i watched this show to kill time before i checked in to the hotel. i was not too familiar with the maruko-chan series but thought the poster looked interesting and went ahead to purchase the ticket. at the counter, the sales person told me it would be in cantonese instead of japanese. was kinda taken aback for a while but decided to proceed. thought it would be a change, considering how i usually watch japanese shows without any dubbing. it was interesting that the sales person specifically advised me that it would be in cantonese. perhaps she thought i was japanese! heh... well, if she did, i wouldn't be surprised as (1) i had spoken to her in English, (2) i am rather tanned compared to hong kong people, (3) my features are not typical of hong kong people, and (4) i was carrying a backpack (people don't carry backpacks to cinemas unless they are tourists)..
anyway, the show did not disappoint. the storyline was simple. a group of international students visited japan on a school exchange program and each child was "adopted" by a different family. for maruko's family, they accepted an italian boy despite initially being unwilling to do so. apparently, apart from this being a school exchange program, the italian boy had arrived with a bigger intent to trace and discover his grandfather's past. much of the show focused on how maruko and the family helped this boy looked for a particular couple who had interacted with the grandfather. it was a heartwarming show that ended with many in tears towards the end.
this show shone through by its simple storyline. yet it was able to connect with audiences at many levels of emotions. for me personally, i was caught grinning widely, and at times, tearing at the same time. thoroughly enjoyed it.
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