OVA
Description
Keita Taguchi is the central male protagonist of the anime Mama Puri!?, also known under its English title Like a Mom. He is a young man whose mother passed away when he was a child, an event he has long since processed and accepted. At the outset of the story, his father decides that Keita still requires a maternal presence in his life, introducing a situation where multiple women come to live with him so he can evaluate and select one to become his new mother.
In terms of personality, Keita is described as a generally kind and well-meaning individual. He initially rejects the premise his father has set up, feeling that he no longer needs a mother and therefore intends to give the candidates low scores. This demonstrates a degree of independence and initial resistance to the artificial family situation he is forced into. Despite this reluctance, he participates in the arrangement, living alongside the candidates and interacting with them as the summer progresses.
Keita's primary role in the story is that of the evaluator or judge. His father presents him with three initial candidates, with a fourth woman, Haruka Mikami, who has feelings for Keita, joining the contest later. Over the course of the story, Keita develops physical and intimate relationships with most of the candidates living under his roof. He is the axis around which the central premise revolves, and his ultimate decision regarding which woman would become his mother is a key narrative question, though the anime does not explicitly show which candidate, if any, he finally chooses.
Keita's key relationships are with the four women competing for the position. These include Kazuho Tateshina, who is noted as having the most motherly demeanor among the group; Chiyo Sawagiri, who is clumsy and unable to cook; Noriko Kasukabe, a detective who tends to drink heavily; and his childhood friend Haruka Mikami, whose feelings for him complicate her participation in becoming a stepmother figure. His relationship with his father, Jinta Taguchi, is also significant, as the father orchestrates the entire situation in what is described as a humorous manner. Keita does not possess any supernatural or combat-oriented abilities, as the story is a domestic comedy and harem narrative within an adult genre.
In terms of personality, Keita is described as a generally kind and well-meaning individual. He initially rejects the premise his father has set up, feeling that he no longer needs a mother and therefore intends to give the candidates low scores. This demonstrates a degree of independence and initial resistance to the artificial family situation he is forced into. Despite this reluctance, he participates in the arrangement, living alongside the candidates and interacting with them as the summer progresses.
Keita's primary role in the story is that of the evaluator or judge. His father presents him with three initial candidates, with a fourth woman, Haruka Mikami, who has feelings for Keita, joining the contest later. Over the course of the story, Keita develops physical and intimate relationships with most of the candidates living under his roof. He is the axis around which the central premise revolves, and his ultimate decision regarding which woman would become his mother is a key narrative question, though the anime does not explicitly show which candidate, if any, he finally chooses.
Keita's key relationships are with the four women competing for the position. These include Kazuho Tateshina, who is noted as having the most motherly demeanor among the group; Chiyo Sawagiri, who is clumsy and unable to cook; Noriko Kasukabe, a detective who tends to drink heavily; and his childhood friend Haruka Mikami, whose feelings for him complicate her participation in becoming a stepmother figure. His relationship with his father, Jinta Taguchi, is also significant, as the father orchestrates the entire situation in what is described as a humorous manner. Keita does not possess any supernatural or combat-oriented abilities, as the story is a domestic comedy and harem narrative within an adult genre.