Marumo no Okite
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese television series which premiered on Fuji TV on April 24, 2011. This television series stars Sadao Abe
Sadao Abe
is a Japanese actor and musician from Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, and his real name is . His popularity started as the lead singer of the Japanese rock band Group Tamashii...

 as Mamoru Takagi, a public relations officer with a stationary company. It also stars child actors Fuku Suzuki and child actress Mana Ashida
Mana Ashida
is a Japanese child actress, Tarento and singer from Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture. She is currently represented by JobbyKids.Mana Ashida first acted Asahi Broadcasting Corporation's ABC Short Movie 2, though she rose to prominence only after she starred in the popular television drama Mother...

 as Mamoru's late friend Jun-ichiro's twin children.

The television series was broadcasted as part of the Fuji TV's Dramatic Sunday time slot, which airs every Sunday from 9pm to 9:54pm.

Plot

Mamoru Takagi's best friend, Jun-ichiro Sasakura, suddenly dies from cancer, leaving behind his twin children, Kaoru and Tomoki. The children's mother had already abandoned them when they were young, and they have no other dependents left. The twin's relatives argue over who will take responsibility for them, and in the end, the twins are separated. However, the twins are extremely close, and both run away from their respective foster families. Marumo manages to find them, and after a brief struggle to bring them back, Marumo gives in and agrees that the twins can stay with him. Along the way back, a dog, which has been following Tomoki, follows them back to Marumo's house.

Marumo has no parenting experience, however, makes a lousy parent. He manages to care for them, together with the help of his landlord and the landlord's daughter. Over time, they face many challenges, with Marumo trying hard to balance his time between his work and taking care of the twins.

Takagi's Household

  • Sadao Abe
    Sadao Abe
    is a Japanese actor and musician from Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, and his real name is . His popularity started as the lead singer of the Japanese rock band Group Tamashii...

     as
Marumo is a single man working in the customer center for the leading stationery manufacturer "Akebono Stationery Company". The young Mamoru was played by Takanori Shimizu.
  • Mana Ashida
    Mana Ashida
    is a Japanese child actress, Tarento and singer from Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture. She is currently represented by JobbyKids.Mana Ashida first acted Asahi Broadcasting Corporation's ABC Short Movie 2, though she rose to prominence only after she starred in the popular television drama Mother...

     as
  • Fuku Suzuki as

Izakaya "Kujira"

  • Masanori Sera as
  • Manami Higa as

Akebono Stationary Company

  • Masato Ibu
    Masato Ibu
    ' is a Japanese actor and voice actor.-Films:*Maison Ikkoku *Empire of the Sun as Sgt. Nagata*Sukeban Deka *Dr. Akagi *Taboo *Godzilla vs...

     as
  • Saori Takizawa as
  • Yu Koyanagi as
  • Masako Chiba
    Masako Chiba
    is a Japanese long-distance runner, who won the bronze medal in 10,000 metres at the 1997 World Championships in Athens and in the marathon race at the 2003 World Championships in Paris.-Achievements:-Personal bests:*5000 metres - 15:20.58 min...

     as
  • Erika Tonooka (Idoling!!!) as
  • Hiroyuki Yamamoto as
  • Tomohiro Ogawa as
  • Nobuaki Mitsuda as

Hirokawa Elementary School, Sumida

  • Shinji Rokkaku as

Class 1 of the 1st grade
  • Yasunari Kijima as
  • Miyu Honda as
and others

Others

  • Shingo Katsurayama as
His childhood version was played by Junki Shimoda.
  • Satoshi Nikaido as
  • Kyoko Maya as
  • Mayu Tsuruta
    Mayu Tsuruta
    Mayu Tsuruta is an actress. In 1996 she was nominated by the Award of the Japanese Academy for Best Supporting Actress in the film Kike wadatsumi no koe Last Friends...

     as
  • Miyoko Yoshimoto as
  • Kazuya Kojima (UN-JASH) as
  • Kotaro Tanaka as

Production

Marumo no Okite was first announced by Fuji TV on February 25, 2011. Apparently, the name "Marumo" comes from the children's mispronunciation of Mamoru's name. "Okite" means a promise in the Japanese language
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...

.

This television series will star actor Sadao Abe
Sadao Abe
is a Japanese actor and musician from Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, and his real name is . His popularity started as the lead singer of the Japanese rock band Group Tamashii...

, child actor Fuku Suzuki and child actress Mana Ashida
Mana Ashida
is a Japanese child actress, Tarento and singer from Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture. She is currently represented by JobbyKids.Mana Ashida first acted Asahi Broadcasting Corporation's ABC Short Movie 2, though she rose to prominence only after she starred in the popular television drama Mother...

