TV-Series
Description
Obaba is a supporting character in CITY The Animation. She is the family matriarch of the Makabe family, and the name she goes by is simply the Japanese word for an old lady or granny, used as a title within the household rather than a personal name.
Her background ties her to both the Makabe family and the building known as Mokumesei Manor. She is the mother of the wife of Tsurubishi Makabe, who runs the Western restaurant Western Makabe, which makes her the grandmother of their children, Tatewaku and Matsuri. Alongside this family position, she is the landlady of Mokumesei Manor, the apartment building where several of the main characters live.
Personality-wise, Obaba is a tough, no-nonsense old woman who does not tolerate excuses. She runs her property with firm expectations, and her demands are backed by supernatural strength and wrestling moves. She is straightforward about the consequences of unpaid rent, warning that late tenants may lose their life as collateral, and she is fully capable of following through physically. Despite her age, she carries herself as an intimidating authority figure who is rarely challenged.
Her main motivation is practical and rooted in her role as landlady: she expects rent to be paid on time, every month, and she enforces this rule without hesitation. As the family matriarch, she also holds a central position of authority within the Makabe household, keeping her extended family connected to her through her daughter and son-in-law.
In the story, Obaba serves as a recurring comic pressure point for Midori Nagumo, a student who is perpetually broke and often behind on her rent. This puts Midori in the position of being chased, confronted, or otherwise intimidated by Obaba throughout the series. Obaba is not the protagonist, but her role as landlady gives her regular presence in the lives of the main cast.
Her key relationships include her connection to the Makabe family, particularly her grandchildren Tatewaku and Matsuri, and her tenant relationships with the residents of Mokumesei Manor. These include Midori, who owes her money, as well as other tenants such as the student Niikura, the university student Izumi Wako, and the manga artist Onikamaboko, all of whom live in her building. Through these ties, she functions as a shared authority figure who links several of the story's main characters together.
Obaba does not undergo a major personal transformation over the course of the story; instead, she works as a consistent comic authority figure whose strictness and physical power create recurring situations for the other characters. Her most notable abilities are her extraordinary physical strength and her skill in wrestling, which she uses to back up her demands and keep the people around her in line. Combined with her ownership of Mokumesei Manor, these traits make her a memorable force within the daily lives of the cast.
Her background ties her to both the Makabe family and the building known as Mokumesei Manor. She is the mother of the wife of Tsurubishi Makabe, who runs the Western restaurant Western Makabe, which makes her the grandmother of their children, Tatewaku and Matsuri. Alongside this family position, she is the landlady of Mokumesei Manor, the apartment building where several of the main characters live.
Personality-wise, Obaba is a tough, no-nonsense old woman who does not tolerate excuses. She runs her property with firm expectations, and her demands are backed by supernatural strength and wrestling moves. She is straightforward about the consequences of unpaid rent, warning that late tenants may lose their life as collateral, and she is fully capable of following through physically. Despite her age, she carries herself as an intimidating authority figure who is rarely challenged.
Her main motivation is practical and rooted in her role as landlady: she expects rent to be paid on time, every month, and she enforces this rule without hesitation. As the family matriarch, she also holds a central position of authority within the Makabe household, keeping her extended family connected to her through her daughter and son-in-law.
In the story, Obaba serves as a recurring comic pressure point for Midori Nagumo, a student who is perpetually broke and often behind on her rent. This puts Midori in the position of being chased, confronted, or otherwise intimidated by Obaba throughout the series. Obaba is not the protagonist, but her role as landlady gives her regular presence in the lives of the main cast.
Her key relationships include her connection to the Makabe family, particularly her grandchildren Tatewaku and Matsuri, and her tenant relationships with the residents of Mokumesei Manor. These include Midori, who owes her money, as well as other tenants such as the student Niikura, the university student Izumi Wako, and the manga artist Onikamaboko, all of whom live in her building. Through these ties, she functions as a shared authority figure who links several of the story's main characters together.
Obaba does not undergo a major personal transformation over the course of the story; instead, she works as a consistent comic authority figure whose strictness and physical power create recurring situations for the other characters. Her most notable abilities are her extraordinary physical strength and her skill in wrestling, which she uses to back up her demands and keep the people around her in line. Combined with her ownership of Mokumesei Manor, these traits make her a memorable force within the daily lives of the cast.