#currently: maison ikkoku

[mooglestiltzkin]

halfway through maison ikkoku, it fascinates me how it’s incredibly atypical of takahashi rumiko, who i’m not that much a fan of tbh, and i kinda like it even less than usual????

it’s kinda an interesting read bc of it, but to say it’s an enjoyable one isn’t true imo

[basedkikuenjoyer]

This has been a fun one and one a long time coming. So One Piece is my favorite manga but Eiichiro Oda isn’t necessarily my favorite mangaka. That distinction goes to Rumiko Takahashi. How good do you have to be for your 4th best-selling series to be a legendary romance manga with 25 million copies in circulation. It’s “underappreciated” in Western fandom these days but that certainly was not the case when I was a teen on forums. I am so glad I finally took the time and while I’m not quite finished, I want to gush about Maison Ikkoku.

Rumiko Takahashi gave us Ranma 1/2 & Inuyasha. Two monsters with enduring international success. Before those she had Urusei Yatsura, which was influential and today is having another moment in the sun. She wrote Maison Ikkoku simultaneously with Urusei Yatsura. That just blows my mind the woman was kicking ass and breaking the glass ceiling juggling two major hits. Ikkoku is her most realistic major work, focusing on a love story set in a wacky apartment complex. I love that origin story and the vibe is so there; she was inspiried for the setting by watching the wacky goings on of a neighboring boarding house. Been there.

I knew I would. Inuyasha was a huge turning point for me as an anime fan and I adore Ranma. I knew this would be an instant favorite but it was on my to watch list forever. And I’m so glad I made time. Watching the dub of the old anime, it’s a nice breezy series to have on in the background. Reminds me a little of Love Hina but with an actual budding romance and less competition. The main pair each has another suitor in orbit. And that’s where this went from fun to a growing favorite. Kyoko...man is our female lead in this one great. Godai the guy? I like him, but Kyoko. Bold decision, she’s a widow at only 22. Total sweetheart with the archetype you can probably guess I’d like. (Fun fact: “Kyoko” or pope is the Japanese equivalent of the Heirophant tarot card) Fittingly has that touch of iron though. Standing up to her parents, getting shit done managing the boarding house. She’s a real feminist icon in manga and I mean that. 

It’s cool to see a mangaka known for striking a balance of fun, character drama, and a little dash of the fantastical maintain that while keeping things completely grounded in the real world for a more mature series. Maison Ikkoku is still very fun and lighthearted, but Takahashi can do these adult stories just as well as she can school days.

[yumedoca]

"It's a rumic world!!"

Day 7 of @rumicworldweek - Happy Birthday Rumiko Takahashi!! 🎉

Sadly, no art for today since it seems I've hit an artblock after drawing for almost an entire week 😭, but to be fair everything drawn for this week was for sensei's birthday after all. I wanted to draw art for Mermaid Saga, One Pound Gospel and Rumic Theatre, but unfortunately there's only seven days in a week (though I have drawn art for Mermaid Saga like a week earlier and I have drawn an art for one of the Rumic Theatre stories months ago. Sorry One Pound Gospel, eventually!!) And plus, when it comes to topic of Rumiko Takahashi and her works, I decided to talk about it rather than draw...

Rumiko Takahashi... Honestly, all her works mean a lot to me. Each have it's own reasons, reasons why they're more than just mere stories to me. I guess it's mainly because of how good of a storyteller she is. Here's a little tidbit from her which may show why:

And boy, does it make me feel exactly how she wants it to. She knows what the reader looks forward to and she delivers just that while having fun. The amount of love and passion in her works in insane and the little details put to the story and characters are exactly what I love about her tales. Then there's the amount variety when it comes to her stories which I think is the most obvious when you pick up just one volume of the rumic theatre, one moment you're reading a hijinks story about a boy who just want to deliver newspapers but keeps getting interrupted by invaders and half- fishmen and the next moment you'll be reading a horror where this high school kid who knows archery is trying save his girlfriend from being murdered by his yandere cousin.

