Non Non Biyori

Plot

The story takes place in the countryside small town village of Asahigaoka, a place lacking many of the conveniences that people from the city are accustomed to. The nearest stores are a few miles away and one of the local schools consists of only five students, each of whom is in a different grade of elementary or middle school. Hotaru Ichijo, a fifth grader from Tokyo, transfers into Asahigaoka Branch School and has to adjust to countryside life with her new friends.

Characters

Renge Miyauchi (宮内 れんげ, Miyauchi Renge)

Voiced by: Kotori Koiwai Renge is a first grade student. She likes to greet her friends by saying "Nyanpasū" (Meow-ning), a nonsensical phrase, and she plays the recorder. While she generally acts her age, she is often quite perceptive. She adds a superfluous "n" at the end of sentences as a verbal tic. She is Hikage and Kazuho's younger sister.

Hotaru Ichijo (一条 蛍, Ichijō Hotaru)

Voiced by: Rie Murakawa Hotaru is a fifth grade student who transfers into Asahigaoka Branch School from Tokyo due to her father's work transfer. She is quite tall for her age and has a crush on Komari to the point of frequently sewing various plush dolls of Komari to decorate her room with. She had come to Asahigaoka several times previously when she was younger because her relatives live nearby.

Natsumi Koshigaya (越谷 夏海, Koshigaya Natsumi)

Voiced by: Ayane Sakura Natsumi is a first-year middle school student. She is taller than Komari, her older sister. Rebellious and carefree, she often talks back to her mother, plays pranks on her older sister, and does poorly in school.

Komari Koshigaya (越谷 小鞠, Koshigaya Komari)

Voiced by: Kana Asumi Komari is a second-year middle school student and Natsumi's older sister. She is quite short, a fact which she constantly bemoans as Natsumi often teases her for it. She has an innocent and easily scared personality, which Natsumi often takes advantage of.

Suguru Koshigaya (越谷 卓, Koshigaya Suguru)

Suguru is a third-year middle school student and Natsumi and Komari's older brother. He doesn't say anything vocally and has very little presence besides occasional static visual comedy.

Kazuho Miyauchi (宮内 一穂, Miyauchi Kazuho)

Voiced by: Kaori Nazuka Kazuho is Renge's older sister and the only teacher in the local school. She is fond of sleeping. Since all the students essentially study on their own in the classroom due to their different grades, she often spends class time napping.

Kaede Kagayama (加賀山 楓, Kagayama Kaede)

Voiced by: Rina Satō Kaede is a 20-year-old graduate of Asahigaoka Branch School who runs the local candy store. As a result the children from downtown, and Renge in particular, call her "Dagashi-ya" (駄菓子屋, lit. "Candy Store"). Her store also runs a ski rental business.

Hikage Miyauchi (宮内 ひかげ, Miyauchi Hikage)

Voiced by: Misato Fukuen Hikage is Renge's older sister who is a first year high school student studying in Tokyo. She also appears in the author's other work Koakuma Meringue (こあくまメレンゲ, lit. "Little Devil's Meringue"). When she returns to the village she tries to impress her siblings and friends with her trendy and 'city-girl' ways only to be upstaged by Hotaru's genuine modern knowledge.

Yukiko Koshigaya (越谷 雪子, Koshigaya Yukiko)

Voiced by: Akiko Hiramatsu Yukiko is Natsumi, Komari, and Suguru's mother. She is often strict, particularly towards Natsumi, who slacks off a lot. She is also a graduate of Asahigaoka branch school. When she was a student, she took care of Kazuho as Kaede did with Renge when she was younger (according to the author in the afterword).

Konomi Fujimiya (富士宮 このみ, Fujimiya Konomi)

Voiced by: Ryōko Shintani Konomi is a graduate of Asahigaoka Branch School who lives next door to the Koshigayas. She is a third year student at a nearby high school.

Honoka Ishikawa (石川 ほのか, Ishikawa Honoka)

Voiced by: Ayahi Takagaki Honoka is a first grade student who comes to visit her grandmother during summer vacation and becomes friends with Renge. She also appears in the author's other work Toko-toko & Yume no Yume (とことこ＆ユメのユメ).

Manga

The manga by Atto began serialization in Media Factory's Comic Alive magazine from September 2009, and has been published in ten tankōbon volumes as of September 23, 2016. Seven Seas Entertainment has licensed the series in North America.

Anime

A 12-episode anime television series adaptation, produced by Silver Link and directed by Shin'ya Kawatsura, aired in Japan between October 7 and December 23, 2013 and was simulcast by Crunchyroll. An original video animation (OVA) episode was bundled with the seventh manga volume released on July 23, 2014, and another OVA was bundled with the tenth manga volume on September 23, 2016. The opening theme is "Nanairo Biyori" (なないろびより, Rainbow-colored Weather) by Nano Ripe, and the ending theme, composed by Zaq, is "Non Non Biyori" (のんのん日和) sung by Rie Murakawa, Ayane Sakura, Kana Asumi and Kotori Koiwai. The series is licensed in North America by Sentai Filmworks. A second season, Non Non Biyori Repeat, aired in Japan between July 6 and September 21, 2015. The opening theme is "Kodama Kotodama" (こだまことだま) by Nano Ripe and the ending theme is "Okaeri" (おかえり, Welcome Home) by Murakawa, Sakura, Asumi, and Koiwai.

Reception

As of December 2015, the manga has sold over 1.3 million copies.