yonkoma
is a comic strip format that generally consists of gag comic strips within four panels of equal size ordered from top to bottom. They also sometimes run right-to-left horizontally or use a hybrid 2×2 style, depending on the layout requiremen ...
manga
are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
series begun in 1991 by
Hisaichi Ishii
is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known outside Japan for his manga series '' Nono-chan'', which was adapted into the Studio Ghibli anime film '' My Neighbors the Yamadas''. Topics covered by Ishii's manga include baseball (in his debut work) ...
originally serialized as in the ''
Asahi Shimbun
is a Japanese daily newspaper founded in 1879. It is one of the oldest newspapers in Japan and Asia, and is considered a newspaper of record for Japan.
The ''Asahi Shimbun'' is one of the five largest newspapers in Japan along with the ''Yom ...
'' in Japan. When the series first began, it was generally focused on all of the members of the Yamada family. As the series progressed, the daughter (Nonoko, or "Nono-chan") became the most popular character among readers and more of the strips focused on her and her point of view. In 1997, the series title was changed to reflect this change of focus.
In July 1999,
Studio Ghibli
is a Japanese animation studio based in Koganei, Tokyo."Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment". ''Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment''. Retrieved 2020-12-14. It has a strong presence in the animation industry and has exp ...
released ''
My Neighbors the Yamadas
is a 1999 Japanese animated comedy film written and directed by Isao Takahata, animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten, Nippon Television Network, Hakuhodo and Buena Vista Home Entertainment, and distributed by Shochiku. From 2001 to 2002, a 61 episode
anime
is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
television series based on the manga was shown on the
TV Asahi
JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as , and better known as , is a Japanese television station serving the Kanto region as the flagship station of the All-Nippon News Network. It is owned-and-operated by the a subsidiary of , itself controlled by ...
network in Japan.
Characters
Yamada family
;
:Nonoko is the main character and a very easy-going 3rd grade
elementary school
A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...
student. She is constantly battling to keep the lowest spot in the class (for grades).
;
:Nonoko's mother, a
housewife
A housewife (also known as a homemaker or a stay-at-home mother/mom/mum) is a woman whose role is running or managing her family's home—housekeeping, which may include Parenting, caring for her children; cleaning and maintaining the home; Sew ...
. She is always worrying about what to cook for dinner (usually something that goes with
rice
Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...
, and it usually turns out to be some sort of
curry
Curry is a dish with a sauce or gravy seasoned with spices, mainly derived from the interchange of Indian cuisine with European taste in food, starting with the Portuguese, followed by the Dutch and British, and then thoroughly internatio ...
). She is a somewhat sloppy housekeeper as well as being forgetful.
;
:Nonoko's father, an ordinary
salaryman
The term is a Japanese word for salary, salaried workers. In Japanese popular culture, it is portrayed as a white-collar worker who shows unwavering loyalty and commitment to his employer, prioritizing work over anything else, including family. ...
. Unlike his wife and daughter, Takashi is a very diligent worker. His car is a piece of junk, and his hobbies include
pachinko
is a mechanical game originating in Japan that is used as an arcade game, and much more frequently for gambling. Pachinko fills a niche in Gambling in Japan, Japanese gambling comparable to that of the slot machine in the West as a form of l ...
and
golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...
.
;
:Nonoko's older brother, a
junior high school
Middle school, also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school, is an educational stage between primary school and secondary school.
Afghanistan
In Afghanistan, middle school includes ...
student. He's very good at
sociology
Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...
, but has poor study skills and doesn't do as well in other subjects.
;
:Nonoko's grandmother and Matsuko's mother. She is 70 years old. Shige is very energetic, but a very stubborn and hard boiled grandmother.
;
:The Yamada family's pet dog. He generally has a sullen, grumpy mood.
Studio Ghibli film
History
Due to health reasons, the series was on hiatus from November 22, 2009, to February 28, 2010.
On August 13, 2011, the series reached its 5,000th installment. Although there was no discussion related to this milestone in the manga's content, it was announced in the "Subatomic Particles" column of the evening edition on the same day. By January 2020, the series had reached its 8,000th installment. Including the series "Tonari no Yamada-kun," it has been ongoing for nearly 30 years, making it the longest-running manga serialization in the history of Asahi Shimbun. Although primarily composed of four-panel comics, in recent years, it has become more flexible, incorporating vertical panels in three panels, wide panels, and vertically split panels to create five-panel strips.