Honestly, just the amount of one shots she have is enough to prove how much as well as the number of chapters her serializations have is enough to show how much dedication and passion RT has for manga and this dedication is just what makes their quality so good. Urusei Yatsura makes me laugh and reminds me to have fun and enjoy life. Maison Ikkoku taught me about growing up. Mermaid Saga is a spine-chilling story which talks about the price of greed. Ranma 1/2 brings about the topic of familial love besides the romance itself. I've only watched the OVA for One Pound Gospel, but what intrigues me the most is the fact that the main pairing is a boxer and a nun, it's like the strangest pairing you could make but Kosaku and Sister Angela make it work and let's just say I love these kind of strange pairings, lol. Inuyasha talks about letting go from the past while still keeping the important within you. Kyoukai no RINNE is quite nostalgic to me as someone who grew up in a family who's very keen on saving money and a lot of moments make me laugh because I've been similar situations and it's nice to look back on them. And finally, MAO is the series I'm currently growing up with.

I know Rumiko Takahashi will never see this but.. Thank you so much for everything, your characters and stories managed to lift my spirits in the darkest of times and remind me that everything will eventually be okay. I know I'm not the only one who thinks this and all of what I've said is why I love Rumiko Takahashi and her stories.... ♥

I'm glad that I was able to participate in this year's Rumic World Week. Thanks to everyone who's liked and reblogged my posts and I hope everyone reading this has a great day ahead!! 🌹

«previous

«first»

[animenostalgia]

Rumiko Takahashi has a new artbook coming out this December! "RUMIKO TAKAHASHI COLORS 1978 -2023" will be 400 pages, with tons of color art, including copies of original drawings from her classics like Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku, Ranma 1/2, and of course her more modern works like RINNE. There will also be lots of newly written comments by Takahashi herself (in Japanese) about her art and process. If you're outside of Japan and want a copy, the artbook is currently available to pre-order on CDJapan, and you can use my affiliate link here if you'd like to order & support the podcast! It's due to come out mid-December 2023.

EDIT: CDJapan hasn't updated their listing yet, but the artbook has been delayed to March 2024! Thank you for the head's up, @everythingranma !

[seeyounexttime]

Rumiko Takahashi's *publication in Weekly Shonen Sunday

*this is for her regular publications

Weekly Shonen Sunday is an anthology magazine that publishes a chapter from multiple manga series every week. Eventually individual series will compile their chapters and release them into volumes.

[The magazine issue number tries to equal the number of weeks in a year; "combined issues" precede break weeks but the issue is the same size as always; sometimes there's a 53rd week.]

The magazine recently completed another serialization year (it's a month ahead of the calendar year) and Rumiko "built different" Takahashi has as well.

"X" marks the spot of her professional debut, with the publication of the one-shot Katte na Yatsura (勝手なやつら "Those Selfish Aliens"). Then she started publishing Urusei Yatsura, which was apparently meant to be a short-run and was supposed to end with **chapter 20. Although the series became popular, Rumiko was still in college at the time so she could only update sporadically. Once she graduated though, it was non-stop for another 340+ chapters.

**Chapter order was rearranged when they were compiled into volumes, hence the weird numbering. I tried to make it more obvious when the numbering is off. Chapter 6 and 27 were published in Shonen Sunday Extra – a different magazine.

As you may know, long-running series can run into hiatuses. Authors that have worked for a long time wear down in body and mind. Rumiko though, is an outlier and should not be counted in the statistics and actually began publishing Maison Ikkoku in another magazine starting in 1980 while she was still working on Urusei Yatsura. She even threw out a few of the early chapters of Mermaid Saga during that time because fuck it.

And because she's evidently insane near-unstoppable she began publishing Ranma 1/2 (and One-Pound Gospel in a different magazine) in the same year after her two series ended. But as you can see, in late 1988 she entered a long hiatus. Why? appendicitis ☠

She got better though, and then published another 300+ chapters. Even updated Mermaid Saga every now and then. For anyone else, 15+ years of weekly publication should've been enough – these series were making fucking bank too, TV anime and theatrical movies and all that good shit.

But Rumiko is allergic to stopping, and before year's end she came in swinging with motherfucking Inuyasha for the next 550+ chapters – her longest series yet. The bank she made from this series must've been fantastic. Surely, after decades of making it rain money she would retir–

Oh. Oh she's in this for the love of the game. Because why else would she come back to publishing another series WEEKLY? She could update monthly - or whenever she wants/is able like Detective Conan or Hunter x Hunter - she surely has the clout for it.

