Nonochan: Thorough evaluation of the attractive characters and depth of the story

"Nono-chan": The charm of a family anime depicting everyday laughter and warmth

■Overview of the work

"Nono-chan" is a TV anime series that aired on TV Asahi (ANB) from July 7, 2001 to September 28, 2002. It was originally a four-panel manga by Ishii Hisaichi that ran in the Asahi Shimbun newspaper, and aired for 30 minutes every Saturday morning from 9:55 a.m. for a total of 61 episodes. It was produced by Toei Animation and TV Asahi.

■ Story

The main character of "Nono-chan" is Nono-chan (Yamada Nono's child), the eldest daughter of the Yamada family and a third-grader at elementary school. Although she is not good at studying, she is energetic and cheerful, and popular in her class. Her family consists of five people (plus one other pet): her father Takashi, her mother Matsuko, her eldest son Noboru, her grandmother Shige, and her dog Pochi. Each member has their own unique personality, and the story depicts funny and surprising episodes that unfold in their daily lives. At school, Nono-chan's lively figure is charming as she enjoys spending time with the mysterious Mr. Fujiwara and her interesting friends.

■Explanation

"Nono-chan" is based on a four-panel comic strip published in the Asahi Shimbun newspaper, and is a humorous rendition of the original story in the form of animation. While retaining the warmth and laughter of the original, the show allows viewers to feel the bonds between family members and the small joys of everyday life. In particular, episodes that highlight the individual personalities of each family member provided many viewers with empathy and laughter.

■Cast

• Nonoko / Ikue Otani
• Matsuko/Keiko Yamamoto
• Shige/Reiko Suzuki
• Climbing / Yasuhiro Takato
• Takashi/Hideyuki Tanaka

■ Main staff

• Original story by Hisaichi Ishii (published in the Asahi Shimbun morning edition)
• Producers: Kenji Ota (TV Asahi), Yumi Shimizu (TV Asahi), Hiroyuki Sakurada (Toei Animation)
• Produced by: Munehisa Higuchi, Yukio Noda
• Art by Yukiko Iijima
• Series Composition: Yamada Takashi
• Character design: Hiroshi Ogawa
• Series Director: Nobutaka Nishizawa
• Music / en avant

■ Main Characters

• Nono-chan / Yamada Nonoko (9 years old) - 3rd grade at Daisan Elementary School. The eldest daughter of the Yamada family, she is energetic, cheerful and popular in her class. She likes soccer and is not good at studying. Her special skill is eating a lot.
• Mother / Matsuko Yamada (40 years old) - Housewife. Wife of Takashi Yamada. Hobbies are napping and snacking. She has a lazy personality and speaks in Kansai dialect. When cleaning the room, she shoves everything into the closet.
• Father / Takashi Yamada (40 years old) - The breadwinner of the Yamada family. He is a company employee and the general affairs manager of a company. At home, he can't outsmart his mother and grandmother.
• The eldest son of the Yamada family / Noboru (first year of junior high school) - An ordinary junior high school student enrolled in the Third Junior High School. He is a substitute for the baseball team at school. His academics are average. He sometimes fights with Nono-chan.
• Grandma / Shige Yamano (68 years old) - Matsuko Yamada's mother. A very energetic grandmother who lives in the Yamada household. She speaks Kansai dialect and may be the strongest person in the Yamada household...
• Fujiwara Sensei / Fujiwara Hitomi (27 years old) - Nono-chan's homeroom teacher. A mysterious teacher who immediately makes students self-study whenever something happens. She has a casual personality and her favorite word is "appropriate."
• Tabuchi Sensei - The physical education teacher in Nono-chan's class. A carefree teacher who loves baseball.
• Kikuchi-kun - One of the three idiots in class 3-3. He is Nono-chan's neighbor and the son of the owner of Kikuchi Restaurant.
• Dr. Hirooka - The local doctor. A great doctor?
• Neighborhood Association President - The most stubborn old man in the neighborhood. He owns a large house and is the president of various associations.

■ Theme songs and music

• OP "Uruwashi no Uta" - Lyrics by en avant, Composition by en avant, Arrangement by en avant, Singer by Nono-chan
• Ending theme song "Nono-chan Family Song" - Lyrics by Yumi Yoshimoto, Music by HULK, Arrangement by en avant, Sung by Nono-chan Family (Nippon Columbia CODC-1992)

■Detailed episode and character analysis

"Nono-chan" is a work that provides viewers with laughter and warmth by depicting the daily life of a family. In each episode, there are many scenes that highlight the personalities of each family member. For example, Nono-chan's lively and cheerful personality is often depicted in scenes where she plays with her friends at school and when she spends time with her family. Her special skill of eating a lot is often seen in meal scenes with her family, providing viewers with laughter.

The mother, Matsuko, is also known for her lazy personality and her Kansai accent. In the scene where she cleans her room, she is shown shoving everything away in the closet, eliciting sympathy and laughter from the audience. The father, Takashi, works as a company employee, but is also shown to be no match for his mother and grandmother at home, humorously expressing the power dynamics within the family.

The eldest son, Noboru, is portrayed as an ordinary middle school student, but there are scenes where he and Nono occasionally fight, realistically depicting the relationship between the brothers. The grandmother, Shige, is characterized by her lively and strong personality, and her presence in the Yamada family, where she speaks in Kansai dialect, is significant.

In the school scenes, Ms. Fujiwara's peculiar character stands out. Her behavior of immediately making the students study on their own provides laughs for the viewers. In addition, Ms. Tabuchi's easygoing baseball-loving personality and Kikuchi's activities as a member of the Three Idiots Trio also portray the fun of school life.

■ Background of the production and the significance of making it into an anime

"Nono-chan" is originally a four-panel comic strip by Ishii Hisaichi that appeared in the Asahi Shimbun newspaper. By adapting the humorous, everyday life of the original work into an anime, viewers were able to feel the bonds between family members and the small joys of everyday life. The production staff aimed to provide viewers with laughter and warmth while keeping the atmosphere of the original work intact.

Hiroshi Ogawa was in charge of character design, recreating the characters from the original work as animation. Takashi Yamada was in charge of series composition, skillfully constructing the story of each episode. The music was provided by en avant, who enhanced the atmosphere of the work with the theme song and background music.

■ Viewer reactions and evaluations

"Nono-chan" received a lot of positive feedback and praise from viewers. In particular, the episodes that highlighted the individual personalities of the family provided viewers with empathy and laughter, and won many fans. In addition, the way the warmth and laughter of the original work was recreated in animation was also highly praised.

Viewers were particularly interested in Nono's cheerful and bright personality, as well as the individual personalities of each member of her family. The school scenes and the eccentric character of Ms. Fujiwara also provided viewers with laughs, enhancing the appeal of the show.

■ Recommendations and related works

"Nono-chan" is a work that provides viewers with laughter and warmth by depicting the daily life of a family. In particular, episodes that highlight the personalities of the family members and scenes at school make viewers empathize and laugh. The fact that the humorous daily life of the original work was animated was also highly praised, and the series has gained many fans.

Related works include other works by Ishii Hisaichi such as "My Neighbors the Yamadas" complete collection, "It'll All Be Fine" and "A Job Not Suitable for Women". These works also depict humorous everyday life, providing viewers with laughter and warmth.

After watching "Nono-chan," be sure to check out these related works. There are many heartwarming works that will make you feel the bonds of family and the small joys of everyday life.