On April 2, 2020, including its predecessor "Tonari no Yamada-kun," the series achieved a total of 10,000 installments.
For Hisaichi Ishii, this was his first serialized work in a nationwide newspaper (assuming daily publication). Because he continued to work on the series without significantly changing his style from his magazine work, it has some rare features among four-panel comic strips in national newspapers (especially in the early days of "Tonari no Yamada-kun"). One notable feature is that several main characters speak Kansai dialect, particularly in the early days. Later, some characters spoke Okayama dialect.
While some episodes have obscure punchlines, this adds to their unique charm. The series also features overt satire aimed at celebrities and characters speaking in near-cryptic slang (examples include):
* A direct parody of Toshiki Kaifu, then Prime Minister, by calling him "Mr. Miyazawa," who supposedly doesn't speak English, shortly after his resignation.
* When Haruki Kadokawa was arrested for drug violations, a character (Shige) says, "Even without drugs, I was getting high,".
* A character modeled after Tsuneo Watanabe appears as "One-Man Man." At the time of this episode's publication, Yomiuri Shimbun criticized the manga for allegedly defaming a specific individual (Watanabe).
Despite being a slice-of-life manga, it incorporates elements of science fiction and fantasy, with some yokai (supernatural creatures) living among the Yamada family, occasionally appearing as if they are ordinary.
Following the Great Hanshin Earthquake, the manga depicted the Yamada family's concern for the safety of earthquake victims. Over the subsequent five days, related stories were published consecutively, a rare case of sustained coverage of a single news event. After becoming "Nono-chan," the series has less frequently featured current events, including satire of celebrities. During the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, the manga avoided directly referencing the disaster, instead adding a fictional maritime accident as a background setting to explore the feelings of bereaved families.
Initially, furigana (reading aids) were not used, but now they are written in katakana.
Since resuming serialization in 2010, some illustrations are presented as four-panel comics in school newspaper formats within "Nonoko," depicting satirical portrayals of real people. These are similar or identical to other works by Ishii, such as "Ninja Mugencho," "Alas! The Crown Does Not Shine on You," "B-Gata Heiji Torimonocho," "War Without Justice," and "Part-Time Boy," among others. This experiment lasted about once or twice a month for roughly a year. Critic Tomohiko Murakami described it as an "Nono-chan Donut Book (Futabasha's Ishii Hisaichi personal collection)," but by the time of his observation, the project had been paused for over six months (and subsequently over three years). No major protests occurred afterward, and "Nonoko" continued to appear into the 2010s.
In the May 11, 2011, issue (episode 4908), the manga included a story reminiscent of the sinking of the Shiun-maru, which resulted in casualties ten years earlier. The character introductions in the eighth volume mention some families of characters having died in a maritime accident. These sharply pointed experiments, including the girl baseball player Shimada, the school newspaper "Gakukoku," Womano-man, Roca, and the alien girl Tsumita Tsuki-ko, often experience long hiatuses or reappear after being forgotten, leading to periods with repeated Yamada family stories. The internal conflicts with the editorial department are not detailed, but Ishii has stated that he generally complies with rejection or revision requests. The final episode featuring Roca (episode 5217) was announced on the official website as having been poorly received by core Asahi Shimbun readers, indicating some tension behind the scenes.
Differences between "Tonari no Yamada-kun" and "Nonoko-chan"
When renamed, most of the setting, characters, and worldview remained the same, but some roles and details were changed:
* The character of the principal of Nonoko Elementary (modeled after Katsuya Nomura) appears as the director of the city hospital in "Nonoko-chan."
* Kôsuke Tabuchi, the unsuccessful mystery novelist and nephew of Matsu-ko in "Tonari no Yamada-kun," appears as Mr. Tabuchi, a PE teacher at Dai-san Elementary School, in "Nonoko-chan."
* A character who was the president of a small factory in "Tonari no Yamada-kun" became a principal at an elementary school.
* Takashi's older brother (Yoshio, Ishii's uncle) was depicted as running a farm in his hometown in "Nonoko-chan." Later, after the death of their mother, he moved in with the Yamada family and runs a bakery near their home, reflecting a more casual setting akin to the early days of "Yamada-kun."
