind Reading: In the novel, Iason exposes a Homoerotic Dream of Kirie to reveal how the boy really feels toward Riki as means to further manipulate Riki.
  • Drowning My Sorrows: Covered in the CD Dramas when Riki laments being a pet and misses Guy. He even cries himself to sleep with bottle in hand.
  • Dude Magnet: The novel explains that a lot of men out there want Riki. Even the guys of his gang.
  • Dying Alone: Subverted in the Twist Ending.
  • Dying Demonstration of Love: After finally acknowledging how much he loves Iason, Riki refuses to let Iason face death alone and returns to be with him at the end.
  • Earn Your Title: Riki The Dark
  • Empty Shell: End result of people forcibly Brainwashed to be Pets. Iason threatens to turn Guy into one and actually does so to Kirie.
  • Enthusiasm Versus Stoicism: Explored with Tanagura's social structure and Iason and Riki's "relationship".
  • Explicit Content: One major reason Ai no Kusabi stands out amongst many other Boys Love Genre titles is due to the intricate story and how the setting drives the motivations and actions of the characters. Sex plays a major role but is ultimately not the point of it.
  • Extreme Melee Revenge: After punching Guy in a rage, Iason proceeds to tear off Guy's left arm for the latter withholding Riki and giving him a penectomy. Iason tells Riki that it was justified retribution.
  • Face Death with Dignity: Iason
  • Family-Unfriendly Violence: Iason gets his legs cut off at the end. Cue the tragic ending.
  • Fan Service: Seems to be the point of the OVAs' and CD Dramas' existence.
    • Mr. Fanservice: Iason but Riki really defines this trope being scantily clad or nude often.
  • Fantastic Caste System: In Tanagura, Blondies and other elites are genetically engineered to be the elite and naturally born humans of people that once rebelled are treated as "mongrels" that are the lowest of the low (even furniture are treated better). Furthermore, the birth rate of humans in Ceres is manipulated to keep their population under control. These humans are also deprived of citizenship and therefore have no official identities.
  • Fantastic Ghetto: Ceres, a slum where the majority of "mongrels" live.
  • Fantastic Racism: Discrimination not only based on class but where and how you were born as well. It's a wide misconception that people were discriminated on hair color alone though. Note there are also pure dark haired elites called "Onyx" as well as other hair colored elites.
  • Fate Worse Than Death: Kirie's comeuppance and Guy having to live the rest of his life knowing he got Riki killed. Katze believes that Guy deserves this.
  • Fetish Fuel Future: And how!
  • Forbidden Fruit: As the highest ranking Tanagura official, Iason is fully aware that having a mongrel for a pet and keeping him past a certain age is frowned upon. Actually sleeping with him is strictly forbidden. Iason is warned but insists on keeping Riki anyways.
  • Forceful Kiss/"Shut Up" Kiss: Iason's favorite method to calm Riki down when the Pet Ring doesn't. On a few occasions it's just to shut Riki up.
  • Friend in the Black Market: Katze is literally this for Iason and Katze uses his position very effectively to trap the Bisons and later to give Riki a job.
  • Gilded Cage: Riki views Iason's home in Eos as this. It may be lavish but still a prison for him. The condo Iason gets him in Apatia is a big improvement.
  • Go-Go Enslavement: The outfits worn by Pets are certainly revealing.
  • Go Out with a Smile: Iason, who died truly happy when his feelings were reciprocated.
  • Good Old Fisticuffs: Riki gets into a lot of fights without any weapons but his fists.
  • A Good Way to Die: Riki chooses to die with Iason and with no regrets.
  • Groin Attack: Guy cuts off Riki's penis.
  • The Grunting Orgasm and The Modest Orgasm as a graceful hair flip.
  • Hair Contrast Duo: Iason and Riki.
  • Happiness in Slavery: Daryl in the novel and CD Dramas. Subverted harshly with Riki at the end due to the tragic ending.
  • Held Gaze: Riki and Iason during their final moments.
