Author of “Sakura Momoko” Passing away: Thank you for Warming My Childhood

A few days ago, there was the shocking news of Miyazaki Hayao passing away.
《樱桃小丸子》作者离世:谢谢你!温暖过我的童年
How many times has the master “passed away”? Fortunately, this was fake and everything is ok.Today, there came the news that the Sakura Momoko, the author of the cherry pellet, died of breast cancer at the age of 53. Will it be fake again?

《樱桃小丸子》作者离世:谢谢你!温暖过我的童年

《樱桃小丸子》作者离世:谢谢你!温暖过我的童年
《樱桃小丸子》作者离世:谢谢你!温暖过我的童年
Sadly, it is true. The mournful news came all of a sudden, and I didn’t know what to say for a while. Only silence can calm myself down, but when I saw the sincere smile of Sakura Momoko, I couldn’t help but feel grieved.
I still remember that many girls (and probably boys), when they were young, came home from school, and when their parents had not got off work, they quickly turned on the TV and danced to the theme song of “Chi-bi Maruko”. As soon as they heard the footsteps of their parents outside the door, they turned off the TV instantly and put the remote control away.
Abundant childhood memories!
《樱桃小丸子》作者离世:谢谢你!温暖过我的童年
《樱桃小丸子》作者离世:谢谢你!温暖过我的童年
01
We don’t have a network, but we have small balls quotationsAt that time, we didn’t have such a well-developed social network, and we didn’t know that search engines could browse so much information, but we could sum up the classic quotations based on the contents of each of the small balls, excerpts on small books, and share them with our friends after school. See who remembers a lot, the kind of childhood vanity and sense of accomplishment are brought to us by small balls.《樱桃小丸子》作者离世:谢谢你!温暖过我的童年
《樱桃小丸子》作者离世:谢谢你!温暖过我的童年
《樱桃小丸子》作者离世:谢谢你!温暖过我的童年
As I grew up, I found the world full of utilitarians. Everyone strives for the better and the higher, motivating people around them to strive hard, too.However, Chi-bi Maruko let me know, even as an ordinary people, I could still find my own little fortune, and try the tastes of sour, sweet, bitter and salty comprehensively.
《樱桃小丸子》作者离世:谢谢你!温暖过我的童年
Maruko is not perfect, with a number of shortcomings – Gluttonous,fond of sleeping, not willing to write homework and Sometimes even skipping lessons by faking ill. Once, Maruko tried to get herself nosebleed in order not to go to school, yet she ended up knocking her nose on the weekend, blood flowing, which scared herself to death. At that time, she imagined a possible drama in her mind, fearing that she would die of losing too much blood.
《樱桃小丸子》作者离世:谢谢你!温暖过我的童年
《樱桃小丸子》作者离世:谢谢你!温暖过我的童年
Nowadays, parents are desperately cultivating their children’s abilities comprehensively in order that their children do not lose from the beginning. However, it actually implants their unfinished dreams onto their children, turning children into their replicas and depriving them of their original innocence.Thanks to the author Sakura Momoko, who presents a child’s due look to us, even if not perfect, it being the most authentic. The three hundred episodes contain countless amusing yet touching stories, which cure us in laughter and tears:Maruko, who are always unwilling to get out of the bed like us.

《樱桃小丸子》作者离世:谢谢你!温暖过我的童年
Maruko,who prepares the gift for Mothers Day quietly while expecting the response from her mother.
 《樱桃小丸子》作者离世:谢谢你!温暖过我的童年

Maruko,who is optimistic, somewhat narcissistic and always dawdling.

 

《樱桃小丸子》作者离世:谢谢你!温暖过我的童年
《樱桃小丸子》作者离世:谢谢你!温暖过我的童年
《樱桃小丸子》作者离世:谢谢你!温暖过我的童年

The confidant and innocent little girl with bangs.

《樱桃小丸子》作者离世:谢谢你!温暖过我的童年

《樱桃小丸子》作者离世:谢谢你!温暖过我的童年

Always delighted and content.