But she felt like writing a comedy again and pumped out almost 400 chapters of Kyoukai no RINNE. And then she came back again and is currently publishing MAO because she binged Agatha Christie's novels and wants to write a mystery.

However you can also see that her gaps between series has grown longer, with a year and half between RINNE and MAO. Those two also have the most breaks (which is still shockingly low for someone her age and in the industry for as long as she has). She has stated that MAO is possibly her last weekly series.

Interviewer: You've been doing this for 45 years Takahashi-sensei, isn't it tough?

Rumiko: Drawing manga has become my daily habit, so it's not hard. It becomes a part of your life. Then there are the readers. People want to read my work, they request it, and it appears in a book, so I draw it properly. I have been doing this for many years as a matter of course, so drawing manga is not hard for me. In fact, if I'm not drawing manga, I'm bored.

As of October 2024, Rumiko Takahashi is 67 years old.

[nocandnc]

Besides kn8 i can see you're in a ton of fandoms and I'm curious to ask, what are some good mangas you've read/animes watched that you'd recommend? I'm bored and desperate to binge lol

Aaaaaah, this is tough to answer because I like sooo many things of sooo many varieties lol I'm afraid liking Kn8 as much as I do is very unusual for me since I normally find battle Shounen tiring... but every now and then, there'll be an exception!!

One manga I've been reading since it first started is Rumiko Takahashi's MAO, published in Shounen Sunday. If you've enjoyed some of her past works (Ranma 1/2, Urusei Yatsura, Inuyasha, Kyoukai no Rinne, Maison Ikkoku, etc. etc.) then this one is definitely worth checking out. It may not be the flashiest series ever - the author is in her sixties after all - but she's put out quality stories for decades and MAO is no exception. Rather, it's one of my favorite Takahashi works by far. Plot-wise I'll say it's something of a murder mystery at heart, though there's also time travel, onmyouji magic and romcom fun as well. Currently ongoing at 250 chapters, there's plenty to keep you busy lol

Another manga I have to recommend at every opportunity is Yugami-kun ni wa Tomodachi ga Inai. There's no official English translation, but the series is complete at 81 chapters and fully translated by fans online. It's a slice of life series about Chihiro, a girl who's just transferred to a new school and is desperate to make friends after years of moving from town to town. There she meets the titular Yugami-kun, who prides himself on being a loner who doesn't need or want friends. Simple, right? Yes it is. Just a simple slice of life. But trust me when I say, IT IS THE GREATEST SLICE OF LIFE YOU'LL EVER FIND. In my opinion lol

As for more popular things, I'm also keeping up with Dandadan and Spy x Family these days ^^;; Dandadan is wild insanity in the funnest way possible, but also covers a lot of really heavy topics which I appreciate. Spy x Family is delightful of course, but also not without dark times - I really do love stories that are incredibly fun, but not afraid to go to dark places - while staying hopeful. Always hopeful. That's the most important part, and what I love about Kn8 as well!!

And... this is a bit random, but there's a scifi anime on Netflix called A.I.C.O. Incarnation that I really like. It's a flawed series, but scifi are hard to come by and it's a biotech scifi in particular which is always very interesting to me. It's a tight anime-original storyline of 12 episodes, with consistently good animation and a standout cast of characters. Said characters also wear battle suits for the majority of the episodes, firing guns and carving their way through monsterous attacks... so not unlike Kn8 in that sense lol

If you have any specific rec requests (manga/anime similar to XYZ series or something of a certain genre) then feel free to let me know - there are lots of great shows and manga I enjoy but it's hard to narrow everything down when my brain's a tangled mess >.<;;

[chibivesicle]

Ranma 1/2 2024 - early thoughts

Soooooo, we are up to episode 5 of the new Ranma 1/2 from studio MAPPA. And how am I feeling about this? I'm enjoying it! That's right, as a silly martial arts/romance/zany humor series it so far is delivering decently.

I was completely nervous about yet another older series getting a reboot, but this one has already cleared my low expectations. I wasn't sure how I felt with the more pastel/muted color palette from the previews but after a few episodes, I like it.

First off, they decided to keep the series set in the 1980s which means we didn't need to have the full technology upgrade - which another one of Rumiko Takahashi's famous series would completely fall apart with. That's right, Maison Ikkoku wouldn't work with ubiquitous cellphone/texting. They also leverage the 80s decor/aesthetic well, reflecting it through the normal clothing and outfits along with Akane's bedroom.