  • Hell-Bent for Leather: Riki wears a black leather jacket and pants as his standard attire.
  • Hot-Blooded: Riki once was but life as a Pet calmed him down substantially.
  • Hologram: The new OVA has them to depict every screen a character is watching. Even Riki and Mimea's "date by screen" happens via a holographic image of her.
  • Hypocrite/HypocrisyNod: Raoul more or less accuses Iason of hypocrisy for being the Blondy aggressively enforcing law and order in Tanagura yet also breaking laws for his Pet. Iason doesn't deny it as means to end the topic.
  • I Die Free: Averted. The novel makes it clear that even though Riki was truly miserable as Iason's Pet, Riki stubbornly endured it all because he pridefully valued his life. Thus committing suicide was out of the question. This makes later events all the more tragic yet very touching when Riki decides to give up his life to die with the man he loves.
  • If I Can't Have You: Guy to Riki.
  • I Have You Now And I will Never Let You Go: Iason says this to Riki verbatim when the mongrel walks into a trap set by him about 2 years after their first meeting. At that time Iason grabs Riki close, declares this and kidnaps Riki to make him his Pet.
  • I Kiss Your Foot: Riki is humiliated in the novel when he's forced to lick Iason's boot in front of the shocked Bisons.
  • I'll Kill You!: Iason to Guy.
  • I Love You Because I Can't Control You: Part of Riki's appeal to Iason is the fact that Riki was a charismatic, strong, prideful and defiant mongrel and leader of a gang that didn't want to be controlled. He really gets a kick out of Riki's rebellious nature so long as Riki doesn't "cheat" on him.
  • Indirect Kiss: Towards the end....
  • Inherent in the System: Iason himself acknowledges issues with Tanagura's social system when he determines the only way he can really be with Riki is as Master and Pet due to the structure of laws. A system he helps control but does not try to outright change. Instead he bends and breaks laws to keep Riki fully knowing Riki abhors being his Pet.
  • It Got Worse: Just when it looked like things were improving for Master and Pet as Riki starts to respect Iason, Guy comes along and kidnaps Riki and does the unthinkable. Then when Riki has managed to keep Iason from killing Guy and it looks like they will all get out alive, the place starts collapsing on top of them. Guy survives but Iason and Riki do not.
  • It's Not You, It's That I'm Iason's Pet
  • I Will Wait for You: Iason says he will wait for the day Riki willingly becomes his.
  • Last Deep Kiss: Riki touches the ends of his and Iason's Black Moon cigarettes for a drag as their "last deep kiss" and One Last Smoke before they die.
  • Lego Genetics: Particularly how top class Pets are bred and Elites are created.
  • Light Is Not Good: All the Blondies in general that have a penchant to wear white. Not exactly qualifying for Blond Guys Are Evil but all have more than questionable morals and treatment of those that aren't Elites.
  • Lima Syndrome and Stockholm Syndrome: Iason and Riki, respectively.
  • Loophole Abuse: Iason claims that since Riki is a mongrel, rules concerning pets don't apply to him.
  • Love Hurts: Does it ever.
  • Love Makes You Crazy: With tragic results.
  • Love Martyr: Riki submits to his feelings for Iason despite his harsh treatment as a pet choosing to return to Iason and die with him.
  • Love Redeems: Iason.
  • Lured into a Trap: Riki, when Iason took him to be a pet and Iason late in the story.
  • Lust Object: Boy, was Riki this for Iason before the latter fell in love with him.
  • Made A Sex Slave: Riki as a pet, yeah.
  • Major Injury Underreaction: Twice. Aside from some pain, Riki takes having his penis cut off rather well (he doesn't have any ill will towards Guy and views the incident as Laser-Guided Karma for his previous treatment of Guy). Other than a brief look of concern and discomfort, Iason has no reaction at all to losing his legs.
  • Manipulative Bastard: The lengths in which Iason goes through to keep Riki....
  • Manly Tears: Guy in the OVA.
