最后的圣诞礼物：小丸子，再见啦！Farewell to Chibi Maruko-chan and our childhood!

A manga series may have come to an end, 

but not our childhood memories. 

12月25日，《樱桃小丸子》第17卷由日本出版机构集英社发行，收录了之前未发表过的作品，以及25周年特别制作的纪念篇章。

封面长这样↓↓↓

据报道，《樱桃小丸子》此前最新的一集漫画单行本是2009年推出的第16卷，在那之后，虽然电视动画不断推出新作品，但《樱桃小丸子》漫画此前始终停留在第16卷。

因此，这是该漫画系列的最新一期、也是最后一期，之后便正式完结。

今年8月，原作者樱桃子因乳腺癌逝世，享年53岁。消息一经公布，不少中国网友纷纷表达不舍，#樱桃小丸子作者告别仪式#的微博话题也被刷上热搜榜。

Read more: “只要活着就一定会遇上好事的” 豁达向上的“小丸子哲学”温暖过你的童年吗？| R.I.P. Momoko Sakura

樱桃子原名为三浦美纪，于1965年5月8日出生在日本静冈县清水市。她以自己的童年经历为蓝本，创作了《樱桃小丸子》，因此小丸子的名字、生日也和她相同。

Many Chinese fans slipped down the memory lane when Japanese publisher Shueisha announced last week that the manga series "Chibi Maruko-chan", authored by late Momoko Sakura, would issue its last volume on Christmas Day.

The publishing company said that volume 17 of the popular series will be issued on December 25, marking its end. Volume 16 was published in 2009.

And it was time for the fans to bid adieu to not just their favorite animated series but also their fond memories.

"Chibi Maruko-chan" was first published in 1986 in manga magazine "Ribon".

In August, the series suffered a major setback after its author and illustrator Momoko Sakura died of breast cancer.

An image from Japanese manga series "Chibi Maruko-chan" /Photo via Douban.com

从1990年开始，《樱桃小丸子》被改编成了电视动画在日本富士电视台进行连播，曾连续20余年位居日本动画收视率前三。《樱桃小丸子》描绘了这个小女孩和一家人平凡又珍贵的日常生活，却蕴藏着简单又深刻的人生哲理。以童年回忆作为情感依托，这部动画积累了庞大的粉丝群体。2016年，剧场版《樱桃小丸子：来自意大利的少年》曾在中国上映。

不止是《樱桃小丸子》，《灌篮高手》《名侦探柯南》《哆啦A梦》《美少女战士》等其他日本动画也于上世纪90年代中期被陆续引进国内，以各具特色的画面风格、人物形象设计、镜头表现手法和不一样的魅力深入人心，带来欢笑与共鸣、陪伴你我成长，成为一代人的共同记忆。

But why does this round-faced, bob-hair young girl earn so much love from the Chinese fans?

The story of the nine-year-old Maruko was first brought to the Chinese readers in the 1990s, during which time China had imported quite a number of Japanese animation and manga series, such as "Doraemon", "Slam Dunk", "Sailor Moon", "Saint Seiya" and "Detective Conan".

These series have accompanied the childhood of every millennial born in the 1980s and 1990s.

An image from "Slam Dunk" /Photo via Douban.com

"Chibi Maruko-chan" is about the daily life of Maruko, a nine-year-old girl, and her family and friends. She is the youngest daughter of a modest Japanese family, and she is never depicted as a role model.

"She is not perfect, like us when we were nine years old. She has daydreams all the time, and she is naughty. She would occasionally reluctant to go to school, and she sleeps late in the morning. She is afraid of the exams and she would leave homework until the last day of the holiday…" read a comment on a WeChat article.

"But we can feel her flesh and blood because she is us. We can find her in ourselves in our childhood."

A poster of "Chibi Maruko-chan: The Boy from Italy" 

According to reports, the character "Maruko" was originally the author's "essays in manga form." Many stories were inspired by her real life and some characters were also based on her friends and family.

"From the anime series on TV to the film in the cinema, something that never changed is the laugh it brought to me. Maruko is still the little girl who is innocent and lovely, but I have grown up into an indifferent adult," a fan wrote on Mtime, a Chinese film database website under Wanda Cinema Line Group.

An image from "Detective Conan" /Photo via Douban.com

For many Chinese youngsters born in the 1980s and 1990s, imported cartoons and manga series have formed a large part of their childhood entertainment. The Japanese cartoon characters, therefore, become part of the collective memories of several generations.

They have also inspired the now booming entertainment industry of ACG subcultures (including animation, comics, and games). According to a report issued by ASKCI Consulting Co., an industrial research planning and consulting company, the total output value of China's ACG industry is expected to reach 176.5 billion yuan, with a 16.3-percent year-on-year growth.

A poster from "Doraemon" /Photo via Douban.com

In recent years, as the post-90s generation and the millennials have become the main online users, old manga and animation series have earned new vitality by being posted online, triggering a flood of remembrance and nostalgic emotion from time to time.

Many animation films adapted from the manga series were also brought to China. The box office of the new installment of the "Detective Conon" films, "Zero the Enforcer", has exceeded 100 million yuan (14.5 million U.S. dollars). Previously, the animation film "Doraemon: Stand By Me" also garnered a box office of at least 526 million yuan (76.2 million U.S. dollars), which is the second best for all imported animation films.

A poster of "Sailor Moon" /Photo via Douban.com

For many fans, however, the meaning of the manga series and its main characters is certainly not only about the figures and the values they create, but about the golden memories that will never come to an end.

小丸子，再见啦！

愿这份纯真美好的童年回忆，

还会陪我们很久很久……