My Page One

Translated by: Harley Acres

"My Page One" is a selection made by successive editors from the Takahashi-sensei's world!

A new Takahashi world will be born today from this blank name paper specially made for Takahashi-sensei! ^[1]

In 1978 the serialization of Urusei Yatsura started from the 39th issue of Shonen Sunday immediately after Katte na Yatsura was published! Rumiko Takahashi, who has been serializing at the forefront of weekly manga magazines ever since has now, for almost 40 years, been "accompanied" by more than 30 editors (just for her serialized works). We have asked for each of them to select only "one page" and talk about their memories of when they were in charge! How were those masterpieces and famous scenes born!?

We take a look at the secrets of Takahashi-sensei's creations from the perspective of a someone that was "along for the ride"!

"Why aren't there any women who like Ataru?" - Tomofumi Arito

As a new employee, I suddenly became in charge of Urusei Yatsura and had to come up with good ideas every time! I always wondered about something. I always wondered why there were no women who liked the "star" of the series even though there are such phrases as "even a worm likes to eat" and "there are ten different kinds of people."

So, I made a proposal, "Sensei, let's make up a story about Ataru that will make him popular." The result was the storyline, "Last Date". I mean, he is popular, but only with ghosts. This chapter is not all that funny for Urusei Yatsura, and the last part is actually a bit touching. Anyway, I focused on the an image of an Ataru who is kind to women.

When I read it back now, I feel embarrassed, but I guess both Takahashi-sensei and I were both young at the time, and Takahashi-sensei drew the story in a very romantic way. I remember that she said, "It made a tingle run up my spine when I drew it," when describing the last page between Lum and Ataru.

In later years, I learned that she said in an interview that it was her favorite chapter of Urusei Yatsura, and I think once again that I was able to make a small contribution, and that I can continue to live on the basis of the words of this chapter. I was cheered up by these words.

Urusei Yatsura 6th editor - Tomofumi Arito (有藤智文) ^[2]

Takahashi: I also liked the little kitsune stories.

"Which page are you going to choose?" - Makoto Oshima

Select one page of your "favorite scene" from the works you were in charge of.

I had been in charge of this particular assignment since March 1981, when I had been with the company for about a year. I'm not sure if my memory is clear, but since I was in charge for such a long period of time, I can recall many favorite characters and scenes that left a strong impression on me. Among them are "Beware the Fearsome Meow-Meow," in which the editor-in-chief was furious with a senior member of the Editorial Department for telling a story about being rejected and "The Musashi Miyamoto trilogy" (subtitled "Super Musashi, Sprint to the Heavens!" along with two others), in which this editor used Eiji Yoshikawa's book Musashi Miyamoto as a guidebook, "There's a Cat on the Stairs!" in which Kotatsuneko appears as a new character and takes over the stairs. ^[3] Another story in which a tanuki character appears as a new character and gives out a business card with my name followed by "(pseudonym)" in "The Grateful Raccoon"; "Pickled," in which a Lum gets drunk on pickled plums and her behavior is quite sexy; "Tropical Lum," which was the best cover of the then current Shonen Sunday magazine (issue 32, 1983); and the "Tales of a Wandering Snowman" with a cute snowman wearing a hat, and the "Wash Away the Jade Blossom in the Tub" in which I was able to help come up with a heartwarming ending to that particular story (all of those are in no particular order).

By the way, I had been submitting only stories about 2-head sized characters, and Takahashi-sensei, who loves cute girl characters, was angry at me for not submitting stories with bathing suits. Anyway, they asked, "Which page are you going to choose?" I'm so indecisive that I had to choose the cover of the book (sorry, it's not in color) because the others can all be seen in the tankobon.

Urusei Yatsura 5th editor - Makoto Oshima (大島誠) ^[4]

Takahashi: Yes, that conclusion is one of Oshima's masterpieces.

"One of the things we had to resolve was the Shinobu Problem." - Shigeo Kubota

Picking just one page, I think it would be the one where Ataru sees the future where he and Lum get married.

The manga had been running for nine years, and so Takahashi-sensei and I were preparing for the series' conclusion. One of the things we had to resolve was the Shinobu Problem. ^[5] In the manga's first year there was a story that showed Ataru Moroboshi and Shinobu Miyake marrying one another in the future and having a child named Kokeru.

It was fine at the time, early on Shinobu was Ataru's girlfriend and Lum was just an alien from outer space who had come into Ataru's life. However, this became something we needed to fix before the end of the series and so we had Inaba, a rabbit suit wearing employee of the Destiny Production Bureau who made it clear that there are various possible futures which are changeable. The image of Lum smiling in her wedding dress really captures that moment.

That helped us resolve the Shinobu issue and also helped Takahashi-sensei prepare for the the ending of the series. In the final story, which covers the entire final volume, everything is wrapped up with a game of tag just like in the beginning of the series.

The final words between Lum and Ataru on the last page of the penultimate chapter is Takahashi-sensei at her very best. "Even if it takes my entire life I'll make you say it!!"

