is a Japanese '' shōjo''

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

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 Eriko Ono. It has been published by

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 ...

in ''

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 ...

'' since 1995 and collected in 37 bound volumes. It is a sequel to an earlier series, , and depicts the home and school life of a cheerful and energetic fifth-grade girl named Miiko. ''Kocchi Muite! Miiko'' was adapted as a 42-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 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 ...

, which was broadcast on

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 ...

from February 14, 1998, to February 6, 1999, as part of the '' Anime Syuukan DX! Mi-Pha-Pu'' anime series.

Characters

* is the protagonist of the series. She is an energetic and short student in fifth grade. Miiko loves eating, which becomes a problem because she gets fat easily (as shown in much of the episodes). Her best friends are Mari Shimura, Yuuko Ogawa, and Tappei Eguchi. She's often found hanging out with her friends or fighting with a boy called Tappei who seems to like Miiko a bit but was too shy to say it to her himself. He called her names instead and sometimes got on Miiko's nerves. . * is Miiko's younger brother. Unlike his sister, he is very diligent and often teaches Miiko when she's having difficulties with her homework. Mamoru liked helping his family, even though it got on his nerves sometimes. . * is Miiko's mother and is an editor of a magazine. * is Miiko's best friend. Her career is to be a mangaka. She is stern on Miiko but also a loyal friend. * is Miiko's friend. He seems to have a romantic interest towards Miiko as he is always teasing her. Although he appears to be hardcore and annoying, he is in fact a shy, and nice person. * is Miiko's best friend. She is nice, smart and friendly. She is also Kenta's girlfriend.

Media

Manga

''Kocchi Muite! Miiko'' is written and illustrated by Eriko Ono. It has been published by

in the ''shōjo'' (aimed at pre- and early teen girls) manga magazine ''

'' since 1995. Serial chapters have collected in 38 ''

tankōbon A is a standard publishing format for books in Japan, alongside other formats such as ''shinsho'' (17x11 cm paperback books) and ''bunkobon''. Used as a loanword in English, the term specifically refers to a printed collection of a manga that w ...

''. In addition, popular stories from the series have been reprinted in three collections called .

Anime

''Kocchi Muite! Miiko'' was adapted as an

television series produced by

and directed by Takao Yoshizawa. It was broadcast in 42 episodes on

from February 14, 1998, to February 6, 1999, as part of the '' Anime Syuukan DX! Mi-Pha-Pu'' anime series.

Reception

The series received the 1996

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 ...

for children's manga. Together, the first 25 volumes have sold 3.8 million copies.

References

External links

Official anime website
* * * {{Toei Animation Comedy anime and manga Shogakukan manga Toei Animation television TV Asahi original programming Winners of the Shogakukan Manga Award for children's manga