Azuki-chan

Azuki-chan
Cover of Azuki-chan volume as published by Kodansha
あずきちゃん
Genre	Comedy, Slice of life
Manga
Written by	Yasushi Akimoto
Illustrated by	Chika Kimura
Published by	Kodansha
Demographic	Shōjo
Magazine	Nakayoshi
Original run	1993 – 1997
Volumes	5
Anime television series
Directed by	Masayuki Kojima
Produced by	Eizo Kondo Satoshi Yoshimoto (Animation Producer)
Written by	Shun'ichi Yukimuro Tatsuhiko Urahata Chie Wakaki
Music by	Yo Tsuji
Studio	Madhouse
Original network	NHK
Original run	4 April 1995 – 17 March 1998
Episodes	117

Azuki-chan (Japanese: あずきちゃん^?) is an anime series about a young schoolgirl named Azusa Noyama, nicknamed Azuki-chan because when she was younger she was accidentally called Azuki.

Azusa Noyama (野山 あずさ Noyama Azusa) always hated her nickname, Azuki (あずきちゃん Azuki-chan). She hates it until one day a new boy, Yūnosuke Ogasawara (小笠原 勇之助 Ogasawara Yūnosuke), starts in the same class as her. The same day he joins, she is teased by a boy called Ken Takayanagi (高柳 ケン Takayanagi Ken), or Ken-chan, about her nickname. Yūnosuke-kun passes by and happily memorizes the name becoming the first girl he notices. Azuki is overjoyed, and instantly falls in love with him, loving both him and her nickname. However Azuki gets jealous when she sees him chatting to other girls and cannot work out why he doesn't realize her love.

Azuki lives with her mother, Keiko (けい子), with her father, Tadashi (正), and with her little brother, Daizu (だいず) in an apartment. Azuki has three best friends, Kaoru Nishino (西野 かおる Nishino Kaoru), Midori Kodama (児玉 翠 Kodama Midori) and Tomomi Takahashi (高橋 朋美 Takahashi Tomomi). Kaoru secretly crushes on Ken-chan but he never accepts her because Ken likes Azuki. Although in that situation Kaoru still thinks Azuki is her best friend. Kaoru has blonde hair, and she's calm and sensitive so she often cries. She lives with her mom, who owns a salon, near from Azuki's apartment. Midori Kodama is a tomboy and she hates her name just like Azuki was so her close friends call her "Jidama". She lives with her grandmother, but they seem to have a very close relationship except one episode when Jidama have gone out and sneaked in Azuki's bedroom. She never crushes on anyone but in an episode she catches a thief entering her house and his face never go out of her mind.

Tomomi, whom her friends called her "Tomoko" or "Tomo" is the class leader. She wears glasses and she has a bob, black hair. She really likes Makoto Sakaguchi (坂口 まこと Sakaguchi Makoto), a close friend of Yunosuke who is very athletic. Makoto didn't notice her at first but at last he asks her to go on a date in his parents' hotel.

Makoto, himself is a rich boy but he's not one of the spoiled brats. He is kind of sleepy and was intelligent "until 3rd grade". He's one of Yunosuke's best friends, and they really are close.