"I'll say it on my deathbed."

"Are you two gonna keep fighting over that or what!?"

"You betcha!!"

Urusei Yatsura 7th editor - Shigeo Kubota (久保田滋夫)

Takahashi: Thanks to you I was able to complete that storyline successfully. Thank you.

"She put the crux of the entire story in my hands." - Soichiro Suzuki

In this particular chapter, Kyoko goes with Mitaka to help pick out a wedding gift for his little sister, but things get mixed up at Maison Ikkoku and the other tenants think she is going to marry Mitaka. Godai doesn’t want to believe it and confronts Kyoko while they wait at a train crossing. Kyoko answers honestly that yes, she’s helping Mitaka choose a wedding gift for his sister, but as she says this a train passes with the crossing bells sounding. The noise causes Godai to misinterpret her answer as an affirmation that she is marrying Mitaka, which comes as a great shock.

When the chapter was complete, Takahashi-sensei handed me a separate sheet with the train crossing sound effects. She asked me to place them in a way that would obscure Kyoko’s speech, thus putting the crux of the entire story in my hands. Back then we didn't have things like computers or Photoshop. We printed dialogue on paper using a process called phototypesetting, then cut out each line individually and glued them into the text bubbles of the manuscript. At the time, this was a normal part of a manga editor’s responsibilities. I returned to the then empty editors offices and, armed with scissors and glue, began my search for the ideal placement. I tried to line the sound effect up in a way so that the reader could understand how Godai would misinterpret Kyoko’s words, and through a process of trial and error, I arrived at the placement you see here.

Working with Takahashi-sensei was always a fun, beneficial experience, but with this chapter I was able to go a bit beyond my normal duties and contribute to the creation of the finished product. It was truly thrilling.

Maison Ikkoku 3rd editor - Soichiro Suzuki (鈴木総一郎) ^[6]

Takahashi: You affixed them in just the perfect positions and it turned out to be a great scene. Thank you.

"I was pretty relieved." - Makoto Oshima

When I took over as editor for Maison Ikkoku, it wasn’t just a significant title for Spirits, but for the entire manga industry, having already secured its reputation as one of the great romantic manga of the 1980s. Before me, the series had been handled by a number of my more experienced predecessors, and I felt tremendous pressure going in knowing that I might be the series’ last editor. As the story reached its conclusion, there was a lot of indecision and confusion on my part. When Mitaka takes Kyoko out on a date in an attempt to seduce her, I had trouble imagining what kind of place he would take her. And during the whole Akemi charade, when Kyoko and Godai’s relationship is on the verge of collapse, I didn’t even know what a love hotel was like. Sometimes our work found ways to embarrass me like that.

At the time I was also in charge of Maison Ikkoku Collected Reproductions of Original Art - Thoughts, a collection of high quality reproductions of artwork from the series. The quality was such that it wouldn’t have been a stretch to see it framed, and I remember it sold over 500,000 copies. I was able to put my own personal thoughts on the series for the cover’s catch copy, which is an editor’s dream. ^[7] Honestly, I wanted to choose the cover of that as my page, but of course I was asked for something from within the manga itself.

There are the standard choices, the scenes that would touch any person. Like that line in "Promises", “Because I don’t think I can bear to be alone anymore,” or in "Beneath the Cherry Tree", when Kyoko bids farewell to Soichiro. But instead I choose this scene from the final chapter, "P.S. Ikkoku", because I was pretty relieved as the editor who saw this series through to its conclusion. I felt a burden lifted from my shoulders similar to Godai’s grandmother in "Heirlooms", when she says “Ah, what a relief,” (except I didn’t fake my death afterword, haha).

Maison Ikkoku 4th editor - Makoto Oshima (大島誠)

Takahashi: I wrote the final story as if I were attending the wedding myself.

"This is the actual birth of the fighting romantic comedy manga Ranma 1/2." - Shigeo Kubota

Takahashi-sensei and I both liked Kazumasa Hirai's Wolf Guy series of novels. ^[8]

We had been discussing things since the serialization of Urusei Yatsura that we wanted to do a "transformation story. Then, we decided to draw a story about a main character who transforms into a dog when he gets a nosebleed, Excuse Me For Being a Dog!!. However, after that I realized how difficult it was to find the "trigger" for the transformation.

So when she came up with the idea of "transforming into a woman with water and back to normal with hot water" at the meeting for the new serial, I was so thrilled with its groundbreaking fun and ease of use that I thought, "We've hit the jackpot!" I was so happy.

The fighting comedy manga Ranma 1/2 had been flying along nicely since the beginning of its serialization, but one day, Takahashi-sensei suggested that she change the hairstyle of the heroine, Akane. ^[9]

Then, during a fight with Ryoga, who transforms into a black pig, an accident occurs in which Akane's hair is cut off, and at the same time, and a love triangle between Ryoga, Akane, and Ranma is born. This is the actual birth of the fighting romantic comedy manga Ranma 1/2.

