Baby and Me

Baby and Me (赤ちゃんと僕) is a shōjo manga by Marimo Ragawa. It was originally published in Japan by Hakusensha, and was published in English by VIZ Media, serialized in the magazine Shojo Beat. It received the 40th Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo in 1995. The series was adapted as an anime television series in 1996.

Baby and Me describes the detailed lifestyle of an elementary child and is highly praised in many aspects. The feelings of people are observed very closely, and the realistic descriptions of Takuya's life are one of the praised points in Marimo Ragawa's manga. Not only the story's plots and details, but the stable, clean drawings is also one of the attractive points.

Story
Takuya Enoki loses his mother, Yukako when she dies in a car accident. Takuya now lives with his father, Harumi, and his baby brother, Minoru. Takuya's baby brother is only two years old and requires much care. Although Takuya is only a fifth grader, he cooks, cleans, sews, scolds, and does everything that is normally a mother's job. Between his housework and looking after his baby brother, Takuya begins to feel a helpless gap between his friends who have fun everyday after school. Neighbors blame him for Minoru's constant crying. His stress gradually builds up and bursts at a point. Because of a mistake Minoru made, Takuya reacts violently. He cannot help feeling upset over Minoru, who is stressing him and taking up all his time.

One day, when Takuya picks Minoru up from preschool, he starts to walk faster imagining what it would be like to leave his little brother behind him. But soon, Takuya realizes what he has done and runs back. He finds Minoru with his eyes full of tears and a brutal dog is blocking Minoru's way. Takuya dashes in full speed and saves his little brother. After coming home and seeing Minoru sobbing, Takuya realizes that Minoru cries because he is just lonely and becomes ashamed of himself. From then on, Takuya learns to love his little brother as family and his long life story of being a mother and a brother at once begins.

As time pass by, Takuya Enoki gradually adapts to his role in the family. Some of his friends in school like Akihiro Fujii and Tadashi Gotoh, have little brothers and sisters that go to Minoru's preschool, and are Minoru's friends. At the end of the series, while trying to find Takuya, Minoru is hit by a car, and undergoes major surgery to keep alive. Luckily, he just barely survives.

Some episodes were dubbed in Arabic (Ana Wa Akhi) meaning 'Me And My Brother'

Enoki family

 * Takuya Enoki (榎木拓也)
 * The elder brother. Has taken up the burden of mothering his younger brother, Minoru. Akihiro and him are popular with the girls at school.
 * The elder brother. Has taken up the burden of mothering his younger brother, Minoru. Akihiro and him are popular with the girls at school.


 * Minoru Enoki (榎木実)
 * Baby of the family. Loves and over protective of his older brother, Takuya. Loves to wear a bear hat. His favorite character is Zap, a superhero from a laundry detergent commercial. His hero in life is Takuya.
 * Baby of the family. Loves and over protective of his older brother, Takuya. Loves to wear a bear hat. His favorite character is Zap, a superhero from a laundry detergent commercial. His hero in life is Takuya.


 * Harumi Enoki (榎木春美)
 * The father of Takuya and Minoru. Works hard to feed his family.
 * The father of Takuya and Minoru. Works hard to feed his family.


 * Yukako Enoki (榎木 由加子)
 * Deceased mother of Takuya and Minoru. Married Harumi against her family's wishes, and escaped her family in doing so also.
 * Deceased mother of Takuya and Minoru. Married Harumi against her family's wishes, and escaped her family in doing so also.

Friends

 * Akihiro Fujii (藤井昭広)
 * Classmate of Takuya's. Is the fourth brother in his family of two older sisters, an older brother, a younger sister, and a younger brother. (see FuJii's family.) Competitive. He is deemed "cool" in class, mostly because it is hard to know what he is thinking. Poor because he has to share everything with his other siblings. Often stuck taking care of his younger siblings.
 * Classmate of Takuya's. Is the fourth brother in his family of two older sisters, an older brother, a younger sister, and a younger brother. (see FuJii's family.) Competitive. He is deemed "cool" in class, mostly because it is hard to know what he is thinking. Poor because he has to share everything with his other siblings. Often stuck taking care of his younger siblings.


 * Ichika Fujii:
 * Younger sister of Akihiro's. Different class from Minoru. She has a crush on Minoru and often fights (verbal and physically) with love rival, Hiro. She is highly intelligent and sees Minoru as cute. Sharp tongued.
 * Younger sister of Akihiro's. Different class from Minoru. She has a crush on Minoru and often fights (verbal and physically) with love rival, Hiro. She is highly intelligent and sees Minoru as cute. Sharp tongued.


 * Tadashi Gotoh (後藤正)
 * Classmate of Takuya's. Nicknamed Gon. Is the older brother in his family, with Hiroko (Hiro), his younger sister. Is the opposite of Takuya in many ways, especially his care towards Hiro. Greedy and lazy. His family opens a grocery store, and he often works there. Though Gon's crush likes Takuya, he still likes Takuya as a friend.
 * Classmate of Takuya's. Nicknamed Gon. Is the older brother in his family, with Hiroko (Hiro), his younger sister. Is the opposite of Takuya in many ways, especially his care towards Hiro. Greedy and lazy. His family opens a grocery store, and he often works there. Though Gon's crush likes Takuya, he still likes Takuya as a friend.


