Rumiko Takahashi Works

Translation by: Laura Arias Moreno
Edited by: Megan Smith

Debut Time - The URUSEI YATSURA Years (1978-1987)

FROM HER DEBUT TO HER BEGINNING THE CLASSIC MANGA

In 1978 Rumiko Takahashi was an ordinary university student. ^[1] However, at that time, she was also preparing to become a mangaka.

"At university, I took part in the manga club and attended Gekiga Sonjuku, so I was already in training since my second year of university." ^[2]

Being enrolled in the Gekiga Sonjuku manga academy was a big step for Takahashi. "That meant taking action in order to become a manga artist; it had been such a longtime dream for me, but maybe I could begin to see it in the distance. I realized what I needed to do to accomplish my dream. Since I knew I only wanted to be a manga artist, I wanted to debut before I graduated from university."

Takahashi used the spring holidays prior to starting her third year of college to create Katte na Yatsura. "I gave it everything I was capable of at that time."

Katte na Yatsura was awarded honorable mention in Newcomers Manga Award in the Shonen category. “I brashly thought that it was really good. Since I was young, I considered it to be fantastic." ^[3]

Additionally, it was decided that Takahashi could begin publishing manga regularly. “I was notified around Golden Week that I was to be published, but the actual date of release was in mid-June. Fortunately, I could publish my submission. I considered that kind of luck to also be important when becoming a manga artist. There was a spot of around 30 pages, and I did 32 pages, so it was published by cutting two of them. My manga fit almost perfectly." ^[4]

So, the university student aiming to become a manga artist made it. Rumiko Takahashi was able to showcase a good amount of the influences from her short story, Katte na Yatsura, in Urusei Yatsura during the summer of that year.

"I used the summer break to draw five chapters of Urusei Yatsura." And, thus, Urusei Yatsura began its irregular serialization in Shonen Sunday. ^[5]

“The editor in charge at that time told me that he didn’t know if there was a future in manga for me, and he was worried about whether or not I could make a living out of this, so I didn’t have too many expectations." ^[6] However, while publishing Urusei Yatsura irregularly, Rumiko Takahashi started another serial called Dust Spot that was published on a monthly basis. She also published brief one-shot stories.

I COULDN'T SAY NO IF THEY ASKED ME

"During those days, I lived in an apartment made of mortar and wood in Nakano, but I couldn't divide a space for drawing and a space for living and ended up sleeping in the closet." ^[7] Those were nostalgic days. "If they allowed me to draw manga, then I’d do it. It was fun. I couldn't say no if they asked me. I was delighted to have my stories published in a magazine."

Two years later Takahashi became a popular manga artist, and another story came on the scene: Maison Ikkoku.

"I also drew Maison Ikkoku at that apartment in Nakano. There was an odd building exactly like the Ikkoku-kan building next to my apartment, and Maison Ikkoku emerged from this." ^[8]

After that she graduated from university, left the apartment in Nakano, and started making a living as a manga artist in an apartment in Higashi Kurume.

"When I finished university, Urusei Yatsura had become a regular weekly series, Maison Ikkoku started, and I moved into a proper place with a working space and a living space. Since I started publishing regularly, manga was going to be my profession, and that was when I felt I became a formal manga artist."

In 1980, Urusei Yatsura won the Shogakukan Manga Award. ^[9] "I was wondering if it might be too soon for that, but I felt really thankful. Then, my feeling of being a professional went even further."

In 1981, Urusei Yatsura became an anime.

"During that period, a lot of good things took place. I couldn't imagine that they’d make an Urusei Yatsura anime."

Also, an Urusei Yatsura movie was later released.

