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1[[quoteright:238:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ufobaby_2927.jpg]]
2[[caption-width-right:238:Miyu, Kanata, Wannya, and Ruu]]
3
4''UFO Baby'', known in Japanese as ''Daa! Daa! Daa!'' (Japanese onomatopeia for baby talk), is a shojo comedy manga by Mika Kawamura, serialized in Nakayoshi magazine between February 1998 and March 2002, and collected in nine bound volumes. The series was adapted as a 78-episode anime TV series, produced by NHK and animated by J.C.Staff, broadcast between March 2000 and February 2002 on NHK's [=BS2=] broadcast satellite network. The series was one of the top-rated anime series during its initial broadcast.
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6Miyu Kozuki is your everyday Japanese girl, studying in eighth grade, whose parents suddenly leave her in the care of family friend Hosho Saionji, a Buddhist monk, in order to work at NASA in the United States. Soon after getting to know him and his son Kanata (with the mandatory NakedFirstImpression) that BumblingDad of a monk goes on his own journey to India, leaving the two teenagers alone. That very night a UFO crash-lands on the Saionji Shrine's grounds and out comes an alien baby named Ruu and his 'babysitter pet,' a cross between a cat and a dog aptly called Wannya (Bow Meow, in English) which can shapeshift. Stranded until the rescue ship comes for them, they have no other option than start living with Miyu and Kanata, thus forming an accurate explanation of the episode title: ''[[FourIsDeath Suddenly, a family of four!]]''. And chaos begins.
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8This sweet shojo gets more and more convoluted the more characters get added to TheMasquerade: Miyu's first friends in school are [[ThoseTwoGuys Aya, the half-french ojou Nanami]], and pink-haired Rich Girl Christine. The former is obsessed with plays (which Luu often takes part in), and the latter with everything Kanata. Also present are Santa Kurosu, a {{Fanboy}} with a PunnyName, and pretty boy Nozomu (second season only). The creator makes frequent appearances as AuthorAvatar Mikan Kawamura, who is a bit of a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} and always thinking about deadlines. Heck, even more aliens join the fest: Seiya Yaboshi, 'nother pretty boy and minor 'villain', and the ''Waru Waru Dan'', which are essentially {{Te|rribleTrio}}am [[Anime/PokemonTheSeries Rocket]]...[[RecycledINSPACE IN SPACE]]! Each and all of them are as memorable as can get, and will make you enjoy this comedy up to the final, ''final'' GrandFinale...or until the sequel.
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10----
11!!''UFO Baby'' provide examples of:
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13* TheAce: Kanata is very intelligent, [[PrettyBoy good-looking]], a ChickMagnet, has a club of frothing horny fangirls, is good at sports, and is the StudentCouncilPresident of his school.
14* AlienAutopsy: In an early episode, Miyu tries to call her mother (working overseas for UsefulNotes/{{NASA}}) for advice on what to do with the suddenly-arrived alien baby, but is discouraged when her mother starts enthusiastically (and [[{{Squick}} graphically)]] describing the alien autopsy video she's watching.
15* AnimeHair: Curiously, Christine's is the only one that's impossible to obtain in real life.
16* AuthorAvatar: Mikan proper, appearing in her own manga as well.
17* BalloonBelly: Miyu in episode 61.
18* BattleAura: Black colored for Evil Chris, to better show her mental status.
19* BeachEpisode: A two-parter set in Florida.
20* BelligerentSexualTension: Kanata and Miyu. Sweet lord.
21* BigEater:
22** Pepo, alien mascot of Ruu's in the second season.
23** Wanya, if there is some mitarashi dango (dumplings in a skewer) nearby.
24** Nanami.
25* ButtMonkey: Santa is portrayed as such, for liking the stupidest things (face-shaped stains in the wall?)
26* ChickMagnet: Kanata. The guy even has his own club of {{fangirl}}s within the school. Other list includes a {{Yandere}} who is literally obsessed with him, an [[ChildhoodFriendRomance Unlucky Childhood Friend]] who has a huge crush on him, and a housemate who he can't get along most of the time ([[spoiler: who eventually became his wife in the end]]). [[ChickMagnet And if you're into that]] [[HoYay sort of thing]], his {{Fanboy}} best friend and self-proclaimed [[TheRival Rival]], as well.