. Sadao Abe will play Mamoru Takagi, a single man who is also an employee at a stationery maker. He said that he had "suddenly become a father on Sunday nights" and that he looked forward to his role in this series. Actress Mana Ashida previously made headlines in Japan for being the youngest lead star in a Japanese television drama when she starred in a NTV
Nippon Television
is a television network based in the Shiodome area of Minato, Tokyo, Japan and is controlled by the Yomiuri Shimbun publishing company. Broadcasting terrestrially across Japan, the network is commonly known as , contracted to , and abbreviated as "NTV" or "AX".-Offices:*The Headquarters : 6-1,...

 2-hour long special Sayonara Bokutachi no Youchien. She is also noted for her role in the 2009 television series Mother. This will be her first lead role in a Japanese television series. Together with child actor Suzuki Fuku, they will play Mamoru's deceased friend's twin children.

On April 4, 2011, it was announced that Mana Ashida
Mana Ashida
is a Japanese child actress, Tarento and singer from Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture. She is currently represented by JobbyKids.Mana Ashida first acted Asahi Broadcasting Corporation's ABC Short Movie 2, though she rose to prominence only after she starred in the popular television drama Mother...

 and her co-star Fuku Suzuki will team up to produce this drama's theme song in their debut as singers. The duo will release the song under the temporary banner of . This theme song will be entitled , and it will include sections where the talking dog, Mook, will sing. The song takes its name from the fact that Ashida will play the character Kaoru, while Suzuki will play the character named Tomoki. The Mook is from the talking dog's name. Hamada Miwako, the choreographer for the hit song Gake no Ue no Ponyo was the song's choreographer. The single album
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

 for the song Maru Maru Mori Mori!
Maru Maru Mori Mori!
is the first single by the group Kaoru to Tomoki, Tamani Mook, released on 25 May 2011. This group is specially formed for the Fuji Television television drama series Marumo no Okite, and consists of actor Suzuki Fuku and actress Mana Ashida, both of whom are the lead stars in the drama series...

was released on May 25th.

Additionally, Ryo Oka voiced the talking dog, Mook

In the last episode of Marumo no Okite, it was revealed that the show will have a special program, but it said that the program's broadcast date was unconfirmed. Later, on September 2, Fuji TV announced that this program will be aired on October 9, 2011.

Broadcast

Marumo no Okite was aired in the Fuji Television's Dramatic Sunday television drama time slot, which is aired on Sundays, 9pm to 9:54pm. The series debuted on April 24, 2011, and its first episode was extended by an extra 20 minutes. Its seventh episode was also extended by an extra 10 minutes.

The last episode of this series was extended by an extra 30 minutes. Before the airing of this episode, a special program entitled was aired. The program was hosted by the lead stars Mana Ashida
Mana Ashida
is a Japanese child actress, Tarento and singer from Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture. She is currently represented by JobbyKids.Mana Ashida first acted Asahi Broadcasting Corporation's ABC Short Movie 2, though she rose to prominence only after she starred in the popular television drama Mother...

 and Fuku Suzuki. The last episode also featured a special guest appearance by AKB48
AKB48
AKB48 is a Japanese female idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto.The group has achieved enormous popularity in Japan. Its ten latest consecutive singles topped the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart...

 member Atsuko Maeda, who would be starring as Mizuki Ashiya in the following television series Hanazakari no Kimitachi e -Ikemen Paradice-2011
Hanazakari no Kimitachi e (2011 TV series)
is a 2011 Japanese television series. It is a remake of the 2007 drama series of the same name which is also based on the manga Hana Kimi, but it will feature an entirely new cast.-Cast:* Atsuko Maeda as Mizuki Ashiya* Aoi Nakamura as Izumi Sano...

.

In an announcement made on September 2, 2011, it was announced that the Marumo no Okite SP will be aired on 9 October 2011 at 9pm on Fuji TV. The show will retain its main cast, and it will be a two hours long special program.

