Chibi Maruko-chan
Encyclopedia
is a shōjo
manga
series by Momoko Sakura
, later adapted into an anime
TV series by Nippon Animation
, which originally aired on Fuji Television
from January 7, 1990 to September 27, 1992. The series depicts the simple, everyday life of a little girl nicknamed Maruko and her family in suburb
an mid-seventies Japan
. The series is set in the former city of Shimizu
, now part of Shizuoka City
, birthplace of its author.
The first story under the title "Chibi Maruko-chan" was published in the August 1986 edition of the shōjo
manga magazine Ribon
. Other semi-autobiographical stories by the author had appeared in Ribon and Ribon Original
in 1984 and 1985, and were included in the first "Chibi Maruko-chan" tankōbon
in 1987. The author first began writing and submitting strips in her final year of senior high school, although Shueisha
(the publisher of Ribon and Ribon Original) did not decide to run them until over a year later. The author's intent was to write "essays in manga form". Many stories are inspired by incidents from the author's own life, and some characters are based on her family and friends. The nostalgic, honest and thoughtful tone of the strip led to its becoming popular among a wider audience.
The Chibi Maruko-chan series has spawned numerous games, animated films and merchandising
, as well as a second TV series running from 1995 to the present. Maruko's style and themes are sometimes compared to the classic comic Sazae-san
. In 1989, the manga tied to receive the Kodansha Manga Award
for shōjo
. As of 2006, the collected volumes of the manga had sold more than 31 million copies in Japan, making it the fifth best-selling shōjo manga ever.
Maruko's best friend. She is intelligent and she does not include herself in other activities with Maruko. Nicknamed Tama-chan.
A really rich boy in Maruko's class who lives in a mansion his caretaker is Mr. Hideji. His mom is always away travelling and so he doesn't see her that often. He also has a butler who drives a limo and picks him up every day from school. Hanawa is mentioned to have a crush on Maruko. His was born on August 7, 1965.
Maruo is one of Maruko's classmates and serves as the male class president and always wants to be admired by others. He has very thick glasses because he is a very serious student and studies very hard every day; black lines appear on his face nearly all of the time, especially when he seems euphoric. He is paranoid that his classmates are seeking to replace him as male class president and will target classmates that stand out and do well to discourage them from running against him. His birthday is December 31, thus giving rise to his name.
Hamaji is the most mischievous student in Maruko's class. Despite this he is the class representative.
A boy in Maruko's class with a piglike face and ends his sentences with "buu," the Japanese onomatopoeia for a pig snorting. He is close friend of Hamaji and is always shown with him.
She is crazy about Hanawa and does not like other girls being around with him and because Hanawa has a crush on Maruko, she is hard on Maruko. She is studying in standard 3 for the last five years because she is not good in her studies and fails every year. She is the female class president and like Maruko is pretty intent on maintaining her position, even promising along with Maruo to come in the morning to do cleaning and other work so their classmates don't have to.
Despite seeming mean, he actually is a nice boy who once helped Maruko learn how to ride a bicycle.
His house was burned down during an accident and made his family poor in the episodes they always show a connection with fire of Nagasama. Therefore he always felt that nobody cares about him, and that everybody is out to laugh about him. He is thus became very aloof and does not talk much to other people except Fujiki, his best friend.
A very soft-spoken boy who is the best friend of Nagasawa. He lives alone in his home, causing his parents to go their offices early in the morning and come back late night.
He laughs non-stop about anything good or bad. He is also known as the "classroom idiot boy" (クラスのバカ男子).
He is Sugiyama Satoshi's best friend. Both of them love soccer.
Kenichi's best friend. Though they are quite rude, they are very serious when it comes to work. They form a good team and help each other.
Toshiko is a very obedient and well-mannered girl. She always cares about others and also one of Maruko's and Tama's good friends.
She has a crush on Ono Kenichi. She is a bit odd and likes to give cards to people depicting strange faces.
This character only appeared in the first series and was in a trio with Maruko and Tamae.
A transfer student from Aichi. He appears Indian despite the fact of getting rejections from his classmates.
A likeable boy who was nominated by Sekiguchi to be male class president, but conceded the race when Maruo promised to come in and clean every morning so the class didn't have to.
He is a fan a Michiru Jo and has digestive problems.
A fatty who eats a lot.
She is in charge of cleaning the classroom.
A very creepy girl who always jokes. She also likes to make fun of others, especially Maruko. She often spies on people.
Sasayama's friend. She has alleged rivalry with Nagasawa.
Fujiki's girlfriend and Himeko's friend.
Maruko's homeroom teacher.
Hanawa's butler. He is named after singer Hideki Saijo.
Shintarō is Tamae's father. He likes photography a lot and whenever he spots Tamae, takes a photo
of her.
Tamae's mother.
