The film is a series of vignettes following the daily lives of the Yamada family: Takashi and Matsuko (the father and mother), Shige (Matsuko’s mother), Noboru (aged approximately 13, the son), Nonoko (aged approximately 5, the daughter), and Pochi (the family dog).
Each of the vignettes is preceded by a title such as “Father as Role Model”, “A Family Torn Apart” or “Patriarchal Supremacy Restored”. These vignettes cover such issues as losing a child in a department store, the relationships between father and son, or husband and wife, the wisdom of age, getting one’s first girlfriend and many more. Each is presented with humour, presenting a very believable picture of family life which crosses cultural boundaries. The relationships between Matsuko, Takashi and Shige are particularly well observed, with Shige giving advice and proverbs to all the family members, and having a great strength of character which far outweighs Matsuko’s. Takashi and Matsuko’s relationship is often the focus of the episodes, their rivalries, such as arguing about who has control of the television, their frustrations and their difficulties, but the overriding theme is their love for one another despite their flaws, and their desire to be the best parents possible for their children.
Info & Credits
Title |
My Neighbors The Yamadas |
Japanese Title |
ホーホケキョとなりの山田くん |
Japanese Title (Romanized) |
Tonari no Yamada-kun |
Release Date |
1999 |
Rated |
PG |
Duration |
1 hr 43 min |
The characters
 |
Takashi Yamada
The father and head of the Yamada family. Takashi is authoritative and commanding. He is easily irritated and does not like to be disturbed while relaxing. He likes baseball games, smoking, snow, and eating. He likes to impress his superiors at work. He sometimes daydreams about how he would be if he were someone else. |
|
 |
Matsuko Yamada
The mother of the Yamada family. She takes care of the house, but has next to no cooking ability, leading her to make the same meal several days in a row. She is constantly forgetting things. Her relationship with her husband is sometimes warm, sometimes strained. |
|
 |
Shige Yamada
Matsuko’s mother and grandmother to the Yamada children. Shige lives with the family. She is sometimes blunt in her words. She has a strong sense of personal duty, and volunteers for the city, doing things such as cleaning up the park and clearing leaves. |
|
 |
Noboru Yamada
The son of the Yamada family. He attends high school, and is not a particularly good student. He argues with his parents frequently. He is sneaky and seems to like getting his family irritated at him. |
|
 |
Nonoko Yamada
The daughter of the Yamada family. She is mostly naïve of the world around her. She is unusually smart for a 4-year-old. She has a good memory, but not too much logic. |
|
 |
Yamada’s dog
The Yamada family dog, Poochi, is indifferent to the world around him. He sleeps through most of the film. |
|
 |
Aunt Yamada
The Yamada children’s aunt. Nonoko adores her. |
|
 |
Noboru’s classmate
A girl in Noboru’s class. She’s somewhat dense. |
|
 |
Toshio Kimura
A young boy, even younger than Nonoko. He gets lost in a shopping center. Nonoko helps him find his mother. |
|
 |
Motorcycle Gangleader
The leader of a dangerous motorcycle gang. He is loud, demanding, and especially intimidating. He likes talking about his bike, but dislikes talking to anyone who thinks he has any problems. |
|
 |
Saburo
A volunteer who knew Shige when she was a little girl. Apparently their former relationship was unfriendly, as Shige still dislikes him after 40 years. |
|
 |
florist
A florist in the Yamada’s neighborhood. He likes it when people comment on his flowers. |
|
 |
Yamashita
One of Noboru’s friends. He enjoys magazines (in the film, the “swimsuit issue”). |
|
 |
Tanaka
A boy who attends Noboru’s school. One of the girls has a crush on him, but he doesn’t even acknowledge her. |
|
 |
Noboru’s teacher
Noboru’s teacher is a typical schoolteacher. She does not bend to Noboru’s arguments about unfairness and test-taking. |
|
 |
Nonoko’s teacher
Nonoko’s teacher is quiet. Her motto is “Keep it simple”. |
Production Credits
Director |
Isao Takahata |
Original Work |
Hisaichi Ishii |
Screenplay |
Isao Takahata |
English Adaptation |
Leo Chu, Eric Garcia |
Producer |
Toshio Suzuki, Takashi Shoji, Seiichiro Ujiie |
Executive Producer |
Yasuyoshi Tokuma |
Producer (US) |
Ned Lott, Michael Johnson |
Executive Producer (US) |
Rick Dempsey |
Original Music |
Akiko Yano |
Art Direction |
Kanako Moriya, Michiyo Yasuda |
Production Manager |
Yoshiyuki Momose, Osamu Tanabe |
Voice Casting
Character |
English |
Japanese |
Takashi Yamada |
James Belushi |
Toru Masuoka |
Matsuko Yamada |
Molly Shannon |
Yuk |
Shige Yamada |
Tress MacNeille |
Masako Araki |
Noboru Yamada |
Daryl Sabara |
Hayato Isobata |
Nonoko Yamada |
Liliana Mumy |
Naomi Uno |
Fujiwara-sensei |
??? |
Akiko Yano |
Kikuchibaba |
??? |
Chocho Miyako |
Toshio Kimura |
Trenton Rogers |
??? |
Haiku reader |
??? |
Kosanji Yanagiya |
mall clerk |
??? |
Yasuko Tomita |
narrator |
David Ogden Stiers |
??? |
My Neighbors The Yamadas Trailer
Screenshots from the movie