* The number of students in Noboru's class decreased from 500 (in "Yamada-kun") to 200, then to 180 ("Nonoko-chan").
* In "Yamada-kun," Kikuchi-kun was depicted as having two older sisters (mentioned later), but in "Nonoko-chan," he is an only child.
Other setting changes may occur during serialization.
Books
* "Tonari no Yamada-kun" (Comics) — Published by Asahi Shimbun. A total of 6 volumes. This was the first complete collection of "Yamada-kun." Although it was interrupted, the editions from Tokyo Sogen-sha and Tokuma Shoten include full reprints of this volume.
* "Tonari no Yamada-kun" (Bunko) — Published by Tokyo Sogensha. 11 volumes. Compiles all works published in Asahi Shimbun into semiannual volumes, with the publication date noted under each story. The end of each volume also includes reprints of past works such as "Wai wa Asashio ya" (a four-panel manga) by the same author.
* "The Complete Yamada-kun" — Published by Tokuma Shoten. 3 volumes. Includes related works like "Tonari no Kikuchi-kun." Released to coincide with the film adaptation. Together with "Nonoko-chan Complete Works," it fully reprints the series serialized in Asahi Shimbun.
* "Nonoko-chan" (Comics) — Published by Futabasha (originally from Channel Zero). 10 volumes. Collects works published in the newspaper not included in the "Yamada-kun" series or created before serialization. Some volumes feature characters on the covers.
* "Nonoko-chan" (Bunko) — Published by Tokyo Sogensha. 12 volumes. Compiles all works published in Asahi Shimbun. The volumes are published biannually, with volumes 8 and onward including about 700 pages each, making it a massive collection unmatched in Japanese four-panel manga collections. Ishii historically did not fully compile his serialized works into single volumes or prefer to unify characters/worlds in collections.
* "Tonari no Nonoko-chan" — Co-authored with Hiroshi Ogawa (character designer for the anime). Includes works from the first book and materials from the film press conference, focusing on the series' worldview. Also features setting materials and film comics from the "Nonoko-chan" anime.
* "The World of Nonoko" — Published by Tokyo Sogensha. A revised and expanded paperback version of "Tonari no Nonoko-chan," excluding unrelated media.
* "Fun!" — Published by Tokuma Shoten. Contains short manga stories (about 2 pages each) "Fun!" featuring Pochi from Studio Ghibli's "Natsufū," and illustrated essays "Daily Pochi" (by Masumi Mine).
* "Hayasichi Bunko: The People of the Yamada Family" — Published by Futabasha. 3 volumes. Focuses on family-themed works, including "Ojama Manga Yamada-kun." Volume 2 shows the transition from "Yamada-kun" to "Nonoko-chan." Volume 3 contains slightly different versions of "The Yamada Family" stories published elsewhere.
* "Donuts Books" — Published by Channel Zero. 39 volumes. Includes unpublished newspaper works of "Nonoko-chan" and early works before "Yamada-kun" serialization. Some covers feature characters from "Nonoko-chan" or "Yamada-kun."
* "Tama no Nono Nono-chan" — Published by Seibun-sha. Collects "Tama no Nono Nono-chan," serialized in "Kōhō Tama" and other outlets. Unlike "Nonoko-chan," all characters speak Okayama dialect.
TV Anime "Nono-chan"
TV Asahi
JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as , and better known as , is a Japanese television station serving the Kanto region as the flagship station of the All-Nippon News Network. It is owned-and-operated by the a subsidiary of , itself controlled by ...
aired this program from
July 7
Events Pre-1600
* 1124 – The city of Tyre falls to the Venetian Crusade after a siege of nineteen weeks.
* 1456 – A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her execution.
* 1520 – Spanish ''conquistad ...
,
2001
The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...
to
September 28
Events Pre-1600
*48 BC – Pompey disembarks at Pelusium upon arriving in Egypt, whereupon he is assassinated by order of King Ptolemy XIII.
* 235 – Pope Pontian resigns. He is exiled to the mines of Sardinia, along with Hippolytus ...
,
2002
The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
. It was a joint production with
Toei Animation
is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including '' Sally the Witch'', '' GeGeGe no Kitarō'', '' Mazinger Z'', '' Galaxy Express 999'', '' Cutie Honey'', '' Dr. Slu ...
