is a Japanese manga

Manga

Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

 series by Ryōhei Saigan. As of 2009, 56 volumes of the manga have been published. It was also a short-lived anime

Anime

is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

 series from 1990 to 1991 and a pair of films: Always Sanchōme no Yūhi

Always Sanchome no Yuhi

is a 2005 film co-written and directed by the Japanese filmmaker Takashi Yamazaki, based on Ryōhei Saigan's long-running manga Sanchōme no Yūhi. It was chosen as Best Film at the Japan Academy Prize ceremony.-Plot summary:...

and Always Zoku Sanchōme no Yūhi

Always Zoku Sanchōme no Yūhi

is a 2007 Japanese film directed by Takashi Yamazaki. It is a sequel to Always Sanchōme no Yūhi ....

were based on stories and characters from the manga. It won the 27th Shogakukan Manga Award

Shogakukan Manga Award

The is one of Japan's major manga awards, sponsored by Shogakukan Publishing. It has been awarded annually for serialized manga since 1955 and features candidates from a number of publishers.The current award categories are:...

for general manga.

Overview

The comic is set in postwar Japan between 1955 and 1964 and focuses on stories illustrating the humor and pathos of ordinary life in the Japan of that era, mainly about the residents of the fictional Tokyo neighborhood of "San-Chome" - "Third Block" . However, many stories take place with one-story characters (not only people but animals and legendary creatures) and in other parts of Japan.