#can you tell i've been reading ranma 1/2 from the takahashi hands?

[sebdoesthings]

Angry about this post but it did make me start a junk* sketchbook

DO NOT PUT ANYTHING EVEN RESEMBLING SPOILERS PAST VOLUME 6 UNDER THIS POST OR ELSE

*I'm saying junk here because to me it's meant to be for quick doodles, thumbnails, and mindless scribbling compared to my other sketchbook (really more of an art book) which has more polished pieces that I just like keeping in one place where I can track my progress through a book that slowly fills up. This is highly subjective and not meant to say anything about anyone else's art quality.

[hanmajoerin]

I feel kind of alone right now in the IY fandom for still liking and having faith in Rumiko Takahashi. I feel like people are justified in being mad at her and confused about the recent cover art she did, but I just sort of feel like the hatred is getting a little outta hand, especially since we don't really KNOW what's going on w/ her behind the scenes or what she's thinking, and I just think because of that, we don't really have a right to pass judgment on her yet.

To me, the fault still lies squarely on Sunrise and Sunrise alone as of right now.

That's just me though.

Sorry I'm telling you this outta nowhere. I've just been stewing over this for the last few days and have wanted to say something but been too afraid to, and you seemed like a safe person to talk about this with after seeing your recent Rumiko Takahashi posts.

Eh, that’s what I’m here for! There’s no need to apologize 🥺💕.

I’ve been a fan of Takahashi’s since 2006 and that cover art made me dramatically break down for what I’m sure is the 50th time since Yashahime’s release. While legitimately getting depressed and drinking sake in a bathtub–please see evidence below (Ranma 1/2 is my ultimate comfort manga) lol–

a friend called. She and I roomed in college and she’s always been supportive of my love of Takahashi’s works. Maybe it was the situationship I was talking her through a few weeks prior, but she heard me drop advice I’d given her once (or like a hundred times) before. And she stopped me. She 100% wanted me to hear what I said about that damned cover art. Although I’m sure my sentence was longer and less elegant, she told me I said, “Takahashi isn’t responsible for our emotions.” Seriously, my old roommate really stopped my babbling to make me marinate on more than just the bath salts attempting to relieve the tensions in my muscles from Yashahime. I felt so attacked 😅.

I’ve come to the conclusion that there will be no response from Takahashi that makes everyone happy when it comes to Yashahime and–for me–that’s okay. When I think about Takahashi’s animes, they’re not the ones winning awards. And when I think about Takahashi as a content creator, she’s not exactly perfect. Seriously, we’re all getting decisive on behalf of a woman who has the audacity to answer, “I don’t know,” when asked questions about her own manga 🤣. If that’s not humbling as a fan, I don’t know what is. Still, this doesn’t mean Takahashi doesn’t care about her characters or her works.

Rumiko Takahashi doesn’t owe us explanations, our reactions to her interactions with the manga vs. anime are not direct reflections of her personal emotions, and if she has any more thoughts on Yashahime I’m not really interested in hearing them anymore.

I’ve kind of blacked it out, but I think 2020 is when episode fifteen of Yashahime aired (could have been 2021, I’ve lost track of the time) and I got the ultimate sucker punch with the mother of the twins confirmed. It was hard, but now that I can reflect, I’ve been defending notions about InuYasha that Sunrise introduced long before this. It’s exhausting and heartbreaking. Sunrise isn’t even paying me to deal with their shit, but I’ve been clearing up their misinterpretations of InuYasha for years. Way longer than I needed to. And it’s always been a worthwhile fight because InuYasha is more than pages in a magazine to me, and I feel like that’s a sentiment many of us relate to. It’s why it’s weird to see such a monumental influence be shredded like a tapestry by a sequel that should never have happened.

I’ve read countless interviews from Takahashi, and I’d like to think I’m familiar with how her mind works. That being established, I’ve never sat down to talk with her, so hell if I know 😅. Still, I feel like she brings good intentions to the table. Good intentions are not always enough. I’m not here to defend her per se, but I’ll go down with Takahashi. She’s my girl! If Yashahime isn’t making you happy–if the entire anime of InuYasha doesn’t sit well with you anymore–ditch it. Stick to the manga (you know, the one that officially concluded in 2008 😒). If the entire story of InuYasha is driving you nuts, Takahashi probably has over 200 manga published at this point, knock yourself out. They’re all incredible. If Takahashi doesn’t float your boat anymore, it’s a 3ft deep lazy river that loops. Feel free to ditch your pool floatie, towel off, and find a manga/mangaka that better fits what you need right now. Your media experience is dictated by you, and if people have issues with it, that was bound to happen regardless of this sequel.

I can’t spend the rest of my life lamenting Takahashi and her opinions on someone else’s take about two characters in InuYasha that I can easily forget (even though I adore Rin, her sass is top notch lol). And if that makes me the worst person in the world and damns me to hell, fine. I got a beef to settle with Sunrise down there anyway, I might as well earn my spot.

I’m not sure if this is the answer you were looking for, but I’ve been going through it, too. It was therapeutic for me to give you this insight, so I hope it helps. Takahashi can be a bit of a goof ball, but she’s marvelous. Even if I get cranky about Sunrise, please know that I will always be a Takahashi safe space ❤️.