  • The Masochism Tango: Iason. Riki. FULL STOP!
  • Master Computer: Jupiter is this.
  • A Match Made in Stockholm: Riki and Iason.
  • Mental Picture Projector: In the novel, Iason uses one of these to reveal what Kirie really thinks about Riki.
  • Misery Builds Character: Life as a Pet made Riki subdued, humble and mature. He still remained proud as ever though.
  • Mr. Exposition: Katze is used as this in the first OVA series often explaining what's going on to Riki (and the audience).
  • Mismatched Eyes. Kirie in the OVAs..
  • Modesty Bedsheets: In the OVAs. The illustrations in the novels are far more explicit.
  • Moral Myopia: Where to begin with how the Elites exploit and use the people of Ceres whether it be as Furniture or Pets? Nobody in their society seem to think it's wrong and nobody else speaks against it because they are so powerful and the Black Market and sales of Pets are very lucrative. Then there's the fact the system and usage of Pets and Furniture as disposable slaves exists in the first place...
  • Murder by Mistake: Guy succeeds in murdering Iason but indirectly gets Riki killed too.
  • Murder the Hypotenuse: What Guy was going for.
  • Names to Know in Anime: Several well-known seiyuu have roles in both the old OVA, CD dramas and new OVA:
  • No Sense of Personal Space: Understandable with Iason since he believes he's entitled to Riki's body but even Guy doesn't give Riki much space.
  • No Sex Allowed: All Elites are to abide by this and breaking it is serious taboo. Not that Iason cares.....
  • Nothing Is the Same Anymore: Riki says this to Guy as another reason they can't go back to how it was before.
  • Not So Stoic: In the original OVA, both Raoul and Berg Katze shred their stoic facades and break down in tears when they learn about Iason and Riki's deaths.
  • Oh Crap: Riki's expression when the blast doors of Dana Bahn start to come down.
  • Omniscient Morality License: Iason, the top ruling Blondy, kidnapped Riki and basically humiliated, tortured and raped him for 3 years. Iason's actions are never looked at as evil nor just plain wrong. It's just the way things are in Tanagura and the right of the ruling class. This also counts for the other Elites that keep Pets and Furniture.
  • One Last Smoke: Iason and Riki share a Last Kiss in the form of touching their cigarettes together before dying.
  • Open Secret: That Iason is sleeping with his Pet (the hickies on Riki's neck made it obvious since Iason never coupled him with other Pets). Other Elites whisper behind his back with rumors but even Iason admits that it's an open secret due to giving Riki special treatment.
  • Operation: Jealousy: In the novel and expanded on in the CD Dramas, Riki has forbidden sex with Mimea (a female Pet) in an effort to not only to embarrass and ruin Iason's image with scandal but to also test his feelings and make him jealous. Worked well as a jealous and very angry Iason proceeds to sexually torture the hell out of Riki.
  • Opposites Attract: The underlying story of this Masochism Tango. Lampshaded by Katze in a line that also serves as a Title Drop.
  • Over-the-Shoulder Carry: In the OVA Iason carries Guy like this. In the novel it's Riki that carries Guy by himself while still in pain.
  • A Party - Also Known as an Orgy: For Pets, this is what Free Parties like the one Sir Kyle threw really are. Just a means for them to be displayed. Iason refuses to take Riki to another after concluding that only he alone may touch Riki.
  • Poor Communication Kills: Literally.
  • Power Blonde: All of the Blondies but Iason Mink IS this trope and he knows it too.
  • Pride/Fatal Flaw: The major focal point of Riki's character. How he got into this mess, the effect being a pet has on his pride and how it prevents him from acknowledging his true feelings.
  • Property of Love: What Iason ultimately wants for Riki to become willingly.
  • Psychotic Love Triangle: Poor Riki is caught in the middle.
  • Questionable Consent: Much of the time Riki gives into Iason is because he's not given any other choice. It's not like Riki could tell Iason "No!" and fight him off.