Episodes

Episode title Romanized title Translation of title Broadcast date Ratings
Ep. 1
独身男と双子が家族!? 犬がつなげた絆
Dokushin otoko to futago ga kazoku!?-Inu ga tsunageta kizuna
A single man and two kids are family!? The bond with a dog
April 24, 2011
11.6%
Ep. 2
今日からここがおまえらの家
Kyō kara koko ga omae-ra no ie
From today, this will be you guys' home
May 1, 2011
12.9%
Ep. 3
入学式、マルモは来ないの?
Nyūgaku-shiki, marumo wa konai no?
Marumo, aren't you coming for the school entrance ceremony?
May 8, 2011
12.3%
Ep. 4
マルモがいない夜に大事件!!
Marumo ga inai yoru ni dai jiken!!
Something major happened at night when Marumo was out!!
May 15, 2011
12.7%
Ep. 5
母ちゃんが双子を返せって…
Kāchan ga futago o kaesette…
My mom told me to give up the twins…
May 22, 2011
15.6%
Ep. 6
マルモの顔なんて見たくない
Marumo no kao nante mitakunai
Marumo, I don't ever want to see your face
May 29, 2011
15.6%
Ep. 7
双子の実母、ついに現る! 涙のお誕生日パーティー
Futago no jitsubo, tsuini genru! Namida no o tanjō-bi pātī
The Mother of the Twins Revealed at Last! A Birthday Party in Tears
June 5, 2011
16.1%
Ep. 8
双子がいたら恋はできない?
Futago ga itara koi wa dekinai?
Can't I fall in love with you because of the twins?
June 12, 2011
16.8%
Ep. 9
オレ、薫に手上げちゃった
Ore, Kaoru ni te age chatta
I knocked Kaoru down
June 19, 2011
17.2%
Ep. 10
おばちゃんは、ママですか?
Oba-chan wa, mamadesu ka?
Is that lady our mom?
June 26, 2011
15.6%
Ep. 11
おきてを守ったから
ずっと楽しかったよ。
マルモありがとう、
そしてさようなら
Okite o mamottakara
zutto tanoshikatta yo.
Marumo arigatō,
soshite sayōnara
Protected from happenings,
we are very happy!
Thank you and goodbye Marumo.
July 3, 2011
23.9%
Ratings for Kanto region
Kanto region
The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa. Within its boundaries, slightly more than 40 percent of the land area is the Kantō Plain....

 (average rating: 15.48%)
Special
マルモのおきてスペシャル
薫と友樹、友だちの願いをかなえるために
カッパさがしの大冒険
マルモがいつか結婚して子どもができても、
薫と友樹のことをずっと好きでいてね
Marumo no okite supesharu
Kaoru to Tomoki, tomodachi no negai o kanaeru tame ni
Kappa sagashi no dai bōken
Marumo ga itsuka kekkon shite kodomo ga dekite mo,
Kaoru to Tomoki no koto o zutto sukide ite ne
The special law of Marumo
Kaoru and Tomoki, in order to help their friend
goes on an adventure to look for Kappa
Marumo will be married and have children someday,
However, I will forever love Kaoru and Tomoki
October 9, 2011
16.7%

Reception

Marumo no Okite was scheduled at the same time slot as the much anticipated television drama JIN 2 that is shown on the TBS
Tokyo Broadcasting System
, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....

's Sundays 9:00pm Drama slot. However,
Asahi Shinbun reported on 7 June 2011 that Marumo no Okite managed to get within a 2.6% rating difference. Later, the 7th episode ratings crossed the 20% marking and reaching a high of 21.1%, rivaling JIN 2's peak of 23.7%. On the same day, JIN 2 posted an average rating of 18.7% and viewership peaked 21.5%.

Marumo no Okite debuted with an average rating of 11.6% for its first episode, with the viewership in Sendai (Sendai TV) reaching a high of 17.2% in that episode. Later, the drama's 7th episode managed to garner an average rating of 16.1% in the Kantō region
Kanto region
The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa. Within its boundaries, slightly more than 40 percent of the land area is the Kantō Plain....

 (Fuji TV). During that episode, the viewership briefly peaked at 9.57pm with a rating of 21.1%, marking the first time the drama has crossed the 20% mark.

Marumo no Okites final episode garnered a 23.9% rating in the Kantō region and a rating of 20.6% in the Kansai Region (Kansai TV). The viewership rating peaked at 27.5% during the time period from 10:14pm to 10:16pm. The average rating of this episode is 6.7 percentage points more than the previous record set by the eighth episode.

Actress Mana Ashida
Mana Ashida
is a Japanese child actress, Tarento and singer from Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture. She is currently represented by JobbyKids.Mana Ashida first acted Asahi Broadcasting Corporation's ABC Short Movie 2, though she rose to prominence only after she starred in the popular television drama Mother...

 received the "Best Performance by an Actress" award at the 2011 Tokyo Drama Awards for her role in Marumo no Okite. She shared this award with actress Kyoka Suzuki, who won the award for her role in the NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....

 television series Second Virgin
Second Virgin
is a Japanese television drama series that aired on NHK in 2010.-Cast:* Kyōka Suzuki as Rui Nakamura* Kyoko Fukada as Marie Suzuki* Hiroki Hasegawa as Kō Suzuki* You as Akiko* Gō Ayano as Ryō Nakamura...

.

Original Soundtrack Album

The was released on June 1, 2011 by Pony Canyon
Pony Canyon
is a Japanese company, established on October 1, 1966 , which publishes music, DVD and VHS videos, movies and video games. It is a subsidiary of Japanese Media Group, Fujisankei Communications Group.-History:...

. It was released in the CD format, and it contains 75 minutes worth of soundtracks.

Track Listing

External Links

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