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1[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/babyandme_5743.png]]
2[[caption-width-right:250: "Bwaza!" ]]
3
4''Baby and Me'' (''Aka-chan to Boku'') is a {{Shoujo}} SliceOfLife manga by Marimo Ragawa, which ran in ''Magazine/HanaToYume'' from 1991 to 1997. It was translated into English in its entirety by Creator/VIZMedia. It received an anime adaptation that aired from 1996 to 1997 for 35 episodes, but the anime [[LateExportForYou didn't receive an official English translation]] [[https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2022-04-12/retrocrush-adds-tama-and-friends-genji-monogatari-sennenki-8-more-anime/.184527 until 2022]].
5
6The series concerns a boy named Takuya and his brother Minoru. As their [[MissingMom mother has just died]] and their father works long hours to support the family, Takuya finds himself tasked with constantly looking after his little brother. Initially, Takuya is resentful towards Minoru, but over time he learns to accept his responsibility. After that, the two are nigh inseparable, and the rest of the series follows their day-to-day activities as they learn more about themselves, their parents, their friends and neighbors, and the world around them.
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8Not to be confused with the {{similarly named| works}} and themed Korean film ''Baby and I'', which also features a young man caring for an abandoned child. Also compare ''Manga/AishiteruzeBaby''.
9----
10!!''Baby and Me'' provides examples of:
11* AbusiveParents: One of the many one-shot characters Takuya encounters has this in their backstory.
12* ActionMom: Moriguchi's mom is a cop.
13* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Inverted; Takuya is noticeably less “pretty” in the anime.
14* ADayInTheLimelight : Aside from one short chapter, the entirety of Volume 13 is based around Harumi meeting Yukako.
15* AdultsAreUseless: Averted. The adults in this series, while practicing HandsOffParenting, are really quite supportive of their children, who often turn to them for help when it's needed.
16* AirVentPassageway: Minoru escapes through one of these in the bank robber arc.
17* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParent: Moriguchi feels this way about his dad.
18* AnimatedAdaptation: The anime.
19* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: Many of the characters in this series have siblings, and most of the younger siblings get on the older kids’ nerves at least once over the course of the story. Even Takuya feels this way about Minoru sometimes.
20%%* AntiVillain: The robbers in the bank robber arc.
21* ArtEvolution: In early volumes a lot of the artwork looks like unfinished sketches; it is noticeably cleaner and more detailed in later volumes.
22* BabiesMakeEverythingBetter: [[spoiler: What ultimately brings Harumi and Yukako together for real is her pregnancy with Takuya.]]
23* BabyTalk: The younger children in the series to varying degrees. In the English translation Minoru has “Bwaza!” as a catchphrase.
24* BadlyBatteredBabysitter: Minoru is occasionally a real handful for Takuya to deal with.
25%%* BigBrotherInstinct: Takuya towards Minoru.
26* BigBrotherWorship: Minoru is very fond of the ground on which Takuya walks.
27* BringMyBrownPants: Minoru wets himself after hearing a scary story during school in Chapter 21.
28* ButICantBePregnant: [[spoiler: Yukako’s initial reaction when she suffers morning sickness soon after sleeping with Harumi in the backstory.]]
29%%* CampGay: The trio of transvestites in the robber arc.
30%%* CampStraight: Moriguchi’s dad.
31* CharacterDevelopment: Several characters get this. It’s most noticeable in the first volume with Takuya, where he largely outgrows his initial resentment of watching over Minoru.
32* ChickMagnet: It seems to run in the Enoki family; even the three year old isn’t immune! Recently-widowed Harumi [[IgnoretheFanservice Ignores the Fanservice]], Takuya is ObliviousToLove, and Minoru, who’s stuck in a Type 3 Love Triangle, is fully aware of Ichika and Hiroko’s affections for him and is freaked out a bit by it.
33* ChildCareAndBabysittingStories: One of the oldest anime examples as its premise is that 11-year-old Takuya is left to care for his baby brother after the death of their mother and with their father being constantly busy with work it proves to be a difficult task for Takuya. He's stressed out by having to multitask between doing house chores and caring for Minoru at such a young age, but he still loves him regardless.
34* ChildhoodMarriagePromise: Subverted and played for laughs. Minoru will agree to marry anyone who asks him. He has no idea what the meaning of “Minoru, will you marry me?” is. To be sure, Minoru is by no means among the brighter characters in the series and he seems to be slightly less intelligent even by toddler standards.
35* ChristmasEpisode: Ichika and Ma Bo try to get their whole family together for Christmas dinner.
36* ClingyJealousGirl: Both Hiro and Ichika are this to Minoru.
37* ComicBookTime: Averted. The manga takes place over about a year, and over the course of the series the characters do age accordingly.
38* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Moriguchi’s dad looks like a wimp next to his police officer wife and an idiot compared to his intellectually-inclined son…but [[PapaWolf don’t threaten his son.]]
39* CutenessProximity: When Minoru escapes the bank robbers via an air vent, he encounters a trio of transvestites who have this reaction to him. Minoru is not amused.
40* DoesNotLikeMen: [[spoiler: Yukako]] once felt this way, due to a belief that AllMenArePerverts. She does have reason for believing such; [[spoiler: someone HAD been taking nude photos of her, and the only person she could turn to for help once asked her for a one-night stand]], although she did eventually [[CharacterDevelopment realize not all men were that way.]]
41* DreamSequence: In one chapter, Minoru has a dream about his mother after Takuya reads him a bedtime story.
42* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: This is very in-universe but Yukako seems extremely different in the flashback arc where we find out about how she and Harumi met, whenever she appears by flashback or in spirit she seems very cheerful and firm but supportive, in the mini-arc she is rather skittish and paranoid.