The romantic comedy element was widely accepted in the TV anime adaptation, and fan letters from junior high and elementary school girls supporting Ranma and Akane increased dramatically, and the first edition of the comic sold over 1 million copies. Takahashi-sensei's proposal was the catalyst to attract new readers from the male-oriented Urusei Yatsura and Maison Ikkoku series, and I would like to share this "Akane's hair cut incident" as my memorable page.

Ranma 1/2 1st editor - Shigeo Kubota (久保田滋夫)

Takahashi: When I think about it, Urusei's conclusion and the beginning of a new serialization were very important times. Thank you.

"'All you need is money!' You're amazing, Nabiki!" - Toshiyuki Seno

Who is your favorite of the three Tendo sisters? The eldest sister, Kasumi, who is gentle and motherly, and the third sister, Akane, who is always energetic, are quite good, but my favorite is the second sister, Nabiki.

She has a serious sense of money that one would not expect from a 17-year-old, "a man's worth is determined by his financial power!" She is one of the most peculiar characters among the many Ranma characters. When I was placed in charge of Ranma, (I started working on the 6th chapter of the 26th volume of the manga.) I wanted to do a story featuring Nabiki one day.

The opportunity came quickly. It was the story about the debtor "Kinnosuke Kashao," which began in Vol. 29, chapter 9. This man is a marriage swindler of epic proportions, who is unwilling to spend his own money to bilk other people. Only Nabiki can engage in an epic battle of debts with such a man.

Late at night at Takahashi-sensei's office, we discussed ideas on how to make the characters spend money. We had a very enjoyable meeting, but we couldn't come up with a good idea for the punchline. After a series of back and forths, one of them had to spend money at the end, and Takahashi-sensei said, "Let's do this! Let's make it the first to spend a single 10-yen coin." The winner of the three-week showdown was decided by a difference of only 10 yen. Of course, Nabiki won the battle.

It was a lot of fun to see my favorite character play a major role. By the way, I was inspired by the large 10-yen coin that Takahashi-sensei drew on the title page of chapter 11, so when the magazine published the story, I put "10-yen Love and Death" for some catch copy. It was just a pun, but I was very happy when I received a compliment later from Takahashi-sensei, who said, "I liked that bit of text".

Ranma 1/2 4th editor - Toshiyuki Seno (瀬尾俊之)

Takahashi: Seno-san's sense of catch copy was always top notch, I looked forward to hearing from him each week.

"I still tell aspiring manga artists about her." - Kazuhiro Yamaki

Having now worked as a manga editor for a long time, I am often asked, "Who was the most memorable artist you worked with?" When I am asked this question, I always mention the name of Ms. Rumiko Takahashi. She has a deep love for manga, and sincerity and passion for her work. I was the first person to work for her who was younger than she was, and she taught me so many things.

I still tell aspiring manga artists about her wonderful process of revising and expanding the manga based on my opinions. In particular, when she was working on the name, she sent me a fax every four pages. I still tell aspiring manga artists, "Takahashi-sensei is doing such a great job! Why don't you work harder?" I always encourage younger manga artists by telling them these sorts of things.

I will never forget the scene in the second panel where the main character jumps up onto a high place. It was a casual scene, but it was a very short time that I was in charge of this project, and Takahashi-sensei was my older sister who created the framework of my work as an editor. I will continue to respect her and devote myself to creating more and more interesting manga together with manga artists. I would like to express my gratitude for the miracle that we were born in the same era and that I was allowed to be an editor on this project.

One Pound Gospel 3rd editor - Kazuhiro Yamaki (八巻和弘)

Takahashi: I've been doing this for a long time now and Mr. Yamaki was very easy to work with, he has a very "can-do" attitude.

"Let's go to the host club to gather material." - Kazuto Yoshida

One Pound Gospel is a romance and sports comedy that was serialized irregularly in Young Sunday since 1987, and took about 20 years to complete which came at the end of 2007. I had been the editor of Inuyasha at Shonen Sunday and moved to Young Sunday, where I became Takahashi-sensei's editor for the first time in five years, and the editor for the grand finale of the series. ^[10] Over the course of two months of summer, in which she produced 120 pages all at once without ever taking a break from Shonen Sunday. ^[11] At about the same time, a series of dramas with Kazuya Kamenashi as Kosaku Hatanaka and Kuroki Meisa as Sister Angela were being finalized, which added an extra special bouquet to the conclusion of the series.

One night, in the middle of that summer, it was decided that final storyline will consist of five chapters, and at the end, Sister Angela decides to quit being a nun. It was decided that a host would be the one to play the role of Kosaku's opponent. When I invited Takahashi-sensei to go to the host club for an interview, she quietly refused, saying, "I know most of them." I wanted to say to her, "Don't tell me you've been going to the host club? You were out yesterday... Surely you didn't give them any money," I just couldn't bring myself to ask. I remember delivering Dom Perignon Rosé for drawing references later, and she started sketching away.

