Takahashi Rumiko $@9b66N1H~;R(B

Made her debut with "kattena yatsura" when she was 21 years old in Shounen Sunday. With series like Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku and Ranma 1/2, Takahashi has undoubtedly become one of Japan's most renowned mangaka. The millions of copies (over a hundred million by 1996) sold of her books made her arguably one of the richest women in Japan.

Takahashi didn't have a lot of drawing experience in high school. Upon entering university, she enrolled in the Gekiga Sonjuku, which is the manga school of Kazuo Koike. In 1978, she received a nomination for Shougakukan's annual "New Artist Award". After a while, her "Urusei Yatsura" series began to take off and that is the beginning of her success story. Her success didn't change her personality though. She still has the same enchanting personality and everyone who has met her, are touched by her charisma. The works of Takahashi are known for their well created characters, the situational comedy mixed with romance, the excellence of the puns in her work, her ability to draw manga that appeal to the male population (although women make out a significant portion of her public). She has expressed her amazement about being successful outside Japan. As there are a lot of cultural Japanese references in her works, she wonders how her works are perceived by foreign readers.

Urusei Yatsura [Lum, those obnoxious aliens]
$@$&$k@1$d$D$i(B
serialized on Shounen Sunday, 1979-85
34 volumes @ Y390
[ 01:8004| 02:8007| 03:8010| 04:8101| 05:8103| 06:8106| 07:8109| 08:8111| 09:8201]
[ 10:8203| 11:8206| 12:8209| 13:8210| 14:8212| 15:8304| 16:8306| 17:8310| 18:8401]
[ 19:8404| 20:8406| 21:8409| 22:8411| 23:8501| 24:8502| 25:8504| 26:8507| 27:8510]
[ 28:8601| 29:8604| 30:8607| 31:8609| 32:8611| 33:8701| 34:8704]
wide-ban 15 volumes @ Y680
[ 01:8907| 02:8907| 03:8908| 04:8909| 05:8910| 06:8911| 07:8912| 08:9001| 09:9002]
[ 10:9003| 11:9004| 12:9005| 13:9006| 14:9007| 15:9008]

Ataru Moroboshi, the unluckiest boy in the world, is randomly selected as Earth's champion to defeat an alien in a contest with the world at stake. A complete lecher, he agrees when he finds the contest is tag and the quarry is the beautiful alien princess Lum. After many humiliating misses (no one told him Lum could fly), his long-suffering, unnaturally-strong "girlfriend" Shinobu promises to marry him if he wins. He does, and declares that he will be married, which the aliens take as a proposal. So he ends up engaged to a jealous alien every boy desires, while chasing every other girl in town, not to mention the galaxy.
The series appeared in a boy's magazine but has had its biggest fanbase with high school and college students. Overall, it appeals to a somewhat older public than Ranma does. The major bonus points of the series are its large cast of whacky characters, the flavor of romance, science fiction and humour. For the reader who hasn't got a good knowledge of Japanese legends, tales... the many cultural references in Urusei Yatsura may make lecture of it harder.

The title is a pun. "Urusei" means "noisy/obnoxious" and "yatsura" is slang for "people". But Takahashi wrote "sei" as "star", so that "Urusei" could be read as "planet Uru". Thus, the title means both "Noisy people" and "Uru-planet people".

Note that Urusei Yatsura was the first Shounen Sunday series Shougakukan reprinted in the wide-ban format.

See also: Urusei Yatsura homepage
<http://www.tomobiki.com/>

TRA:(E)Viz Communications
APG:(FILM)830211(Kitty Films)Only You
APG:(FILM)840211(Kitty Films)Beautiful Dreamer
APG:(FILM)850126(Kitty Films)Remember My Love
APG:(FILM)860222(Kitty Films)Lum the Forever
APG:(FILM)880226(Kitty Films)Kanketsuhen
APG:(FILM)910818(Kitty Films)Always my Darling
APG:(OAVs)(08)881202,881228,890525,890525,890925,890925,910621,910621
APG:(OAV)870921

APG:(TV)(218)811014-860319(Kitty Films)

