On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Japan (1973 - 2023), on September 8, Kim Dong Publishing House will officially launch to Vietnamese readers the classic comic series Little Maruko by the late artist Momoko Sakura .
Different from the original edition launched in Japan in the style of Ribon magazine in 1987, the Vietnamese version has a new form.
Under the "magic" of designer Ta Quoc Ky Nam, the edition of Little Maruko with the name "vintage version" has a nostalgic color but still retains the cheerful and cute style of the author's original illustrations. The overall book series looks like hand-drawn diaries, with vivid pictures.
"I was looking at the beautiful original color scans. It felt like just yesterday I was a little boy reading those borrowed books. The colors, lines, hand-drawn details... were so soulful and rustic, so I wanted to design the cover in this spirit.
In each volume, I re-color the letters, use a Vietnamese pencil font for the small letters, and the author's name Momoko Sakura is her handwriting on the picture of the last volume," Ky Nam shared.
Cover of the book "Little Maruko" Vietnamese version (Photo: Kim Dong Publishing House).
To enhance the reader experience, Kim Dong Publishing House has increased the size of the Vietnamese version compared to the traditional manga book size, thereby adding more space for the dialogue boxes and the author's heartfelt sharing lines to be as clear as possible.
Mr. Dang Cao Cuong, Head of the Comic Book Editorial Board, Kim Dong Publishing House, said that the unit has pursued the copyright of the work for more than 10 years with Sakura Production (the company holding the original copyright) and has put a lot of effort into showing their enthusiasm to officially bring Little Maruko to Vietnamese readers.
"We have shown our respect for Little Maruko through our investment and care in the book series from content to form, as well as our communication campaign, heating up and spreading information about the work.
The young staff of the Publishing House themselves are also people who read Little Maruko since childhood, so during the process of making it, we couldn't help but be moved and proud," said Mr. Cuong.
Translator Huong Giang, who devoted much of her time to the book series, said that translating Little Maruko is not just a job, but also a journey of recovery and self -discovery .
"Accompanying the humorous and mischievous girl Maruko, I not only had the opportunity to learn more about Japanese culture and life in the 70s, but also found joy and motivation to return to work," Huong Giang shared.
Along with the robot cat Doraemon and the famous detective Conan, little Maruko is considered one of the cultural icons of Japan.
"Little Maruko" is a special work of childhood for many generations of readers (Photo: Kim Dong Publishing House).
The comic series Little Maruko has been known to Vietnamese readers for nearly 3 decades.
Based on her own childhood memories, author Momoko Sakura created a series of stories revolving around the life at home and at school of the cute girl Maruko with countless humorous but equally touching moments about family love and friendship.
Little Maruko has received love and affection, becoming a part of the childhood of many readers of the 8X and 9X generations.
On the occasion of the book series Little Maruko officially being launched to Vietnamese readers, Kim Dong Publishing House organized an exchange program: Little Maruko - Sweet Childhood.
Time: 9:30 a.m. September 9.
Location: Kim Dong Publishing House Headquarters, 55 Quang Trung, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi.
Guests: Food Blogger Phan Anh Esheep, Editor Diep Chi, MC and singer Vietnam Idol Bui Minh Quan.
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