 * Hiroko (Hiro):
 * Younger sister of Tadashi. Same class as Minoru. She has a crush on Minoru and often fights with love rival, Ichika. Was first thought to be a boy. She sees Minoru as brave and handsome. Plays roughly.
 * Younger sister of Tadashi. Same class as Minoru. She has a crush on Minoru and often fights with love rival, Ichika. Was first thought to be a boy. She sees Minoru as brave and handsome. Plays roughly.


 * Tamadate:
 * Rich classmate of Takuya's. Stuck up because he is rich. Wears expensive designer clothes. He often ridicules Takuya on his poverty and fights with Gon (whom he dislikes).
 * Rich classmate of Takuya's. Stuck up because he is rich. Wears expensive designer clothes. He often ridicules Takuya on his poverty and fights with Gon (whom he dislikes).

Fujii's family

 * Akemi:
 * Oldest daughter in the family. in charge of the other siblings when Parents are at works and looking after the house
 * Oldest daughter in the family. in charge of the other siblings when Parents are at works and looking after the house


 * Tomoya:
 * Oldest son, second-oldest child in the Fujii family. Dirty-minded. According to Ichika, his type of girls is "Someone with big boobs, and a sexy body, and a bouncy bottom."
 * Oldest son, second-oldest child in the Fujii family. Dirty-minded. According to Ichika, his type of girls is "Someone with big boobs, and a sexy body, and a bouncy bottom."


 * Asako:
 * Second-oldest daughter, third child in the Fujii family. Has a cold voice.
 * Second-oldest daughter, third child in the Fujii family. Has a cold voice.


 * Akihiro:
 * Second-oldest son, fourth child in the Fujii family. Hard to know what he is thinking. Deemed "cool" by his classmates. Often stuck babysitting his younger siblings.


 * Ichika:
 * Youngest daughter, fifth child in the Fujii family. Has a crush on Minoru, who she thinks is cute. She is very intelligent and sharp tongued. She's in a different class than Minoru.


 * Masaki (Ma-Bo):
 * Youngest son, sixth child, and youngest child in the Fujii family. Though younger than Minoru, his vocabulary is better than Minoru's. Also very intelligent.
 * Youngest son, sixth child, and youngest child in the Fujii family. Though younger than Minoru, his vocabulary is better than Minoru's. Also very intelligent.

Neighbors

 * The Kimuras:
 * Lives across the street from the Enoki's. Though both are old, they are very spirited. Their son recently came home.

Others

 * Shinako Fukaya:
 * Girl in Takuya's class. She has a quick temper. Her reputation as a liar makes it hard for her to have friends. She often speaks too honestly, and words come out of her mouth before she thinks it through, leading her to hurt other's feelings without meaning to.
 * Girl in Takuya's class. She has a quick temper. Her reputation as a liar makes it hard for her to have friends. She often speaks too honestly, and words come out of her mouth before she thinks it through, leading her to hurt other's feelings without meaning to.

(Chapter 14)


 * Ai Yarimizo:
 * Gon's crush. She is the class representative of Class 6-3. Takuya thinks she's weird. Gon probably likes her because she's pretty. She likes to dress very extravagantly (weird by Takuya's taste). On her date with Gon, she chose to go to the kiddie rides. She does "reverse sexual harassment" on Takuya and Gon by patting the boy's behinds. When Takuya asked her to go on a date with Gon (from Gon's orders) she told him that she already liked someone else. After her date with Gon, she confesses to Gon that she liked Takuya. She commented to Takuya that she knew he wouldn't tell Gon because he wants to protect his friends.
 * Gon's crush. She is the class representative of Class 6-3. Takuya thinks she's weird. Gon probably likes her because she's pretty. She likes to dress very extravagantly (weird by Takuya's taste). On her date with Gon, she chose to go to the kiddie rides. She does "reverse sexual harassment" on Takuya and Gon by patting the boy's behinds. When Takuya asked her to go on a date with Gon (from Gon's orders) she told him that she already liked someone else. After her date with Gon, she confesses to Gon that she liked Takuya. She commented to Takuya that she knew he wouldn't tell Gon because he wants to protect his friends.

(Chapter 20)

Volumes

 * 1) ISBN 4-592-12241-0 published in March 1992
 * 2) ISBN 4-592-12242-9 published in August 1992
 * 3) ISBN 4-592-12243-7 published in December 1992
 * 4) ISBN 4-592-12244-5 published in February 1993
 * 5) ISBN 4-592-12245-3 published in June 1993
 * 6) ISBN 4-592-12246-1 published in November 1993
 * 7) ISBN 4-592-12247-X published in March 1994
 * 8) ISBN 4-592-12248-8 published in July 1994
 * 9) ISBN 4-592-12249-6 published in November 1994
 * 10) ISBN 4-592-12250-X published in February 1992
 * 11) ISBN 4-592-12821-4 published in May 1995
 * 12) ISBN 4-592-12822-2 published in September 1995
 * 13) ISBN 4-592-12823-0 published in January 1996
 * 14) ISBN 4-592-12824-9 published in July 1996
 * 15) ISBN 4-592-12825-7 published in November 1996
 * 16) ISBN 4-592-12826-5 published in March 1997
 * 17) ISBN 4-592-12827-3 published in June 1997
 * 18) ISBN 4-592-12828-1 published in September 1997