Rumiko Takahashi

There's this stereotype going around about artists. They are eccentric, overbearing, and have lost touch with reality because they are so consumed with their art. You may seem them wearing all black and sitting in swanky coffee shops sipping double-caffeinated mocha lattés with their pinkies extended. Then comes along this girl-next-door type who is so down to earth and downplays her influence and her celebrity. Her name? None other than Takahashi Rumiko, creator of Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku, Ranma ½, Inuyasha, among others. She's also the richest woman in Japan, but wasn't always so; her entire fortune comes from manga and anime sales. That should give you a good idea as to how popular and renowned she is in the industry.



Born in Niigata, Japan in 1957, Rumiko never had any formal training during her childhood. Yes, she loved to read manga and occasionally doodled on the edges but never was certain if she could make a living drawing. She gained acceptance into the exclusive Nihon Joseidai, a university for women. There she resided for years in a tiny one-bedroom apartment in Nakano and spent her free time observing the people outside living their everyday lives. Few artists put as much of themselves into their work like Rumiko does, and she would use her observations in that apartment as the basis for Maison Ikkoku, one of the most popular love stories of all time. On the way, however, she would win the coveted "Best New Author" award from acclaimed manga factory Shogakukan. It is then that she started on her first important work: Urusei Yatsura.



But what sets her apart from other manga creators? It's undoubtedly her uncanny ability for infusing her characters with plenty of attitude. In an attempt to keep her stories fresh, she creates a plethora of side characters, often times being more interesting than the main ones. To top things off, she places them in some of the strangest situations that one could find in any manga or anime. Her most popular work, Ranma ½, is the best example of this; we start off with a young martial arts master who, on a training mission to Jusenkyo, China, falls in the Spring of Drowned Girl. Now whenever he comes in contact with cold water, he changes from boy-type to girl-type! Combine this with a panty-snatcher, a Shakespearean rube and a Chinese Amazon, and you have the premise for extreme hilarity and wackiness.



While being well versed in slapstick comedy, she can equally downshift into seriousness when the occasion calls for it. Inuyasha, her latest gift to manga and anime fans, took many by surprise. Yes, it has its fair share of slapstick, but only in modest handfuls. What really caught people's eyes was her ability to build an absolutely intriguing story around dramatic action. Not one to stick with just one theme, Inuyasha has the rare quality to make you laugh one minute and enrage you the next.



Today, Takahashi Rumiko has accounted for over 100 million manga sales... in Japan alone. There is no telling how far her popularity has spread worldwide. However, just the sheer number of Japanese fans alone cements her place as one of the most read manga artists of all time. Yet despite all her success she remains remarkably humble; while recollecting on her past, she often comments that she was uncertain that she could make it as a manga artist, nearly relenting to her parents' wishes of pursuing an alternate career path. Even to this day she downplays her importance in Japanese culture:
"This is really all I want to do with my life: write stories. I don't expect to change the world."

Too late, Rumiko. You already have ^^
__________________________

From Animeacademy.com

I'm not sure if I'm supposed to respond to these bio report things but good job ^^ The ending thing you added reminds me of the theme song of the first few episodes for inuyasha..

Oh yea!! It's "I Want to Change the World", isn't it?

rumiko has added alot of joy in my life. she's the best manga/anime artist period in my eyes.

Yes she's awesome

I want another great series from her.

Rumiko Takahashi is smart if she can create something as good as Inuyasha. It rocks.

Moreover, she's a woman!! It makes me admire her more!! ^__^

This is a very good profile : http://animeacademy.com/profile_takahashi_rumiko.php

I love the last lines!

Her work was my first anime. Urusei yatsura I saw when I was a little kid. Then my first manga was Ranma 1/2. So if it weren't for her, I'd probably just be jumping into it now.

Urusei Yatsura wasn't very good, I must say I like Ranma 1/2 and Inuyasha the most ^__^

I'm a fan of Maison Ikkoku and Ranma 1/2 the most.

