Mariko Shiga was a Japanese idol, voice actress, and singer active in the 1980s. She was born on December 24, 1969, in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, and began her entertainment career as a child star, appearing on the NHK quiz show Donna Mondai Q TV.

Her entry into the anime industry came through music, when she performed the theme song Yume no Naka no Rondo for the 1985 original video animation Magical Princess Minky Momo: La Ronde in My Dream. This led to her most significant role as a voice actress in 1986, when she was cast as the main character, Yumi Hanazono, in the television anime series Magical Idol Pastel Yumi. In addition to voicing the protagonist, she also performed the series' opening theme song, Freesia no Shōnen, which became her most successful single on the Oricon music charts. Her work as both the voice and singing voice for an idol character made her part of a wave of voice actors who also performed as pop idols during that era, alongside contemporaries like Noriko Hidaka and Mayumi Tanaka.

Shiga's time in the industry was brief but focused. Besides her starring role in Pastel Yumi, her voice acting credits include the role of Yumi Hanazono in the related series Majokko Club Yoningumi - A Kuukan Kara no Alien X. She balanced her voice work with a career as a television personality and recording artist, releasing several singles and one album titled mariko. In 1988, she decided to pause her entertainment career to focus on her education.

Tragically, her life and career were cut short. On November 23, 1989, while studying abroad in California, she was involved in a fatal car accident in Arizona at the age of 19. Despite her short career, Mariko Shiga is remembered for her iconic performance as Yumi Hanazono and her contributions to the anime and idol music of the 1980s.