# Chibi Maruko-chan (1990)

> A curious, sometimes lazy elementary schoolgirl named Maruko moves through everyday life with her family, friends and her doting grandfather in a cozy Japanese town.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/51718

## Facts

- Seasons: 3
- Episodes: 1755
- Episode runtime: 25 min
- Status: Returning Series
- Genres: animation, comedy
- Network: Fuji TV, Tokai Television Broadcasting, Kansai TV, Fukui TV, Hokkaido Cultural Broadcasting, Iwate Menkoi Television, Sendai Television, SAGA TV, Ishikawa TV, TNC, OHK, Kochi Sun Sun Broadcasting, Television Shin Hiroshima System, TV Shizuoka, UMK TV Miyazaki, NST, NBS, Sakuranbo TV, TSK, Ehime Broadcasting, KTS, Fukushima TV, AKT, Toyama Television, TV Kumamoto, Okinawa Television Broadcasting, KTN
- Cast: TARAKO, Yuko Mizutani, Yusaku Yara, Teiyu Ichiryusai, Kei Tomiyama, Yuko Sasaki, Takeshi Aono, Naoko Watanabe
- TMDB rating: 8.0/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0220204/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: subtle
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: nostalgic, gentle, comforting, wistful, joyful

## Synopsis

Chibi Maruko-chan (1990-present) is a long-running Japanese television animated comedy produced in the anime tradition and adapted from the manga by Momoko Sakura, with a multi-decade run spanning 1755 episodes across three seasons. Its heroine is Momoko "Maruko" Sakura, voiced by TARAKO, a sweet, curious and sometimes lazy elementary schoolgirl. Her world is her loving household, shared by her mother Sakiko Sakura (Yuko Mizutani), her father Hiroshi Sakura (Yusaku Yara) and her playful, doting grandfather Tomozo Sakura, voiced by Kei Tomiyama and later Takeshi Aono, while her closest pal Tama-chan anchors a band of loyal classmates. The engine is pure everyday life: crushes, schemes, classroom rivalries, school trips and small obsessions, each episode spinning minor mishaps into big feelings. Nothing is plotted toward a climax; the series is a loose, episodic chain of vignettes that can be dipped into in any order. Its tone is gentle, wistful and comforting, a rose-tinted look back at provincial childhood in a Shizuoka town. Fans of Doraemon, Sazae-san and The Wonder Years will find the same warm, nostalgic, family-centered comfort here.

## Shows like Chibi Maruko-chan

- [Azumanga Daioh (2002)](https://ember.film/tv/11322)
- [Ninja Hattori-kun (1981)](https://ember.film/tv/69279)
- [Doraemon (2005)](https://ember.film/tv/58035)
- [Doraemon (1973)](https://ember.film/tv/51842)
- [Non Non Biyori (2013)](https://ember.film/tv/58886)
- [Cardcaptor Sakura (1998)](https://ember.film/tv/32915)
- [Dr. Slump (1981)](https://ember.film/tv/34550)
- [Moomin (1990)](https://ember.film/tv/59423)
- [Nichijou: My Ordinary Life (2011)](https://ember.film/tv/40597)
- [Laid-Back Camp (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/65911)

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