Sasaki is fond of trees and grows them. He is fondly called by Maruko- Sasaki Ojichan.
Noritaka's grandfather
Tomiko is Tarō's younger sister
Kazuo is Kimio's father.
Tarō is Kimio's younger brother
-oriented Ribon Magazine. 14 volumes were published from July 1987 to December 1996, with a 15th volume published in February 2003. On July 2007, a 4-frame version of Chibi Maruko-chan was published in every morning edition of several Japanese newspapers such as the Tokyo Shimbun
and the Chunichi Shimbun
.
The 16th volume of the manga was published on April 15, 2009.
. 142 episodes were broadcast, from January 1990 to September 1992. Maruko was voiced
by Tarako
; other voice actors included Kappei Yamaguchi
and Hideki Saijo
. Original manga author Momoko Sakura wrote the teleplay
for most episodes. The first season was directed by Yumiko Suda and animated by Masaaki Yuasa
(who later directed Mind Game
in 2004). The series attained a TV viewer rating of 39.9%, the highest rating ever attained by an animated TV series in Japan at the time. The theme song Odoru Ponpokorin became a hit and was interpreted by several artists including the KinKi Kids
and Captain Jack
. The series was exported throughout Asia and was especially popular in Taiwan
. In addition, 65 episodes were dubbed into Arabic (called maruko-alsaghera, which means Little Maruko), where it garnered attention from people of all ages. It also aired in Germany with the same title as the original. It airs weekdays on Nick India in India
.
Opening theme:
Ending themes:
on Sunday
evenings. This series was also dubbed into German
and broadcast by RTL II
, Super RTL
and Jetix
in Germany.
Opening themes:
Both the second television series and the live action series were broadcast in 1080i HDTV.
s) were developed by KID
and published by Takara
. The other titles were published by different companies like Namco
, Konami
, Epoch
and Banpresto
.
Shojo
The term refers to manga marketed to a female audience roughly between the ages of 10-18. The name romanizes the Japanese 少女 , literally: "little female". Shōjo manga covers many subjects in a variety of narrative and graphic styles, from historical drama to science fiction — often with a strong...
manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series by Momoko Sakura
Momoko Sakura
, pen name , is a Japanese manga artist from Shimizu, Shizuoka Prefecture. She is the creator of the long-running manga Chibi Maruko-chan , based on her own childhood, and the more surreal fantasy anime series Coji-Coji, which ran from 1997 to 1999...
, later adapted into an anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
TV series by Nippon Animation
Nippon Animation
is a Japanese animation studio. The company is headquartered in Tokyo, with chief offices in the Ginza district of Chūō and production facilities in Tama City....
, which originally aired on Fuji Television
Fuji Television
is a Japanese television station based in Daiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, also known as or CX, based on the station's callsign "JOCX-DTV". It is the flagship station of the Fuji News Network and the ....
from January 7, 1990 to September 27, 1992. The series depicts the simple, everyday life of a little girl nicknamed Maruko and her family in suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
an mid-seventies Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The series is set in the former city of Shimizu
Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka
is one of three wards of the city of Shizuoka, in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, located in the eastern part of the city.-Geography:Shimizu is located on the coast of Suruga Bay of the Pacific Ocean and covers a wide area from a coastal plain to the hills...
, now part of Shizuoka City
Shizuoka, Shizuoka
is the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, and the prefecture's second-largest city in terms of both population and area. It became one of Japan's 19 "designated cities" in 2005.-Geography:...
, birthplace of its author.
The first story under the title "Chibi Maruko-chan" was published in the August 1986 edition of the shōjo
Shojo
The term refers to manga marketed to a female audience roughly between the ages of 10-18. The name romanizes the Japanese 少女 , literally: "little female". Shōjo manga covers many subjects in a variety of narrative and graphic styles, from historical drama to science fiction — often with a strong...
manga magazine Ribon
Ribon
is a monthly Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Shueisha. First issued in August 1955, its rivals are Nakayoshi and Ciao. Its target audience is young girls roughly 9–13 years old. In 2009, the magazine's circulation was 274,167, down from the previous year's circulation numbers of 330,000...
. Other semi-autobiographical stories by the author had appeared in Ribon and Ribon Original
Ribon Original
Ribon Original was a shōjo manga magazine published by Shueisha. It was a sister magazine of Ribon, and was published from 1981 until 2006. New and up-and-coming Ribon manga artists often had their first short stories published in this magazine...
in 1984 and 1985, and were included in the first "Chibi Maruko-chan" tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
in 1987. The author first began writing and submitting strips in her final year of senior high school, although Shueisha
Shueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
(the publisher of Ribon and Ribon Original) did not decide to run them until over a year later. The author's intent was to write "essays in manga form". Many stories are inspired by incidents from the author's own life, and some characters are based on her family and friends. The nostalgic, honest and thoughtful tone of the strip led to its becoming popular among a wider audience.