43* EmbarrassingOldPhoto: The photo of a pretty woman Moriguchi finds and wonders about [[spoiler: is of Moriguchi’s dad, who was a crossdresser at the time the photo was taken.]] Moriguchi's mom apparently did not approve, and neither of Moriguchi's parents is thrilled that he found the photo.
44* EvenEvilHasStandards: The bank robbers seem to have no qualms about stealing, kidnapping small children, etc., but as the arc goes on it becomes increasingly obvious that actual murder is not something they’re quite willing to stoop to. The leader’s rather harsh method of getting information they need out of Takuya is met with disapproval by his slightly-more scrupulous teammates.
45* FaintInShock: When Moriguchi’s mother learns her son was one of the children abducted by the bank robbers, she immediately faints. [[MamaBear She then snaps out of it and goes to arrest the bank robbers.]]
46* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: [[spoiler: The immediate aftermath of Minoru's car accident is rather bloody, and the scenes of him in the hospital aren't much better.]]
47* {{Flatline}}: [[spoiler: Minoru. But [[DisneyDeath only for a few seconds.]]]]
48* FromRoommatesToRomance: [[spoiler:Harumi and Yukako]] started out this way, as [[spoiler:Yukako]]'s home had become too dangerous for her to live there. The living arrangement wasn't platonic for long.
49%%Adiministrivia/ZeroContextExample* FreeRangeChildren
50* {{Gayngst}}: [[spoiler: The female bank robber, who isn't really female.]]
51* GratuitousEnglish: In the opening theme of the anime. “Be Bad Boy!”
52%%* HappilyMarried: Most of the married couples in the series are this.
53* HeroicBastard: Actually averted, as [[spoiler: Harumi and Yukako]] got married before [[spoiler: Takuya]] was born, but [[spoiler: Takuya]] is still incredibly upset when he learns he was conceived out of wedlock and no one told him.
54%%* HouseHusband: Moriguchi’s dad.
55* IdenticalStranger: In one chapter, the Enokis make a trip to America, and meet a young boy who takes an instant disliking to all of them because Harumi bears too strong a resemblance to the boy’s own estranged father.
56%%* ImprobableInfantSurvival: [[spoiler: Disney Death notwithstanding.]]
57* ItsAllMyFault: Takuya, who blames himself [[spoiler: for Minoru's near-fatal accident, as the two had had an argument immediately before.]] Harumi also has this reaction.
58%%* LoveTriangle: PuppyLove variant PlayedForLaughs. Poor Minoru's never going to catch a break from Hiroko and Ichika.
59* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: Moriguchi’s parents have this dynamic.
60* MissingMom: Yukako dies before the series starts, making her this to Takuya and Minoru.
61* MistakenForCheating: Moriguchi thinks his father might be cheating on his mother when he finds a photo of a beautiful young woman. [[EmbarrassingOldPhoto This turns out to not be the case at all.]]
62* MoodWhiplash: [[spoiler: Towards the end of the series; the chapter dealing with the aftermath of Minoru’s car accident is noticeably darker than anything previously seen in the series and lacks any humor whatsoever, whereas previous Baby & Me chapters usually manage to be somewhat funny even when dealing with dark subject matter.]]
63* OurGhostsAreDifferent: [[spoiler: Yukako and the grandparents all show up when Minoru is near death in the final arc.]]
64* OutOfBodyExperience: [[spoiler: The golfer is actually an astral projection of a man in a coma.]] The main charatcers are horrified when he disappears literally before their eyes though Takuya stumbles upon a news-article announcing the golfer's recent victory.
65* PhenotypeStereotype: Americans are shown with blond hair and blue eyes.
66* PottyEmergency: Minoru has a small one in Chapter 21, PottyDance and all.
67* PottyFailure: Occasionally one of the really little kids in the story will wet the bed and/or their pants.
68* RaisedByGrandparents: One of Takuya's classmates claims to live with her grandparents because her father and mother are famous and are overseas. [[spoiler:Actually, it turns out that her grandparents are really her ''parents,'' and she's embarrassed about their age, so she lies.]]
69* RescueRomance: Possibly Yukako and Harumi; [[spoiler: the reason she moved in with him was some pervert was taking nude photos of her and she was scared for her life.]] In a much lighter example, Hiro falls in love with Minoru because he tried to protect her from [[BigFriendlyDog what he thought was]] a vicious dog.
70* TheRunaway: In one story arc, Takuya and Minoru run away from home, and Harumi goes all over town trying to find them.
71* {{Salaryman}}: Harumi
72* SliceOfLife
73* TakingTheBullet: Subverted. It looks like the lead bank robber is going to shoot Takuya, and one of the other bank robbers dives in front of Takuya to try and save him. [[spoiler: The lead bank robber was just trying to scare Takuya, and actually shot the ceiling instead.]]
74* TroublingUnchildlikeBehaviour: Megumi commits “reverse sexual harassment” against her male classmates in order to make a point that sexual harassment can be done by anybody to anybody. She’s eleven. Ichika can come off as a little creepy at times though most of the time she just seems bizarre, Minoru and Takuya despite their attractive appearances and kind, cheery natures can be terrifying when they are angry, even the dad and the teachers are scared of them.
75* TrueCompanions:
76** Takuya and his friends.
77** The bank robbers as well.
78* UnsettlingGenderReveal:
79** Twice in the bank robber arc. [[spoiler: The female bank robber]] is not actually female. Neither is the [[spoiler: young woman in the photograph Moriguchi wonders about his dad having.]] In the latter case, [[spoiler: the woman in the photo ''is'' Moriguchi’s dad.]]
80** Other characters are surprised to learn Gon has a sister; everyone had been assuming [[SamusisaGirl Hiro was his little ''brother''. ]]
81* {{Yakuza}}: One of the many side characters has this as his backstory.

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