Nyanbo!(にゃんぼー！) is a Japanese anime television series by Shirogumi. It is a spin-off of Kiyohiko Azuma's Yotsuba&! manga, based on the cat versions of the Danbo characters within the series. It began airing on September 27, 2016, on NHK-E.
The original Nyanbo or Nyanboard 60mm figures were created by Sentinel in December 2015. The figure maker Kotobukiya released smaller 35mm versions called Nyanboard nyano in December 2016, and larger 90mm versions called Nyanboard [mini] in January 2017.
Main Characters
Tora (トラ)
Voiced by: Romi ParkA tiger-stripped Nyanbo and the leader of the group. He is the most eager to gather the UFO pieces and tries his best to motivate the others to help with it, with mixed results.
Kotora (コトラ)
Voiced by: Rie KugimiyaAnother tiger-stripped Nyanbo and Tora's younger sister, she is the only child in the group.
Shiro (シロ)
Voiced by: Yui HorieA white-colored Nyanbo who is infatuated with Tora, and is always trying to win his affection.
Kuro (クロ)
Voiced by: Yuko SanpeiA black-colored Nyanbo who rarely speaks, but is kind and dependable. He is usually seen playing with Kotora.
Mike (ミケ)
Voiced by: Junko TakeuchiA calico cat-colored, carefee Nyanbo who usually gets himself and the other Nyanbos in trouble.
Nyanbo Angels
Sabatora (サバトラ)
Voiced by: Ayaka SuwaA member of the idol band Nyanbo Angels. She is infatuated with Tora and often competes with Shiro to win him over.
Kijitora (キジトラ)
Voiced by: Sachika MisawaA member of the idol band Nyanbo Angels. She has the habit of going berserk when she loses her glasses.
Wild Black
Blaze (ハチワレ,Hachiware)
Voiced by: Kazutoshi HatanoThe leader of Wild Black, a gang who loves the color black. He also is in love with Kuro, despite knowing the fact that Kuro is a boy. Kuro however, ignores his advances completely.
Magpie (シロクロ,Shirokuro)
Voiced by: Kiyohiro YamaguchiA member of Wild Black.
Socks (クツシク,Kutsushiku)
Voiced by: Yūji KameyamaA member of Wild Black.
Mecha Nyanbos
Alpha (アルファ)
Voiced by: Kenichirō MatsudaThe leader of the Mecha Nyanbo who is seeking the UFO pieces to assemble Omega, his fighting robot, usually leading him to conflict with Tora and the others.
Zeta (ゼータ)
Voiced by: Kiyohiro YamaguchiOne of the Mecha Nyanbo who helps Alpha with finding UFO pieces. He, unlike the rest of the Mecha Nyanbo, are friendly towards the Nyanbo.
The main character of the manga Yotsuba&! from which the Danbo (character) originated. She only makes a cameo appearance in the credits.
Anime
The anime began airing on September 27, 2016, on NHK-E as part of its "mini-anime" program. The opening theme for the series is "Uchū Kara Yattekita Nyanbō" (宇宙からやってきたにゃんぼー) by Trio Ōhashi.
The series is simulcast on Crunchyroll outside of Asia, who are also the master licensee for the series.
Production
The series was announced in February 2016 by the NHK after as a "mini anime" corner program for NHK-E. The series is produced by Shirogumi. The anime series does not adapt any part of the original Yotsuba&! manga series, although its main character Yotsuba Koiwai has a speechless cameo on the credits in every episode.