Mezon Ikkoku [Maison Ikkoku]
$@$a$>$s0l9o(B
serialized on Big Comic Spirits, 1982-87
15 volumes @ Y500
[ 01:8205| 02:8207| 03:8305| 04:8306| 05:8401| 06:8406| 07:8409| 08:8502| 09:8509]
[ 10:8605| 11:8607| 12:8610| 13:8702| 14:8706| 15:8707]
wide-ban 10 volumes @ Y1100
[ 01:9207| 02:9208| 03:9209| 04:9210| 05:9211| 06:9212| 07:9301| 08:9302| 09:9303]
[ 10:9304]
bunko 10 volumes @ Y620
[ 01:9612| 02:9612| 03:9701| 04:9701| 05:9702| 06:9702| 07:9703| 08:9703| 09:9704]
[ 10:9704]

A romantic comedy/drama about the residents of an old boarding house, centering on the relationship between Godai, a perennial ronin, and Kyouko, the widowed manager who hasn't let go of her late husband. The story evolves from a comedy with romantic touch in the beginning to a romance-story with a comedy-touch at the end. Although Takahashi's drawing style in the beginning of Mezon Ikkoku resembles a lot of Urusei Yatsura in its first period (with the same crazy things), it evolves rapidly in a more realistical style. It is said that a lot of the settings for Mezon Ikkoku is based on Takahashi's personal experience, as she herself moved into a small student's apartment in Nakano, Toukyou where she lived for several years after passing the entrance exam for the Nihon Joseidai. Mezon Ikkoku has been animated in a 96 part TV series, an OAV, a theatrical film and a weird live action film. Highly recommended.

See also: Maison Ikkoku homepage
<http://server.berkeley.edu/Anime/MI/index.html>

TRA:(E)Viz Communications
TRA:(X)v1c1-6;v3c1;v3c3;v7c4-5;v7c7;v7c9;v8c1;v10c7;v11c7-8;v11c11;v12c11
TRA:(X)v13c1-2

APG:(TV)(96)860326-880302(Kitty Film)
APG:(FILM)880206

APG:(OAV)901117

Omoi [Feelings]
portfolio
published by Shougakukan,
1 volume @ Y1800
[ 01:____]

These are memorial illustrations of Maison Ikkoku to remember the tenth anniversary of the end of the anime series. It is a portfolio with color works which have appeared in the manga.

Ningyo no mori [Mermaid's Forest]
$B?M5{$N?9(J
serialized on Shounen Sunday, 1989
1 volume @ Y1200
[ 01:8805]

The story of Youta, a 500 year old "young man", and Mana, a 17 year-old girl. After eating mermaid flesh, they both became immortal. The mermaid series has an older target audience than most of Takahashi's series. It is a touching series, but contains quite some gore. Takahashi has said that she considers drawing for the "ningyo" series her hobby rather than her work. This is why the stories have been very irregularly featured. 1. Ningyou wa warawanai [1984]
2. Tougyo no sato [1985]
3. Ningyou no mori [1987]

See also:
<http://www.anime-online.com/takahashi/>

TRA:(E)Viz Communications
APG:(OAV)910816

Ningyo no kidzu [Mermaid's Scar]
$@?M5{$N=}(B
serialized on Shounen Sunday, 1993
1 volume @ Y1200
[ 01:9212]

Continues the story of Youta and Mana (At least two
new stories have been published since the second compilation.) 1. Yume no Owari [1988]
2. Yakusoku no Ashita [1990]
3. Ningyou no Kidzu (2 parts) [1992]
4. Shari Hime [1922]

TRA:(E)Viz Communications
APG:(OAV)930924

Rumick World
$@$k!<$_$C$/$o!<$k$I(B
published by Shougakukan, 1995
2 volumes @ Y710
[ 01:9503| 02:9503]

The OAVs from this series include: Firetripper, about a girl who experiences a timewarp after an explosion; Warau Hyouteki [Laughing Target]; and The Supergirl [aka Maris the choujo]. These stories have been published in the second volume. The first volume contains a lot of her earlier work, including her debut-story and the small "Dust Spot" series Takahashi drew before Urusei Yatsura became successful.