The Timeline


*1975

Amateur Career

·Kyojin no hoshi (Star of Futile Dust)
Published in: The Diarrhea Vol.1 (Niigata Chuo High Shool Manga Club)


*1976

·Fuujin Dai-2kai/Ninja no bitoku wa sei ka shi ka!? no maki (Dust in the Wind, Episode 2: Is the Virtue of the Ninja to Live or to Die?!)
Published in: Fukidashi Vol.6 (Japan Women's University Manga Club) October

·Soshite hanbun inakunatta (Thus Half of Them Are Gone)
Published in: Bibitto Vol.1 (Japan Women's University Manga Club) October


*1977

·Baibai roodo (Bye-Bye Road)
Published in: Bibitto Vol.2 (Japan Women's University Manga Club) November


*1978

·Senaka no Sensou (A War On The Back)
Published in: Submarine No.4 (Group PiPi) March

·Eesu o mezase! dai 3 kai/oomen no maki (Aim For The Ace! Episode 3: Omen)
Published in: Fukidashi Vol.14 (Japan Women's University Manga Club) April

Professional Career


·Kattena yatsura (Those Selfish Aliens)
Published in: Shonen Sunday, 1978 #28 June & Rumic World 1

·Harahara hooru (Time Warp Trouble)
Published in: BIG GORO Supplementary Issue 1978:8/1 June & Rumic World Vol. 1

·Ganbari masse (Shake Your Buddha)
Published in: Shonen Sunday, 1978 #29 June & 1 or W

·Ougon no binbougami (Golden Gods of Poverty)
Published in: Shonen Sunday, 1978 Summer Special September & Rumic World Vol. 2

·Urusei Yatsura (Those Obnoxious Aliens)
Published in: Shonen Sunday, 1978 #39 - 1987 #8 & Urusei Yatsura 1 - 36

·Furyou seinendan (A Band of Young Ruffians)
Published in: Bibitto Vol.2 (Japan Women's University Manga Club) November

·Kemo no 24 Jikan (Kemo's 24 Hours)
Published in: Kazuo Koike's Gekiga Sonjuku Vol. 1


*1979

·Dust Spot (Wasted Minds)
Published in: Shonen Sunday Special May - November

·Nehan no houteishiki (Equation of Nirvana)
Published in: Bibitto Vol.4 (Japan Women's University Manga Club) November


*1980

·? no Shippi (?'s Illness)
Published in: Kazuo Koike's Gekiga Sonjuku Vol. 3

·Zoushoku Nyoubou -fearii teeru- (Multiplying Wives -A Fairy Tale-)
Published in: Complete Collection of Juvenile SF Manga PART 7 (Tokyo Sanseisha) August

·Fuufu (Wedded Bliss)
Published in: Big Comics Original October 15 & Rumic World Vol. 3

·Za Chojou (The Supergal)
Published in: Shonen Sunday Autumn Special October & Rumic World Vol. 2

·Boushoku no forumu (The Shape of Gluttony)
Published in: Complete Collection of Juvenile SF Manga PART 8 (Tokyo Sanseisha) October

·Maison Ikkoku
Published in: Big Comics Spirits Debut Issue (November) - 1987 #19 & Maison Ikkoku 1 - 15

·Shoukan (The Entrepreneurial Spirit)
Published in: Heibon Punch Special Issue: That's Comics & Rumic World Vol. 3


*1981

·Warae Herupuman (A Cry For Help)
Published in: Shonen Sunday Extra Issue 9/15 August & Rumic World Vol. 3

·Kai Neko Myou (That [censored] Cat)
Published in: Kazuo Koike's Gekiga Sonjuku Vol. 4 & Rumic World Vol. 2

·Erufeeri/youseijin (Elf Fairy/Sprite)
Published in: Complete Collection of Juvenile SF Manga PART 13 (Tokyo Sanseisha)

·Urusei Yatsura (TV Series)
Broadcast from: October 14, 1981 - March 14, 1986


*1982

·Sengoku Seitokai (The War Council)
Published in: Shonen Sunday Extra Issue 2/15 January & Rumic World Vol. 2

