Nono-chan (ののちゃん) is a yonkomamanga 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. The Asahi Shimbun continues to feature this manga series as of October 2007.
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.
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]