TRA:(E)Viz Communications
APG:(OAV)851216

APG:(OAV)860521

APG:(OAV)870321

Ranma Nibunnoichi [Ranma 1/2]
$B$i$s$^#1!?#2(J
serialized on Shounen Sunday, 1987-96
38 volumes @ Y390
[ 01:8803| 02:8804| 03:8806| 04:8808| 05:8810| 06:8812| 07:8905| 08:8908| 09:8911]
[ 10:9003| 11:9005| 12:9007| 13:9011| 14:9104| 15:9105| 16:9107| 17:9110| 18:9112]
[ 19:9203| 20:9206| 21:9207| 22:9209| 23:9212| 24:9303| 25:9306| 26:9309| 27:9312]
[ 28:9403| 29:9406| 30:9408| 31:9411| 32:9502| 33:9505| 34:9507| 35:9510| 36:9601]
[ 37:9604| 38:9605]

Saotome Ranma is a martial artist whose training in China left him with a curse: he transforms into female when splashed with cold water, and back to male when splashed with hot. Other characters are similarly cursed (turning into pandas, cats, etc). He is engaged to Akane, the youngest of three daughters, and lives in her father's doujou (which he is supposed to inherit). The romance between Ranma and Akane has shades of Maison Ikkoku, but it's played primarily for laughs, and there are many parodies of martial arts fiction cliches. Ranma is aimed at a slightly younger public than Urusei Yatsura and sells a lot better too. Remark the striking similarities between the cast of Ranma and that of Urusei Yatsura. One can almost draw a one-to-one relationship between the two charactersets.

See also:
o Ranma 1/2 Expanded homepage
<http://www.coe.uncc.edu/~tecardwe/ranma.html>
o Ranma 1/2 People & Places List
<http://www.princeton.edu/~qpliu/ranma_ppt.html>

TRA:(E)Viz Communications(F)Glenat
TRA:(X)v1c1;v1c7-8;v2c5-6;v3c8;v4c5-7;v4c9;v5c5-7;v5c10-11;v6c1-2;v6c7-8
TRA:(X)v7c2-3;v7c7-8;v8c1-2;v8c4;v8c6;v9c1-5;v9c7;v9c9;v9c10-11;v10c1-3
TRA:(X)v10c7;v10c9;v11c1-3;v11c7-11;v12c1-6;v13c1;v13c11;v14c4-6;v14c10-11
TRA:(X)v15c1;v16c1;v16c3;v17c5-11;v18c1;v19c1-3;v19c6;v19c9-11;v20
TRA:(X)v21c4-7;v21c11;v22c2-7;v23-38
APG:(FILM)911102

APG:(FILM)920801

APG:(FILM)940820

APG:(OAVs)(02)901107,901121
APG:(OAVs)(06)931021,931217,940218,940421,940617,940819
APG:(OAVs)(02)941216,950217
APG:(OAVs)(03)950921,951117,960119
APG:(TV)(18)890415-890916(Kitty Films)
APG:(TV)(143)891020-920925(Kitty Films)Nettouhen series

Eiga Ranma Nibunnoichi: Chomusabetsu kessen! Ranma Team vs. Densetsu no Hoo
$@1G2h$@$i$s$^#1!?#2D6L5:9JL7h@o!*MpGO%A!<%`#V#SEA@b$NK1Q`(B
published by Shougakukan, 1994
1 volume @ Y800
[ 01:9409]

A volume of Ranma 1/2 anime comics.

Ichi Pondo no Fukuin - The One Pound Gospel
$@#1%]%s%I$NJ!2;(B
serialized on Young Sunday, 1989-present
currently 3 volumes @ Y500
[ 01:8907| 02:9007| 03:9608]

A light drama about a nun and a boxer. The boxer has a great punch, but has no discipline to maintain his weight because he likes food so much. Meanwhile he falls in love with the (apprentice) nun. The installments appear irregularly on Young Sunday. Just as with the mermaid series, Takahashi considers drawing for this series her hobby (which is probably why it has appeared irregularly).

See also:
<http://members.iglou.com/biladams/OnePoundGospel/>

TRA:(E)Viz Communications
APG:(OAV)881202

Kessaku Shuu: P no Higeki [Masterpiece Collection: P's Tragedy]
$@9b66N1H|;R7f:n=8#P$NHa7`(B
masterpiece collection
published by Shougakukan, 1994
1 volume @ Y980
[ 01:9401]

Contains most of Takahashi's recent short stories; the rest appear in 1 or W. The stories included are:

1. P no higeki [P's tragedy]
Dad begs Mom to nurse a real penguin, his company's mascot, for a few days, despite the "no pets allowed" rule enforced by the stern kanrinin (janitor) of their apartment building, who doesn't seem to like pets at all...
2. Roman no akindo [Romantic merchant]
A love/proposal/wedding affair, held in an old house, involving two "old" and "young" couples, whose protagonists somehow look like elder Akane and Ranma, quarelling all the time...
3. POI no ke [Home of rubbish]
A housewife keeps trashing her husband's souvenir items from his trips all around the world, bothering another family by putting them day after day at the wrong "trash" spot right in front of the other family's yard...
4. Hachi no naka [Inside the pot]
A housewife goes nuts when she realizes that the plants her neighbor gave her to water are planted into flowerpots made of.. human bones ?? Might they be her neighbor's mom's, who just passed away ??? 5. Hyaku nen no koi [A hundred years' love]
An old lady dies in a hospital but suddently comes to life again, with unexpected ESP powers, to make things go smoothly between a boy and his girlfriend, the nurse in charge of the old lady, in memory of the old lady's own love who killed himself before her eyes, long ago...
6. L size no shiawase [The happiness of large size]
When the mother-in-law of her husband comes to live among them, a housewife realizes in horror that she's the only one to see a very tall ghost spirit, named "zashikiwarashi", who is supposed to look after households. Effectively, he will eventually prevent them from making a big mistake in the purchase of their new house... {PJA}

TRA:(E)Viz Communications

Kessaku Shuu 2: Senmu no Inu [The conductor's dog]
$B9b66N1H~;R7f:n=8(B $B#2(B $B@lL3$N8$(B
masterpiece collection
1 volume @ Y1048
[ 01:9905]

No Synopsis.

1 or W
$B#1#o#r#W(J
published by Shougakukan, 1995
1 volume @ Y1100
[ 01:9510]

A compilation of 9 short stories (also in Rumik World). The title story is about a lazy kendo boy, a girl manager of the kendo club who drowned and became a ghost, and an eccentric kendo teacher who has been drowned and intercepted her body. Other stories include Slim Kannon and Invitation to Takarazuka.
1. Surima Kannou [1991]
A girl secretly loves a handsome guy (who is popular among girls), but is ashamed by her non-slimness (not fatness!). She wants to go to a ball in a tight gown, so she decides to go for an accelerated slimming course - Kannon Slimming, which takes place in a temple. The coach, surprise surprise, is a guy no much older than the girl. {PYI}

2. Inu de Warui ka! [1985]
3. Obasan to issho [1985]
4. Ganbari Matsuse [1978]
5. Gurando Fazaa [1991]
6. Takarazuka e no Shoutai - Invitation to Takarazuka [1993] 7. 1 or W [1994]
8. Happii Tooku [1984]
9. Uchi ga Megami ja! [1989]

TRA:(E)Viz Communications

Inuyasha
$B8$Lk:5(J
serialized on Shounen Sunday, 1997-present
currently 18 volumes @ Y390
[ 01:9704| 02:9706| 03:9709| 04:9712| 05:9803| 06:9805| 07:9808| 08:9811| 09:9901]
[ 10:9904| 11:9907| 12:9909| 13:9911| 14:0002| 15:0004| 16:0006| 17:0008| 18:0010]

Kagome, an ordinary high school girl, suddenly lands up in medieval Japan. There she is considered as the reborn Kikyou, a priestess who died when killing Inuyasha. But on the contact with Kagome, Inuyasha suddenly revives. The goal of Inuyasha is to gain the mythical 'Shikon'-jewel, but he is not the only one... Inuyasha is a foul mouthed demon boy, but Kagome knows how to tame him. The Shikon jewel broke into several pieces and the journey to find the broken pieces begins.

People who tought that after Ranma, Takahashi would create a similar romantic martial arts comedy, were quite surprised to see Inuyasha. Indeed, Inuyasha resembles much more the mermaid series than Ranma in the sense that it is a quite serious story, containing a lot of gory scenes.

See also:
<http://www.wot-club.org.uk/Inuyasha/>

APG:(TV)001016-

TRA:(E)Viz Communications
TRA:(X)v1-v17

Ranma 1/2 Memorial Book
artbook
published by Shougakukan, 1996
1 volume @ Y1300
[ 01:9606]

Contains a lot of the color material Takahashi has made for Shounen Sunday on Ranma (calendars...). A complete episode guide is also provided. At the end, there is an interview with Takahashi on Ranma, which is a rare thing, because Takahashi is said to have a dislike for interviews.