  • Raging Stiffie: Iason often uses the Pet Ring as a Shock Collar to inflict this on Riki by arousing him and having the ring painfully tighten around the base of his erect member to prevent Riki from climaxing as a means to sexually tease him during sex. Other times it's simply to control him and/or punish him when Riki refuses to cooperate and skips the arousal portion.
  • Red Light District: The city of Midas is more or a less a large version of this. It's also where a lot of discarded Pets end up in brothels and peep shows.
  • Relationship Sabotage: Guy believes Iason essentially did this, ending his and Riki's relationship when Iason stole Riki away. Guy looked even the score even further.
  • Rescue Romance: Subverted: In the original OVA, Riki offers Iason Rescue Sex (Iason gives him a handjob) as a form of payment when he is first saved by Iason but there is nothing between them aside of curiosity and physical attraction (and a great deal of lust in the novel). Towards the end, Riki accepts his feelings for Iason because the latter risked his life to save him and returns to Iason of his own volition. Sadly, they immediately died.
  • Restraining Bolt/Shock Collar: Riki's Pet Ring works as this when Iason uses it to inflict pain on Riki when he won't behave himself or as a twisted form of foreplay.
  • Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves/You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: What happened to Kirie.
  • Right Through His Pants: Iason can't keep his hands off of Riki even when clothed.
  • Romanticized Abuse: The whole point of Iason's use of Riki's Pet Ring when it's not being used exclusively as a Restraining Bolt to force Riki to obey. Also worth noting that Iason is the only Elite ever to use it that way and as a cock ring.
  • Say My Name: In the first OVA when police ambush the Bisons. "Riki!", "Guy!", "Riki!", "GUUUUYYYY!!!"
  • Scars Are Forever: Katze.
  • Scenery Porn: Both the old OVA and the new OVA have rich and detailed environments and cityscapes depicting the futuristic world of Amoi.
  • Secret Relationship: The novel goes into more detail in how Riki never mentioned Iason after their first meeting to Bison and was secretive about where he was getting money from before his sudden disappearance. Riki tries to hide his Pet status when he returns but Iason blows it wide open to the gang.
  • Seme: Iason is quite a tall and dominating Blondy. A conversation that Riki has with Katze in the novel reveals that Riki used to be the seme in his previous relationship (yes, despite being shorter) as Guy did whatever Riki wanted on a whim. This reversal is logically, one of the reasons he hates being a Pet.
  • Sex Slave: All the pets but Riki in particular.
  • Sexual Extortion: Iason threatens to tamper with Guy's mind and freedom unless Riki agrees to return to him.
  • Shameful Strip: The novel explains that as a way to "discipline" and train Riki to be accustomed to being nude, Iason has him stripped of his clothes and kept naked for a month.
  • Shower of Angst: Riki.
  • Situational Sexuality: Nobody in the cast is outright specified as homosexual but engage in homosexual relationships because women are extremely rare on the world of which it takes place. This is the reason the system of "Pairing Partners" was established.
  • Slave Collar: Iason sometimes put one on Riki like a leash for the mongrel during their first 3 years together. Other Pets are also seen wearing them in both OVAs.
  • Sliding Scale of Gender Inequality: Women are rare.
  • Smoking Is Cool: Riki, members of Bison but particularly Katze.
  • Smug Smiler: Guy. He doesn't remain smug for long....
  • Smug Snake: Kirie. He doesn't remain smug for long....
  • Stalker with a Crush: Both Guy and Iason. Iason even shows up at Riki's place unannounced.
  • Star-Crossed Lovers: Iason and Riki.
  • The Stoic: The upper echelons of Tanagura all behave like this although certain circumstances create exceptions.
  • Invisible to Gaydar: Pretty much everyone in the main cast.
  • Stranger in a Familiar Land: Riki when he gets back to Ceres and exactly what Iason predicted he would become.
  • Super Human Trafficking: Designer Baby Pets are highly sought after prizes on the Black Market.