Although it had been five years since she had last written One Pound Gospel, it had not been five years in the story. In the same collected tankobon, the work from five years earlier would also be included. Unusually, Rumiko-sensei had to redraw some of the drawings many times because she felt it didn't look right. She said, "It's alright, redoing it isn't a waste of time," and she struggled with it over and over while watching a baseball game.

I am pleased to select the last page as my page, which she was able to draw perfectly. I am still crying with tears of joy when I look at the completed manuscript after 20 years, along with the grudge of Rumiko-sensei and myself for not being able to take a summer vacation that year.

One Pound Gospel 6th editor - Kazuto Yoshida (由田和人)

Takahashi: I'm glad I was able to finish it. Thank you for your company. The Dom Perignon Rosé was delicious later with the staff.

"I always go to Kagome's family's shrine for New Year's visits." - Toshiyuki Seno

Each new year, every time I make my first visit to the shrine, I think back on that night. This is because the family home of Kagome, the heroine of Inuyasha, is based on a shrine near my home. When I was still discussing the concept of Inuyasha with Takahashi-sensei, we came up with the idea of Kagome being raised at a shrine. The reason being that the idea of her having supernatural powers and the Bone-Eater's Well could be included naturally.

She was almost set, so we arranged an interview to go and take reference photos. Our first visit was to a famous shrine with a history of 1,300 years. When the photographer handed over the photos he had taken, Takahashi-sensei looked a bit puzzled and said, "It's not what I had in mind." She was thinking of a small shrine that could be found anywhere in the city, but with a long history. It certainly couldn't be that huge if Kagome's family was the only ones serving as caretakers.

We immediately decided to search for another shrine to serve as a reference, but when we started looking for it, it was difficult to find one that fit our image. Since the shrine had been in existence for so many years, all the shrines were of a considerable size.

Things were getting a bit hurried when suddenly a shrine near my home came to mind. This shrine is well-known locally, but it is not a place that is crowded with worshippers. It was a shrine with a sense of intimacy that could be a playground for neighborhood children. When I took a photo and cautiously showed it to Takahashi-sensei, she seemed to like it and said, "Oh, that's nice, your family's local shrine," which was a relief.

I was in such a hurry that I was the last one to apply for permission to go. On the first New Year's Day after Inuyasha" started, I went to this shrine. Of course, I prayed, "Please let Inuyasha be successful...". It seemed to have been a blessing from the heavens, and Inuyasha became a 56 volume long serialization. Since then, I always go to this shrine for New Year's visits.

Inuyasha 1st editor - Toshiyuki Seno (瀬尾俊之)

Takahashi: I didn't realize you were secretly praying for me. Thank you very much.

"A woman who is not of this world and makes me tremble..." - Masaki Nawata

When I was the editor of this project, it was right after it had just begun, and although it was naturally popular, I was in a bewildered state as the editor. Even during our meetings, I was not sure where the series was going to go. It was during this time that "Kikyo's Rebirth" occured. I still remember the scene when she was revived by Urasue (SSC Vol. 5, No. 8) and the thrilling sensation I felt when I saw Kikyo, a shell without a soul. Because she has no soul her eyes are like glasswork, but they have a bewitching seductiveness and a fragile elegance, and she certainly looks like someone from the "other world".

Once Kikyo regains her soul she became an important character. I had interesting meetings about Kikyo whenever she appeared. In short, I became a fan of Kikyo. Inuyasha became, for me, a story of a love triangle between Inuyasha, Kagome and Kikyo. And in the 8th chapter of the 8th volume of the Shonen Sunday Comics edition, these three meet each other. In the page I selected, the expression on Kikyo's face as she gazes at her beloved is always compelling to watch. After this, Inuyasha and Kikyo kiss...right in front of Kagome! This is the story it confirmed for me how interesting Inuyasha is, and I hope that all readers will read it again.

Last but not least, the meeting with Takahashi-sensei was like a comedy competition, and I was desperate to come up with an interesting idea for the next frame or page. I am very grateful to her for her patience with me as I kept coming up with mediocre answers that would not even earn me a single zabuton. ^[12] Thank you very much.

Inuyasha 2nd editor - Masaki Nawata (田正樹)

Takahashi: I really appreciated all the opinions you gave me to make the story more interesting.

"My favorite villain from the Band of Seven..." - Masanao Murakami

Inuyasha succeeds in piercing Naraku's barrier, but Naraku vanishes, and the group is unable to find even a trace of him... After I became the editor of the story, the serialization went down this path. Takahashi-sensei seemed to have an idea of what Naraku was doing after he disappeared and how he would come back to life. However, in order to make the journey to "there" more interesting, I seem to recall that there was a suggestion to create an independent series like the "XX" series. That is how The Band of Seven was born.

A team against team battle. I still remember how excited I was when the keywords "Jump" and "Masami Kurumada-sensei" were exchanged at the meeting. ^[13] I, whose first manga were Urusei Yatsura and Ring ni Kakero (リングにかけろ), was meeting with the Rumiko Takahashi to discuss a big overarching group battle storyline!

