*This is a group for anyone who loves the manga or the anime Gokinjo Monogatari!*

Gokinjo Monogatari (aka Neighbourhood Story) is a manga by Ai Yazawa. It was published by Shueisha from 1995 to 1998 in the magazine Ribon. It was adapted by Toei Animation as a 50-episode anime series which aired on TV Asahi from September 10, 1995 to September 1, 1996, with merchandise created by Bandai. There was a movie made in 1996, and a drama CD and soundtrack were also produced. Starting on September 19, 2005, Gokinjo Monogatari began being republished in a deluxe edition. Gokinjo Monogatari takes place before, and includes several characters from, Paradise Kiss.

Story:
Mikako Kōda, Tsutomu Yamaguchi, and their friends attend Yazawa Geijyutsu Gakuen, a special high school for the arts in Tokyo (named after the author, who makes a cameo appearance as the school's principal). Mikako and Tsutomu live next door in the same apartment building and have been friends since they were infants. The manga is the story of their relationship and the things that happen to them while in high school. They create a club called "Akindo," with the principle concept being that anything that you can make or do can be sold, and they create a headquarters out of an old shed, selling their merchandise at flea markets.

Main Characters:
Mikako Kouda (幸田実果子, Kōda Mikako)
A high school girl who goes to Yazawa Gakuen (or Yazagaku), a special school of art. She dreams of becoming a fashion designer and having stores sell her own brand, Happy Berry. She is known as the most ambitious student in the class, but often criticizes herself for being mean and bad-hearted. She later has a sister, Miwako, who also appears in Paradise Kiss.
Voiced by: Rumi Shishido

Tsutomu Yamaguchi (山口ツトム, Yamaguchi Tsutomu )
Mikako's friend from early childhood who lives next door, also goes to Yazagaku. He has been in love with Mikako for a long time. He searches for his passion and a hobby, eventually becoming an apprentice to Mikako’s father and learning to be a photographer. He bears an eerie similarity to Ken Nakagawa, a character from "Tenshi Nanka Ja Nai”, who is also the lead singer of the popular band Manbou - often leading to several accounts of rabid fangirls and mistaken identity. He is frequently referred to as a monkey (usually by Mikako). He forms Akindo, a street market shop/club, with Ayumi and the others.
Voiced by: Kappei Yamaguchi



Secondary Characters:

Ayumi Oikawa
Mariko Nakasu
Yuusuke Tashiro
Risa Kanzaki
Mai Oota (P-chan)
Shintaro Nakasu
Jiro Nishino
Hiroaki Tokumori
Kisaragi Seiji
Shuuichi Shintani
Hamada-Sensei
Ruriko Kouda
Hirohiko Sakurada
Noriji Sunami


Cameo Appearances
Ai Yazawa inserts many characters from previous works, and even herself into the manga. Ai Yazawa herself is the flashy principal of Yazagaku. One of the most prominent cameos is Ken Nakagawa, a character from her previous manga Tenshi Nanka Ja Nai. He looks almost exactly like Tsutomu, Ken's lyrics are often found in the chapters and many times Tsutomu has to run from crowds who think that he is Ken.
Midori and Akira (also from Ten Nai) are the first to buy Mikako's creations at the flea market – further proving both series apparently take place in the same universe, but approximately 4 years apart (Akira reveals Midori's age to be 20 during their cameo). Takigawa appears as a tutor in the junior high flashback section and Mamirin appears in the background when Mikako is in London. Tonko and Kayo also appear in the background in the Blue Parrot in the first volume.

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Because in the United States, her later series Paradise Kiss is far more popular than Gokinjo Monogatari (primarily because both the manga and anime remain unlicensed) many people only think of Gokinjo as a prequel to ParaKiss, especially since many of the characters are the same. Miwako, Mikako's younger sister is one of the main characters, as is Arashi, Risa's son and Hiroyuki, Tokumori's son. Seiji-san works at Yazagaku by the time ParaKiss takes place, and Hamada-sensei is still a teacher there.

Mikako still plays a role in the manga and anime, giving Yukari the big break in modelling by having her model for Happy Berry; Tsutomu is the photographer. Shimamoto-san becomes a famous model and eventually founds the modelling agency that Yukari works with.


The Music:
Opening Theme
"He.Ro.I.Ne" by Rumi Shishido
Ending Theme
"Don't You Know?!" by Rumi Shishido (Eps. 1-28)
"NG!" by Rumi Shishido (Eps. 29-50)

The Movie:
The animated Gokinjo Monogatari movie had a 30-minute runtime and was released on March 2, 1996. It is an alternate retelling of the beginning of the series.

*& This was taken directly from wikipedia
~DISCLAIMER: This is fan made. It is in no way associated with the artist or the anime company. I do not own the pictures or the show, all material is used for my personal use and not for gain. All material is copyrighted to its original owners.

Affiliates
*http://www.crunchyroll.com/group/Ai_Yazawas_Fans
*http://www.crunchyroll.com/group/Paradise_Kiss
*http://www.crunchyroll.com/group/Tenshi_Nanka_Ja_Nai