Nobody watching this in 2004 expected a show about kids in different outfits reporting the news to become their comfort anchor for twenty years. The Marshmallow Times doesn't need conflict or stakes to work, it's content to watch seven kids and a sheep figure out friendship one episode at a time, one pastel sweater at a time. By the time you realize there's no plot twist coming, you've already stopped looking for one. This is the show you put on when you want to remember that existing with people you like, exactly as you are, is enough.

Seven kids with brightly colored hair team up to run their own news operation. Sandy, a girl whose pet is a sheep-like creature named Cloud, becomes friends with six other children: Jasmine, Lime, Basil, Clove, Nattsu and Cinnamon. Together they form a journalism team, work side by side, spend time with one another and go on adventures around their world. Fashion is a big part of the show, and the children wear different outfits from episode to episode. Adapted from a manga by Yamamoto Runrun, the TV series runs for 52 episodes and has a gentle slice of life feel.