"I have cherished memories of the first film, Only You. We invited the readers to a test screening, and when Lum appeared in the opening, the fans started to clap. I felt really blessed. I was so moved by that gesture. I thought that it was incredible that the anime had such energy. That Valentine's Day, I received four or five packages of chocolate boxes addressed to the characters. That was a big surprise." ^[10]

So, for a while, both Urusei Yatsura and Maison Ikkoku were being simultaneously serialized; however, Takahashi didn’t describe the experience as being difficult. "When you’re drawing one series, you start imagining ideas for the second one. I think there are a lot of people like that. While you’re drawing a comedy story, you feel like drawing something serious."

The RANMA 1/2 Years (1987-1996)

HER TWO SIMULTANEOUS WORKS COME TO AN END, AND A NEWS SERIES BEGINS.

When the two simultaneous works came to an end, a new series began.

In 1987, Lum's fierce attitude drew to a close. "I thought it was a good time to finish what I had been doing for nine years. I reached the point where I’d completed a wide range of situations that I’d imagined and that was enough."

In the work, a character named Inaba appears who is a member of the Destiny Creation Management Bureau this allowed me to show futures that were different from what was initially designed earlier in the series. It could be considered almost like a parallel world, one that was visually easy to understand via the opening of a door. Soon after her first serialized manga ended, Maison Ikkoku concluded shortly afterwards.

Almost without a break, her following title, One Pound Gospel, started being published on an irregular basis.

"It stemmed from wanting to draw boxing because I was a fan of the sport. When I was a child, it was the golden age of boxing on TV. My favorite boxer was Masao Ohba, and unfortunately he had already passed away, but I thought it would be great to draw someone like him. He punched and, while suffering from a twisted ankle, defeated his opponent with another hit! Something like that." ^[11]

Following the release of this series, Ranma 1/2 began its serialization in Shonen Sunday. Since One Pound Gospel was not published regularly, Ranma 1/2 was her only regular title. "Well, it was easier than having Urusei Yatsura and Maison Ikkoku serialized at the same time, but on the contrary, I felt more uneasy about it. If I didn't make Ranma 1/2 funny, then there was no other way. Rather, there would be no other twist to make the series work.”

IF I DIDN'T MAKE RANMA 1/2 FUNNY, THEN THERE WAS NO OTHER WAY. RATHER, THERE WOULD BE NO OTHER TWIST TO MAKE THE SERIES WORK.

On the contrary, having only one serialized title created more pressure for Takahashi. Even in this situation, she tried new things.

"I tried to create a ‘gender free’ character. From a man to a woman, from a woman to a man. I wanted to try something using that idea, and also, I wanted to have the series more settled in a high-school environment compared to Urusei Yatsura. I wanted it to consist of a heavier plot that wouldn’t just finish in one chapter. Continuing the story was innovative for me. I managed to create highs and lows in every chapter. Also, I could fulfill my wish of using big, full panel pages too.

Compared to Urusei Yatsura, which needed the story arc to end every sixteen pages, writing longer stories in Ranma 1/2 was easy. However, during the serialization of Ranma 1/2, a painful event took place.

"I suffered peritonitis. It was the first time that I realized the idea of ‘failing.’ It was heart-breaking. I was so shocked that I even got nose-bleeds. Now that I think about it, it was really hard." ^[12]

While publishing Ranma 1/2, Rumiko Takahashi was hospitalized several times; during her second hospitalization, the series did not stop.

"I continued the chapters to some extent, and my assistants made the backgrounds, receiving my instructions by phoning in to the hospital. Then, they brought the finished originals to the hospital so I could sort of check them. But I felt as if I didn't rest at all."

This is the type of dedication one can expect from a superb manga artist.

The INUYASHA Years (1996-2008)

SHE WANTED TO ATTEMPT CREATING A SERIOUS SHONEN MANGA.

When Ranma 1/2 surpassed 30 volumes, Takahashi began driving the series towards its finale.

“This kind of story has a limited number of volumes. If I continued it any further, my body wouldn't have been able to stand it..."

So Ranma 1/2 ended, and her next challenge became the serious Inuyasha.

