In the case of the Rossi family, the father runs a free-clinic for the poor, and due to financial issues leads Marco's mom to go to Argentina to raise more money for the family in order to help pay off some family debt.
Marco is devastated about missing his mama, and works his butt off to raise all the money he can for either the family to bring his mom home quicker, or hop on a boat to bring his mom home from Argentina himself. A heart wrenching story in your chesticles for sure.
This young boy goes from a small simple minded child to a mature and extremely devoted hard working person. The story develops slowly, but will bring all of the viewer’s emotions into full effect from sadness, true fear, all the way to happiness. All throughout Marco's journey he learns countless life experiences at such a young age without ever losing his naïveté.
The art is a little more advanced compared to "Heidi" and the music isn't anything special at all. However, character development for each and every person especially the people that grow close to Marco is amazing. Even Marco's pet monkey (adorable) has a bit of development.
In other words, watch this anime. If you like Studio Ghibli movies and are willing to hang in through the slow sections, you will not be disappointed. I am still getting over some emotions I didn't know I still had.
