Karakter & Staf

Midori Imaji

Utama

A modern-day Japanese housewife, who prides herself on a clean home, a balanced budget, and a frugal yet "tasty" dinner. Although at times she finds nifty tricks to multitask and consolidate household chores (like vacuuming the rug and waxing the wooden floor all at once), she is awfully clumsy and gets herself into sticky situations from losing control. Despite her hard work, she is also known for being somewhat lazy by taking copious afternoon naps, watching TV while eating senbei, and skimping out on shopping and/or cooking on rainy days. She often steps out on shopping trips and afternoon teas with her good friends Mrs. Mizushima and Mrs. Toyama. Additionally, they often take part in activities with (the more affluent) Mrs. Misumi. They often envy Mrs. Misumi's "rich" lifestyle and try to find "affordable ways" to be more stylish and upbeat. Her hobbies include shodou and cooking and eating chikuwa. She was also born in Ōita Prefecture. Her childhood name was "Banban". Although she had a childhood friend (that she liked a lot and hoped to marry), she was placed into an Omiai arranged marriage and married Father. She is also a very strict mother to her two children, and tries to have them waste less money/electricity/food, etc. Although she tries to make herself look more upbeat, she is very traditional in thinking when it comes to her daughter Mikan. (She won't allow pierced ears, staying out late for Karaoke, excessive fashions, and values housework over homework.) She is sweet on her younger son, however, and often lets him slide with things Mikan can't get away with.

Mikan Tachibana

Utama

A 17-year old high school student, and is the intended "main protagonist" of the series. (The "atashi" (me) in the title.) She goes to school in a public high school, which unfortunately is a long, stressful commute away. She is portrayed as an easy-going, relaxed girl who likes to have fun. Often very maiden-like, but other times very tomboyish, she goes through every day with some funny thing happening. Her best friends in high school consist of the "adult"-like Shimi-chan (her last name Shimizu), who always stays calm and collected, and always has good advice from diets to dealing with parents; and Yukarin (her first name Yuka), who loves karaoke and introduces Mikan to the "cuter" things in life. Mikan has a crush on the bishōnen-type Iwaki. Although she wants to confess her feelings to him, she is often foiled by his best friend, Yoshioka, whose wisecracks get under Mikan's skin. What's worse is that Mikan and Yoshioka have attended the same academies since Elementary School, and people (including her own Mother) persuade her to date Yoshioka. At times, when she looks in the direction of Iwaki and Yoshioka, Shimi-chan gets the wrong idea and assumes Mikan is staring at Yoshioka, not Iwaki. She "gets-by" in school, is horrible at taking notes, and is a heavy sleeper, which unfortunately makes her late to school. She also has a habit of falling asleep through homework assignments, causing her to have no choice but to submit incomplete assignments. Her interests include karaoke, eating sweets (although she dislikes chocolate cake), and admiring/creating teddy bears. She is part of her high school's "Bear Brigade" (composed of the wealthy, fashionable Rio; the geeky-yet-romantically-involved Nitta; and best friends Kajii and Asada), who create original teddy bears, perform teddy bear acts, and admire expensive teddy bear toys. Her goal in life is to become a famous teddy bear and/or fashion designer. According to her mother, she taught herself how to sew on buttons (through observation) at the age of 3. She once fancied being a breadmaker, but lost interest soon after. She is often bogged down by her Mother's rules, which inhibit her allowance, her fashions, her curfew, and mostly—her simple boxed lunches. She is frustrated that her Mother lets her younger brother get away with some rules, however, she often (and cleverly) makes her case.