Series synopsis
Minami-ke, also known as みなみけ is a Japanese animation comedy television series that premiered on TV Tokyo on October 8, 2007. It stars Tetsuya Kakihara, Eri Kitamura, Marina Inoue and Nana Mizuki.
There are three of the Minami sisters: Haruka, Kana and Chiaki, who have an average life. The girls only have each other to depend on and help each other get through everything from love confessions to cooking.
Premise
There are three of the Minami sisters: Haruka, Kana and Chiaki, who have an average life. The girls only have each other to depend on and help each other get through everything from love confessions to cooking.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Tetsuya Kakihara as Fujioka
- Eri Kitamura as Yuka Uchida
- Marina Inoue as Kana Minami
- Nana Mizuki as Tōma Minami
- Daisuke Ono as Hosaka
- Saeko Chiba as Hiroko
- Shintaro Asanuma as Takeru-ojisan
- Ao Takahashi as Riko
Supporting cast
- Rika Morinaga as Makoto
- Ryoko Ono as Atsuko
- Aki Toyosaki as Yoshino
- Hiroyuki Yoshino as Natsuki Minami
- Minori Chihara as Chiaki Minami
- Rina Sato as Haruka Minami
- Saori Goto as Keiko
- Tatsuya Hayama as Akira Minami
- Momoko Ohara as Shuuichi
- Reiko Takagi as Maki
Episodes
This series spans 6 seasons with 55 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 0 | 3 | June 23, 2009 | August 6, 2013 |
| Season 1 | 13 | October 8, 2007 | December 30, 2007 |
| Season 2 | 13 | January 6, 2008 | March 30, 2008 |
| Season 3 | 13 | January 4, 2009 | March 29, 2009 |
| Season 4 | 13 | January 6, 2013 | March 31, 2013 |
| Season 5 | 0 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Betsubara A short story about the Minami sisters, lovers and friends, while getting closer to Valentine's day. One-side loves can be corresponded even without trying to do so. |
June 23, 2009 |
| 2 |
Omatase The five short stories featuring the Minami sisters and their friends and family. Made in non chronological order, each revolves around different time of the year like Halloween or summer. In "Words of Magic" Haruka is as sexy as ever, in "Mood" Chiaki is as brilliant as ever, in "On a Whim" Fujioka is a confused as ever, in "Because its hot" Kana is a dense as ever and in "Somehow" Hosaka is as bare-chested as ever. Some things just never change in the world. |
October 5, 2012 |
| 3 |
Natsuyasumi OVA bundled with the 11 volume of the manga. Omatase part 2. |
August 6, 2013 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The Three Minami Sisters The three Minami sisters and some of their friends are introduced. |
October 8, 2007 |
| 2 |
Weird School The Minami sisters' daily school life is shown. Some of their classmates are introduced as well. |
October 15, 2007 |
| 3 |
The Delinquent Soccer Player Returns Fujioka admits that he likes Kana after she wakes up from a nap at school. Kana runs home then asks Chiaki what Fujioka meant by "I really like you." The next day Kana invites Fujioka over for dinner, Kana ends up kicking Fujioka out. |
October 22, 2007 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Hot Springs, Let's Eat The Minami sisters, Makoto, Touma, Fujioka, and Takeru go on a hot spring trip for New Years. |
January 6, 2008 |
| 2 |
Taste is Something Inherited Over Generations Kana decides to help her sister become the Great Bancho once more by making the Kana army, but Chiaki on the other hand couldn't help because she considered her friends useless. In the end of the episode they find out Haruka was just refusing a phone call to become class rep. |
January 13, 2008 |
| 3 |
Evening Hospitality, Hesitantly Offered Chiaki's classmates invite themselves to the Minami home for a group homework session and sleepover. Kana declares it a 'pyjama festival' and puts herself in charge of hospitality, to Chiaki's annoyance. To feed all her guests, Haruka prepares a family-style nabe meal, and she invites Fujioka and Makoto to dinner. Everyone has a good time, but no-one gets much homework done. |
