Marumo no Okite

Marumo no Okite
Poster
Also known as	Marumo
Genre	Drama
Format	Heartful comedy
Created by	Madoka Takiyama (Fuji TV) Ayako Mizuno
Written by	Tsuyoshi Sakurai Kumiko Aso
Directed by	Keita Kono (Kyodo TV) Hidenori Joho Miyako Yasojima
Starring	Sadao Abe Mana Ashida
Theme music composer	Koji Miyashita
Ending theme	"Maru Maru Mori Mori!" by Kaoru to Tomoki, Tamani Mook
Composer(s)	Hiroyuki Sawano Yutaka Yamada
Country of origin	Japan
Language(s)	Japanese
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	11
Production
Producer(s)	Fumi Hashimono (Kyodo TV)
Cinematography	Seiichi Ito
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	54 minutes Ep. 1: 20-minute extension Ep. 7: 10-minute extension Ep. 11: 30-minute extension
Production company(s)	Fuji TV Kyodo TV
Broadcast
Original channel	Fuji TV
Picture format	HDTV 1080i
Audio format	Stereophonic
Original run	April 24, 2011 (2011-04-24) – July 3, 2011 (2011-07-03)
External links
official page

Marumo no Okite (マルモのおきて^?, lit. Marumo's Rule) is a Japanese television series which premiered on Fuji TV on April 24, 2011.^[1] This television series stars Sadao Abe as Mamoru Takagi, a public relations officer with a stationary company. It also stars child actors Fuku Suzuki and child actress Mana Ashida 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.

Cast

Takagi's Household

• Sadao Abe as Mamoru Takagi (高木 護^?, 38, nicknamed "Marumo")

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 as Kaoru Sasakura (笹倉 薫^?, 6→7, Jun-ichiro Sasakura's daughter, a twin sister)
• Fuku Suzuki as Tomoki Sasakura (笹倉 知樹^?, 6→7, Jun-ichiro Sasakura's son, a twin brother)
• Mook (ムック^?, Miniature Schnauzer, voiced by Ryo Oka^[2])

Izakaya "Kujira"

• Masanori Sera as Yosuke Hatanaka (畑中 陽介^?, 50, the master of the izakaya "Kujira" and the owner of Marumo's apartment)
• Manami Higa as Aya Hatanaka (畑中 彩^?, 25, Yosuke's daughter)

Akebono Stationary Company

• Masato Ibu as Yuzo Samejima (鮫島 勇三^?, 55, the chief of the customer center)
• Saori Takizawa as Kana Makimura (牧村 かな^?, 30, Public Relations Department)
• Yu Koyanagi as Takanori Mashima (真島 孝則^?, 25, customer center)
• Masako Chiba as Tamiko Shiozawa (塩沢 民子^?, 45, customer center)
• Erika Tonooka (Idoling!!!) as Rinka Ozaki (尾崎 凛花^?, 22, a temp for the customer center)
• Hiroyuki Yamamoto as Yusaku Ando (安藤 祐作^?, customer center)
• Tomohiro Ogawa as Ryohei Shinohara (篠原 良平^?, customer center)
• Nobuaki Mitsuda as Shuichi Nakanishi (中西 修一^?, customer center)

Hirokawa Elementary School, Sumida

• Shinji Rokkaku as Hideo Sugishita (杉下 秀男^?, Kaoru and Tomoki's teacher (Class 1 of the 1st grade))

Class 1 of the 1st grade

• Yasunari Kijima as Hayato Taniguchi (谷口 隼人^?)
• Miyu Honda as Manami Endo (遠藤 まなみ^?)

and others

Others

• Shingo Katsurayama as Jun-ichiro Sasakura (笹倉 純一郎^?, Marumo's best friend, Kaoru and Tomoki's father, dies of cancer at age 38)

His childhood version was played by Junki Shimoda.