·Kemo Kobiru no Nikki (The Diary of Kemo Kobiru)
Published in: Shonen Sunday Graphics Urusei Yatsura 1 - 11

·Yami o kakeru manazashi (When My Eyes Got Wings)
Published in: Shonen Sunday Extra Issue 8/15 July & Rumic World Vol. 1


*1983

·Warau hyouteki (The Laughing Target)
Published in: Shonen Sunday Extra Issue 1983 #2 January & Rumic World Vol. 1

·Urusei Yatsura Only You
Released: February 11, 1983

·Honoo (faiyaa) torippaa (Fire Tripper)
Published in: Shonen Sunday Extra Issue 1983 #8 July & Rumic World Vol. 1

·Wasurete nemure (Sleep And Forget)
Published in: Shonen Sunday Extra Issue 1984 #1 December 1983 & Rumic World Vol. 1


*1984

·Urusei Yatsura Beautiful Dreamer
Released: February 11, 1984

·Warera ganmen nakama (feisharu pakku) (The Face Pack)
Published in: Shonen Sunday, Extra Commemoration Issue for the 25th Anniversary of Shonen Sunday; April & Rumic World Vol. 2

·Happii Tooku (Happy Talk)
Published in: Big Comic Spirits Extra Issue 1984 #8 July & 1 or W

·Ningyo wa warawanai (A Mermaid Never Smiles)
Published in: Shonen Sunday Extra Issue 1984:#8 - #9 July - August & Mermaid's Forest


*1985

·Urusei Yatsura Remember My Love
Released: January 26, 1985

·Obaasan to issho (To Grandmother's House We Go)
Published in: Big Comic Spirits Extra Issue 1985 8/26 & 1 or W

·Tougyo no sato (The Village of Fighting Fish)
Published in: Shonen Sunday Extra Issue 1985 #9 - #10 August - September & Mermaid's Forest

·Inu de waruika!! (Excuse Me For Being A Dog!!)
Published in: Shonen Sunday 1985 #47 October & 1 or W


*1986

·Urusei Yatsura Lum the Forever
Released: February 22, 1986

·Rumic World - Hono Tripper (Rumic World - Fire Tripper)
Released: March 21, 1986

·Maison Ikkoku (TV Series)
Broadcast from: March 26, 1986 - March 2, 1988

·Maison Ikkoku (Live Action)
Released: October 10, 1986

·Rumic World - The Chojo (Rumic World - The Supergirl)
Broadcast from: 1986


*1987

·Untitled 4 Panel Strip
Published in: Young Sunday Premiere Issue March

·Ningyo no mori (Mermaid's Forest)
Published in: Shonen Sunday 1987 #22 - #23 April - May & Mermaid's Forest

·Naniwa no shounin (akindo) (The Merchant of Romance)
Published in: Big Comic Original 1987 7/20 & The Tragedy of P (Rumic Theater)

·1 pondo no fukuin; Hakari no ue no mayoeru kohitsuji (One-Pound Gospel; The Sinner and the Scale)
Published in: Young Sunday 9 - 10 July & One Pound Gospel Vol. 1

·Ranma 1/2
Published in: Shonen Sunday 1987 #36 - 1996 #12 & Ranma 1/2 1 - 38

·Urusei Yatsura - Lum no Mirai wa Donaruccha (Urusei Yatsura - Inaba the Dream Maker 1987 TV Special)
Broadcast on: September 1, 1987

·Rumic World - Warau Hyoteki (Rumic World - Laughing Target)
Released: 1987


*1988

·Urusei Yatsura Kanketsuhen Boy Meets Girl (Urusei Yatsura Final Chapter Boy Meets Girl)
Released: February 6, 1988

·Maison Ikkoku Kanketsuhen (Maison Ikkoku Final Chapter)
Released: February 6, 1988

·1 pondo no fukuin; Manaita no ue no kohitsuji (One-Pound Gospel; The Lamb on the Chopping Block)
Published in: Young Sunday 1988 1 - 3

·Yume no owari (Dream's End)
Published in: Shonen Sunday 1988 #23 & Mermaid's Scar

