Nikuko is a brash, jolly, scattered, and passionate woman in an otherwise sleepy seaside town in northern Japan. She’s also the single mother of 11-year-old Kikuko, who is her opposite in many ways. Kikuko is a string-bean of a young girl, pensive, quietly curious, and methodical in how she approaches life in this small harbor town.  Nikuko embarrasses Kikuko as any mom of a preteen would, but Nikuko’s bold spirit makes her especially well-known in a town where Kikuko herself wants nothing more than to simply blend in. As Kikuko navigates the everyday social dramas of middle school, enhanced with touches of magical realism from her ever-present imagination, a shocking revelation from the past threatens to uproot the pair’s tender relationship.

Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko

Matsuko Deluxe explores the seemingly familiar yet overlooked facets of Japanese culture through real-life experiences.

Matsuko in Real Life

Bakabon loves his Papa, Mama, and little brother Hajime. Of course, he doesn't have a normal family with a name like that: Papa's an idiot who takes matters into his own hands, no matter the circumstances, Hajime's just a baby and is renowned for his genius, and Mama is the extra-resilient voice of reason. Life certainly isn't boring either, with Papa stopping a fraudster, the parents celebrating their anniversary and sharing how they met, and the foolish patriarch himself deciding to run away and solve a marriage crisis on live television. It's a big dumb world out there, but that's how it should be!