. The series consists of 61 episodes. Up to episode 35, each episode was broadcast in two parts, A and B; from episode 36 onward, a third part, C, was added, making three broadcasts per episode. After this program ended, in the same year, the successor animated series was "Tsuribaka Nisshi", which is broadcast nationwide as an anime. It has not been released on DVD. The series was also broadcast on the CS channel
Animax
, stylized as ANIMAX in all caps, is a Japanese animation satellite television network, dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. Launched on July 1, 1998, Animax is the first 24-hour network in the world dedicated to anime.The Anime Biz' - ...
.
Voice Cast
* Nonoko Yamada -
Ikue Otani
Ikue (written: 育江, 育恵, 郁恵, 郁絵 or いくえ in hiragana) is a feminine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include:
*, Japanese singer
*, Japanese curler
*, Japanese musician
*, Japanese actress and voice actress
*, J ...
* Matsuko Yamada -
Keiko Yamamoto
was a Japanese voice actress from Osaka Prefecture. Many of her roles have been older women, young boys, or tomboyish young girls.
Filmography
Anime television series
*'' Big X'' (1964) – Hans
*''Osomatsu-kun'' (1966) – Choromatsu, Karamat ...
* Shige Yamanou -
Reiko Suzuki
is a Japanese voice actress.
Filmography Television animation
;1970s
*'' Wakakusa no Charlotte''
;1980s
*''Birth''
*''Dragon Ball'' (1986) (Old Woman (episode 4), Sno's Mother)
*'' Golden Warrior Gold Lightan''
*'' Lady!!'' (Brenda)
;1990s ...
* Noboru Yamada -
Yasuhiro Takato
Yasuhiro Takato (, born January 23, 1968, in Okayama) is a Japanese Seiyū, voice actor who works for Aoni Production.
Filmography
Television animation
*''Sailor Moon'' (1992) - List of Sailor Moon characters#Artemis, Artemis
*''Ping-Pong Club ...
* Takashi Yamada, Principal, Mr. Hirooka -
Hideyuki Tanaka
is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Tokyo who is attached to Aoni Production. He is a graduate of the Toho Gakuen School of Music. He is most known for his roles in ''One Piece'' (as Donquixote Doflamingo), '' Dokaben'' (as Tarou ...
* Pochi, Yasuoka-sensei, Kubo-kun -
Wataru Takagi
is a Japanese actor and voice actor from Chiba Prefecture. He is affiliated with Arts Vision. He is best known for his roles in ''One Piece'' (as Bellamy), ''Bleach'' (as Ganju Shiba), ''Detective Conan'' (as Genta Kojima and Wataru Takagi) ...
Masaya Takatsuka
is a Japanese voice actor. He is married to voice actress Keiko Nemoto.
Filmography Television animation
;1990s
* '' Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight'' (1998) - Garrack
;2000s
* ''Miami Guns'' (2000) - Takuro
* ''One Piece' ...
* Kikuchi-kun, Teacher Haruko Kondo -
Junko Noda
is a Japanese freelance voice actress and singer from Naniwa-ku, Osaka. She often voices boyish girls and boys. Having grown up in Osaka, she has also voiced characters who speak in the Kansai dialect, typically in supporting roles.
Filmograp ...
Yuka Komatsu
is a Japanese actress, Voice acting in Japan, voice actress, and narrator from Tokyo. She is affiliated with Aoni Production.
Biography
Her father was a filmmaker and her mother grew up in a family atmosphere where the movies were nearby. Sinc ...
* Nana-chan -
Tomoko Kaneda
is a Japanese Voice acting in Japan, voice actress and radio personality born in Yokohama, Japan. She had worked at Aoni Production for 11 years and had worked freelance since April 2011 and it was announced that she transferred to Across Ente ...
* Kawada -
Michitaka Kobayashi
is a Japanese voice actor. For a time, he was known as . He currently works for Aoni Production.
Voice roles Television
*'' Atashin'chi'' (????) (Mizushima Husband)
*''Digimon Xros Wars'' (????) (Angemon)
*'' Mirai Keisatsu Urashiman'' (????) ( ...
* Neighborhood Association President - Naoki Tsuruta
Staff (TV Anime)
* Original Work - Hisashi Ishii (published in Asahi Shimbun morning edition)
* Production Supervisors - Munehisa Higuchi, Yukio Noda
* Music - en avant
* Series Composition -
Takashi Yamada
Takashi Yamada (born 2 October 1938) is a Japanese sailor. He competed in the Finn event at the 1964 Summer Olympics
The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 Oct ...
