is a Japanese '' shōjo''

slice of life Slice of life is a depiction of mundane experiences in art and entertainment. In theater, slice of life refers to Naturalism (theatre), naturalism, while in literary parlance it is a narrative technique in which a seemingly arbitrary sequence ...

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 by Mayumi Muroyama. With a total circulation of 28 million copies, it is one of the best-selling manga. It was adapted into an

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 and an anime film. The TV series was produced by

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 ...

a subsidiary of

Toei Company , simply known as Toei Company or Toei, is a Japanese entertainment company. Headquartered in Ginza, Chūō, Tokyo, it is involved in film and television production, distribution, video game development, publishing, and ownership of 34 movi ...

, and directed by Kazumi Fukushima.

Plot

The anime follows Asari, a normal but stupid elementary school fourth-grade girl who does not get along with her family.

Manga

The manga was written by Mayumi Muroyama and serialized from the August 1978 issue to the March 2014 issue of

Shogakukan is a Japanese publisher of comics, magazines, light novels, dictionaries, literature, non-fiction, home media, and other media in Japan. Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but ...

's ''Shogaku Ninensei'' magazine. During its serialization it was also published in several other Shogakukan magazines, including ''

CoroCoro Comic is a Japanese children's manga magazine published by Shogakukan. It was established in 1977 and several of its properties, like ''Doraemon'' and the ''Pokémon'' series of games, have gone on to be cultural phenomena in Japan. The name comes fr ...

'', ''Pyonpyon'', ''

Ciao ( , ) is an informal salutation in the Italian language that is used for both " hello" and "goodbye". Originally from the Venetian language, it has entered the vocabulary of English and of many other languages around the world. Its dual mea ...

'', ''Shogaku Ichinensei'', ''Shogaku Sannensei'', ''Shogaku Yonnensei'', and ''Shogaku Gonensei''.

Anime

The anime was produced by

a subsidiary of

and directed by Kazumi Fukushima. It was first broadcast in Japan on 25 January 1982, with the end last farewell final episode broadcast on 28 February 1983. It was broadcast every Monday at 19:00 until 19:30 JST, with 54 episodes. The opening theme is ''Ano ko wa Asari-chan'' (あの子はあさりちゃん) by Yoko Maekawa and the ending theme is ''Watashi wa Onna no ko'' (私は女の子) also by Maekawa.

Voice Cast

* Katsue Miwa as Asari Hamano * Chiyoko Kawashima as Tatami Hamano *

Kei Tomiyama , better known by his stage name , was a Japanese actor, voice actor, and narrator born in Anshan, Manchukuo. He was affiliated with Aoni Production and Production Baobab. Tomiyama is best known for his roles in '' Tiger Mask'' (Naoto Date/Tig ...

as Papa * Mariko Mukai as Mama *

Fuyumi Shiraishi was a Japanese actress, voice actress and narrator. Career Fuyumi was previously affiliated with Aoni Production and after she left Aoni and joined Ken Production founded by the late Kenji Utsumi until the time of her death. Death Shiraishi ...

as Morino Kakesu * Jouji Yanami as Shinigami (ep 8) *

Katsuji Mori is a Japanese actor, Voice acting in Japan, voice actor and narrator from Tokyo. He is most known for the roles of Go Mifune (''Mach GoGoGo''), Joe Shimamura/009 (''Cyborg 009''

960s The 960s decade ran from January 1, 960, to December 31, 969. Significant people * Abd al-Rahman III caliph of Córdoba * Otto I of Holy Roman empire * Al-Muti caliph of Baghdad * Al-Hakam II caliph of Córdoba * Al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah of Fati ...

, Ken the Eagle (''Science Ninja Team Gatchaman''), Jouji Mi ...

as Jirou Morino * Kouji Totani as Dog Asari *

Noriko Tsukase was a Japanese voice actress and chanson singer active during the 1970s and 1980s. Her most popular roles included Spank in ''Ohayō! Spank'', Miss Alphonne in the original ''Cutie Honey'' TV series and Non (as well as Furu-Furu the cat) in ''Maj ...

(1st voice)

Michiko Nomura is a Japanese actress and voice actress. Career Nomura was previously affiliated with Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society, then Aoni Production and now she is affiliated with Ken Production, an agency founded by the late Kenji Utsu ...

(2nd voice) as Ibara Yabunokouji *

Mugihito , better known by his stage name of , is a Japanese actor, Voice acting in Japan, voice actor and narrator from Musashino, Tokyo. Mugihito was formerly credited under his birth name and also . Filmography Television animation ;1976 *''Dokaben'' ...

as Hachirou Kanda *

Toshiko Fujita was a Japanese actress, singer and narrator. She was affiliated with Aoni Production at the time of her death. Biography At the age of eight, Fujita worked in radio and television as an actress, singer and comedian. She also sang theme son ...

as Futoko (ep 15)

Reception

As of December 2013, the manga had a total circulation of 28 million copies. In 1985, ''Asari-chan'' won the 30th

Shogakukan Manga Award The is one of Japan's major 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 ...

in the category Best Children's Manga. In 2014, it won the Judging Committee Special Award at the 59th

. The manga won the grand award at the 2014

Japan Cartoonists Association Award is an annual award for 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 i ...

References

External links

* * * {{Toei Animation films 1980s 1982 anime films 1982 films 1982 anime television series debuts 1982 animated short films Japanese children's animated comedy television series Anime series based on manga Anime short films Comedy anime and manga Manga adapted into films Manga adapted into television series Manga series Shogakukan manga Shogakukan franchises Shōjo manga Slice of life anime and manga Toei Animation television TV Asahi original programming