The Chibi Maruko-chan series has spawned numerous games, animated films and merchandising
Merchandising
Merchandising is the methods, practices, and operations used to promote and sustain certain categories of commercial activity. In the broadest sense, merchandising is any practice which contributes to the sale of products to a retail consumer...
, as well as a second TV series running from 1995 to the present. Maruko's style and themes are sometimes compared to the classic comic Sazae-san
Sazae-san
is a Japanese comic strip created by Machiko Hasegawa. It was first published in Hasegawa's local paper, the , on April 22, 1946. When the wished to have Hasegawa draw the comic strip for their paper, she moved to Tokyo in 1949 with the explanation that the main characters had moved from Kyūshū to...
. In 1989, the manga tied to receive the Kodansha Manga Award
Kodansha Manga Award
is an annual award for serialized manga published in the previous year, sponsored by the publisher Kodansha. It is currently awarded in four categories: children's, shōnen, shōjo, and general. The awards began in 1977, initially with categories for shōnen and shōjo. The first award for the...
for shōjo
Shojo
The term refers to manga marketed to a female audience roughly between the ages of 10-18. The name romanizes the Japanese 少女 , literally: "little female". Shōjo manga covers many subjects in a variety of narrative and graphic styles, from historical drama to science fiction — often with a strong...
. As of 2006, the collected volumes of the manga had sold more than 31 million copies in Japan, making it the fifth best-selling shōjo manga ever.
Themes
- The trademark face faultManga iconographyJapanese manga has developed its own visual language or iconography for expressing emotion and other internal character states. This drawing style has also migrated into anime, as many stories are adapted into television shows and films...
of this series, the manga and anime and drama all, in reaction to an awkward "don't know what to say" situation (or sometimes, embarrassment) is the sudden appearance of on a character's face, sometimes with an unexplained gust of wind blowing above that character's head.
Sakura family
- , Live-Action: Ei Morisako
- The title character, Maruko (born May 8, 1965) is a nine-year-old third-gradeEducation in JapanIn Japan, education is compulsory at the elementary and lower secondary levels. Approximately 98% of all students progress to the upper secondary level, which is voluntary . Most students attend public schools through the lower secondary level, but private education is popular at the upper...
student raised in a relatively poor family of six. She is lazy, disorganized and usually late for school, in strong contrast with her neat, calm and tidy older sister (sixth-grader) who must share her room with her. Maruko, like many kids, tries to avoid homework and chores, and she takes advantage of her doting grandfather and squabbles with her sister. Nevertheless, she is a well-meaning child who tries to do good. She is similar to Calvin in Calvin and HobbesCalvin and HobbesCalvin and Hobbes is a syndicated daily comic strip that was written and illustrated by American cartoonist Bill Watterson, and syndicated from November 18, 1985, to December 31, 1995. It follows the humorous antics of Calvin, a precocious and adventurous six-year-old boy, and Hobbes, his...
in that she often uses adult-like language to express her child-like feelings. She has many food dislikes, including nattoNattois a traditional Japanese food made from soybeans fermented with Bacillus subtilis. It is popular especially as a breakfast food. As a rich source of protein and probiotics, nattō and the soybean paste miso formed a vital source of nutrition in feudal Japan. Nattō can be an acquired taste because...
and tomatoes. She loves reading mangaMangaManga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
and is a good artist, and her stated goal is to become a manga artist when she grows up. It is implied that the show is drawn by Maruko herself. Maruko has a problem with her sister cooking and throws whirlwind tantrums. She knows a lot about her mother, father and grandmother.
- , Live-Action: Katsumi Takahashi
- Maruko's father. He was introduced to Maruko's mother by her friend. He drinks every now and then but is a kind loving dad. His birthday is June 20, 1934, making him 40 years old during the series.
- , Live-Action: Michiko Shimizu
- Maruko's mother. She tends to scold Maruko a lot. She is a strict mother but a very pleasant one. She's extremely focused on household finances, and shops mainly at department stores during bargain sales. Her birthdate is May 25, 1934. It is revealed in one episode that her maiden name is Kobayashi.
- , Live-Action: Mayuko FukudaMayuko Fukuda, born on August 4, 1994 in Tokyo, Japan, is a Japanese child actress who made her debut in 1998. She is contracted to talent agency FLaMme.Her father, Kenji Fukuda, is a drummer in the band Kasutera.- Profile :*Nicknames: , *Interests: art...
- Maruko's older sister. She is clever and diligent, the exact opposite of the lazy Maruko. She and Maruko fight often but they get along fine. Her birthday is March 21, 1962, making her 12 in the series.
- Voiced by: Kei TomiyamaKei Tomiyama, better known by his stage name , was a Japanese actor, voice actor, and narrator from Anshan, Manchukuo. During his life, Tomiyama was affiliated with Aoni Production and Production Baobab....