  • Surveillance as the Plot Demands: Iason has surveillance all over Eos watching Riki's every move. This doesn't stop Daryl from using said security system to help Riki escape.
  • Taking You with Me: Guy tries this.
  • Talking in Your Sleep: While asleep, Riki frequently called out Guy's name much to Iason's chagrin.
  • Talk to the Fist: During the extremely brief Cock Fight.
  • Technology Porn: The new OAV showcases much of the technology in Eos. Usually via elaborate CGI.
  • Tender Tears and Tears of Remorse: Riki tears up upon seeing Iason's mutilated legs and having to leave him behind to die.
  • Tempting Fate: Guy tells Iason that he won't get Riki back even if it's "Over My Dead Body" to which Iason Immediately Begins To Pummel him to death. Riki intervenes and saves Guy.
  • Time Skip: A couple. Two years go by between Iason and Riki's first meeting and when Iason kidnaps him from Mistral Park. About another 2 years go by between when Riki beds Mimea and is temporarily set free to return to the slums.
  • Title Drop: Katze does the honor here as a metaphor to describe Riki and Iason's relationship.
  • Together in Death: Riki and Iason at the end.
  • Tracking Device: All Pet rings have them built in. Riki is easily found after escaping from Eos because of it.
  • A Tragedy of Impulsiveness: Because a certain someone didn't think things through.
  • Training from Hell: Iason's taming of Riki to make him a suitable Pet.
  • Troubled but Cute: Thy name is Riki.
  • Tsundere: Riki is a very brutal one towards Iason.
  • Uke: Riki while being a very masculine, feisty, angsty and brooding biker.
  • Unlucky Childhood Friend: Guy, who also was The Lancer to Riki's Anti-Hero when they were gangsters.
  • Urban Segregation: Part of the caste system. Riki is attacked in Midas partly for just being there as a mongrel.
  • Victim Falls For Rapist: Other than Riki and Iason's first encounter, the "taming" of Riki was hardly consensual. Iason continues to force himself upon Riki, yet by their later encounters, Riki is enjoying it and feeling conflicted.
  • Video Phone: Surprisingly, rarely used by Iason whose office has wireless phones in the first OVA series.
  • Well-Intentioned Extremist: Guy is a lesser example but still went to extreme measures to free Riki of Iason. First he drugged Riki and cut off his penis against his will to remove the Pet Ring and then set off to kill Iason. He succeeded but also lost Riki as a result.
  • What Is This Thing You Call Love?: Iason's thoughts and initial concern about his feelings for Riki.
  • Wild Goose Chase: Iason follows the tracer in Riki's Pet ring believing it will lead him to Riki when it's in fact no longer on Riki and walks into a trap set by Guy.
  • Wimpification: Riki over the course of the story. Iason did a bang up job breaking him. Katze lampshades Riki's state after finding him near the end.
  • Work Off the Debt: How it all started when Riki insisted after he was saved by Iason. It was to keep Iason's silence that Riki does this in the novels.
  • Wrong Side of the Tracks: Riki isn't just any Pet. He's a mongrel from Ceres.
  • Yandere: Both Iason and Guy are this towards Riki. It Gets Worse.
  • You Gotta Have Blue Hair: Elites of Tanagura come in a variety of Hair Colors and they are ranked by it. There are Onyx (black-haired), Rubies (redheads), Jades (green-haired, Sapphires (blue-haired), Platinas (silver-haired) and of course the top class are Blondies. None of which is an Implausible Hair Color because they are all genetically engineered.
  • Your Normal Is Our Taboo: Sex among normal humans is all too common but taboo to Elites that are forbidden to indulge in sexual activities themselves. Furthermore, Iason choosing a mongrel for a Pet, sleeping with him and even treating him special is downright disgraceful and disgusting to Raoul. Even Katze feels that Riki has dragged Iason down to his level since Iason puts his own status at risk for Riki's sake. Yet, Iason doesn't care about any of this.
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