Two years ago, Fuji TV wanted to adapt its popular Sunday evening animated TV show about a precocious third-grader, "Chibi Maruko-chan," as a live-action drama feature, but couldn't find a little girl actress who looked enough like the cartoon character with her distinctive pageboy hairstyle.
Then, Momoko Sakura, the creator of the comic on which the series was based, saw Ei Morisako on a TV commercial and thought she was perfect. The rest of the cast were also chosen mainly for their resemblance to their animated counterparts, a close family of three generations living in the 1970s.
The special "15th Anniversary Drama of Chibi Maruko-chan" (Fuji TV, Tuesday, 7 p.m.) will include three stories that mostly deal with the trials and tribulations of being an elementary school student.