Kodomo no Omocha

A shoujo anime based on a manga by Obana Miho. Also known as Kodocha. 102 episodes of drama and insane slapstick comedy.

The story follows the school life of a hyperactive child actress Kurata Sana, and her relationship with her enemy / love interest, Hayama Akito.
Other characters include Sana-chan's mother (who has a squirrel living on her head), Sana's combined boyfriend/manager/"pimp", and a strange creature called Babbit.
Did I mention that the main character speaks at a rate of 1000 words per minute, and has a rap performance at least once per episode? These things make the show more enjoyable for those who don't fall into the shojo target audience, but could use a good laugh.

Incidentally, the title "Kodomo no Omocha" means "Child's Toy". Sana's adventures are drop-dead hilarious, but experimental evidence thus far seems to suggest that those not familiar with the visual language of anime may not be laughing quite as hard.

Japanese comedy has a very different way of pacing its delivery, and it takes time to become accustomed to it. The gags in Child's Toy are a perfect example of this foreign dialect of comedy.

For those people familiar with Japanese, Sana's insistence on mangling the language and coming up with incredibly silly phrases is one of the high points of the show: At one point, she refers to a troubled, dysfunctional family as "Oyakodon-baka!" -- follow the links to get the joke.

Madcap comedy combined with quite serious drama make this a worthwhile show, if you can deal with the weird antics.

While Kodocha is indeed in large parts a comedy, this is not all it is. In fact, it also contains chillingly serious scenes and episodes, such as when Sana finally has to face the reality that her crush on Rei is one-sided, or when Hayama's family problems are resolved.

It's this lack of reluctance to include serious themes in childrens' shows that makes many Anime special.