And above all, I was thrilled by these seven quirky characters. Inuyasha's party, alongside of course, Sesshomaru, and Koga, now had the perfect villains for a team battle. The Band of Seven is (presumptuously) on par with all of them. Yes, even the weakest Kyokotsu. But, among them all, this Jakotsu guy was exceptional! This page is his first appearance. When we were discussing the overall picture of the Band of Seven, I remember that we had discussed it and said "isn't there any way to get a woman in the group?", so when I saw the name...

"I have to ask (laugh) but isn't that..."

Takahashi-sensei said, "Yes, he's a guy." (grin).

Inuyasha 4th editor - Masanao Murakami (村上正直)

Takahashi: I had drawn the last days of Jakotsu a little too easily, but you told me to "stick with him just a little longer" and I was able to extend his life a few more pages. I was glad.

"It is a sad, heartbreaking, and yet a joyful scene." - Takashi Kumagae

Kagura, a demon who manipulates wind, is an aspect of Naraku. The page I've chosen depicts the last moment of her life. At the meeting, Rumiko Takahashi-sensei handed me the page saying, "I've been thinking about this scene for a long time..." I remember that I felt choked up by the dying Kagura's emotion frame by frame, and I was unable to say anything for a while after that.

Kagura was slowly wasting away. She had strongly wished not to be ruled by anyone, and the person who took care of her at the end of her life was the person she probably admired and wanted to live like, Sesshomaru. Kagura's life was manipulated by Naraku, and from her point of view, it may have been a very bad life. But Kagura fought and lived hard, and at the very end of her life, Sesshomaru came to see her. ^[14] Kagura must have felt that her way of life was acknowledged and that she was not alone. It is a sad, heartbreaking, and yet a joyful scene.

After a few moments of silence, I told the teacher, "... I think it's very nice," was all I could say in a monotone, but at that moment I was on the verge of tears, and I just couldn't say anything more than that.

I am an adult. But it is a very important page for me, too, filled with things that I can't put into words.

Inuyasha 5th editor - Takashi Kumagae (熊谷崇)

Takahashi: It's was a very memorable time. I am so grateful that you understood this and agreed to meet with me.

"I had only been working at the company for a short time." - Shuho Kondo

In chapter 396, I took over from the prior editor. It was also a 24-page story with a large center-color insert. At that time, Inuyasha was one of the top three most popular works in Sunday. Furthermore, the author was Sunday legend Rumiko Takahashi. I remember worrying a lot about how to celebrate the anniversary of such a work. Naturally, she had a prototype of the chapter she wanted to draw in order to make the 400th chapter a milestone, so my job was how to get that prototype to take shape. However, it was a heavy task for me back then, as I had only been working at the company for a short time. Enemies came to mind, I came up with ideas for characters and names of techniques, but looking back on it now, I don't think I came up with much of anything...

Still, I was very relieved when Takahashi-sensei picked up elements that could be used, and the story turned out to be interesting and the 400th chapter was successfully published. I was also able to include one of my personal favorite characters, Sesshomaru, in the story, and when I received the color draft, I was filled with emotion.

This particular page probably wasn't what they had in mind when they asked me to "pick a famous scene". I was very excited when I received the manuscript for the color door. ^[15] I am very happy to have been given the opportunity to look back on the past at this wonderful milestone of 200 million copies read by readers around the world, and I am very proud to have been your editor. Congratulations again, Takahashi-sensei. I hope that you will continue to send us your fun and exciting works well into the future.

Inuyasha 6th editor - Shuho Kondo (近藤秀峰)

Takahashi: It was a time when the number of heavy chapters increased with the number of volumes, but I remember that the meetings were fun, thanks to Mr. Kondo's personality.

"...a serious moment into a humorous one..." - Yosuke Iizuka

One page, this has me quite worried. I was assigned to work on this series, just as we are being led into a fateful sibling showdown between Inuyasha's Tessaiga and Sesshomaru's Tenseiga. There is no end to the intense action and the famous scenes... But if you want a "one of a kind" scene, in my opinion, it would be the scene on the left! The scene where Kagome blackmails (?) Inuyasha.

This scene was in the early days when I took over as editor. Inuyasha is feeling a sense of loss after the death of his beloved Kikyo, and Kagome is concerned about him. The relationship between Inuyasha and Kagome was also in a sensitive state, as they could not move forward without discussing the issue of Kikyo. How could Takahashi-sensei settle their feelings? The story was moving forward with a sense of tension, and finally "the time" had come. A few pages before the scene on the left, a serious exchange between Inuyasha and Kagome begins. What happens next?

And then, Inuyasha sputters out a few words. "How can you be so strong?" Here, Kagome counters with a straight line: "I'm not strong, you idiot!"