(1990-1995), Takeshi AonoTakeshi Aonois a Japanese voice actor and actor from Asahikawa, Hokkaidō affiliated with Aoni Production. He graduated from Hokkaidō Asahikawa Higashi High School....
(1995-2010), Bin ShimadaBin Shimadais a Japanese voice actor. He is currently affiliated with the talent management firm Aoni Production.-References:* Nakagami, Yoshikatsu et al. "You're Under Arrest: Full Throttle". Newtype USA. pp. 48–49.-External links:...
(2010-), Live-Action: Fuyuki Moto - Maruko's kind but absent-minded grandfather. Naive and easily tricked, he keeps a pet turtle and loves watching TV with Maruko. When feeling distressed or nostalgic, he spontaneously retreats to a surrealSurrealismSurrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
inner world for a few seconds to improvise a sad yet comical haikuHaiku' , plural haiku, is a very short form of Japanese poetry typically characterised by three qualities:* The essence of haiku is "cutting"...
about his state of mind. His birthday is October 3, 1898, making him 76 in the series. The author has said that she used her own grandfather as the model for Tomozou, but that his personality is the opposite of Tomozou's.
- , Live-Action: Yoshie Ichige
- Maruko's grandmother. She's wise and knows what's good for the human body. She was born on April 4, 1904. Her name of Kotake was never known in the series until it appeared in a 4-panel manga (YonkomaYonkomathumb|right|150px|Traditional Yonkoma layout, a comic-strip format, generally consists of gag comic strips within four panels of equal size ordered from top to bottom...
) on July 1, 2007.
Maruko's friends
- , Live-Action: Karen MiyamaKaren Miyamais a Japanese actress. She used to be part of the Gekidan Tohai talent agency, and is now part of Horipro talent agency.-Drama:* Akumado keyakushida ona—Matsunaga Misaki（2010 episode2）* Kimiga yidanohi- sayaka（2010）* IRIS * Uramiya Honpo Special...
Maruko's best friend. She is intelligent and she does not include herself in other activities with Maruko. Nicknamed Tama-chan.
- , Live-Action: Hikaru Mamiya
A really rich boy in Maruko's class who lives in a mansion his caretaker is Mr. Hideji. His mom is always away travelling and so he doesn't see her that often. He also has a butler who drives a limo and picks him up every day from school. Hanawa is mentioned to have a crush on Maruko. His was born on August 7, 1965.
- , Live-Action: Kazuya Sato
Maruo is one of Maruko's classmates and serves as the male class president and always wants to be admired by others. He has very thick glasses because he is a very serious student and studies very hard every day; black lines appear on his face nearly all of the time, especially when he seems euphoric. He is paranoid that his classmates are seeking to replace him as male class president and will target classmates that stand out and do well to discourage them from running against him. His birthday is December 31, thus giving rise to his name.
- Voiced by: Ai OrikasaAi Orikasais a popular Japanese voice actress and singer from Tokyo. She works for Production Baobab. Orikasa is also the Japanese dub voice for Jessica Rabbit in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Her debut work was Shoukoushi Cedie in 1988...
, Tsutomu KashiwakuraTsutomu Kashiwakurais a Japanese voice actor and sound director. He was formerly credited as 柏倉 つとむ .- Primary roles :* young Terry Bogard in Fatal Fury: Legend of the Hungry Wolf* Ryo in Generator Gawl* Glemy Toto in Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ...
, Live-Action: Shinichi Yoneya
Hamaji is the most mischievous student in Maruko's class. Despite this he is the class representative.
- Voiced by: Kazuyo AokiKazuyo Aokiis a Japanese voice actress employed by the talent management firm Kiraboshi.- TV :*Huckleberry Finn in Adventures of Tom Sawyer *Jean in Story of the Alps: My Annette*Susan in the anime version of Himitsu no Hanazono...
(movie) Mami MatsuiMami Matsuiis a Japanese voice actress born in Tokyo, Japan who works for Aoni Production. She is also credited as Mami.-Voice Roles:*Hanasaka Tenshi Ten-Ten-kun - Hideyuki Sakura*Marmalade Boy - Eddy*Mobile Fighter G Gundam - Chibodee Crocket...
, Naomi NagasawaNaomi Nagasawa, now known as is a Japanese voice actress from Toyonaka, Osaka who was formerly represented by Aoni Production and is presently represented by Ken Production. She was once married to Ryōtarō Okiayu, with whom she had a daughter. They are now divorced...
, Live-Action: Keiichi Mochizuki
A boy in Maruko's class with a piglike face and ends his sentences with "buu," the Japanese onomatopoeia for a pig snorting. He is close friend of Hamaji and is always shown with him.