·Hachi no naka (Hidden in the Pottery)
Published in: Big Comic Original 1988 #10 & The Tragedy of P (Rumic Theater)

·1 pondo no fukuin; Kohitsuji-domo no yume no ato (One-Pound Gospel; The Remains of Dreams)
Published in: Young Sunday 16 - 19 April - May & One Pound Gospel Vol. 1

·Ichi pound no fukuin (One-Pound Gospel)
Released: 1988

·Urusei Yatsura ikari no sharbet (Urusei Yatsura Rage! Sherbert)
Released: December 2, 1988

·Urusei Yatsura Nagisaa no fiancees (Urusei Yatsura Rage! Nagisa's Fiancee)
Released: December 28, 1988


*1989

·Uchi ga megami ja!! (Winged Victory)
Published in: Shonen Sunday Extra Commemoration Issue for the 30th Anniversary & 1 or W

·Ranma 1/2 (TV Series)
Broadcast from: April 14, 1989 - September 16, 1989

·1 pondo no fukuin; Kohitsuji no fukkatsu (One-Pound Gospel; The Lamb Resurrected)
Published in: Young Sunday 1989 #15 - 19 April - May & One-Pound Gospel Vol. 2

·Urusei Yatsura The Electric Household Guard
Released: August 21, 1989

·Urusei Yatsura I Howl at the Moon
Released: September 1, 1989

·Ranma 1/2 Nettohen (TV Series)
Broadcast from: October 20, 1989 - September 25, 1992

·Urusei Yatsura yagi to chizu (Urusei Yatsura Goat and Cheese)
Released: December 21, 1989

·Urusei Yatsura Catch the Heart
Released: December 27, 1989


*1990

·L saizu no koufuku (Extra-Large Size Happiness)
Published in: Big Comic Original 1990 #2 & The Tragedy of P

·1 pondo no fukuin; Juji o kitta kohitsuji (One-Pound Gospel; The Lamb Who Crossed Himself)
Published in: Young Sunday 1990 #8 - 12 February - March & One-Pound Gospel Vol. 2

·Maison Ikkoku nanpa shimazu (Shipwrecked on Ikkoku Island)
Released: 1990

·Yakusoku no ashita (Mermaid's Promise)
Published in: Shonen Sunday 1990 #45 - 46 October & Mermaid Scar

·Ranma 1/2 utagassen sono 1 & 2 (Ranma 1/2 Extra Songs Part 1 & 2)
Released: November 7 & 21, 1990


*1991

·Watashi no Skyandaru (My Scandal)
Published in: Gekan ASUKA 1991 #1

·Ground fazaa (The Grandfather of All Baseball Games)
Published in: Big Comic Original 1991 #1 - 2 January & 1 or W

·Katte ni densenrun desu (Arbitrary Contagion)
Published in: Big Comic Original 1991 1/10

·P no higeki (The Tragedy of P)
Published in: Big Comic Original 1991 #4 January & The Tragedy of P

·1 pondo no fukuin; Nerawareta kohitsuji (One-Pound Gospel; Lamb for the Slaughter)
Published in: Young Sunday 1991 #10 - 11 March & One Pound Gospel Vol. 3

·Urusei Yatsura Terror of Girly-Eyes Measles
Released: June 21, 1991

·Urusei Yatsura Date With a Spirit
Released: June 21, 1991

·Surimu kannon (Diet Goddess)
Published in: Petit Comic 1991 #9 August & 1 or W

·Ningyo no mori (Mermaid Forest)
Released: August 1991

·Urusei Yatsura itsudatte my darling (Urusei Yatsura Always My Darling)
Released: November 2, 1991

·Ranma 1/2 Chuugoku Nekonron Daikesson! (Ranma 1/2 Big Trouble in Nekonron, China)
Released: November 2, 1991



*1992

·Poi no ie (The House of Garbage)
Published in: Big Comic Original 1992 #4 January & The Tragedy of P

·Ningyo no kizu (Mermaid Scar)
Published in: Shonen Sunday 1992 #5 - 6 February & Mermaid Scar