"Anyway, I wanted to do something that was not silly. Maybe by doing this I disappointed some people expecting gags, but I tried making longer plots with highs and lows, more so than I had in Ranma 1/2. I also wanted to continue creating shonen manga.”

Inuyasha became the fourth anime for Rumiko Takahash following Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku, and Ranma 1/2. She shared with us the following sentiment: "I visited the studio for the first time during the recording of Inuyasha. Even now, I travel along with the cast and the staff to Miyakojima every year." ^[13]

She discussed the ending of the series with Satsuki Yukino, the voice actress of Kagome. "I was hesitating a lot on if Kagome would be happy choosing the contemporary age or the feudal age. So I asked Yukino-san what she wanted to do. Then, she told me that she would like to stay in the feudal era. I asked her, ‘Is that okay? You would leave everything behind?’ She was very embarrassed being consulted about that." ^[14]

I WAS HESITATING A LOT ON IF KAGOME WOULD BE HAPPY.

"Both options weren’t possible. To remain in the modern era or to go to the feudal era? What I did not want was to choose both of them. When it came to the point of choosing, it only seemed possible for Kagome to remain in the present day, and for me that meant the same as dying. In some way, she would have to keep living with what she was not able to achieve. However, in order to go to the feudal era, Kagome would have to leave so much behind. That’s why I consulted Yukino-san. She seems to understand Kagome's personality. So, in the final chapter, Kagome eventually decided to go to the feudal era. But before that, she completed her three years as a high school student; it was a kind of last goodbye or maybe a way to allow her to spend time with the people of her era. And with that Inuyasha met its big finale. I thought I’d done a good job, and it’d be a title people would be happy to finish. If people told me that they didn’t enjoy reading it, it might be hard for me as an author, so I wanted to do something regarding that. Ultimately, I’m very glad about completing the manga.”

"Also, the Inuyasha anime as well as the The Final Act series were aired on TV, so the series was completed up to the finale. I thought the staff was amazing to keep the same style, and I felt glad that the anime was completed up to the conclusion of the story."

From KYOKAI NO RINNE (2009) to the Present and Onwards

HER JOURNEY IN SHONEN MANGA IS NOT OVER YET

Late in 2009, Takahashi began publishing her fourth title in Shonen Sunday: Kyokai no RINNE. At this point, 31 years have gone by since her debut, and once more she decided to draw shonen manga.

"Currently, I prefer drawing shonen manga."

Kyokai no RINNE is a return to comedy. "I aimed to draw a funny story, as a way of escape. I discussed it with my editor and we decided to have a shinigami setting for it. ^[15] However, the series deals with people who died so we couldn't take it too lightly, and there were some aspects which we didn't want to deal with. On the other hand, I liked Rinne to be tight-fisted, so although he is a shinigami, I had fun drawing the circumstances of him being poor."

As she continues drawing weekly shonen manga, Takahashi also continues to publish Rumic Theater for an adult audience in Shogakukan's Big Comic Original magazine. ^[16] She has a sharp eye for the point of view of middle-aged men. "I think I understand men in their 40s better than women. I thought that it’d be great if I could convince readers about that with my manga."

In 2012, she even had a live action television series based on her short stories. "I thought that the actors were superb, and they stuck to the original stories so I was very pleased."

Rumic Theater stories are enjoyed by readers every year. Despite this, the most important activity for Takahashi is to draw shonen manga. "If I am able to, I will continue doing shonen manga; if my physical condition allows me to, I will continue drawing it. I don’t know if I’ll be able to say the same later on, but I want to continue."

According to her, as her shonen manga artist colleague Kazuhiro Fujita also mentioned, no genre is funnier than shonen manga. ^[17] "I sincerely believe so, too."

IF MY PHYSICAL CONDITION ALLOWS ME TO, I WILL CONTINUE DRAWING SHONEN MANGA.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WHEN DRAWING SHONEN MANGA

MY MAIN OBJECTIVE WHEN DRAWING SHONEN MANGA IS FOR THE READER NOT TO REGRET READING MY WORKS.