- , Live-Action: Ami Kumagai
She is crazy about Hanawa and does not like other girls being around with him and because Hanawa has a crush on Maruko, she is hard on Maruko. She is studying in standard 3 for the last five years because she is not good in her studies and fails every year. She is the female class president and like Maruko is pretty intent on maintaining her position, even promising along with Maruo to come in the morning to do cleaning and other work so their classmates don't have to.
Despite seeming mean, he actually is a nice boy who once helped Maruko learn how to ride a bicycle.
- , Live-Action: Ryôsuke Makioka
His house was burned down during an accident and made his family poor in the episodes they always show a connection with fire of Nagasama. Therefore he always felt that nobody cares about him, and that everybody is out to laugh about him. He is thus became very aloof and does not talk much to other people except Fujiki, his best friend.
- , Live-Action: Atsushi Sato
A very soft-spoken boy who is the best friend of Nagasawa. He lives alone in his home, causing his parents to go their offices early in the morning and come back late night.
- , Live-Action: Kyôyû Kobayashi
He laughs non-stop about anything good or bad. He is also known as the "classroom idiot boy" (クラスのバカ男子).
- Voiced by: Kappei YamaguchiKappei Yamaguchi, better known by his stage name of , is a Japanese voice actor and actor from Fukuoka, affiliated with Gokū and 21st Century Fox.He is best known for the roles of Ranma Saotome , Jackson Neil , Tombo , Yattaro , InuYasha , Ryuichi Sakuma , L , Usopp...
, Yūsuke NumataYusuke Numatais a seiyū who is affiliated with Aoni Production. His old stage name was .- Television animation :*Atashin'chi *Aoki Densetsu Shoot *Mobile Suit Gundam SEED *Konjiki no Gash Bell!!...
, Live-Action: Hiroto Itô
He is Sugiyama Satoshi's best friend. Both of them love soccer.
- Voiced by: Ako Mayama, Live-Action: Shota Yoshino
Kenichi's best friend. Though they are quite rude, they are very serious when it comes to work. They form a good team and help each other.
- , Live-Action: Rio Asahi
Toshiko is a very obedient and well-mannered girl. She always cares about others and also one of Maruko's and Tama's good friends.
- Voiced by: Sumie BabaSumie Babais a seiyū who was born December 12, 1967, in Tokyo, Japan. She is affiliated with 81 Produce.-Notable voice roles:*Shimarisu-kun in Bonobono *Chisa Tsukamoto in Comic Party , Comic Party Revolution *Kirei in Cool Devices...
, Live-Action: Aoi Yaguchi
She has a crush on Ono Kenichi. She is a bit odd and likes to give cards to people depicting strange faces.
This character only appeared in the first series and was in a trio with Maruko and Tamae.
- Voiced by: Kappei YamaguchiKappei Yamaguchi, better known by his stage name of , is a Japanese voice actor and actor from Fukuoka, affiliated with Gokū and 21st Century Fox.He is best known for the roles of Ranma Saotome , Jackson Neil , Tombo , Yattaro , InuYasha , Ryuichi Sakuma , L , Usopp...
, Atsushi KisaichiAtsushi KisaichiAtsushi Kisaichi is a seiyū who was born in Tokyo. He works for Aoni Production. His hobbies are baseball and tennis.-Anime:* Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion: Shōgo Asahina...
A transfer student from Aichi. He appears Indian despite the fact of getting rejections from his classmates.
- Voiced by: Tsutomu KashiwakuraTsutomu Kashiwakurais a Japanese voice actor and sound director. He was formerly credited as 柏倉 つとむ .- Primary roles :* young Terry Bogard in Fatal Fury: Legend of the Hungry Wolf* Ryo in Generator Gawl* Glemy Toto in Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ...
, Ai OrikasaAi Orikasais a popular Japanese voice actress and singer from Tokyo. She works for Production Baobab. Orikasa is also the Japanese dub voice for Jessica Rabbit in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Her debut work was Shoukoushi Cedie in 1988...
A likeable boy who was nominated by Sekiguchi to be male class president, but conceded the race when Maruo promised to come in and clean every morning so the class didn't have to.
- , Live-Action: Hiroki Omori
He is a fan a Michiru Jo and has digestive problems.
- , Live-Action: Moichiro Kosugi
A fatty who eats a lot.
- , Live-Action: Daiki Ueda
She is in charge of cleaning the classroom.
- , Live-Action: Yumi Kono
A very creepy girl who always jokes. She also likes to make fun of others, especially Maruko. She often spies on people.
- Voiced by: Megumi TanoMegumi Tanois a Japanese actress and voice actress from Fukushima Prefecture. She is well known for her role as Emiko Noguchi in Chibi Maruko-chan. She was formally a member of Arts Vision.- Television animation :*Chibi Maruko-chan - Emiko Noguchi, Himeko Jogasaki...
