TARAKO, whose real name hasn't been made public, has passed away March 9th. Her first voice acting debut was
Urusei Yatsura in 1981, and other works include
Hunter x Hunter,
My Neighbor Totoro,
Danganronpa. But her most recognized is a role of Momoko Sakura, a leading character of
Chibi Maruko-chan.
This series was based on the semi-autobiographical manga by Momoko Sakura. It is the slice-of-life comedy depicts a 9-year-old girl and is recorded a 39.9 percent audience share in October that year in Japan, one of the highest figures for an anime series.
The creator passed away of breast cancer at age of 53 in 2018.
TARAKO has been battling with her illness since the start of this year, but the cause is undisclosed.
The last episode of her appearance on Chibi Maruko-chan, "Maruko, Do You Know the Taste of Water?" will air on Sunday, March 24 during the one-hour broadcast.