Morita-san wa Mukuchi

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
Left to right: Ritsuki Yamamoto, Chihiro Miura, Miki Murakoshi, Mayu Morita, Hana Matsuzaka and Megane Musume

Morita-san wa Mukuchi (Morita-san is Quiet or Morita-san is Taciturn) is a Japanese four-panel comic strip manga written and illustrated by Tae Sano. It's about Mayu Morita, a high school girl who is extremely reticent. Her silence and habit of looking at people's eyes straightly sometimes cause misunderstandings. The reason behind it is not because she doesn’t like to talk nor because she has nothing to say. The reason she rarely speaks is due to the fact she thinks too much before speaking, thus losing the timing to speak altogether. But she lives a happy school life with her classmates.

The manga was originally published in the March 2007 issue of Takeshobo's Manga Life magazine, and later moved to Takeshobo's Manga Life Momo and Manga Club magazines. The first tankobon volume was released in January 2009; as of February 2011, three volume have been published. An OVA was bundled with volume three of the manga in February 2011, and another OVA was released separately in March 2011. A TV anime series produced by Studio Gram (the same as the OVAs) began airing in Japan in July 2011. The first season ended in September 2011, but the second season immediately started in October 2011.

Tropes used in Morita-san wa Mukuchi include:

Hana: "I see those stories play out in my house every day."

  • Dull Eyes of Unhappiness: Mayu, while not actually being unhappy. It actually scares people.
    • Hana whenever something reminds her of home.
  • Even the Girls Want Her: Yamamoto is very popular with the female student body.
    • Megane for Mayu.
  • Faux Paw: Occurs quite a few times; just look at the page picture.
  • Festival Episode: Episode 8
  • Four-Girl Ensemble: Namely, Chihiro, Miki, Mayu, and Hana.
  • Genki Girl: Miki Murakoshi
  • Girlish Pigtails: Chihiro and Megane.
  • Girl-On-Girl Is Hot: Kouta and Ryuichi certainly think so, to the point that Kouta wants to be reincarnated as a girl.
  • Gratuitous French: There's a cookbook that's titled "Le plat qui est amoureux", which means "the dish which is in love"; maybe it was supposed to be "The Lovely Dish"?
  • Happily Married: Morita's parents. The secret seems to be zealously making up after jealous fights.
  • Hot Mom: Yumi, Mayu's mother.
  • Iyashikei: Both seasons OP lyrics exemplify this.
    • Season 1

"Let's be more loving
Let's love everyone with all our might!
It's a wonderful thing, isn't it?
I don't know about hurting others
There are many things that can't be compared,
but I want to be by your side!"

    • Season 2

"Nyaa-Nyaa-Nyaa-Nyaa-Nyaa!
Don't be afraid!
It's alright! I'll help you!
Nyaa-Nyaa-Nyaa-Nyaa-Nyaa!
You don't have to say anything!
I understand you perfectly!
Your gentle and clumsy side ...
is what I love the most!"

Yamamoto (to Mayu): "You turn me on (Mura Mura)."
*Mayu blushes and self-consciously covers herself*
Yamamoto: "Sorry, I said it wrong. You irritate (ira ira) me."