In Memoriam ’24] TARAKO, When “Chibimaruko-chan” and Music Were Both His “Main Business

In 1924, many prominent people sadly passed away. We look back on the activities of the past and remember the deceased, based on the articles we have introduced in the past.

Failed audition for “Ram-chan

On March 4, Tarako, who voiced Maruko, the main character in the TV animation series “Chibi Maruko-chan” (Fuji Television), passed away at the age of 63. The cause of his death has not been disclosed.

In November 2011, it was discovered that Mr. TARAKO had been suffering from a serious illness. In February, he continued recording in his hospital room, but his condition suddenly changed.

Mr. TARAKO was born in Ota City, Gunma Prefecture. When she was a high school student, she created an anime club because of her admiration for the anime “Lupin the Third,” and moved to Tokyo after graduation. She enrolled in a vocational school for visual arts. Her debut as a voice actress was as a kindergartener in the 1981 anime “Urusei Yatsura. She auditioned for the role of the heroine, Ram, but was not selected. However, her distinctive voice caught the attention of the staff, and she continued to appear in almost every subsequent episode in supporting roles as a high school girl or a passerby. However, he could not make a living only as a voice actor, and had to work at all kinds of part-time jobs, including a supermarket tasting sales clerk, a convenience store clerk, and a traffic surveyor.

When I was a student, I was even allowed to sing at a restaurant where a friend of mine had a part-time job. This led to his acquaintance with the president of the music agency to which he would later belong, and he also made his debut as a singer-songwriter in 1983.

When she auditioned for the role of Maruko in “Chibi Maruko-chan,” which she has been in charge of since 1990, she was initially chosen to play another voice actress. However, a second audition was held because it was deemed not to fit the image of the original author, Sakura Momoko. The second audition was held, and Ms. Tarako, whose voice and manner of speaking were similar to Sakura’s, was chosen. As “Chibi Maruko-chan” became a national sensation, TARAKO’s distinctive voice also became famous, and she began to work on commercials and narrations. In addition to voice acting, she continued to engage in a wide range of other activities, including singer-songwriter, theater company leader, and actor.

This magazine interviewed TARAKO in the October 16, 1990 issue. It closely followed her musical activities, which had begun to attract attention as a voice actress playing the role of Maruko. Here is an article from that time.

I wanted to sing as much as I could in “Ikaten

I have been performing live with my friends since I was a student. Including my amateur days, it’s been nine years now.

At the time she said this, TARAKO (age not disclosed) was performing once a month at a live house in Yotsuya, Tokyo, and was scheduled to release her sixth album in November. Which was her main job, voice acting or music?

I love voice acting, so both are my main job. It’s kind of a 50-50 split. This is my seventh year as a voice actor. I’ve always worked only in animation, but I want to work in foreign films as well. I really want to do the voice of Olivia Hussey in “Romeo and Juliet.

…… At that time, TARAKO was very busy with TV appearances and magazine interviews. She also appeared as a judge on “Ikaten” (“Yuji Miyake’s Ikasu Band Tengoku”, one corner of TBS’s “Heisei Meimono TV”). When asked how he felt about it, he replied, “But I wanted to be a part of it. I wanted to sing with all my might,” was the musician’s reply.

She was not accustomed to being called out to strangers on the street, “Oh, you’re Tarako. But when she went on stage to perform, she was a completely different person . The reporter who was in charge of the interview was surprised to see how majestic and experienced she was.

At the time, she probably had no idea that she would continue to work on “Chibi Maruko-chan” for 34 years. The last episode in which he appeared, “Maruko, Can You Taste the Water?” aired 20 days after his death. TARAKO continued to be the one and only “Maruko” until the episode “Maruko, Can You Taste the Water?

When Momoko Sakura, the original author of “Chibi Maruko-chan,” passed away in 2006, TARAKO-san said the following in her memorial comment

Dear Momoko-sensei. When I go there, I hope you will have a lot of fun with me in a similar voice. I hope you have lots of fun there.

May you rest in peace.