Voice actor TARAKO’s thank-you party – Chibi Maruko-chan family, Koichi Yamadera, Ryusei Nakao and others send farewell wordsIn memory of voice actress TARAKO, who passed away on March 4, 2024, the “TARA-chan Thank You Gathering ~To You, My Dear One~” was held on June 15. More than 800 people attended the first part of the ceremony.

The ceremony was attended by people who had close ties with TARAKO, including Shimizu Kenji, the original producer of the anime “Chibi Maruko-chan,” voice actors Nakao Ryusei, Keaton Yamada, Yamadera Kouichi, weather forecaster Kihara Minoru, and Bakusho Mondai.

At one point, the audience sang along to the anime theme song, “Odoru Pompokorin.” The Chibi Maruko-chan family, including Yusaku Yara, who plays Hiroshi, Bin Shimada, who plays Tomozou, Yuko Sasaki, who plays Kotake, and Machiko Toyoshima, who plays Sakiko, clapped along and sang together, creating a lively atmosphere in the venue.

TARAKO began working in 2024 while recovering from illness. Her condition suddenly worsened, and she passed away on March 4th at the age of 63. She played the role of Maruko, the main character in the anime series Chibi Maruko-chan, which began airing in 1990, for 34 years from the first broadcast. She was cast because her voice sounds similar to that of the original author, Sakura Momoko.

The role of Maruko has been replaced by Kikuchi Kokoro.

(C) Sakura Production / Nippon Animation