Nono-chan

Nono-chan (ののちゃん) is a yonkoma manga series begun in 1991 by Hisaichi Ishii originally serialized as My Neighbors the Yamadas (となりのやまだ君, Tonari no Yamada-kun) in the Asahi Shimbun 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.

Nono-chan
Cover of volume 5 of the manga published by Futabasha.
ののちゃん
Genre	Humor, Slice of life story
Manga
Tonari no Yamada-kun
Written by	Hisaichi Ishii
Published by	Asahi Shimbun Tokyo Sogensha Tokuma Shoten
Magazine	Asahi Shimbun
Original run	October 1, 1991 – March 31, 1997
Volumes	6 (Asahi) 11 (Sogensha) 3 (Tokuma)
Manga
Written by	Hisaichi Ishii
Published by	Futabasha (Channel Zero) Tokyo Sogensha Tokuma Shoten
Magazine	Asahi Shimbun
Original run	April 1, 1997 – present
Volumes	10 (Futabasha/Channel Zero) 12 (Sogensha) 7 (Tokuma)
Anime film
My Neighbors the Yamadas
Directed by	Isao Takahata
Produced by	Toshio Suzuki
Written by	Isao Takahata
Music by	Akiko Yano
Studio	Studio Ghibli
Licensed by	Buena Vista Home Entertainment (former) GKIDS (current)
Released	July 17, 1999
Runtime	104 minutes
Anime television series
Directed by	Toshinori Fukuzawa
Produced by	Yumi Shimizu Kenji Oota Hiroyuki Sakurada
Written by	Takashi Yamada
Music by	en avant
Studio	Toei Animation
Original network	TV Asahi
Original run	July 7, 2001 – September 28, 2002
Episodes	61

In July 1999, Studio Ghibli released My Neighbors the Yamadas, a film based on this series.^{[1][unreliable source]} From 2001 to 2002, a 61 episode anime television series based on the manga was shown on the TV Asahi network in Japan.

Characters

Yamada family

Nonoko Yamada (山田のの子, Yamada Nonoko)

Nonoko is the main character and a very easy-going 3rd grade elementary school student. She is constantly battling to keep the lowest spot in the class (for grades).

Matsuko Yamada (山田まつ子, Yamada Matsuko)

Nonoko's mother, a housewife. She is always worrying about what to cook for dinner (usually something that goes with rice, and it usually turns out to be some sort of curry). She is a somewhat sloppy housekeeper as well as being forgetful.

Takashi Yamada (山田たかし, Yamada Takashi)

Nonoko's father, an ordinary salaryman. Unlike his wife and daughter, Takashi is a very diligent worker. His car is a piece of junk, and his hobbies include pachinko and golf.

Noboru Yamada (山田のぼる, Yamada Noboru)

Nonoko's older brother, a junior high school student. He's very good at sociology, but has poor study skills and doesn't do as well in other subjects.

Shige Yamano (山野しげ, Yamano Shige)

Nonoko's grandmother and Matsuko's mother. She is 70 years old. Shige is very energetic, but a very stubborn and hard boiled grandmother.

Pochi (ポチ)

The Yamada family's pet dog. He generally has a sullen, grumpy mood.

Studio Ghibli film

Main article: My Neighbors the Yamadas

Appointed as Tamano City mascot character

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.^[2] 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). In addition, a special edition, "Tamano Nono Nono-chan," is currently being serialized in the "Tamano Public Relations" magazine.^[3][4]

In July 2010, the government began issuing license plates featuring Nono-chan for motorized bicycles.^[5]

See also

• Crayon Shin-chan
• Chibi Maruko-chan
• Sazae-san