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Chibi Maruko-chan Kimi wo Wasurenai yo Manga Ends in December
posted on by Jabulani Blyden
The December issue of Shueisha's Ribon magazine is revealing on November 2 that Momoko Sakura will end her Chibi Maruko-chan Kimi wo Wasurenai yo (I Won't Forget You) short manga series in the January issue on December 1. Sakura launched the series in September, and it is a direct tie-in to the upcoming Chibi Maruko-chan film, Eiga Chibi Maruko-chan: Italia kara Kita Shōnen (working English title: Chibi Maruko Chan -A Boy from Italy-).
The upcoming film features six children from around the world who visit Maruko's town. One of them, an Italian boy named Andrea, confesses his love to Maruko and tries to court her. The film will also follow Maruko and her classmates as they travel to Kyoto and Osaka.
Sakura herself is in charge of the film's script. Jun Takagi (Chibi Maruko-chan television anime, Legend of the Condor Hero) is directing the film at Nippon Animation, and Fuji Television is producing the film. TOHO will distribute the film. The recently revealed theatrical trailer for the film previewed the guest cast as well as the film's theme songs: Ulfuls' song "Oi!!" and Sakurako Ōhara's "Kimi wo Wasurenai yo" (I Won't Forget You).
The film will open on December 23, and it is commemorating the 25th anniversary of the television anime's broadcast.
The previous film in the franchise, Chibi Maruko-chan: Watashi no Suki na Uta (Chibi Maruko-chan: My Favorite Song), opened in Japan in December 1992.
Sakura serialized the original manga in Ribon from 1986 to 1996. The manga has approximately 32 million copies in print. She launched a four-panel version in a Japanese newspaper in 2007, and she ended that version in 2011.
The original manga inspired the Chibi Maruko-chan television anime that is consistently the #2 rated anime series after Sazae-san. The first anime series ran from 1990 to 1992, and the ongoing second series premiered in 1995. The 1,000th television anime episode aired in 2012, and the show now has more than 1,100 episodes.
The manga has also inspired several live-action specials and television series.
