The Marshmallow Times

The Marshmallow Times (マシュマロ通信) is a manga by Lunlun Yamamoto. It was first published from 2004 to 2006 in the magazines Asahi Shōgakusei Shimbun and Asahi Chūgakusei Weekly (Asahi Shimbun group), and subsequently adapted into anime series directed by Hiroshi Fukutomi and Seung Il Lee, with Rika Nakase writing the scripts, Hiroshi Kanazawa and Ji Woon Ha designing the characters and Satoru Miwa composing the music. Consisting of a total 52 episodes, the series was broadcast every Sunday from April 4, 2004 until March 27, 2005 on the TV Osaka and the TX Network in Japan.

The series focuses on 7 children and a sheep-like character who hang out together and work as a team. Each character is depicted with a varying hairstyle and flavor of fashion.

Plot
Sandy, a girl who lives in Marshmallow Town, whose pet is a sheep-like creature named Cloud, and 6 other children—Jasmine, Lime, Basil, Clove, Nuts and Cinnamon—become friends and form a journalism team and adventure their world together.

Main characters

 * Sandy (サンディ)
 * A girl with orange braided hair who lives with her mother, father and twin brothers. Sandy is a tomboy who is extremely dedicated to her role as editor-in-chief of the Marshmallow Times. Although she can be smart and hard-working, she can also be quite stubborn and has a habit of taking her friends and family for granted, though she does care about them deep down, even if she's not the best at showing it.
 * A girl with orange braided hair who lives with her mother, father and twin brothers. Sandy is a tomboy who is extremely dedicated to her role as editor-in-chief of the Marshmallow Times. Although she can be smart and hard-working, she can also be quite stubborn and has a habit of taking her friends and family for granted, though she does care about them deep down, even if she's not the best at showing it.


 * Jasmine (ジャスミン)
 * A pink-haired girl with flowers in her hair and the most popular girl in town. She is obsessed with being "beautiful" and follows a strict training regimen in order to maintain her looks.
 * A pink-haired girl with flowers in her hair and the most popular girl in town. She is obsessed with being "beautiful" and follows a strict training regimen in order to maintain her looks.


 * Lime (ライム)
 * A green-haired boy. He loves to flirt with girls and is constantly going on dates. While most girls find him fun to hang out with, they also see him as too much of a "show-off" for them to consider a serious relationship with him.
 * A green-haired boy. He loves to flirt with girls and is constantly going on dates. While most girls find him fun to hang out with, they also see him as too much of a "show-off" for them to consider a serious relationship with him.


 * Basil (バジル)
 * A yellow-haired girl who is usually seen with a camera. She is very cheerful and is always looking for "scoops" to photograph. However, due to her poor photography skills, her pictures almost always come out blurry. Because of this, as well as her general disregard for people's privacy, Sandy does not consider her an official member of the Marshmallow Times.
 * A yellow-haired girl who is usually seen with a camera. She is very cheerful and is always looking for "scoops" to photograph. However, due to her poor photography skills, her pictures almost always come out blurry. Because of this, as well as her general disregard for people's privacy, Sandy does not consider her an official member of the Marshmallow Times.


 * Clove (クローブ)
 * A blue-haired boy who always wears headphones. He loves computers and has a stereo in his room. He mostly wears striped clothes.
 * A blue-haired boy who always wears headphones. He loves computers and has a stereo in his room. He mostly wears striped clothes.


 * Nuts (ナッツ)
 * A black-haired boy who has hair covering his eyes. He usually wears a bandanna on his head. He owns a vegetable garden and is a gardener.
 * A black-haired boy who has hair covering his eyes. He usually wears a bandanna on his head. He owns a vegetable garden and is a gardener.


 * Cinnamon (シナモン)
 * A light-blue-haired girl. She has a passion for fortune-telling and will often try to use her crystal ball to predict the outcome of events, though her predictions vary in accuracy.
 * A light-blue-haired girl. She has a passion for fortune-telling and will often try to use her crystal ball to predict the outcome of events, though her predictions vary in accuracy.


 * Cloud (クラウド)
 * A living doll based on Sheep Cloud, the mascot of Cloud Cereal. Sandy won the "Wake-Up Cloud" doll in a contest, only for him to mysteriously come to life. Shortly after, he was accepted into Sandy's family. Cloud behaves similarly to a young child in that he's innocent, cheerful and eager to help others. His extreme optimism and desire to be "useful" often gets him into trouble, as he has a bad habit of biting off more than he can chew, much to the ire of his adoptive sister Sandy.
 * A living doll based on Sheep Cloud, the mascot of Cloud Cereal. Sandy won the "Wake-Up Cloud" doll in a contest, only for him to mysteriously come to life. Shortly after, he was accepted into Sandy's family. Cloud behaves similarly to a young child in that he's innocent, cheerful and eager to help others. His extreme optimism and desire to be "useful" often gets him into trouble, as he has a bad habit of biting off more than he can chew, much to the ire of his adoptive sister Sandy.

Minor characters

 * Sandy's Family
 * The people that live with Sandy. Her mother is a sweet and caring woman. Her father is much shorter