January 20, 2008 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Start of the Year A euphoric moment of Haruka securing Chiaki's kimono gives way to frustration that Kana is oversleeping along with the consequent compensatory frenzy thereof that does not seem to bother Uchida who (at the cost of her micro-economy) has been enjoying herself at the festival. The fortune that Uchida purchases with Kana's money only amplifies this fact; unfortunately, Uchida takes the fortune too seriously and overlooks that realizing a fortune takes effort on her part. The next arc features Chiaki contrasting fried noodles and their instant-cup brethern with Touma who has no idea what Chiaki is telling her until Haruka returns home with Kana and prepares some tea that Takeru enjoys using old leaves rather than the ones from the first harvest. The arc that follows thereafter details the home visit the school nurse regarding Chiaki who is none too thrilled with the prospect and that Haruka refuses to intercede as Chiaki's guardian. Between Takeru's obliviousness and the school nurse's flirting along with Kana watching the whole thing, poor Chiaki is absolutely mortified. The final arc details Takeru availing a superstition that points to Kana pulling her usual pranks and a fact that has been demonstrated all throughout. |
January 4, 2009 |
| 2 |
Me, Too Touma pays the Minami sisters a visit with an unknown payload whose revelation Chiaki objects in Haruka's absence. Though she inhibits herself for the time being, Kana begins to succumb to avarice when Fujioka comes for a visit. What follows is an exercise in game theory in which Kana leads Chiaki through an enigmatic scenario to obfuscate her volition for having the entire payload to herself since Haruka's estimated arrival time is an unknown variable. Kana's only mistake is that she forgets to consider all the players. The next arc features Haruka and Chiaki being rather vague and indirect about the supermarket and the route thereof as well as a neighborhood dog giving way to Chiaki encountering a shopping list that she suspects that Kana tampered with. The arc thereafter details Hayami comparing notes with Maki regarding Hosaka before she gets the idea to wield Hosaka's computations as her plaything. Hosaka tries befriending Maki and Atsuko but is puzzled when they swiftly flee. The final arc features Haruka taking notes from a cooking show about the preparation of curry while detecting the necessity of visiting the supermarket. Chiaki taking on this stewardship with the very notes that Haruka was taking earlier ends up inspiring Hosaka and herself an extra spicy curry. |
January 11, 2009 |
| 3 |
Even if it's a Fight Touma's ecstasy during the homebound commute is quickly extinguished by Natsuki helping himself to the snack consecrated for that purpose. Thereafter, Touma's sudden arrival on Chiaki's doorstep gives way to the revelation that Touma has an ongoing passive-aggressive dynamic with her brothers and paints a dysphoric snapshot of Touma's family. The next arc details how the Minami sisters deal with an abundance of apples. The arc concludes with the Minami brothers prosecuting protracted and complex computations regarding the utilization of the apple Touma brought back with her. The arc that follows thereafter details Haruka conferring culinary counsel upon Natsuki while Kana and Chiaki discuss Haruka and Natsuki first as individuals and then as a romantic couple. Chiaki dismisses the prospect before directing Kana to finish the curry Haruka is making. Unfortunately, the culinary protocols for both Haruka's curry and Natsuki's cookies get interchanged with dysphoric consequences. The final arc is related to the first and details the conflagration of Touma confronting Natsuki who repels his brothers' attempts to come to their sister's aid. In an attempt to guide her through guarding against this kind of misunderstanding, Kana demonstrates to Touma a form of Japanese script that looks a lot like arithmetic. |
January 18, 2009 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Spring Is Here, and So Are the Minamis Spring has come, which means it's time to put the kotatsu up. But before the Minami sisters do, there are still plenty of misadventures to be had. From failed study groups to eating tangerines, the table is an important part of their daily lives. |
January 6, 2013 |
| 2 |
Let's be Ourselves Makoto desperately wants to drop his alter ego as the cute Mako, but if he does, he won't be able to hang out at the Minami residence any more. The conflict has him left feeling torn. Meanwhile, Toma wants to know what it means to be feminine. |
January 13, 2013 |
| 3 |
Simply Put, It's a Roundabout Confession One day when Toma is visiting the Minami residence, she tells Haruka that Natsuki likes to take long baths. Haruka mentions this to Natsuki when she seems him at school, only to embarrass him. This sets off a series of misunderstandings. |
January 20, 2013 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | TV Tokyo |
|---|---|
| First aired | October 8, 2007 |
| Last aired | March 31, 2013 |
| Runtime | 25 minutes |
| Status | Returning Series |