“Chibi Maruko-chan: My Favorite Song” What’s in the legendary music anime, Part 2

Lily of the valley flowers added for the movie

Of course, Momoko Sakura herself made a decision to make her debut as a manga artist, and ended up leading a life that was very different from the typical image of women in the Showa era. Regarding the fork in the road in life, he wrote the following in the afterword of the manga version of `` My Favorite Song .''

“If I had found a lover in Shizuoka like that older sister, I might have gone to marry her like that older sister. (Omitted) It just so happens that I am currently in Tokyo. She moved to Tokyo and lives in Tokyo, but this is just one pattern of choices in life, and with a small difference in choices, there is a possibility of a different life.In this story, the older sister creates a simulation. I feel like I applied it to that.”

Did Momoko Sakura really think that the path her sister had chosen would bring her happiness? Or did he think it was a tragedy, like a war horse being taken off to war and never coming back?

At least when you watch the movie alone, it seems like it doesn't necessarily portray women's marriage in a positive light. There is also an episode that makes me think that Yumiko Suda, who co-directed with Tsutomu Shibayama, may have been more sensitive to this issue than Momoko Sakura.

As mentioned earlier, the older sister once rejected her lover's proposal, but with Maruko's support, she decides to marry him. However, in the manga version, which reflects the early script, Maruko's words act as a direct trigger, whereas in the theatrical anime version, the older sister is still planning to break up with her lover, even after Maruko's persuasion. However, when she sees lily of the valley flowers given to her by her boyfriend left in her apartment, she decides to marry him and go to Hokkaido.

It is revealed in the making-of essay included in the manga version that director Suda was the one who suggested this change. Momoko Sakura points out that the lily of the valley is out of season, but the lily of the valley still appears in the finished film.

This is just my imagination, but I think director Suda didn't want to leave the older sister's life choices to Maruko's words alone. I guess I wanted to portray that the older sister made the decision based on her own will, even though she was conflicted. And depending on the presence or absence of this One Cushion, the impressions of the manga version and the theatrical anime version are quite different.

Momoko Sakura's blockbuster essay collection `` Saru no Koshikake '' also includes several references to marriage. When her older sister cries and hates the arranged marriage arranged by her parents, her mother scolds her, saying, ``You'll only realize how good it is after you get married.'' Even Momoko Sakura, who didn't have a boyfriend yet, chided her and said, ``Yes.'' I affirm that. This is a way of thinking that is typical of an era when ``dreams'' and ``love'' were luxuries.

There is also a scene in which Momoko Sakura returns to her parents' home after getting married, and her mother tells her, ``You're married, so don't come home alone.'' She returns to her Tokyo home and cries silently. . All of these values ​​were related to the Showa era, but many women at the time, or rather, society as a whole at the time, regardless of gender, viewed marriage for women as a kind of duty and responsibility.

However, the relativized social criticism in ``My Favorite Song'' is difficult to read because of the sensibility of Momoko Sakura, a writer who grew up in the Showa era, and may have been a limitation due to her style of emphasizing emotion.

The courage to turn something that cannot be answered into a piece of art while remaining ambiguous.