《樱桃小丸子》作者离世:谢谢你!温暖过我的童年

《樱桃小丸子》作者离世:谢谢你!温暖过我的童年

Without glory of protagonist, Maruko is still afraid of loneliness and sadness.

《樱桃小丸子》作者离世:谢谢你!温暖过我的童年

《樱桃小丸子》作者离世:谢谢你!温暖过我的童年

Also, that bestie friendship that made countless little girls envy- Maruko and Xiaoyu.

《樱桃小丸子》作者离世:谢谢你!温暖过我的童年

She is really, really cute!

Just as some netizen said: “I like Maruko so much, who is reminiscent of myself as a child.”

So “Even if no one favors Maruko, I insist favoring her the most.”

Although Maruko is a Japanese anime image, distinct in spatial geography and time span, Maruko still wins a large number of fans worldwide, which demonstrates the charm of animation culture.

02

Ordinary, but Flowing with Love

What I love most is Maruko’s family.

Before talking about the Maruko’s family, let’s first take a look at her classmate Hanawa Kazuhiko, a son of a truly rich family. There was once a post on Internet specifically discussing “How rich is Kazuhiko’s family.”

Going through only a few episodes, I discovered that the author has made an effort to reflect the financial resources of the Kazuhiko’s family. Once, Kazuhiko’s housekeeper reflected upon the past when Kazuhiko’s grandpa was young. The grandpa took out a precious vase, which was “a gift from the French aristocrats 300 years ago”. This small detail not only suggests the wealth of the Kazuhiko family, but also reflects the family power of the nobles. Now recalling, it turns out that when I was a child, I was too simple (poor) to understand these details.

《樱桃小丸子》作者离世:谢谢你!温暖过我的童年
《樱桃小丸子》作者离世:谢谢你!温暖过我的童年
《樱桃小丸子》作者离世:谢谢你!温暖过我的童年
Ok, wake up, don’t indulge in the family of Kazuhiko. After all, we are most similar to Maruko’s family. I remember one episode called “Our family is Really Poor”, and the straightforward title makes people trembling. With the temperature is below zero in winter and no heating at home, the whole family could only sit around the dinner table, cover the legs with a cold quilt, stare at a TV without a remote control, and tremble. When eating Hot pot, they are even more economical, putting in only half of the main dish. Whether you can catch a piece of meat depends on your personal luck.
《樱桃小丸子》作者离世:谢谢你!温暖过我的童年
This circumstance is reminiscent of Shin-chan saying “It will take another 32 years for our family to pay off the mortgage”. However, Shin-chan would still say that, “I would always be with my father, mother, Xiaokui and Xiaobai.”And Maruko would still say that, “It is so good being in poverty, because love is the best main course when the family sit neatly together to eat hot pot.”
It is also such a family that has cultivated a good-natured, confident, honest and widely-favored Maruko.
《樱桃小丸子》作者离世:谢谢你!温暖过我的童年
Anyone familiar with “Chi-bi Maruko” knows that almost each of the characters in the story has a prototype in the author’s real life, with even very similar names and appearances.
However, there are two people being exceptions. One is her classmate Kazuhiko, who owns a wealth and cares greatly about Maruko, does not exist. The other is Grandpa…. Although the author has a grandfather, he often beat her instead of bringing happiness to her. In contrast to the harsh reality, the grandfather in “Chi-bi Maruko” is so adorable and kind. Sakura Momoko didn’t blame others in her works, nor did she complain and resent the reality. Instead, she passed on her best vision with action.
《樱桃小丸子》作者离世:谢谢你!温暖过我的童年
《樱桃小丸子》作者离世:谢谢你!温暖过我的童年
Speaking of the family of the comic writer, here I have to mention her personal struggling history.
“When drinking water, never forget the one who dug the wells.” Without Sakura Momoko, there will be no “Chi-bi Maruko”.
So let’s bear her in our minds– this great creator who brings our childhood so much joy.03“Never compromise. Go forward.”

