Kocchi Muite! Miiko

• Name — Kocchi Muite! Miiko • Ja Kanji — こっちむいて！みい子 • Genre — Comedy

• Type — Manga • Author — Eriko Ono • Publisher — Shogakukan • Magazine — Ciao • First — 1995 • Volumes — 39

• Type — TV series • Director — Takao Yoshizawa • Music — * Michiaki Katō • Yasuhiko Fukuda • Studio — Toei Animation • Network — TV Asahi • First — February 14, 1998 • Last — February 6, 1999 • Episodes — 42 Kocchi Muite! Miiko is a Japanese manga series by Eriko Ono. It has been published by Shogakukan in Ciao since 1995 and collected in 39 bound volumes. It is a sequel to an earlier series, Miiko desu!, and depicts the home and school life of a cheerful and energetic fifth grade student named Miiko. Kocchi Muite! Miiko was adapted as a 42-episode anime television series by Toei Animation, which was broadcast on TV Asahi from February 14, 1998, to February 6, 1999, as part of the Anime Syuukan DX! Mi-Pha-Pu anime series.

This series is a heartwarming comedy that comically depicts the everyday lives of various characters, including Miiko Yamada, a first-year middle school girl. Originally, Miiko and Mamoru were created as announcement manga characters for Shogakukan's Pyon Pyon magazine. Later, the one-shot manga was published in the June 1990 issue, and from the October 1990 issue to the final October 1992 issue, it was serialized under the title Miiko desu!. After Pyon Pyon was absorbed into Ciao, the series was transferred to Ciao and continued from the November 1992 issue to the December 1994 issue. Then, starting with the January 1995 issue, the title was changed and developed into the current Kocchi Muite! Miiko. As of December 2012, the series has sold over 3.8 million copies in total. The main character Miiko and her classmates have remained fifth graders for over 25 years since the early serialization of Miiko desu!, when they advanced from fourth to fifth grade, without ever moving up. However, in Ciao's April 2016 issue (Chapter 244), they advanced to the sixth grade. Furthermore, in the April 2020 issue (Chapter 288), they graduated from elementary school and entered middle school. The series enjoys enormous popularity in Indonesia. Among the female characters, Miiko is the most popular; among women who aspire to become manga artists, Mari is the most popular; and among the male characters, Tappei is the most popular. In 2013, a signing event was even held locally.

• Miiko Yamada • The protagonist of the series, Miiko is an energetic schoolgirl with short stature. She is often found hanging out with her friends or fighting with a boy called Tappei, who seems to like Miiko, but was too shy to say it to her himself. He called her names instead and sometimes got on Miiko's nerves. • Mari Shimura • Mari is Miiko's best friend who dreams of becoming a manga artist. • Tappei Eguchi • Tappei is a shy, yet annoying and nice boy in Miiko's class. He is her close male friend who seems to have a romantic interest towards her. • Yuuko Ogawa • Yuuko is one of Miiko's friends who is friendly and intelligent. She is Kenta's girlfriend. • Kenta Sato • Kenta is Tappei's best friend, with a cheerful and humorous personality. He is Yuuko's boyfriend. • Ikuya Yoshida • Yoshida is a kind and good-looking student. He has a crush on Miiko, which sometimes leads him to fantasize about her. • Miho Tanimura • Miho is Miiko's classmate and the most beautiful girl in the class. She has a crush on Tappei. • Yoshiki Nomura • Yoshiki is a quiet and eccentric boy, but also has a sensible side. • Yuka Kobayashi • Yuka is Mamoru's classmate and girlfriend. • Akio Onishi (Mr. Onishi) • Mr. Onishi is Miiko's homeroom teacher from 4th to 6th grade.

• Mamoru Yamada • Mamoru is Miiko's younger brother. Unlike his sister, he is diligent and often teaches her when she struggles with homework. Mamoru likes helping his family, which sometimes got on his nerves. • Rie Yamada • Rie is Miiko's mother and is an editor of a magazine. • Kosuke Yamada • Kosuke is Miiko's father and is a newspaper reporter. • Momo Yamada • Momo is Miiko and Mamoru's younger sister.

Kocchi Muite! Miiko is written and illustrated by Eriko Ono. It has been published by Shogakukan in the shōjo manga magazine Ciao since 1995. The manga has been published in 39 tankōbon.

section An anime television series adaptation was produced by Toei Animation and directed by Takao Yoshizawa. It aired for 42 episodes on TV Asahi from February 14, 1998, to February 6, 1999, as part of the Anime Syuukan DX! Mi-Pha-Pu anime series.