27* ChildrenAreInnocent: Ruu. Since he ''is'' a baby, he is unaware of his actions.
28* ChivalrousPervert: Nozomu, also a second season addition, to the point of giving a daily rose to each and every girl he has met.
29* ClingyJealousGirl: Christine, or should we say ''Yami'' Christine. Yes, it's her evil hidden personality who wants to 1) kill Miyu, and 2) rape Kanata. In no particular order.
30* CrazyPrepared: Chris brings her own tools just in case she breaks things.
31* DoorstopBaby
32* EveryEpisodeEnding: Wannya writes something on his electronic diary.
33* ExpansionPackPast: Miss Mizuno's, homeroom teacher for the main characters.
34* EyesAlwaysShut: Mikan again, but not when having a serious conversation (which is like two times in 70 episodes)
35* {{Facefault}}: It's a Japanese comedy. Need I say more?
36* FillerVillain: Seiya may qualify, as he tried to kidnap Ruu for the same reason the Waru Waru Dan try it in many an episode of the second season.
37* FirstGirlWins: Aversion. Chris has known Kanata for a long time, and one-shot girl Akira was an [[ChildhoodFriendRomance Unlucky Childhood Friend]] of Kanata's (had to move away) but is Miyu the one he most...tolerates.
38* ForgottenBirthday: Wannya gets one, although no one knows when it's his birthday, even him.
39* ForgottenChildhoodFriend: As the plot unfolds and we learn more of Miyu and Kanata's backstories they will discover that they weren't exactly strangers to each other back in the first episode.
40* GadgeteerGenius: Waru Waru Dan's leader seems to have a thing for making weird inventions.
41* GlowingEyesOfDoom: When Chris is seen with glowy eyes her dark side erupts shortly after.
42* {{Hammerspace}}: Usually used by Mikan, and oftentimes Regular Chris, to fix whatever the Evil One has destroyed in her 'absence'.
43* IncredibleShrinkingMan: The Mini-Mini Set, a toy Wannya uses to miniaturize items and carry them around à la Mary Poppins, malfunctions and shrinks the LoveTriangle. HilarityEnsues.
44* IsThatCuteKidYours: Ruu calling Miyu and Kanata "Mama" and "Papa" certainly doesn't help.
45* LateForSchool: A staple of shojo anime.
46* LethalChef: Miyu's attempts at cooking pumpkin to appease Kanata... don't go well.
47* LittleMissSnarker: Momoka, whose introduction has her berating Miyu for not recycling and aiding global warming. From her tricycle.
48* LotusEaterMachine: Happened to Nozomu with an ''alien'' lotus.
49* TheMasquerade: Gets more and more difficult to maintain as more characters are involved, and culminating in the BeachEpisode in which Ruu and Wannya were ''three or four'' different people depending on who you asked. Miyu's little brother? ''Christine's'' little brother? Or Mr. Dumpling's baby?
50* MechaMooks: Built once by the Waru Waru Dan, to try to impersonate Wannya.
51* MenDontCry: Momoka's catchphrase.
52* MotorMouth: Aya Konichi, who seems to be on the same league as Shiho Kubota of ''Anime/PrettyCure'' fame.
53* NakedFirstImpression: Kanata sees Miyu while she is bathing. Although Miyu was foreseeing it, it happens on cue.
54* NonStandardCharacterDesign: Westerners have really long noses and dots for eyes.
55* OddlyNamedSequel2ElectricBoogaloo: ''Shin Daa Daa Daa!''
56* OnlyInMiami: The aptly named "Everyone but Santa goes to Florida" episode.
57* OpenMindedParent: Hosho is this, when TheMasquerade is revealed to him (accidentally). Thank god. Or maybe thank Buddha?
58* ParentalAbandonment: Seriously, who leaves two kids in a big, spooky temple all alone?