What was the motivation for Rumiko Takahashi, being a woman, to draw shonen manga?

"Well, when I was a child I enjoyed reading the titles published in shonen magazines such as W3 and Dororo by Osamu Tezuka. Also, the ones by [Fujio] Akatsuka-sensei and Fujio Fujiko. The titles being published then were really fun. I read shojo manga as well, for example Margaret magazine, but if we speak about drawing, it was shonen manga that I preferred."

Takahashi has an older brother, so we assume that also had an effect on her. "At first, it was my brother who bought Shonen Sunday, but later I had to spend my own money on them. There was also a time when I bought every shonen manga magazine." ^[18]

Finding the manga by Ryoichi Ikegami was what made her aim to become a manga artist. "It was reading manga by Ryoichi Ikegami in particular that caused that feeling." ^[19]

What is shonen manga to Rumiko Takahashi? "It’s my daily life, and I intend to draw it for a long time. It seems like a long-life friend."

IT SEEMS LIKE A LIFE-LONG FRIEND.

What is important for Rumiko Takahashi regarding shonen manga? "Maybe this is my personal feeling, but I like them to be positive and cheerful with many factors that are properly arranged as a whole. I feel moved when I can see that the manga artist has put effort into drawing their work."

How can you describe the entertainment you are aiming to?

"Most importantly, manga has to be fun. Setting aside the genre, my aim is for the reader to not regret reading my works. I have to be happy about drawing it so the reader also enjoys reading it."

It seems that Rumiko Takahashi's passion for shonen manga is not over yet!