Without even being surprised, Inuyasha asks, "Why are you so nice to me?" I caught a glimpse of the greatness of this scene in the original name. ^[16] In an instant, Kagome's pent up anger fades, and by turning a serious moment into a humorous one, she and Inuyasha's relationship was restored to normal. I realized that there is real power in the name. In boxing terms, it was like watching a great KO. For me, this is a "great scene" because I can fully feel not only the dialogue but also the characterization of the two!

Inuyasha 7th editor - Yosuke Iizuka (飯塚洋介)

Takahashi: I see! Thank you very much. I am glad to hear it.

"Let's think about next week again next week." - Shunsuke Moteki

It was the summer of my fourth year with the company when I was assigned as an editor for Rumiko Takahashi, a woman I had longed to work with.

I was very excited as Inuyasha was coming to an end, so I came up with my own ideas for the extra stories leading up to the final battle with Naraku, and proposed them to her. "If you do this and do that, and then do this, and then do that..." I think it would be a great climax to the four or so chapters!

Takahashi-sensei was delighted and said, "That's wonderful!" However, the name that week turned out to have a completely different ending than I had proposed. I said, "Sensei, I'm so happy with what you submitted. The last part of the story is very interesting, but... it doesn't connect to the second story I just proposed!" Then she said, "Moteki-san, I have a proposal for you."

"If we follow your suggestion, Moteki-san, the last part of the fourth chapter will certainly be very exciting. But the three chapters leading up to that point will be just a "fill-in" chapter. I draw manga for the readers who pay 230 yen every week to buy Shonen Sunday to enjoy each and every chapter, and I don't want to make them read three weeks of "uninteresting connecting chapters" in order to make the next four interesting. Let's think about next week again next week." I was shocked by these words from the soul of the quintessential weekly manga artist.

And so Inuyasha continued to unfold in unimaginable ways until the final chapter, which came in first place in the reader's survey. The one page I chose was the one where the last boss, Naraku, utters the last words from deep his soul in his final moments. Hakushin's last scene at Mount Hakurei (in volume 28) is also very good, but Inuyasha has many great "I'll tell you when it's time" scenes!

Inuyasha 8th editor - Shunsuke Moteki (茂木俊輔) ^[17]

Takahashi: Did I really say such a wonderful thing? I can't remember at all. Thank you very much for being Inuyasha's last escort.

"'Poor... Poor? I see... that could be interesting.'" - Shunsuke Moteki

Inuyasha was rather serious and hard-hitting, so Takahashi-sensei said, "The next one will be a comedy that can be read casually." As a big fan of Ranma 1/2 I was overjoyed to meet with her to discuss the new serial.

However, although the setting and the stage were decided upon, the image of the main character, which is the basis of Takahashi-sensei's works, seemed to be difficult for her to grasp, and then, two weeks before the start of the serialization, I suggested, "How about the main character living in a school?" "Why?" she asked, "Because he is poor!" I replied.

Suddenly, the teacher turned serious. "Poor... Poor? I see... that could be interesting." "Does being poor mean that you have been wearing the same jersey all your life?" And then, in no time at all, Rinne Rokudo was born. I remember I was so thrilled because I felt like I was witnessing the moment a character came down to Takahashi-sensei.

Sensei loves TV and always checked out the comedy programs. Her favorite comedian changed every year, and in a good way, she wasn't picky, and I think she always caught the mood of the times when it came to "what makes people laugh." The low tension interaction between Rinne and Sakura was totally novel, completely different from the high tension gag character Tatewaki Kuno, who I liked the most in Ranma.

The page I chose is from the first chapter, where the identity of the main character is revealed. Immediately after this page, Sakura has a puzzled expression on her face, "What's going on...?" The monologue is "My name is ●●! And my occupation is ●●!" and give some flavor to them. The dialogue between the two is classic...! This is my favorite scene that made me realize once again that Rumiko Takahashi is a genius.

Kyokai no RINNE 1st editor - Shunsuke Moteki (茂木俊輔)

Takahashi: Even after you were no longer assigned to this project, I was very grateful for your occasional comments. I'm very happy that it has been adapted into an anime.

"It was the chapter with the shortest editorial meeting we ever had." - Masayoshi Yokoyama

I chose the last page of the three-part story "Sakura eats candy that makes spirits invisible." I chose the last page because it was the chapter with the shortest editorial meeting we ever had.

When the right subject was decided at the beginning of the meeting, Takahashi-sensei came up with ideas one after another, such as "It would be better if Sakura, for whom all spirits have become invisible, is approached by a very serious spirit," "Even if Rinne materializes, Sakura should pass by him without speaking," "He might also see her changing clothes," and so on. Takahashi-sensei came up with so many ideas to make the story flow onward. "Even though we're usually together, I feel lonely when I can't see you." "I want to see you but can't." ... All of these were delicious situations, which can only be called the royal road to romantic comedy and love stories, and she created one after the other. There was nothing for the editor to do.

This chapter was adopted as the final episode of the first season of the TV anime. Of course, it was not decided at the beginning of the project that the anime would continue until the third season. Depending on the viewer ratings, there was a possibility that it would have been a grand finale with only the first season.