In fact, Sakura Momoko is not the author’s original name. she was originally called Miura Miki.
Born into a family selling fruits and vegetables in Shimizu City, Shizuoka-ken’s family is not rich,just like like Maruko in the animation.

According to her friends, Miura Miki thought that selling fruit and vegetables is not cool, and did not like to eat the leftovers.

But such a somewhat picky girl had had a dream that seems to be out of reach since she was a child – becoming a cartoonist.

After graduating from school, she worked in a company’s sales department for two months, when she began to use her spare time to draw comics.

Once they have a dream, people become terribly powerful.”

Because of painting, Miura Miki often stayed up late, causing sleepiness during daytime, even bumping into her computer several times as she dozed off.

As lack of sleep seriously affected her job, her boss once criticized her, asking, “Do you want comics or work?” She blurted out: “Comics.”

After that, she never looked back. According to Wikipedia, she was only 19 years old when she officially debuted.

After two years’ hard work, she created “Sakura Momoko” under the name of “Cherry Maruko”, which was serialized in the comic magazine Ribon.

《樱桃小丸子》作者离世:谢谢你!温暖过我的童年
In 1990, after being adapted to a TV animation by Fuji TV, it immediately won favors from a large audience, becoming the TV series with the highest ratings in Japanese animation history since September 26th, 1977.During the creation, she married the chief comic planner, Yongzheng Yong, and had a child cherry hamimelon.But as her husband constantly interferes with her creation, even if they has lived together for nine years, she had to end this relationship.

Because in Miura’s heart, painting comics matters most.

As she said: “My character is “never-give-up”, so I always accept all kinds of challenges with a smile”. Only in this way can she can realize her dream and finally create this classic animation based on her own childhood experiences.

04

“Always keep the true self, always be respected.

She never attended occasions like a public visit, even at the 30th anniversary of the “Sakura Momoko”, she did not show up.

However, according to her friend Wang Youliang, Miura Miji in her adulthood is not as lazy as Sakura Momoko in the animation, but rather diligent. At the same time, she does not live regularly as many creators do. Not only does she sings karaoke and drinks overnight, but she smokes.

《樱桃小丸子》作者离世:谢谢你!温暖过我的童年
However, the image of this author with various hobbies in real life is very similar to Sakura Momoko: saving bangs, hair clinging to the round cheeks and always wearing a smile.
She is really so cute as Sakura Momoko.
《樱桃小丸子》作者离世:谢谢你!温暖过我的童年
According to reports online, Miura Miki does not like to expose her photos to the public. It is said that that even when her own photos were used in school materials, she merely handed in an illustration.
With such a unique personality, in addition to being a painter and writer, she is also a lyricist, the most famous work being the classic theme song of “Sakura Momoko” -“Let’s Dance”. I believe that anyone who has seen “Sakura Momoko” will not forget the joyful climax of the song – “pi pa pi / pi pa/ ba ba ba ba”.There are also the kind-hearted grandfather of Momoko, the mother who teaches Momoko, her close friend Xiao Yu and her wealthy friend Hanawa Kazuhiko.

These lively characters, shaped by Miura Miji, have accompanied us throughout our childhood.

《樱桃小丸子》作者离世:谢谢你!温暖过我的童年

At the 30th anniversary of her debut, she once said: “In the past 30 years, despite happiness or hardships, everyone has let me live as a painter for a very happy time.Words fail to describe my gratitude to them.”
《樱桃小丸子》作者离世:谢谢你!温暖过我的童年
Yet it is us who should thank her, as this real-life version of Momoko brought us too many good memories and touching moments. Although she has now left the world, the brilliant ideas conveyed by her “Sakura Momoko” will be inherited by us.

《樱桃小丸子》作者离世:谢谢你!温暖过我的童年
The Mourning picture for the author of “Sakura Momoko”, painted by the author of “One Piece”.

Happiness is never created deliberately, but integrated into life. Thanks to the author Cherry Maruko and her “Sakura Momoko”, we have had a delightful childhood.

《樱桃小丸子》作者离世:谢谢你!温暖过我的童年

Source: Sina

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