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Footnotes

• [1] Takahashi attended Japan Women's University (日本女子大学/Nihon Joshi Daigaku), a prestigious women's university in Tokyo.
• [2] Gekiga Sonjuku was a manga "cram school" where Kazuo Koike, the writer of such iconic manga as Lone Wolf and Cub, Crying Freeman and Lady Snowblood helped train a number of manga luminaries before their debuts. Besides Rumiko Takahashi, other Gekiga Sonjuku alumnai include Tetsuo Hara (Fist of the North Star), Yuji Hori (Dragon Quest), Hideyuki Kikuchi (Vampire Hunter D), Keisuke Itagaki (Grappler Baki) and Marley Caribu (Old Boy).
• [3] Takahashi won honorable mention for the 2nd Shogakukan Newcomers Manga Award (第2回小学館新人コミック大賞) in the shonen category. The way the Newcomer Manga Award is structured is there is a single winner and then two to three honorable mentions that are unranked. In 1978 the winner in the shonen category was Yoshimi Yoshimaro (吉見嘉麿) for D-1 which was published in Shonen Sunday 1978 Vol. 26. The other honorable mentions in addition to Rumiko Takahashi were Masao Kunitoshi (国俊昌生) for The Memoirs of Dr. Watson (ワトソン博士回顧録) which was published in Shonen Sunday 1978 Vol. 27 and Hiroaki Oka (岡広秋) for Confrontation on the Snowy Mountains (雪山の対決) which was published in a special edition of Shonen Sunday (週刊少年サンデー増刊号). Oka would also publish later under the name Jun Hayami (早見純). Other winners in various Newcomers categories include Gosho Aoyama, Koji Kumeta, Yuu Watase, Kazuhiko Shimamoto, Naoki Urasawa, Kazuhiro Fujita and Ryoji Minagawa, Yellow Tanabe and Takashi Iwashige.
• [4] This is how Takahashi's Katte na Yatsura was published in Shonen Sunday despite her winning honorable mention in the Newcomers Manga Award (Shonen category).
• [5] Urusei Yatsura's early publication history was fairly non-traditional. After the first five chapters were published weekly from August through September of 1978 the sixth chapter was then published in a special issue of Shonen Sunday in October or November. Takahashi then returned in February to continue Urusei Yatsura for approximately ten chapters. This was because Takahashi was still in college at this point in her life. She then returned to Urusei Yatsura through April 1979 before stopping and publishing the five chapter monthly mini-series Dust Spot!! in a special edition of Shonen Sunday. After Dust Spot!! she returned to Urusei Yatsura sporadically until March of 1980 when its continual, regular weekly publication began in earnest. Looking at the publication dates of the chapters in the first two volumes helps clarify this as well as shows that some of the chapters were rearranged from their original publication order.
• [6] This would have been Takahashi's first editor, Shinobu Miyake (三宅克). He is the namesake of Shinobu Miyake of Urusei Yatsura fame. In addition to overseeing Urusei Yatsura he also was the editor of Pro-Golfer Saru (プロゴルファー猿) by Fujiko Fujio A (藤子不二雄Ⓐ) and Makoto-chan (まことちゃん) by Kazuo Umezu (楳図かずお).
• [7] Rumiko Takahashi touches on this time in her life in Hello! Sensei.
• [8] Years later Takahashi would illustrate her experience of witnessing the goings-on at this neighboring building and its inspiration for Maison Ikkoku in the short story 1980.
• [9] Takahashi has won the Shogakukan Manga Award in the shonen category twice, once in 1980 for Urusei Yatsura and again in 2001 for Inuyasha.
• [10] Only You opened February 11, 1983, three days before Valentine's Day. Takahashi has often mentioned that Only You is her favorite Urusei Yatsura film. On the other hand the director, Mamoru Oshii, has expressed he found it to be little more than an extended television episode.
• [11] Because of the irregular serialization of One Pound Gospel Rumiko Takahashi has had few opportunities to offer comments about the series. One of the few interviews she has given that touches on the series are her interview with boxer Kiyoshi Hatanaka and some brief comments in her interview with mangaka Keisuke Itagaki.
• [12] Rumiko Takahashi was hospitalized between the publication of chapter 64 and chapter 65 of Ranma 1/2 (between early November 1988 and late January 1989). During her hospitalization she conducted an interview with Masami Yuki who visited her after her surgery.
• [13] Rumiko Takahashi took annual trips to Miyakojima with the cast and staff of the Inuyasha anime as she mentions in this 2008 interview. Her editor, Kento Moriwaki, also discusses these trips in his interview.
• [14] Takahashi references asking Kagome's voice actress, Satsuki Yukino, about what she should do regarding Kagome's fate in a 2020 interview.
• [15] The editor mentioned here would be Shunsuke Moteki (茂木俊輔) who was the eighth and final editor on Inuyasha and the first editor on Kyokai no RINNE. Moteki's comments on his work with Takahashi can be read here.
• [16] This is referring to Rumiko Takahashi's short stories where she often focused on the lives of older men in stories such as Amorphous Family, House of Garbage and My Sky.
• [17] Kazuhiro Fujita (藤田和日郎) is best known for his manga Ushio & Tora (うしおととら). When interviewed by Naoki Urasawa for his television program Naoki Urasawa's Man Ben (浦沢直樹の漫勉) Fujita stated that it was Takahashi's short story When My Eyes Got Wings convinced him that there was room in the world of manga to tell the kind of stories he wished to create. He also provided an illustration of Lum and comments when Urusei Yatsura was reprinted as shinsobon editions.
• [18] Takahashi primarily grew up reading shonen manga because that is what her brothers bought. She discusses this in her interview about Ryoichi Ikegami and also in "Examinging the Source of Masterpieces! Rumiko Takahashi's History".
• [19] Ryoichi Ikegami (池上遼一) is by far Takahashi's biggest influence and favorite artist as she has professed many times. His work includes Crying Freeman (クライング フリーマン), Sanctuary (サンクチュアリ) and Wounded Man (傷追い人).

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