, Emi MotoiEmi Motoiis a Japanese voice actress.-Anime:*Ai in Inuyasha the Movie: Fire on the Mystic Island* Carline le Britannia in Code Geass*Chisato/Mrs. Roku in Magical Girl Pretty Sammy*Chappu in MÄR*Chouun, Shiryuu in Koihime Musou...
, Live-Action: Kana Okunoya
Sasayama's friend. She has alleged rivalry with Nagasawa.
Fujiki's girlfriend and Himeko's friend.
Other characters
Maruko's homeroom teacher.
Hanawa's butler. He is named after singer Hideki Saijo.
- Voiced by: Kei TomiyamaKei Tomiyama, better known by his stage name , was a Japanese actor, voice actor, and narrator from Anshan, Manchukuo. During his life, Tomiyama was affiliated with Aoni Production and Production Baobab....
→Nobuo TobitaNobuo Tobitais a Japanese seiyū from Mito. He is represented by Arts Vision.He is most known for the roles of Kamille Bidan , Albert Heinrich/004 , and Sueo Maruo...
Shintarō is Tamae's father. He likes photography a lot and whenever he spots Tamae, takes a photo
of her.
Tamae's mother.
Sasaki is fond of trees and grows them. He is fondly called by Maruko- Sasaki Ojichan.
Noritaka's grandfather
Tomiko is Tarō's younger sister
Kazuo is Kimio's father.
Tarō is Kimio's younger brother
Manga
The original Chibi Maruko-chan manga was serialized in the shōjoShojo
The term refers to manga marketed to a female audience roughly between the ages of 10-18. The name romanizes the Japanese 少女 , literally: "little female". Shōjo manga covers many subjects in a variety of narrative and graphic styles, from historical drama to science fiction — often with a strong...
-oriented Ribon Magazine. 14 volumes were published from July 1987 to December 1996, with a 15th volume published in February 2003. On July 2007, a 4-frame version of Chibi Maruko-chan was published in every morning edition of several Japanese newspapers such as the Tokyo Shimbun
Tokyo Shimbun
The Tokyo Shimbun is a Japanese newspaper published by The Chunichi Shimbun Company. The group publishes newspapers under the brand name of The Tokyo Shimbun in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area and under The Chunichi Shimbun in the Nagoya Metropolitan Area. The group’s combined daily morning...
and the Chunichi Shimbun
Chunichi Shimbun
The is a Japanese daily "broadsheet" newspaper published in mostly Aichi Prefecture and neighboring regions by . It is the owner of the Chunichi Dragons baseball team, and is also known as the main organizer of a famous international gymnastics event, the Chunichi Cup...
.
The 16th volume of the manga was published on April 15, 2009.
First
Chibi Maruko-chan originally aired on Fuji TelevisionFuji Television
is a Japanese television station based in Daiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, also known as or CX, based on the station's callsign "JOCX-DTV". It is the flagship station of the Fuji News Network and the ....
. 142 episodes were broadcast, from January 1990 to September 1992. Maruko was voiced
Seiyu
Voice acting in Japan has far greater prominence than in most other countries. Japan's large animation industry produces 60% of the animated series in the world; as a result, Japanese voice actors, or , are able to achieve fame on a national and international level.Besides acting as narrators and...
by Tarako
Tarako
, known simply as Tarako, is a Japanese voice actress and singer-songwriter. Her debut role was as a preschooler on Urusei Yatsura. Tarako is currently employed by the talent management firm Troubadour Musique Office.- TV :...
; other voice actors included Kappei Yamaguchi
Kappei Yamaguchi
, better known by his stage name of , is a Japanese voice actor and actor from Fukuoka, affiliated with Gokū and 21st Century Fox.He is best known for the roles of Ranma Saotome , Jackson Neil , Tombo , Yattaro , InuYasha , Ryuichi Sakuma , L , Usopp...
and Hideki Saijo
Hideki Saijo
is a Japanese singer and television celebrity most famous for singing the Japanese version of the Village People's hit song Y.M.C.A., called Young Man. Although the original version was camp, Saijō's version was intended to seriously inspire "young men"....
. Original manga author Momoko Sakura wrote the teleplay
Teleplay
A teleplay is a television play, a comedy or drama written or adapted for television. The term surfaced during the 1950s with wide usage to distinguish a television plays from stage plays for the theater and screenplays written for films...
for most episodes. The first season was directed by Yumiko Suda and animated by Masaaki Yuasa
Masaaki Yuasa
is an anime television and film director, screenwriter, storyboard artist and animator known for his wild free form style. He was born on March 16, 1965 in Fukuoka, Japan...