This episode could have been called the "final episode of a fantastic anime." It was chosen as such a milestone episode, and that is one of the reasons why I picked it.

In the first chapter of the series, Sakura was wishfully thinking that she would be able to live a normal life as a high school student without being able to see ghosts, but in this chapter, she returns the "invisibility candy" to the spirit world and chooses to "live a life with visible spirits." She chose to continue her relationship with Rinne. I think this was the turning point in the story, and for various reasons, it is the chapter that has left the greatest impression on me.

Kyokai no RINNE 2nd editor - Masayoshi Yokoyama (横山真義) ^[18]

Takahashi: This is one of my favorite storylines because it gave us a glimpse of Sakura's true feelings, which are not easily seen. ^[19]

"What does manga genius Takahashi-sensei have in common with an anime genius?" - Masato Itaya

I am afraid I have brought a page with quite a few spoilers. I'm sorry if there are people who haven't read it yet (I don't think there are any by now...). This is a page from Kyokai no RINNE volume 21, chapter 4. The man on the left is called "Nasuo" in the story. As you can probably guess, he is a character who appears only in this chapter. His appearance is naturally a key point in the story.

In the meeting stage of our planning, we talked about how we could keep this appearance hidden from the reader until the end of the story. It was almost the middle of summer, Obon was approaching, and I had hung my straw hat on a hanger at her house. Sensei saw the hat and came up with the idea of having "Eggplant Man" wear the hat, which led me to the idea of hiding his distinctive contours.

I've heard that director Hayao Miyazaki "creates works in a world within a radius of 3 meters", and I've come to realize that this is something he has in common with Takahashi-sensei. Perhaps all geniuses are like this...

This may be a bit of a meander, but the title of this chapter is "Eggplant Romance". The title is a reference to the bath salts in which the gravure idol "Fumin" (ask your father if you don't know the name) appeared in commercials for in the '90's. ^[20] The power of the title is amazing, and it left a very strong impression on me.

Kyokai no RINNE 3rd editor - Masato Itaya (板谷真人)

Takahashi: I liked "Eggplant Romance" quite a bit too. Not just on this chapter, but Itaya-san is very good at expanding the storylines which really helped me.

"How rude of me to make Sensei, a big Hanshin fan..." - Kento Moriwaki

For the first time in 25 years, the Hiroshima Toyo Carp won the Central League championship in 2016. It was a dream come true for me, a Hiroshima resident who had never seen the word "championship" in my entire life. But then, on October 29, 2016, was the sixth game of the Japan Series against Nichi-Ham. That day I had happened to have set up a meeting for that evening. It was the bottom of the 8th inning, with the game going back and forth, and we needed a win. I quietly turned off the TV and headed for Takahashi-sensei's house.

At that time I had just received the page on the left that I've selected. I remember opening a can of surströmming, the world's stinkiest canned food, and feeling a faint sympathy in the faces of the black cats with their whited out eyes. ^[21] "I know... I was like that too until a few minutes ago..." I thought. I made up my mind to keep myself focused on other things and went to the meeting.

After the meeting, I hopped in a cab to head back to the office and heard a tapping on the window of the taxi. To my surprise, I found that Takahashi-sensei had dashed down to deliver my phone, which I had left behind.

How rude of me to make Sensei, a big Hanshin fan, run and deliver my phone sporting a cover featuring Kikuchi, the second baseman of the Carp... I guess I was not in my right mind at that time, Sensei. I am really sorry... And she was so kind that evening too, she was so careful and didn't talk about baseball too much. But let's talk a lot about baseball again this year!

Kyokai no RINNE 4th editor - Kento Moriwaki (森脇健人)

Takahashi: I did not notice that Kikuchi was on the cover. Don't forget it again. I'm looking forward to the season opener soon.