• Satoshi Nikaido as Akihito Sasakura (笹倉 秋人^?, Jun-ichiro's elder brother, Kaoru and Tomoki's uncle, Episodes 1, 2, 6 and 7)
• Kyoko Maya as Setsuko Takagi (高木 節子^?, Marumo's mother, Episode 5)
• Mayu Tsuruta as Ayumi Aoki (青木 あゆみ^?, Jun-ichiro's ex-wife, Kaoru and Tomoki's mother, Episodes 7, 9, 10 and 11)
• Miyoko Yoshimoto as Sakurako Shirokawa (白川 桜子^?, a psychiatrist at Shirokawa Mental Clinic, Episode 2, 3, 4 and 5)
• Kazuya Kojima (UN-JASH) as Ryoichi Chiba (千葉 亮一^?, a police officer at Sumida Police Station Hirokawa Police Box, Episodes 2, 7 and 9)
• Kotaro Tanaka as Tatsuya (達也^?, Aya Hatanaka's ex-husband, Episode 9)

Production

Marumo no Okite was first announced by Fuji TV on February 25, 2011.^[3] Apparently, the name "Marumo" comes from the children's mispronunciation of Mamoru's name.^[3] "Okite" means a promise in the Japanese language.

This television series will star actor Sadao Abe, child actor Fuku Suzuki and child actress Mana Ashida.^[4] Sadao Abe will play Mamoru Takagi, a single man who is also an employee at a stationery maker.^[4] He said that he had "suddenly become a father on Sunday nights" and that he looked forward to his role in this series.^[4] 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 2-hour long special Sayonara Bokutachi no Youchien.^[3] She is also noted for her role in the 2009 television series Mother.^[3] This will be her first lead role in a Japanese television series.^[4] Together with child actor Suzuki Fuku, they will play Mamoru's deceased friend's twin children.^[4]

On April 4, 2011, it was announced that Mana Ashida and her co-star Fuku Suzuki will team up to produce this drama's theme song in their debut as singers.^[5] The duo will release the song under the temporary banner of Kaoru to Tomoki, Tamani Mook ( 薫と友樹、たまにムック, Kaoru to Tomoki, tama ni mukku^?).^[6] This theme song will be entitled Maru Maru Mori Mori! (マル・マル・モリ・モリ!^?), and it will include sections where the talking dog, Mook, will sing.^[6] The song takes its name from the fact that Ashida will play the character Kaoru, while Suzuki will play the character named Tomoki.^[6] The Mook is from the talking dog's name.^[6] Hamada Miwako, the choreographer for the hit song Gake no Ue no Ponyo was the song's choreographer.^[6] The single album for the song Maru Maru Mori Mori! was released on May 25th.^[5]

Additionally, Ryo Oka voiced the talking dog, Mook ^[2]

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.^[7]

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.^[1] The series debuted on April 24, 2011, and its first episode was extended by an extra 20 minutes.^[1] Its seventh episode was also extended by an extra 10 minutes.

The last episode of this series was extended by an extra 30 minutes.^[8] Before the airing of this episode, a special program entitled Naite Waratte 2-jikan Marumaru! Genki Mori Mori Special (泣いて笑って2時間マルマル!元気モリモリSP^?) was aired.^[8] The program was hosted by the lead stars Mana Ashida and Fuku Suzuki.^[8] The last episode also featured a special guest appearance by AKB48 member Atsuko Maeda, who would be starring as Mizuki Ashiya in the following television series Hanazakari no Kimitachi e -Ikemen Paradice-2011.^[8]

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.^[9] The show will retain its main cast, and it will be a two hours long special program.^[7]

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 (average rating: 15.48%)[10]
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's Sundays 9:00pm Drama slot.^[11] However, Asahi Shinbun reported on 7 June 2011 that Marumo no Okite managed to get within a 2.6% rating difference.^[11] Later, the 7th episode ratings crossed the 20% marking and reaching a high of 21.1%, rivaling JIN 2's peak of 23.7%.^[12] On the same day, JIN 2 posted an average rating of 18.7% and viewership peaked 21.5%.^[12]

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.^[13] Later, the drama's 7th episode managed to garner an average rating of 16.1% in the Kantō region (Fuji TV).^[12] 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.^[12]

Marumo no Okite's final episode garnered a 23.9% rating in the Kantō region and a rating of 20.6% in the Kansai Region (Kansai TV). ^[14] The viewership rating peaked at 27.5% during the time period from 10:14pm to 10:16pm.^[15] The average rating of this episode is 6.7 percentage points more than the previous record set by the eighth episode.^[8]

Actress Mana Ashida received the "Best Performance by an Actress" award at the 2011 Tokyo Drama Awards for her role in Marumo no Okite.^[16] She shared this award with actress Kyoka Suzuki, who won the award for her role in the NHK television series Second Virgin.^[16]

Soundtrack

Single "Maru Maru Mori Mori!"

