Hanamaru Kindergarten

Anzu goes to a kindergarten with her friends, the shy Koume and the eccentric Hiiragi. Together they try to attract attention from their caretaker Tsuchida Naozumi. However, he is clearly more interested in the pretty Yamamoto Nanako, a fellow kindergarten teacher who supervises the class next door. Though Anzu tries to convince Tsuchida to marry her when she grows up, Tsuchida is trying to have a date with Yamamoto; or if not, get engaged with her.

Naozumi Tsuchida (土田 直純, Tsuchida Naozumi) Voiced by: Satoshi Hino Tsuchida-sensei is the only male teacher at Hanamaru Kindergarten, who started teaching in the school immediately after he graduated. At first, he is seen as unreliable, but as time passes, he gets the hang of being a teacher. He is a game otaku and plays games until late at night, often resulting in him being late for work at the kindergarten where he teaches the students of the first-year Sakura Class. Anzu develops a crush on him, but, understandably, he does not reciprocate although he does like her as he does all of his students. Anzu's mother, Sakura, called him Tsuchi when they were children (she still does), and so Anzu does as well. It is revealed in episode 7 of the anime, that he had a crush on Sakura when they were in high school. Tsuchida now has a crush on his colleague, Nanako Yamamoto. He is nicknamed "breast man" because of his habit of looking at girl model magazines and often staring at Yamamoto-Sensei's chest. In the end, the children at the kindergarten help him muster the courage to confess and he begins a relationship with Yamamoto-Sensei. Nanako Yamamoto (山本 菜々子, Yamamoto Nanako) Voiced by: Erino Hazuki Yamamoto-sensei is one of the female teachers at Hanamaru Kindergarten. Even though Tsuchida likes her, she does not understand that men would fall for her. She teaches the students of first-year Peach Class. She appears to be good at sewing, as she mended Tsuchida's apron and Koume's stuffed panda-cat doll's ear. Despite her obliviousness towards romance involving her, she is aware of the fact that Hanamaru-sensei has a crush on her sister, Mayumi. Eventually, she begins to develop feelings towards Tsuchida and starts to express a greater interest in romance. Rōze Kusano (草野 蕗央瀬, Kusano Rōze) Voiced by: Kaoru Mizuhara Kusano-sensei is one of the female teachers at Hanamaru Kindergarten. She likes sports and muscular men. She enjoys watching what Tsuchida does to get Yamamoto's attention. She teaches the students of second-year Sunflower Class. She was Koume's coach and helped her to train for the school sports day's footrace. Kawashiro (川代, Kawashiro) Voiced by: Naomi Wakabayashi Kawashiro-sensei is one of the female teachers at Hanamaru Kindergarten who appears slightly geeky. She teaches the students of second-year Tulip Class. In the anime, she lent Anzu a sweater for her "date" with Tsuchida. She is described as lacking composure. Kakogawa (水主川, Kakogawa) Voiced by: Arisa Ogasawara Kakogawa-sensei is one of the female teachers at Hanamaru Kindergarten. She has short brown hair. She is described as being mature. Nishikaze (西風, Nishikaze) Voiced by: Ayumi Tsunematsu Nishikaze-sensei is one of the female teachers at Hanamaru Kindergarten. She has long black hair that goes to her waist and is described as being laid back. She has a sleepy look on her face.

Sakura (桜, Sakura) Voiced by: Yōko Honna Sakura is Anzu's mother and Tsuchida's childhood friend who is a year or so older than him. She encourages Anzu in her desire to marry Tsuchida (a reflection of her own marriage to her Art teacher). She got married and pregnant while in high school and did not graduate (despite having only one term to finish) because she dropped out to be with her husband when he got a job teaching at an American university. She has a wild strand of blond hair that sticks up, which Anzu seems to have inherited. Despite no longer being students, Tsuchida still calls her Senpai. Satsuki Tsuchida (土田 さつき, Tsuchida Satsuki) Voiced by: Shion Hirota Satsuki is Naozumi's younger sister. She visits the kindergarten to see how Tsuchida has been doing ever since he left home. She seems to care very much for her brother's well-being, and apparently has a brother complex. She is often very eager to receive any sort of acknowledgment from Tsuchida and has a tendency to get jealous whenever Tsuchida gets close to Yamamoto. She possesses exceptional culinary skill. Mayumi Yamamoto (山本 真弓, Yamamoto Mayumi) Voiced by: Chiwa Saitō Mayumi is Nanako's younger sister. She works as a part-time assistant for a manga publisher and deals with a manga artist named Hanamaru, who has a crush on her. She is rather mischievous at times when it comes to her sister, but the two are very close. She knows that her sister is very airheaded when it comes to matters of love. She is also aware that Tsuchida has a crush on her sister, and sympathizes with him, knowing that he'll have a hard time trying to get through to her. She is similarly obtuse when it comes to people's affections aimed at herself (Hanamaru-sensei in particular). Hanamaru (花丸, Hanamaru) Voiced by: Kōji Yusa Hanamaru is a manga artist, the author of the manga entitled "Panda-cat", which is a hit with kindergarten children. He has a crush on his assistant, Mayumi Yamamoto. Anzu's Father Voiced by: Shouto Kashil An unnamed man who is Sakura's husband and Anzu's father. He was an arts teacher and he married Sakura when she was in high school and pregnant with his daughter.

The manga is written and illustrated by Yuto. Hanamaru Kindergarten was serialized by Square Enix in the bimonthly Young Gangan magazine, and the chapters collected in tankōbon. Eleven volumes were released with the first one released on April 25, 2007, and the last one on 24 December 2011. Additionally, a fanbook with volume number 7.5 was released on February 25, 2010. Outside Japan the series is licensed in Taiwan by Sharp Point Press and in Hong Kong and Macau by Jade Dynasty.