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Footnotes

• [1] A "name" (ネーム/neemu) in manga parlance is a "rough sketch", a quick layout of a page which is then inked over. The images shown in the articles are not "name", rather they are the finished images that were published. However they are framed on Takahashi's personalized paper that has her famous Maison Ikkoku piyo-piyo chick emblazoned on it. This is what her pages look like when they are submitted to the the publisher.
• [2] There are only a handful of editors and assistants that can be said to rise above anonymous figures in Rumiko Takahashi's work and Tomofumi Arito is one such individual. Most fans would not be aware of him, but he appears in her autobiographical work The Diary of Kemo Kobiru and Takahashi was said to be have modeled the "behavior" of Salt Number 1 on him, which is certainly a joke since the giant creature has almost no personality at all.
• [3] Eiji Yoshikawa (吉川英治) was a historical novelist best known for his multi-volume books about the samurai Miyamoto Musashi titled Musashi, Taiko: An Epic Novel of War and Glory in Feudal Japan and The Heike Story: A Modern Translation of the Classic Tale of Love and War.
• [4] Like editor Tomofumi Arito, who was vaguely referenced in some of Takahashi's work of the era, Makoto Oshima was also eluded to. He mentions the tanuki character being named after him, however an article in Shonen Sunday Graphic Urusei Yatsura Vol. 13 Remember My Love (少年サンデーグラフィック　うる星やつら リメンバー・マイ・ラブ) lists not only Oshima's referenced appearances in Urusei Yatsura but also in the backgrounds of other series he was editing such as Dokkiri Doctor by Fujihiko Hosono and ZINGY by Atsushi Kamijo. He appears quite frequently in Takahashi's autobiographical The Diary of Kemo Kobiru alongside Tomofumi Arito.
• [5] Rumiko Takahashi also mentioned on her Twitter on April 17, 2022 that she did not feel like she could end Urusei Yatsura until she resolved Shinobu's situation and gave her some sort of happy ending while also addressing the future where she and Ataru were supposed to have a child.
• [6] Given the previous examples of some of Takahashi's editors' names being used for her characters (Shinobu Miyake, for instance, was the name of one of her very first editors at Shonen Sunday and he was the namesake for the character in Urusei Yatsura) it might be easy to assume that Shoichiro Suzuki is the namesake for Soichiro Otonashi. However, in another interview, Suzuki says that this is not the case and that the name had already been chosen before he became her editor.
• [7] "Catch copy" (キャッチコピー) is a Japanese advertising term meaning "ad copy", text in an advertisement used to catch the eye and entice consumers to make a purchase.
• [8] Kazumasa Hirai (平井和正) was a science fiction novelist best known for 8 Man (8マン), Genma Wars (幻魔大戦) and Wolf Guy (ウルフガイ). Takahashi illustrated a number of his Wolf Guy novels in the early 1980s.
• [9] In a 1987 interview shortly after cutting Akane's hair Takahashi spoke about how difficult she found Akane to draw and cutting her hair seemed to aleviate the issues she had figuring out the character. Additionally in an interview celebrating the 35th anniversary of her career in 2013 Takahashi stated that her editor at the time (which would be Kubota) thought Ranma 1/2 should be more serious. She said until the end of the series she was not able to make it particularly serious however.
• [10] Simply through a process of elimination based on the other editors of Inuyasha that are spoken to in this article, Kazuto Yoshida was the third editor of Inuyasha.
• [11] Takahashi wrote the final five chapter storyline of One Pound Gospel was written in the summer of 2006 and it was then published through the late November into December of that same year. While doing this she was also publishing Inuyasha weekly which was by this time around volume 47 during her writing of One Pound Gospel and through volume 49 as the final chapters of Gospel were released.
• [12] The comment about zabuton (座布団/cushions) begin awarded is referring to Shoten (笑点) one of the longest running television shows in Japan having debuted in 1966. The show is based around the Japanese comedic storytelling concept known as "rakugo" (落語). On the program the host presents a question and the panel of rakugo storytellers answer in humorous ways which earns them a zabuton cushion. A story deemed unfunny can see the cushion taken away.
• [13] "Jump" refers to Shonen Jump the most popular manga magazine in the world (and rival to Shonen Sunday where Rumiko Takahashi has published her work since 1978). They are known for their action-oriented series such as Dragon Ball, Hunter X Hunter, Fist of the North Star, Naruto and One Piece. Masami Kurumada (車田正美) published in Shonen Jump where he had hits such as Ring ni Kakero (リングにかけろ) and Saint Seiya (聖闘士星矢). Of interest to mention, editor Masanao Murakami (村上正直) is one of the editors named in Makoto Raiku's lawsuit against Shonen Sunday/Shogakukan. However he also stayed on to through the reshuffling of the editorial staff initiated by Takenori Ichihara in 2015.
• [14] On Twitter Takahashi mentioned that she had initially considered having Kagura die alone but changed her mind.
• [15] "Door" (扉/tobira) is the term used to refer to the title page of an individual manga chapter.
• [16] A "name" (ネーム/neemu) in manga parlance is a "rough sketch", a quick layout of a page which is then inked over. Yosuke Iizuka (飯塚洋介), like Masanao Murakami mentioned above, is one of the editors named in Makoto Raiku's lawsuit against Shonen Sunday/Shogakukan.
• [17] Shunsuke Moteki (茂木俊輔) would stay on as Takahashi's editor from the end of Inuyasha until the beginning of Kyokai no RINNE. He eventually went to work at Big Comic Spirits. You can read an interview with him regarding Kyokai no RINNE here.
• [18] Masayoshi Yokoyama (横山真義) was the third out of four editors on Kyokai no RINNE. You can read an interview with him regarding Kyokai no RINNE here.
• [19] Takahashi has mentioned a few times that Sakura is one of the most aloof and impeniterable characters that she has created.
• [20] Fumin (フーミン) is Fumie Hosokawa, a famously busty idol from the 1990s.
• [21] Surströmming is traditional Swedish cuisine which is fermented Baltic Sea herring.

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