Mii-chan to Yamada-san
| Mii-chan to Yamada-san | |
Cover of the first volume | |
| みいちゃんと山田さん | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Drama[1] |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Nene Azuki |
| Published by | Kodansha |
| Imprint | KC Deluxe |
| Magazine | Magazine Pocket |
| Original run | September 8, 2024 – present |
| Volumes | 4 |
Mii-chan to Yamada-san (みいちゃんと山田さん) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nene Azuki. It began serialization on Kodansha's shōnen manga website Magazine Pocket in September 2024. As of September 2025, the series' individual chapters have been collected into four volumes.
Plot
Set in Kabukicho in 2012, the story follows on Mii-chan, a new hostess at a cabaret club, and her colleague Yamada-san. It depicts the 12 months leading up to Mii-chan's murder.
Production
In writing the manga, Azuki desired to write a drama about "people with problems"; Azuki felt that nightlife is a setting that would go along with that theme well.[2] The setting of 2012 was decided because Azuki felt nightlife in the 2010s was more closed-off than it is now due to the increased use of social media. A lack of public awareness of mental health disorders was also a reason Azuki chose the 2010s as the setting.[2][3]
When writing the story, Azuki researched the topic by reading books on juvenile delinquency and psychology. Azuki also interviewed staff of organizations that provide life and legal advice for women in the sex industry.[3] For characters, Azuki wants each to have a unique but also realistic personality. Azuki stated that the main character, Mii-chan, is based on a real person, but the story is entirely fictional.[2][3] Azuki tries not to make sexual depictions too graphic, believing that is not the selling point of the manga and that making them too graphic would alienate female readers.[3]
Azuki began publishing the manga as illustrations on their Twitter account, which they posted occasionally as a hobby. After it generated a significant amount of attention, an editor at Kodansha contacted Azuki, asking them to draw a full-length serialization on Magazine Pocket, which Azuki accepted.[2][3] Due to this, Azuki had already decided the entire story up to the ending, so when serializing the manga, they added more details about the characters.[3]
Publication
Written and illustrated by Nene Azuki, the series began serialization in Kodansha's shōnen manga website Magazine Pocket on September 8, 2024.[4] As of September 2025, the series' individual chapters have been collected into four tankōbon volumes.[5]
Volumes
| No. | Japanese release date | Japanese ISBN |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | December 23, 2024[6] | 978-4-06-537943-1 |
| 2 | March 21, 2025[7] | 978-4-06-538749-8 |
| 3 | June 23, 2025[8] | 978-4-06-539730-5 |
| 4 | September 22, 2025[5] | 978-4-06-540642-7 |
| 5 | December 23, 2025[9] | 978-4-06-541792-8 |
Reception
The series was nominated for the Next Manga Award in the web manga category in 2025.[10]
The cute illustrations, contrasted with the themes incest, domestic violence, and mental illness, helped the manga become popular on social media.[3] Tomoe Ikeda of the Saga Shimbun liked the story, which they felt was emotional. They also felt the characters were portrayed realistically.[11]
References
- ^ みいちゃんと山田さん. Mangapedia (in Japanese). Voyage, Inc. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
- ^ a b c d 描きたいのは、リアル感のある物語――『みいちゃんと山田さん』亜月ねね先生インタビュー. Magazine Pocket (in Japanese). June 23, 2025. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g Taguchi, Yu (May 22, 2025). 「みいちゃんが殺されるまでの12か月」新宿キャバクラを舞台に描く衝撃作『みいちゃんと山田さん』。作者が明かす創作の裏側. Nikkan Spa! (in Japanese). Retrieved November 16, 2025.
- ^ @magapoke (August 31, 2024). 新連載告知！ (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved November 16, 2025 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b みいちゃんと山田さん（４） (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
- ^ みいちゃんと山田さん（１） (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
- ^ みいちゃんと山田さん（２） (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
- ^ みいちゃんと山田さん（３） (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
- ^ みいちゃんと山田さん（５） (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
- ^ 「次にくるマンガ大賞2025」ノミネート100作品発表 『魔男のイチ』『大人大戦』『もちづきさん』など【全作品一覧】. Oricon News (in Japanese). June 20, 2025. Retrieved November 10, 2025.
- ^ Ikeda, Tomoe (April 13, 2025). ＜#推し読＞夜の街で生きる女性たちの、12カ月の友情描いた物語「みいちゃんと山田さん」. Saga Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved November 16, 2025.
Further reading
- Minagawa, Chika (June 23, 2025). 「歌舞伎町で夜職をするにはあまりに無防備すぎた…」幼くあぶなっかしい夜職女性が、命を絶たれるまでの12カ月『みいちゃんと山田さん』【書評】. Da Vinci (in Japanese).
- 夜の街、疎外感と肯定感 漫画「みいちゃんと山田さん」 「何ができるか」反響. Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). June 25, 2025.
External links
- Official manga website at Magazine Pocket (in Japanese)
- Mii-chan to Yamada-san at Anime News Network's encyclopedia