59* ParentalObliviousness: Stems from the above. Said parents fail to see the HiddenInPlainSight aliens living at Saionji's, even with a frickin' ''alien detector''.
60* ParentalSubstitute:
61** Wanya to Ruu/Lou.
62** Kanata and Miyu are closer than Wanya. Upon meeting them, Ruu calls them "Mama" and "Papa".
63* PowerIncontinence: Wanya gets this in one episode when he runs out of the shampoo that allows him to control his powers.
64* PsychicPowers: All babies on Ruu's planet have them, apparently. Wanya gets mystified when Miyu and Kanata inform him that, no, those don't come standard on Earth.
65* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: Pepo, the aforementioned alien mascot of Ruu. Wanya can border this sometimes as well.
66* TheRival: Nozomu likes to think of Kanata as his rival in love affairs. Kanata doesn't care.
67* RunningGag: Whenever nothing's happening, a little angel-like chibi will cross the screen. Sometimes points out places or people, serving as a fourth-wall painter.
68* SchoolPlay: Happened a couple times, first getting Ruu to act and later Wannya. In a white whale form.
69* SerialEscalation: What superhuman feats will Evil Chris manage to do today? (including uprooting and flailing ''very'' big trees and punching through concrete walls...repeteadly.)
70* SexualEuphemism: Often appears in of Evil Chris' battle mantras...'Miyu and Kanata, alone in a shrine, doing this and that...GROAAAR!!' You get the idea.
71* SheCleansUpNicely: Mikan.
72* ShesAllGrownUp: Momoka in the anime finale.
73* ShipperOnDeck:
74** Momoka really likes the idea of [[{{Tsundere}} Kanata]] getting together with {{C|lingyJealousGirl}}hris, apparently because it mirrors her relationship with Ruu (Chris is Momoka's cousin, and Kanata is "believed" to be Ruu's cousin, as well).
75** Early in the series, {{M|oralityPet}}iyu is also shown to support Kanata and Chris together. And in one episode, she sets him up to carry her on his back towards her home while she was ''supposedly'' unconscious, and then openly commenting towards him on how cute she is.
76** [[spoiler: On Miyu's case, this is eventually subverted in the end. She and Kanata got married, and had a daughter named Miu]].
77* ShoutOut: Probably not intended, but Kanata in a monk garb is a dead ringer to ''Manga/{{Inuyasha}}'''s lecherous monk, Miroku.
78* ShrinesAndTemples: Obviously, Saionji Shrine, which seems to have become a WeirdnessMagnet.
79* ShyBlueHairedGirl: Regular Chris is this, just pink instead of blue. She can't for the love of God confess directly to Kanata. That would trigger her SuperpoweredEvilSide, and nobody wants that, right?
80* SurpriseSantaEncounter: To fulfill Momoka's Christmas wish, the main characters wanted to dress up ''their classmate'' Santa (Kurosu) as the chubby, bearded reindeer rider. PunnyName indeed.
81* SugarAndIcePersonality: Kanata
82* TerribleTrio: The Waru Waru (Evil-Evil) Gang, trying to kidnap Ruu once every few episodes.
83* ThoseTwoGuys: Aya and Nanami.
84* TimeTravel: Served to reunite the principal with his monkey pet, and to briefly see Kanata's mom months before disease struck her dead.
85* TokenMiniMoe: Momoka, Christine's little cousin, is as smitten with Ruu as her older cousin is to the Saionji boy. It's funny because they are three and one-year old, respectively.
86* TrademarkFavoriteFood:
87** What was said about Wannya and skewered dumplings.
88** Kanata also has pumpkin.
89* {{Tsundere}}:
90** Kanata is this to a ''tee''.
91** Miyu is a severe Type-B case, ''especially'' towards Kanata.
92* TwoTeacherSchool: Complete with wacky, monkey-obsessed principal (is ''everyone'' obsessed!?)
93* UnflappableGuardian: Christine's all-purpose butler, Mr. Deerfield. He is the one containing Evil Chris when her fits get out of hand, serving as a reverse BerserkButton.
94%%* {{Yandere}}: Chris would gladly kill Miyu in order to get her hands on Kanata.

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