Four Funerals and a Wedding?
A Brief Report of Rumiko Takahashi's Appearance at the '94 San Diego Comic-Con
By: Joe Rispoli
Arriving at the 1994 San Diego Comic-Con
As soon as I heard the Rumiko Takahashi was scheduled to make her first official American appearance at the San Diego Comic-Con, I knew where I wanted to spend my summer vacation. And although our original plans to drive cross-country didn't work out, Nate Ebersole (also of the DAC) and I got to meet and talk with the author we both admire and respect so much...
Saturday Aug 6th was a day I'll never forget... Arriving a few hours too late to get into the limited (to 75!) autograph line outside the Convention Center, we consoled ourselves with the hope of running into other USA YATSURA APA members (which we did, including Michael Susko, editor of the same), as well as looking forward to seeing Miss Takahashi in person. [Next time, I'm bringing a sleeping bag and/or showing up very, very early...]
We had originally planned to stay in the room scheduled for her appearance, but we were notified by the VIZ people co-ordinating the event that the room would be cleared out so the her fans could be allowed into the room in an orderly manner. We quickly asked where the line was forming, and headed for it. After spending nearly an hour and a half as part of a group of friendly and anxious fans and semi-pros, we were let back into the room passing by at least a dozen of the con's security people, who were stationed there to keep people from jumping in line (which would probably have gotten the jumper killed in many various quick and painful means...)
It was estimated that the room's capacity was approximately 1500 people, and as far as I could see, there were few empty seats in the room. Then the moment (and the person) we had all waited so anxiously for arrived. It was announced that Miss Takahashi would be present for an awards presentation, then return for a question and answer session after the showing of the dubbed second Ranma Movie.
Miss Takahashi appeared, wearing a black and gold silk Chinese style dress, escorted by her translator and bodyguards (?) and the room went wild with applause. She shyly accepted our accolades of welcome and then sat down in the center of a multi-seat podium in the front of the room, where she was presented with one of American Comicdom's most prestigious awards, the Inkpot, for all the ground-breaking work she had done as well as her technical excellence in comic story-telling. [1] Then she was presented with a special award by Capital City Distributors (who had arranged her appearance in America) in honor of how well her Ranma 1/2, Maison Ikkoku, Mermaid and Lum books had done in our country. She then thanked the presenters and the audience for allowing her to be there, and for buying her books.
Then the VIZ spokesperson announced the premiere of the dubbed second Ranma Movie, and it was almost as much fun watching the fans who quite obviously had never seen it before as it was watching the movie itself. Eyes were bulging out and jaws were nearly hitting the floor almost consistently. A little Nakajima goes a long way, and we know that Atsuko Nakajima doesn't do things in a small way...
Shortly after the movie ended, we awaited the return of Miss Takahashi to the room, and we were invited to an open Question and Answer session with her. We were reminded that she was the creator of Manga (Comic) Series, and to limit our questions to that topic, since she had little to do with the Anime series spun off from her stories. Did I mention that I was sitting in a aisle seat, only 5 feet away from the questioner's microphone? (and sitting only 10 to 15 feet away from Miss Takahashi herself...)
Out of sheer courtesy (and not wanting to appear too anxious), I didn't rush the microphone when the announcement was made, but I let one other fan get in front of the mic before I was up there. While we were waiting for Miss Takahashi to return from taking care of some personal business, some other people came up, and asked to move ahead for various reasons, (editor of a magazine, personal favors, etc.) I figured let them go ahead, and if they asked what I was planning to ask, then I'd ask something else. Plenty of questions had been churning in my mind that I could ask her.
The Question and Answer Session
A few of the questions that were asked (Please bear with me, I wasn't quite all there, and may not be 100% accurate on the wording of the questions and answers that follow:
Q: What's your favorite series?
A: Whatever I'm working on at the time.
Q: Being a woman, how can you see so accurately into the male mind when you do your male characters?
A: Well, women are human beings, too. (Touche')
Q: What sort of materials do you use to draw your manga?
A: Oh, quite ordinary things for the trade, artists board, inks, various types of pens and brushes...
