Mii-chan and Yamada-san

Mii-chan and Yamada-san
Cover of the first volume
みいちゃんと山田さん
(Mii-chan to Yamada-san)
GenreDrama[1]
Manga
Written byNene Azuki
Published byKodansha
English publisher
ImprintSirius KC DX
MagazineMagazine Pocket
Original runSeptember 8, 2024 – present
Volumes5

Mii-chan and Yamada-san (Japanese: みいちゃんと山田さん, Hepburn: Mii-chan to Yamada-san) 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 December 2025, the series' individual chapters have been collected into five 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 December 2025, the series' individual chapters have been collected into five tankōbon volumes.[5]

In January 2026, Seven Seas Entertainment announced that they had licensed the series for English publication beginning in December.[6]

A voice comic starring Megumi Han as both Mii-chan and Yamada-san was released in December 24, 2025.[7]

Volumes

No. Original release date Original ISBN English release date English ISBN
1December 23, 2024[8]978-4-06-537943-1December 8, 2026[9]979-8-89863-531-2
2March 21, 2025[10]978-4-06-538749-8——
3June 23, 2025[11]978-4-06-539730-5——
4September 22, 2025[12]978-4-06-540642-7——
5December 23, 2025[5]978-4-06-541792-8——
6April 23, 2026[13]978-4-06-543133-7——

Reception

The series was nominated for the Next Manga Award in the web manga category in 2025.[14] It, alongside Ichi the Witch, was ranked fourth in the 2026 edition of Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! guidebook's list of the best manga for male readers.[15]

The cute illustrations, contrasted with themes including 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.[16]

References

  1. ^ みいちゃんと山田さん. Mangapedia (in Japanese). Voyage, Inc. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ @magapoke (August 31, 2024). 新連載告知！ (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved November 16, 2025 – via X (formerly Twitter).
  5. ^ a b みいちゃんと山田さん（５） (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  6. ^ "Seven Seas Licenses MII-CHAN AND YAMADA-SAN Manga Series". Seven Seas Entertainment. January 28, 2026. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  7. ^ "このままアニメ化!?「みいちゃんと山田さん」ボイスコミック公開！約30分を声優・潘めぐみが"一人二役"で熱演". アニメ！アニメ！ (in Japanese). December 24, 2025. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
  8. ^ みいちゃんと山田さん（１） (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  9. ^ "Mii-chan and Miss Yamada Vol. 1". Seven Seas Entertainment. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  10. ^ みいちゃんと山田さん（２） (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  11. ^ みいちゃんと山田さん（３） (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  12. ^ みいちゃんと山田さん（４） (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  13. ^ みいちゃんと山田さん（６） (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  14. ^ 「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.
  15. ^ Pineda, Rafael (December 22, 2025). "Kono Manga ga Sugoi! Editors Unveil Full List of Top 2026 Manga". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
  16. ^ 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

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