Main article: Maru Maru Mori Mori!

Original Soundtrack Album

Marumo no Okite Original Soundtrack
Soundtrack album
Released	June 1, 2011
Length	75 minutes
Label	Pony Canyon

The Fuji Television Serial Drama "Marumo no Okite" Original Soundtrack (フジテレビ系ドラマ「マルモのおきて」 オリジナル・サウンドトラック ^?) was released on June 1, 2011 by Pony Canyon. ^[17] It was released in the CD format, and it contains 75 minutes worth of soundtracks.^[17]

Track Listing

No.	Title	Music	Length
1.	"ramdom-E"	Hiroyuki Sawano
2.	"The Beginning of a Beginning (はじまりのはじまり?)"	Yutaka Yamada
3.	"The Noisy Breakfast (どたばたあさごはん?)"	Yutaka Yamada
4.	"The Warmth of a Family (かぞくのぬくもり?)"	Yutaka Yamada
5.	"Let's Go and Play! (あそびにいこうよ?)"	Yutaka Yamada
6.	"Memories of a Dream (ゆめのきおく?)"	Yutaka Yamada
7.	"I don't Want to be Alone (ひとりぼっちはいやだよ ?)"	Yutaka Yamada
8.	"Dancing the Can-Can Dance and Hopping Round and Round (ぐるぐるぴょんぴょんけんけんぱ! ?)"	Yutaka Yamada
9.	"The Things that Happened that Time (あのときのこと ?)"	Yutaka Yamada
10.	"Under the Sun (おひさまのしたで ?)"	Yutaka Yamada
11.	"Secrets by the Two (ふたりのひみつ ?)"	Yutaka Yamada
12.	"ramdom-E<BPM64v>"	Hiroyuki Sawano
13.	"Akebono Stationary Company (あけぼのぶんぐ?)"	Yutaka Yamada
14.	"Rush Job (やっつけしごと?)"	Yutaka Yamada
15.	"Taihen, Taihen (たいへんたいへん?)"	Yutaka Yamada
16.	"Tekuteku, Tokotoko (てくてく、とことこ?)"	Yutaka Yamada
17.	"Kindness (やさしいきもち ?)"	Yutaka Yamada
18.	"A Whole Flower by Marumo (はなまるまるも ?)"
19.	"A Cloudy and Rainy Day (くもりのちあめ?)"	Yutaka Yamada
20.	"Are we Really a Family? (ほんとのかぞく ?)"	Yutaka Yamada
21.	"The End of Today (きょうのおわり ?)"	Yutaka Yamada
22.	"We Will be Forever Happy (しあわせはいつも ?)"	Yutaka Yamada
23.	"Missing Piece"	Hiroyuki Sawano
Total length:			75:00