·Shari hime (The Ash Princess)
Published in: Shonen Sunday Extra 1992 June & Mermaid Scar

·1 pondo no fukuin; Seiya ni naku kohitsuji (One-Pound Gospel; Tears of a Lamb)
Published in: Young Sunday 23 - 24 1992 June & One-Pound Gospel Vol. 3

·Ranma 1/2 Kessen Tougenkyou! Hanayomewo Torimodose! (Ranma 1/2 Nihao, My Concubine)
Released: August 1, 1992

·Ranma 1/2 Tendo-ke no oyoibidenai yatsura (Ranma 1/2 Tendo Family's Annoying Acquaintances)
Released: August 1992

·MOON dai petto ou (MOON The Great Pet King)
Published in: Shogaku 3-nensei 1992 #10 - 11 September - October


*1993

·Hyaku-nen no koi (One-Hundred Years of Love)
Published in: Big Comic Original #4 1993 January

·Yasha no hitomi (Mermaid's Gaze)
Published in: Shonen Sunday 1993 #5 - 6 February

·Ranma 1/2 TV Titles
Released: April 21, 1993

·Takarazuka e no shotai (Reserved Seat)
Published in: Big Comic Spirits 1993 #34 September

·Ningyo no kizu (Mermaid's Scar)
Released: October, 1993

·Ranma 1/2 Shampoo Hyouhen! Hanten Houju no Wazawai (Ranma 1/2 Shampoo's Sudden Switch! The Curse of the Contrary Jewel)
Released: October 21, 1993

·MOON dai petto ou (MOON The Great Pet King)
Published in: Shogaku 3-nensei 1993 #12 - 1994 #1 December - January

·Ranma 1/2 Tendo-ke Scramble Christmas (Ranma 1/2 Tendo Family Christmas Scramble)
Released: December 17, 1993


*1994

·Senmu no inu (The Managing Director's Dog)
Published in: Big Comic Original #2 1994 January

·Saigo no kao (Mermaid's Mask)
Published in: Shonen Sunday 1994 #7 - 8 February

·Ranma 1/2 Ranma vs Akane Okaasanno Ajiha Watashiga Mamoru! (Ranma 1/2 I'll Be the One to Inherit Mother's Recipes)
Released: February 18, 1994

·Ranma 1/2 Gakuen ni Fuku Arashi Adult Change! Hinako-sensei (Ranma 1/2 Stormy Weather Comes to School! Growing Up With Miss Hinako)
Released: April 21, 1994

·Ranma 1/2 Michi wo Tsugu Mono (Zenpen & Kohen) (Ranma 1/2 The One to Carry On Part One & Two)
Released: June 17 & August 19, 1994

·Ranma 1/2 Chou Musabetsu Kessen! Ranma Team vs Densetsu no Houou (Ranma 1/2 Team Ranma Versus The Legendary Phoenix)
Released: August 20, 1994

·1 or W
Published in: Shonen Sunday 1994 #34 September & 1 or W

·Ranma 1/2 Yomigaeru Kioku (Part 1) (Ranma 1/2 Reawakening Memories Part 1)
Released: December 16, 1994


*1995

·Meiso kazoku faia (F) (Wandering Family F)
Published in: Big Comic Original #4 1995 January & The Managing Director's Dog

·Ranma 1/2 Yomigaeru Kioku (Part 2) (Ranma 1/2 Reawakening Memories Part 2)
Released: February 17, 1995

·Ranma 1/2 Batoru Kaiibai 29 Hitou Korinai Yatsura (Ranma 1/2 Huge Battle! 29 Unteachable Fools)
Released: March 3, 1995

·Ranma 1/2 DoCo Music Video
Released: August 19, 1995

·Ranma 1/2 Aa! Noroi no harendou, waga ai wa eien ni (Ranma 1/2 Oh, Cursed Tunnel of Lost Love! Let My Love Be Forever)
Released: 1995

·Ranma 1/2 Jakku no Oni (Ranma 1/2 The Evil Oni)
Released: 1995


*1996

·Cha no ma no rabusong (Livingroom Lovesong)
Published in: Big Comic Original #4 1996 January & The Managing Director's Dog