(who later directed Mind Game
Mind Game (film)
is a 2004 Japanese animated feature film based on Robin Nishi's Japanese comic of the same name. It was planned, produced and primarily animated by Studio 4°C and adapted and directed by Masaaki Yuasa, with chief animation direction and model sheets by Yūichirō Sueyoshi, art direction by Tōru...
in 2004). The series attained a TV viewer rating of 39.9%, the highest rating ever attained by an animated TV series in Japan at the time. The theme song Odoru Ponpokorin became a hit and was interpreted by several artists including the KinKi Kids
KinKi Kids
is a Japanese duo consisting of Koichi Domoto and Tsuyoshi Domoto under the talent agency Johnny & Associates. Although the members share the same surname, the only relation they have to each other is that they both hail from the Kinki region, hence the duo's name....
and Captain Jack
Captain Jack (band)
Captain Jack is a musical duo, specializing in Eurodance music, originating from Germany.- History :Its members were Francisco Alejandro Gutierrez , and Sunny...
. The series was exported throughout Asia and was especially popular in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. In addition, 65 episodes were dubbed into Arabic (called maruko-alsaghera, which means Little Maruko), where it garnered attention from people of all ages. It also aired in Germany with the same title as the original. It airs weekdays on Nick India in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Opening theme:
- "Yume Ippai" by Yumiko Seki (eps. 1-142)
Ending themes:
- "Odoru Pompokolin" by B.B.QueensB.B.Queenswere a 1990s J-Pop band whose debut single "Odoru Pompokolin" was the #1 song in 1990 on the Oricon charts, won the 32nd Japan Record Awards, was listed as the 3rd song on the JASRAC lists for 1991, and certified as a Million Record.-Compilation albums:...
(eps. 1-66) - "Hashire Shoujiki-mono" by Hideki Saijou (eps. 67-142)
Second
A second series debuted in January 1995, in the 6pm time slot before Sazae-sanSazae-san
is a Japanese comic strip created by Machiko Hasegawa. It was first published in Hasegawa's local paper, the , on April 22, 1946. When the wished to have Hasegawa draw the comic strip for their paper, she moved to Tokyo in 1949 with the explanation that the main characters had moved from Kyūshū to...
on Sunday
evenings. This series was also dubbed into German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and broadcast by RTL II
RTL II
RTL II is a privately owned, commercial, general-interest German television channel.It was founded as a second-generation commercial broadcaster in 1993. It quickly became infamous for its perceived "trash programming", comprising lots of soft porn as well as shows such as Peep and many...
, Super RTL
Super RTL
Super RTL is a Cologne-based German television network operated by RTL Disney Fernsehen GmbH & Co. KG. It was the second German television channel aimed mostly at children...
and Jetix
Jetix
Jetix was a worldwide children's television programming brand owned by The Walt Disney Company. The Jetix brand was used for blocks and channels featuring action-related and adventure-related live-action and animated programming. It was also what Disney eventually turned Fox Kids into...
in Germany.
Opening themes:
- "Ureshii Yokan (Feeling Happy)" by Marina Watanabe (eps. 1-???)
- "Humming ga Kikoeru (Hear the Humming)" by Kahimi Karie (eps. ???-179)
- "Odoru Ponpokorin" by ManaKana & Shigeru Izumiya (eps. 180-253)
- "KinKi no Yaru Ki Man Man Song" by KinKi Kids (eps. 254-294)
- "Odoru Ponpokorin" by B.B.Queens (eps. 295-746)
- "Odoru Ponpokorin (New Version)" by Kaela Kimura (eps. 747-)
- Ending themes:
- "Hari-kiri Jiisan no Rock 'n' Roll" by Hitoshi UekiHitoshi Uekiwas a Japanese actor, comedian, singer, and guitarist. He won six awards for acting. His film credits stretch from 1960 to 1995.Ueki came to fame through the comic jazz-band The Crazy Cats led by Hajime Hana...
(eps. 1-???) - "Akke ni torareta toki no uta" by Tama (eps. ???-179)
- Jaga Buttercorn-san" by ManaKana (eps. 180-230)
- "Chibi Maruko Ondo" by ManaKana (eps. 231-340)
- "Kyuujitsu no Uta (Viva La Viva)" by Delighted Mint (eps. 341-416)
- "Uchuu Dai Shuffle (Shuffle in Outer Space)" by Love Jets (eps. 417-481)
- "Arara no Jumon" by Chibi Maruko-chan with Bakuchu Mondai (eps. 482-current)
Live action
A live action series was shown on Fuji Television in 2006. The series was created to commemorate Chibi Maruko-chans 15th anniversary and had 3 episodes, each 2 hours. All costumes and hairstyles are faithful to the original manga.Both the second television series and the live action series were broadcast in 1080i HDTV.
Video games
All the Game Boy titles (which consists of minigameMinigame
A minigame is a short video game often contained within another video game. A minigame is always smaller or more simplistic than the game in which it is contained. Minigames are sometimes also offered separately for free to promote the main game...
s) were developed by KID
KID
KID, whose name is an acronym of Kindle Imagine Develop, was a Japan-based company specializing in porting and developing bishōjo games....
and published by Takara
Takara
Takara Co., Ltd. was a Japanese toy company founded in 1955, that merged with another prominent Japanese toy company, Tomy Co., Ltd., on March 1, 2006 to form Takara Tomy, also known in English as TOMY Company Ltd....