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "芦田愛菜の模範的回答に阿部サダヲ脱帽" (in Japanese). eiga.com. April 15, 2011. http://eiga.com/news/20110415/23/. Retrieved 2011-04-26. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Ryo Oka voices Mook" (in Japanese). "Marumo no Okite" official website. Fuji Television Network, Inc.. http://www.fujitv.co.jp/marumo/topics/topics13.html. 
3. ^ ^{a b c d} "芦田愛菜、６歳で主演「マルモのおきて」" (in Japanese). SANKEI DIGITAL INC.. February 25, 2011. http://www.sanspo.com/geino/news/110225/gnj1102250504014-n1.htm. 
4. ^ ^{a b c d e} "芦田愛菜 ：次は連ドラ初主演　阿部サダヲとフジ日9「マルモのおきて」で" (in Japanese). Mainichi Shimbun Digital Co.Ltd. February 25, 2011. http://mantan-web.jp/2011/02/25/20110225dog00m200002000c.html. 
5. ^ ^{a b} "天才子役・芦田愛菜が歌手デビュー！" (in Japanese). Sankei Digital, Inc.. http://www.sanspo.com/geino/news/110404/gnj1104040504018-n1.htm. Retrieved 2011-07-09. 
6. ^ ^{a b c d e} "芦田愛菜＆鈴木福、新ドラマ主題歌のCD発売　芦田、出来は「97点！」" (in Japanese). Oricon, Inc.. April 4, 2011. http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/confidence/86244/full/. Retrieved 2011-09-09. 
7. ^ ^{a b} "「マルモ」２時間特番、１０月９日に放送" (in Japanese). SANKEI DIGITAL INC.. September 2, 2011. http://www.sanspo.com/geino/news/110903/gnj1109030503002-n1.htm. Retrieved 2011-09-09. 
8. ^ ^{a b c d e} "最後に大台突破！「マルモのおきて」７ポイント近くアップ！" (in Japanese). Sports Nippon Newspaper.. 4 July 2011. http://www.sponichi.co.jp/entertainment/news/2011/07/04/kiji/K20110704001143720.html. Retrieved 2011-07-08. 
9. ^ "「マルモのおきて」スペシャル番組１０・９放送" (in Japanese). SPORTS NIPPON NEWSPAPERS.. September 3, 2011. http://www.sponichi.co.jp/entertainment/news/2011/09/03/kiji/K20110903001541770.html. Retrieved 2011-09-05. 
10. ^ "Video Research Ratings" (in Japanese). Video Research Ltd.. http://search-asp.fresheye.com/?ord=s&id=11367&kw=%A5%DE%A5%EB%A5%E2%A4%CE%A4%AA%A4%AD%A4%C6. Retrieved 2011-09-09. 
11. ^ ^{a b} "「マルモ」が「仁」を射程に…日曜９時" (in Japanese). asahi.com. 7 June 2011. http://www.asahi.com/showbiz/nikkan/NIK201106070003.html. Retrieved 2011-06-24. 
12. ^ ^{a b c d} "マルモのおきて ：視聴率右肩上がり　瞬間最高視聴率21.1％　エンディングのダンスシーン" (in Japanese). Mainichi Shimbun Digital Co.Ltd. 6 June 2011. http://mantan-web.jp/2011/06/06/20110606dog00m200005000c.html. Retrieved 2011-06-24. 
13. ^ "愛菜ちゃん引っ張る「マルモ」仙台17.2％" (in Japanese). asahi.com. 28 April 2011. http://www.asahi.com/showbiz/nikkan/NIK201104280041.html. Retrieved 2011-06-24. 
14. ^ "「マルモのおきて」最終回２３・９％" (in Japanese). Sports Hochi. 4 July 2011. http://hochi.yomiuri.co.jp/entertainment/news/20110704-OHT1T00147.htm. Retrieved 2011-07-08. 
15. ^ "マルモのおきて ：最終回視聴率23.9％　最高視聴率27.5％　「イケパラ」の前田敦子もゲスト出演" (in Japanese). Mainichi Shimbun Digital Co.Ltd. MANTAN WEB. 04 July 2011. http://mantan-web.jp/2011/07/04/20110704dog00m200004000c.html. Retrieved 2011-07-10. 
16. ^ ^{a b} "嵐・二宮主演『フリーター～』、東京ドラマアウォードでグランプリ受賞" (in Japanese). Oricon, Inc.. 30 October 2011. http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/movie/2002278/full/. Retrieved 2011-09-30. 
17. ^ ^{a b} "フジテレビ系ドラマ「マルモのおきて」 オリジナル・サウンドトラック on Amazon Japan" (in Japanese). Amazon.com, Inc.. http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B004UEKNEK. Retrieved 2011-06-02. 

External Links

• Official website (Japanese)

Preceded by School!! (16/1/2011 - 20/3/2011)

Fuji TV Dramatic Sunday ドラマチック・サンデー Sundays 21:00 - 21:54 (JST)

Succeeded by Hanazakari no Kimitachi e (10/7/2011 - 18/9/2011)