·1 pondo no fukuin; Yoromeku kohitsuji (One Pound Gospel; The Fallen Lamb)
Published in: Young Sunday #17 - 21/22 May - June 1996 & One-Pound Gospel Vol. 3

·Inuyasha sengoku o togi zoushi (Inu-Yasha A Feudal Fairytale)
Published in: Shonen Sunday 1996 #50 - present & Inu-Yasha Vol. 1 - present

·Ranma 1/2 Futari no Akane "Ranma Watashi o Mite!" (Ranma 1/2 The Two Akanes, "Ranma Look At Me!"
Released: 1996


*1997

·Oyaji rotin (Pop In His Teens)
Published in: Big Comic Original #10 1997 March & The Managing Director's Dog

·Furyou -waru- (Delinquent)
Published in: Big Comic Spirits Special Manpuku! June

·Inuyasha Trailer
Broadcast: 1997


*1998

·Orei ni kaete (Becoming Thankful)
Published in: Big Comic Original 1998 #4 January & The Managing Director's Dog

·1 pondo no fukuin; Kohitsuji no resutoran (One Pound Gospel; The Lamb's Restaurant)
Published in: Young Sunday 1998 #51 - 52 December


*1999

·Kimi ga iru dake de (Even If It's Only You)
Published in: Big Comic Original 1999 #4 January & The Managing Director's Dog

·with CAT
Published in: Shonen Sunday 1999 #46 November


*2000

·Higaeri no yume (Dream of a Daytrip)
Published in: Big Comic Original 2000 #5 February

·Inuyasha Sengoku o togi zoushi (TV Series) (Inuyasha)
Broadcast from: October 16, 2000 - Present

*2001

·Oyaji gurafiti (Grafitti Pop)
Published in: Big Comic Original 2001 #4 January

·1 pondo no fukuin; Kohitsuji no mirai zu (One-Pound Gospel; The Lamb's Future)
Published in: Young Sunday 2001 #25 - 26 July

·Inuyasha: Toki wo Koeru Omoi (Inuyasha: Love That Trancends Time)
Released: December 15, 2001



*2002

·Akai Hanataba (Red Bouquet)
Published in: Big Comic Original 2002 Vol. 12 March

·Inuyasha: Kagami no Naka no Mugenjo (Inuyasha: The Castle Beyond The Looking Glass)
Released: December 15, 2001



*2003

·Help!
Published in: Big Comic Original May 5, 2003

·Kotoshi wa yuushou! (This Year, A Championship!)
Published in: Big Comic Spirits 2003 Vol. 25 July

·Takahashi Rumiko Gekijyou (TV Series) (Rumic Theater)
Released: July 6, 2003 - September 28, 2003

·Ningyo no mori (TV Series) (Mermaid's Forest)
Released: October 5, 2003 - December 14, 2003

·Kawaii Hana (Cute Flower)
Published in: Big Comic Original October 25, 2003

·Inuyasha: Tenka Hadou no Tsurugi (Inuyasha: World Conquering Sword)
Released: December 2003


*2004

·Giri no Bakansu (A Dutiful Vacation)
Published in: Big Comic Original March 5, 2004

Wew!!! She's really awesome!! INUYASHA'S MY BEST MANGA!!!

Taken from Akadot conducted by Luis Reyes



A couple who has infected their son with an experimental virus continually use the youth's medically manipulated bone marrow in their avaricious attempts at alchemy. But instead of conjuring gold, the mad scientists conjure the seven lucky gods of Buddhism who end up being extremely unlucky for the family of modest means now expected to house and feed the playful deities. All the while, the fiery pre-teen longs for his parents' attention

Rather than playing into clichés or expectations, manga artist Rumiko Takahashi ("Ranma 1/2," "Maison Ikkoku," "Urusei Yatsura") has based a career on bringing non sequiturs into the realm of sincere human emotions. The preceding synopsis of "The Golden Gods of Poverty" from Takahashi's "Rumic World Trilogy Vol. 2" at once illustrates her concern for social issues, her cynicism about man's base motives and her perverse treatment of the sacred. Takahashi's idiosyncratic wit continues to stand out in the field. This probably accounts for the host of producers, cameramen, interviewers, bright lights and big smiles shoehorned into a decoratively carpeted meeting room at the Hyatt in downtown San Diego on ComicCon weekend. Under the watchful gaze of understandably litigious administrators and scampering personnel, Akadot's Luis Reyes and Sandy Yang spoke with Takahashi.