* Character Design - Hiroshi Ogawa
* Art Design - Yukiko Iijima
* Color Design - Takako Mimuro
* Series Directors -
Nobutaka Nishizawa
Nobutaka (written: 信孝, 信教, 信隆, 延孝 or 伸貴) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include:
*, Japanese volleyball player
*, Japanese neuroscientist and cell biologist
*, Japanese politician
*, Japanese s ...
, Kiyoshi Sasaki
* Animation and Digital Coloring - Toei Animation Philippines
* Digital Photography - Toei Lab Tec
* Editing - Shigeru Nishiyama
* Sound Recording - Sadashi Kuramoto
* Sound Assistant - Satoru Fujimura
* Sound Effects - Swara Pro / Yasuyuki Konno
* Music Selection - Kousuke Nishikawa
* Art Progress - Reiko Kitayama
* Finish Progress - Yosuke Asama
* Recording - Minori Kajimoto
* Public Relations - Aruka Kyoku (TV Asahi)
* Assistant Producer - Naomi Nishiguchi
* Music Cooperation - TV Asahi Music, Toei Animation Music Publishing
* Recording Studio - TAVAC
* Online Editing - TOVIC
* Cooperation -
Daiko
are a broad range of Traditional Japanese musical instruments, Japanese percussion instruments. In Japanese language, Japanese, the term refers to any kind of drum, but outside Japan, it is used specifically to refer to any of the various J ...
Dentsu
, simply known as , stylized as dentsu, is a Japanese international advertising and public relations joint stock company headquartered in Tokyo. Dentsu is the largest advertising agency in Japan and the fifth largest advertising agency network in ...
* Production - TV Asahi, Toei Animation
* (C) Hisashi Ishii / Yamada Planning, TV Asahi, Dentsu, Toei Animation
Theme Songs
; Opening Theme: "Urushi no Uta" (Columbia Music)
: Lyrics/Composition/Arrangement - en avant / Song - Nonoko-chan (Ikue Otani)
; Ending Theme: "Nonoko-chan Family's Song" (Nippon Columbia)
: Lyrics - Yumi Yoshimoto / Composition - HULK / Arrangement - en avant / Song - Nonoko-chan Family (Ikue Otani, Keiko Yamamoto, Reiko Suzuki, Yasuhiro Takato, Hideyuki Tanaka)
Episode List
Web Anime "Nonoko-chan Theater"
An online-exclusive anime that directly adapts the original four-panel manga into animation, streamed via Asahi.com from September 2001 to February 2005. Production by Opera House, with casting cooperation from Laverite Pro.
With Ishii's cooperation, Tamano City, Okayama Prefecture, where Hisaichi Ishii is from, appointed Nono-chan as the city's image character in 2010, the 70th anniversary of the city's incorporation. A costume was made for Nono-chan, and she appears at local character events in the same way as other municipal mascot characters (
Yuru-chara
is a Japanese term for a category of mascot characters; usually created to promote a place or region, event, organisation or business. They are characterized by their '' kawaii'' (cute) and unsophisticated designs, often incorporating motifs th ...
). In addition, a special edition, "Tamano Nono Nono-chan," is currently being serialized in the "Tamano Public Relations" magazine.
In July 2010, the government began issuing license plates featuring Nono-chan for motorized bicycles.ののちゃんの原動機付自転車（原付バイク）ナンバープレートの交付を始めます 玉野市ウェブサイト
See also
*''
Crayon Shin-chan
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshito Usui. ''Crayon Shin-chan'' made its first appearance in 1990 in a Japanese weekly magazine called ''Weekly Manga Action'', which was published by Futabasha. Due to the death of ...
''
*''
Chibi Maruko-chan
is a manga series written and illustrated by Momoko Sakura. The series depicts the simple, everyday life of Momoko Sakura, a young girl everyone calls ''Maruko'', and her family in suburban Japan in the year 1974. Maruko is a troublemak ...
''
*''
Sazae-san
is a Japanese ''yonkoma'' manga series written and illustrated by Machiko Hasegawa. It was first published in Hasegawa's local paper, the , on April 22, 1946. When the ''Asahi Shimbun'' wished to have Hasegawa draw the four-panel comic for ...