. The other titles were published by different companies like Namco
Namco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
, Konami
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
, Epoch
Epoch Co.
Epoch Co., Ltd. is a Japanese toy and computer games company founded in 1958 which is best known for manufacturing Barcode Battler and Doraemon video games...
and Banpresto
Banpresto
is a Japanese toy company, best known in America for game development, headquartered in the Shinagawa Seaside West Building in Shinagawa, Tokyo. It was founded April 1977 as Hoei Sangyo, Co. Ltd. The company was renamed Coreland in 1982, and during the 1980s it worked mainly as a subcontractor for...
.
- Chibi Maruko-chan: Uki Uki Shopping (FamicomNintendo Entertainment SystemThe Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
, 1990) - Chibi Maruko-chan: Okozukai Daisakusen (Game BoyGame BoyThe , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
, 1990) - Chibi Maruko-Chan 2: Deluxe Maruko World (Game BoyGame BoyThe , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
, 1991) - Chibi Maruko-chan: Harikiri 365-Nichi no MakiChibi Maruko-chan: Harikiri 365-Nichi no MakiThe Super Famicom video game is based on the shōjo anime of the same name.-Gameplay:The four players must progress through a calendar, either gaining or losing money for each tile he or she lands on depicting a certain action in Japanese. This game is not for people who don't understand Japanese,...
(Super FamicomSuper Nintendo Entertainment SystemThe Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
, 1991) - Chibi Maruko-chan 3: Mezase! Game Taishou no Maki (Game BoyGame BoyThe , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
, 1992) - Chibi Maruko-chan 4: Korega Nihon Dayo Ouji Sama (Game BoyGame BoyThe , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
, 1992) - Chibi Maruko-chan: Quiz de Piihyara (PC Engine, 1992)
- Chibi Maruko-chan: Waku Waku ShoppingChibi Maruko-chan: Waku Waku Shoppingis a Sega Mega Drive strategy game that was released in 1992 to an exclusively Japanese market.-Summary:This video game is about Maruko and her friends goingshopping at an island down south while relaxing. This game uses rules that are familiar to sugoroku fans. Money and happiness can be either...
(Mega Drive, 1992) - Chibi Maruko-chan: Maruko Deluxe Quiz (ArcadeArcade gameAn arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
/Game BoyGame BoyThe , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
/Neo-GeoNeo Geo (console)The is a cartridge-based arcade and home video game system released on July 1, 1991 by Japanese game company SNK. Being in the Fourth generation of Gaming, it was the first console in the former Neo Geo family, which only lived through the 1990s...
, 1995) - Chibi Maruko-chan: Mezase! Minami no Island!!Chibi Maruko-chan: Mezase! Minami no Island!!is an Action/Puzzle game, published by Konami, which was released in Japan in 1995, for the Super Famicom. It is based on the shōjo anime/manga Chibi Maruko-chan.-External links:* at GameFAQs* at superfamicom.org* at super-famicom.jp...
(Super FamicomSuper Nintendo Entertainment SystemThe Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
, 1995) - Chibi Maruko-chan no Taisen Puzzle DamaTaisen Puzzle-Damais a puzzle series developed by Konami.-Games in the series:*Taisen Puzzle-Dama *Tsuyoshi Shikkari Shinasai: Taisen Puzzle-dama - Tsuyoshi Shikkari Shinasai themed...
(Sega SaturnSega SaturnThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
, 1995) - Chibi Maruko-Chan: Maruko Enikki World (PlayStationPlayStationThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
, 1995) - Chibi Maruko-Chan: Go Chounai Minna de Game Dayo! (Game Boy ColorGame Boy ColorThe is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
, 2001) - Chibi Maruko-chan DS Maru-chan no Machi (Nintendo DSNintendo DSThe is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
, 2009)
See also
- Kenta HasegawaKenta Hasegawais a former Japanese international football player. He was a right-footed forward. He managed J. League Division 1 side Shimizu S-Pulse for 6 seasons between 2005 and 2010.-Club:...
(former Japanese international football player). Momoko SakuraMomoko Sakura, pen name , is a Japanese manga artist from Shimizu, Shizuoka Prefecture. She is the creator of the long-running manga Chibi Maruko-chan , based on her own childhood, and the more surreal fantasy anime series Coji-Coji, which ran from 1997 to 1999...
, the author of the manga, created a character called Kentakun who occasionally makes an appearance. He loves football and is a classmate of Chibi Maruko. This character was created after Hasegawa. Sakura and Hasegawa attended the same primary school during the same period.