Akadot: So the first question I have is something you've probably been asked a lot, but what do you feel is the wide appeal of your work?

Takahashi: I really can't say what the exact reason is. But I think maybe it's that the art style and the storytelling in my comics are very straightforward and easy to understand, especially genres like comedy, such as "Ranma ½." I think this slapstick sort of comedy is universal. It just transcends any sort of borders, so I guess that might be the reason why it's so popular here.

Akadot: What about your darker work, like the "Mermaid" series and things like that?

Takahashi: Is that popular?

Akadot: Well, it's popular with me. I'm just interested in it.

Takahashi: I really can't say. I don't know (laugh).

Akadot: Ok, we'll get into more specific questions rather than worrying about these kinds of surface level issues. A lot of your fans and articles about you focus on your unique and in depth use of characterization. So I wanted to look at some of your characters and maybe try to analyze what is appealing about them. To start with, do you have a general comment about your characters? What makes you like one of your characters?

Takahashi: In developing most of my series, I think of the basic frame in which the whole story will take place and, within that frame, I think of the main character of the story, the hero and the heroine. And then, coming up with periphery characters, I try to come up with characters that will build up and bring forward the two main characters in that storyline.

Akadot: Do you ever find that sometimes those side characters become so interesting and so completely fleshed that they eclipse the central relationship?

Takahashi: It's happened (laugh).

Akadot: Specific examples?

Takahashi: Oh, for example, one of the characters in "Urusei Yatsura" called Yunosuke. Umm…she just sort of ate up other people's characters (laugh). Took on many fans, I guess.

Akadot: Is it usually the comic characters that do this? Has there ever been a circumstance in which a dramatic character has actually eclipsed the main storyline?

Takahashi: What do you mean?

Akadot: Instead of a comic character doing it, someone who's going through a rather deep, emotional experience or something like that.

Takahashi: Just speaking generally, I don't think I've consciously ever created a character to eclipse another character. But there was an instance in "Maison Ikkoku" in which Mitaka and Godai both love Kyoko. Mitaka, however, eventually falls out of love with Kyoko and gets together with another woman. And during that whole sequence, I had a lot of Mitaka in the comic, and the readers had a great emotional response to that because they wanted to read more about Kyoko and Godai rather than the storyline about Mitaka. They complained, "Why are you drawing him so much? Why don't you concentrate on the main story?" But otherwise, I don't personally, consciously try to do anything to eclipse another character. In the process of storytelling, readers might interpret it that way.

Akadot: Well, what about a character like Godai, with his incessant pursuit of the girl he loves. What makes him a sympathetic character versus just a pathetic character? What do you feel makes him sympathetic?

Takahashi: Oh god, what a difficult question. I never thought of Godai as being a pathetic character. He's a ronin, which is basically a high school graduate who failed to pass the entrance exams for college. That is very common in Japan. So I think that the situations he gets into, all of "Maison's" readers have experienced one or two of them themselves. He's like the embodiment of a typical teen trying to make it in the world. Sure it's a comedy and a love story, so some of it is more exaggerated or deformed, but I think he is never a pathetic character, but more of a character you want to encourage or help.


-- Continue on next post...

Akadot: How has venturing into several genres allowed you to tackle similar themes in different ways? Are there certain themes you gravitate towards that, through different genres, you have been able to explore in different ways?

Takahashi: Do you mean several themes in a title and then a comedy or...

Akadot: Yeah, accepting the idea that each genre has its own specific vocabulary through which you express certain things in a certain way. Have you found that in each genre, you gravitate towards similar themes, like maybe forlorn love or things like that.