Q: Miss Takahashi, you are well known for your wacky and romantic stories. Why are you writing a horror series like the Mermaid stories?
A: (with a grin) It's my hobby.
Then the moment of infamy arrived... It was my turn at the microphone, and I vowed to do my best to remain calm, cool and collected (need I say I failed?) But I did have one of the longest talks with her (if not the longest) during the Q & A session! I broke up a few of my statements with minor pauses so that her translator could ensure that she understood my comments to her.
Me: Miss Takahashi, first I'd like to state that I consider it quite an honor to be able to be here, to meet you in person and to be able to actually talk with you.
A: Thank you.
Me: I have been a member of the USA YATSURA APA fanzine for many years. It is a fanzine that covers many aspects of Anime and Manga, focusing mainly on your works, since they are the best on the market to many of us.
A: Thank you again.
Me: I am sure I speak for everyone in this room (I should have added 'and thousands of your other American fans who couldn't be here') when I say, 'Doomo arigatoo gozaimaishita.'
(At this point, Miss Takahashi's face lit up...)
Me: (Turning to the members of the audience, and then back to Miss Takahashi) For those of you who don't know what I just said, I'll translate: 'Thank you so very much for all you have done!"
(At this point, everyone in the room stood, cheering and clapping, expressing their agreement with what I had said, and their heart-felt admiration for Miss Takahashi. After a few moments to let things calm down, I then asked the question I had selected.)
Me: Miss Takahashi, do you ever plan to write the Urusei Yatsura story where Lum actually marries her (my voice cracked and my eyes started watering) ...Darling?
A: No, I do not plan to go back to Urusei Yatsura... I ended the story the way I wanted to, and I see no need to go back anymore... (I was devastated, and tried hard not to let it show.)
A: (continuing) However, if you can see their future in your imagination, feel free to write it down.
(I didn't have the gall to tell her I had been doing just that for over 4 years now, the FUYS [Final Urusei Yatsura Season] fan fiction stories have become a hobby unto itself...)
Me: 'Doomo arigato.' (Thank you very much.)
I stumbled back to my seat, mumbling to Nate, Mike and James 'Kitsune' Staley that Takahashi didn't know the can of worms she had just re-opened, and that the APA members better look out...
Questions About the End of Ranma 1/2
Then we got hit with a medium-sized nuke...
Q: Miss Takahashi, rumor has it you will be ending your Ranma 1/2 manga series soon. Is it true?
A: Yes. [2]
Q: Could you tell us anything about your plans to end it?
A: By the time the series is ended, Ranma and Akane will have settled all their differences and difficulties between them.
(The audience went stark, raving bonkers!!! After a cooling off period, the questioning went on.)
Q: Do you mean Ranma will marry Akane?
A: (smiling) Yes!
(The previous reaction was nothing compared to the uproar that now took place. A few obvious Shampoo/Ukyo/Kodachi fans were looking around for long, sharp pointy things to throw themselves on... But on second thought, they should have been rejoicing, since their dream girls are now free to look for someone else... Quick, what's a ticket to Furinkan cost? Better yet, how much to get to Tomobiki? There's a certain biker goddess I'd love to get better acquainted with...)
After that blockbuster, I was pretty much out of it. I'm sure that VIZ will print a full/edited version of the Q & A session in a future issue of Animerica, and I look forward to it.
And the title of this article is what I suggest VIZ use for the dubbed version of the "Final Ranma Movie", whenever that comes out... "FOUR FUNERALS AND A WEDDING" seems to fit both VIZ's naming tendencies and the spirit of the Ranma Finale as well... [You heard it here first, folks!] [3]
My final comment is: "2 out of 3 isn't bad, Miss Takahashi, how about trying to bat .1000? Please!"
For another look at the 1994 San Diego Comic Comic please click here to read K.J. Karvonen's report on the convention. You can take a timewarp back to the early days of the internet and have a look at Joe Rispoli's archived Geocities homepage here.
Footnotes
Dayton Animation Club Newsletter Supplement
|