Kokoro Kikuchi is the new cast member for the role of Maruko in the anime "Chibi Maruko-chan! I'm sure you won't be familiar with her for a while, but please keep an eye on her over the long haul! Seiyu Bulletin]

The sudden death of TARAKO, the previous cast member who played Maruko, was reported on March 8. Currently, the TV anime "Chibi Maruko-chan" is re-running past episodes.

Meanwhile, it was already announced that auditions for new Maruko cast members were being held in parallel.


Ms. Kikuchi has a solid track record, having played many characters in "Boruto: Bolt - Naruto Next Generations" (TV Tokyo), including Uchiha Salad and Toko in "One Piece".
She also appeared in "Chibi Maruko-chan" as "Ohana-chan" in the episode "Maruko, Save the Ghost" that aired on Sunday, August 12, 2018, and one can sense her connection to the show.

Kikuchi's role as Maruko will premiere on Sunday, April 21.

In addition, to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the "Chibi Maruko-chan" anime, "Season Marugo" will be broadcast from Sunday, April 21 to Sunday, June 9! Sakura Momoko Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter Original Story Festival" will be held from Sunday, April 21 to Sunday, June 9. A number of nostalgic masterpieces that will make you chuckle along with Maruko, who will be played by Kikuchi, will be broadcasted.

Kokoro Kikuchi Comment

*Original text

─ Please tell us how you felt when you were chosen to play the role of Maruko.

Kikuchi: I was so surprised that I can hardly remember what I said after my manager called me and said, "It's decided. I was so happy ...... that I was filled with nervousness, relief, anxiety, and other complex emotions that I don't know what they were.

─ ─ What kind of image do you have of the anime "Chibi Maruko-chan"?

Kikuchi: When I turn on the TV at 18:00 on Sunday evenings, I am relieved to see the usual characters there. I think it is an amazing work that has been loved by men and women of all ages because it is always interesting even though it is a story about the daily life of a third grader. It has been over 30 years. The narration and the vertical lines on the faces in between the episodes are familiar now, but when I think back on them, they are very original. Also, when Maru-chan changes her clothes to a "face T-shirt," I feel the arrival of summer.

───What are your future plans for the series?

Kikuchi: I love "Chibi Maruko-chan," which I have watched every week since it started airing. Six years ago, I was invited to work on a "Maruko-chan" production once. Everyone in the cast and staff were cheerful and happy, and TARAKO was at the center of that cheerfulness. When I went to greet him, he responded with a smile, laughed at his co-stars' ad-libs, and smiled happily throughout the recording. From that day on, I fell in love with "Chibi Maruko-chan" even more. To be honest, I am a little scared, but I will do my best to keep my love for "Chibi Maruko-chan" alive. I know it will be a little hard to get used to the name for a while, but I would be very reassured if you could watch over me with a long term perspective. Thank you very much for your kind attention.

The entire "Chibi Maruko-chan" production staff

Original text

Carefree and carefree, but friend-oriented, Maruko loves her family. We wanted someone who could play such a richly expressive and innocent character, so we auditioned as much time as we could spare, and we were able to find Ms. Kokoro Kikuchi. We are confident that she is the perfect choice for the role of Maruko, and we look forward to continuing to work with her, while cherishing the "Maruko" image that Tarako, who has played Maruko for over 30 years, has fostered in her. We will continue to bring you the fun and joyful "Chibi Maruko-chan" together with Mr. Kikuchi. I am sure that there will be immense pressure on her to take over the role of Maruko, which only she herself can understand. Please give her a warm welcome and support her as a member of your family. Please continue to watch "Chibi Maruko-chan" every Sunday.

The whole season! Momoko Sakura: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter Original Story Festival" Synopsis

Sunday, April 21, 2012

Professional Baseball season begins! Volume 1
Father Hiroshi is excited when the professional baseball season starts. On the other hand, Maruko and Tomozo are not happy because the TV channel is changed to baseball. Maruko and Tomozo try to get Hiroshi to give up the channel, but he is too absorbed in baseball to play along.

Sunday, April 28, 2011

Today is Home Visit Day
The season of home visits has come. The house is tidy and everything is ready for the home visit. Maruko is told to clean up her room. Today, her sister and Maruko's teacher come at different times, but Maruko doesn't know that...

The Tutor Arrives
A tutor is coming for her big sister. Maruko, who has always wanted an older brother, is excited to have him play with her. She tries to get the tutor's attention by casually entering the place where her sister is being tutored. At first, Maruko is happy to chat with him, but when he tells her that he will see her later because he has to help her sister with her studies, Maruko sulks and gives her tutor a cold shoulder.

May 5 (Sun.) Broadcast

Everyone is going for a drive.
The father wins a car in a raffle at a party. Maruko, her sister, her father, and her grandfather decide to go for a drive. The beach? A nice meal at a restaurant? They set off on the drive without deciding on a destination. Where are they going to go...?

May 12 (Sun.) Broadcast

A Day at Home in the Hot Summer
A hot day. Maruko asked her mother for an air conditioner because it was too hot to do her homework, but her request was rejected. She calls Hanawa-kun's house where there is an air conditioner, but Hanawa-kun is out of town. She and her grandfather talk about their dreams of becoming rich and buying a cooler, but it is all in vain. Then, Maruko and her sister get into an argument over a beetle that their father brought home...

Sunday, May 19, 2011

Tin Bugs are noisy
The number of tin bugs that Maruko got last year has increased explosively in the Sakura family. Everywhere they go, tinbugs are buzzing noisily. Sakura's elder sister asks her to do something about the tinbugs in the children's room, so she decides to have them kept in grandpa's room. That night, however, Tomozo has a nightmare and decides to take them in again. There was no longer any place for Suzumushi in the Sakura household.

May 26 (Sun.) Broadcast

Maru-chan buys an alarm clock
Maruko's inability to get up from bed annoys her mother, and no matter how many times she is told to get up, she can't. Finally, she is late for school. On the day she is finally late, Maruko sets a goal for the new year: to wake up early, and decides to buy an alarm clock to achieve it. Will Maruko's mornings change...?

Sunday, June 2, 2011

Maruko and her potluck
Tonight's dinner at Sakura's house is a one-pot dish of fugu (blowfish). Maruko is admired by Tamachiyan, but she can only think of dark nabe, and pufferfish nabe doesn't sound right to her. Moreover, she is pale when she hears from Fujiki and Nagasawa about someone who died from pufferfish poison. She goes home and earnestly pleads with her mother to cancel the nabe, but she is not listened to. Maruko's pleas are in vain, and the family looks forward to the fugu-nabe dinner. When Grandpa tries to eat the puffer fish...

Sunday, June 9, 2011

Maruko, defeated by the cold
Maruko is so cold that she does not want to get out of the kotatsu. Even when Tama-chan comes to visit, she never wants to get out of the kotatsu. Her mother yells at her to go into the bathtub, and she finally gets out of the kotatsu, but when she gets out of the bathtub, she finds herself in the kotatsu again. But because he did not get into the futon immediately after getting out of the bathtub, he was naturally cold under the futon...

© Sakura Productions/Nippon Animation