Takahashi: I'm not sure what you mean. 'Cause the whole question is do I see similar themes in all of these works?

Akadot: Yes, I'm sorry. I guess that is the question. Are you using similar themes and through the different genres, are you able to come to different conclusions about them?

Takahashi: I've never really thought about it. I just come up with stories so there might be similarities, but nothing real conscious.

Akadot: Well, what's your favorite genre to work in then?

Takahashi: Well, I guess I have to say that the easiest to draw would be a love comedy, but the genre that gives me a great deal of enjoyment is horror because I don't get to do it very often.

Akadot: Are you going to explore that genre more now?

Takahashi: My current series, "Inu Yasha," is definitely not a love comedy. It's my first time doing a long series about monsters and whatnot. I'm really having a good time with it and enjoying myself.

Akadot: Do you consider yourself more a storyteller or a visual artist?

Takahashi: If I were to choose between one or the other, it'd definitely be the stories.

Akadot: I know you've written a lot of manga short stories, but have you thought about maybe producing something that isn't visual based.

Takahashi: I don't think of myself as a novelist. I'm a manga artist, and I think story is the most important element in a manga, but that story also has to work with my art, so what's important to me is a story that can be visually told and relate to others. So I don't think I want to do otherwise.

Akadot: Among your inspirations, you've mentioned "Spiderman," you've mentioned "Bewitched," things like that. What literary and mythological eras do you usually reference in your work? What non-visual media are you drawn to as inspiration for your work?

Takahashi: I guess it's a bit of a bad answer, but everything gives me inspiration. Old old stories. Stories that every kid would have heard as a child in Japan. And folklore that everybody always hears. And in titles like "Urusei Yatsura," anything goes, so I have so many sources for inspiration for that title.

Akadot: Do you receive fan mail from your American audience?

Takahashi: I get some.

Akadot: What kind of things do they note as exciting about your work?

Takahashi: Most of the fan letters have the Japanese name of the title that they're writing about and they're kind enough to write in simple English all the way through. But most of the letters seem to be saying how much they love my work and how they enjoy reading it. That's the majority of the letters I get from the United States

Akadot: What does the manga style do that the American comic book style doesn't do? Or vice versa?

Takahashi: Originally, when the "Spiderman" manga came out in Japan, it was written by an American person and just illustrated by a Japanese artist and I didn't think that the story worked all that well. And I also have a few copies of the American "Spiderman" comic and I can't read any of it, but I look at it from panel to panel. It seems very light and bright, light-hearted maybe. But when the Japanese writer came in to do "Spiderman," it became a much darker and gloomy story and I found myself really interested and drawn in by it. Maybe that says that Japanese manga readers like gory stories (laugh). I don't know.

Akadot: What is different between the light-hearted Japanese stories, like your "Ranma 1/2," and the American, light-hearted stories. What freedoms does manga allow that perhaps the American comic books tend to restrict?

Takahashi: Well, I can't really say since I'm not all that familiar with American comics, but in Japanese comics, manga, I find that most of the main characters are teenagers, usually from 10 to like 16 or 17, hardly ever any older than that in most instances. And I think most of the readers, being kids, can identify with characters of these ages. Whereas in the typical American comic, most of the characters are adults. Or if they're not adults, they're extremely young, or they're not even human at all. So, I can't say for sure, but I think that might be one of the differences.

Akadot: Yeah, I really like that. You've inspired a whole bunch of questions that I'll hopefully be able to ask at another time. Thank you very much.

Takahashi: Thank you.



In this short and somewhat hurried interview, Rumiko Takahashi - surrounded by protruding floodlights and bustling camera crews- took the time, even after raven-like producers swooped down in consultation, to sign Sandy's "Ranma 1/2" and "Maison Ikkoku" English manga. This may be a small gesture, but it's still a testament to Takahashi's personal generosity and understanding despite the corporate glass behind which she sits.


Thanks to Akadot!

the greatest one of corse is inuyasha {is this the last seson of inuyasha on tv}?!!!!

Inuyasha is prolonging, making it less interesting I prefer RANMA 1/2, so hillarious!