I first read Ranma 1/2 long before watching the original anime so I'm less attached to the original anime. Sure, it was fine and the first OP will live rent free in my head until I die. I appreciated how the remake made sure to keep the feel of the original OP even with a much more smoothly animated version of the martial arts moves that Ranma and Akane did in the original OP and expanded it to contain Ryoga and Shampoo which was great.

Therefore, unlike other series that I watched a lot more, I couldn't even do a one to one comparison of the original version and the 2024 one if I wanted to.

I have to admit the family friendly censorship of Ranma's frequently carefree attitude towards his female form seems a bit odd as a manga fan. I get it, I'm not some fanboy getting my knickers in a twist over it - more like it matches the self-censorship that is omnipresent with shirtless males in anime. I honestly think the last time I recall a male character in anime had legit nipples it was Spike in Cowboy Bebop. I just don't get it, there was a time when male nipples existed freely in anime but now it is no nipples. I'm not looking for an answer, just scratching my head that this is a line that can't be crossed in more recent series. [cough cough] Golden Kamuy [cough cough].

Anyhoo, I've gotten off course . . .

Five episodes into the series, I'm enjoying it. The color is fun, I like the dynamic panels, extra effects and the much more manga adjacent feeling. The manga is so bonkers and over the top and this anime really seems to capture it well. Since it is a silly manga the gags can be approached from a number of different ways. It appears that someone on the staff is a huge Kuno fan based on his even more dramatic entrance in this version.

The biggest disappointment with this first season is we will only get to the introduction of Shampoo - I'm going to have to wait awhile for my gal Ukyo to appear with her giant spatula.

Welp, that's all at the moment for comments on the 2024 version. I'm also reading the manga currently, past where I had gotten with my first edition books. It continues to be hilarious and I'm currently in the middle of the 'food fu' arc which is a great snapshot of how the series captures that weird sense of humor.

[mastergodai]

Godai and Kyoko

Some folks are shocked to learn that Maison Ikkoku is my all-time favorite anime. I guess because they expected High School DXD or something XD. I'm currently rewatching the entire series again and I wanted to do some fanart for a while

[agapi-kalyptei]

Ask game! (thanks @audreyduck)

Last song: I Dreamedpt I Had A Little Death But I Camed for the Big Sleep by Giraffes? Giraffes! (my last.fm - that song on youtube)

Favorite color: All of them!!! Probably blue, but gosh. I had a recent obsession with brown-green "Ecru" from Peerless Watercolors.

Currently reading: PostgreSQL documentation and blog posts about internals of data and index storage! It's more exciting than it sounds. For me.

Currently watching: Nothing besides youtube? I kinda have Maison Ikkoku (1986) on hold because I've literally died thirteen times of 2nd hand embarrassment.

Last movie/game: Probably... Don Juan Tallinnas (1971)? I've edited the question to include games because I'm insufferable and so I could say I've been playing a lot of Selaco in the past few days tho. The sound design on that game is impeccable.

Sweet, spicy, savory?: yes yes and yes. my mind says yes. my stomach, however says "please have something bland and uninteresting"

Relationship status: pleasantly uneventful and calm

Current obsession: PostgreSQL internals. And color science. Maybe this is where I start my youtuber career?

Tea or coffee? Tea for sure. Crazy to think I drank maybe twenty thousand liters of tea in my life. I would literally sell my body parts for an infinite supply of black tea with maracujá.

Last thing I googled duckduckgo'd: "Madame Complex" as in, the character in Paradise Killer

Tagging @tonninseteli @anamericaninestonia @gold-clouds @malfunky @lilleneiu @supersinine @keksutaja @robynator .. no pressure!

[meiar]

Recently, I purchased this Maison Ikkoku pencil tin! I'm still getting through the anime (currently on episode 52!), it's been a wonderful experience for me. As it's vintage, I'll try to treat this tin gently with some precious pens in it!

[misteria247]

Ya know something? I'm honestly really happy that manga publishing companies are starting to republish older manga series like from way back in the day. Cuz I've been introduced to some amazing series and stories!

Stories like Fist of the North Star, Lupin III, Kamen Rider, Super Sentai Force, Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku, Trigun and so many more! Plus I think it's absolutely fantastic that they're introducing these stories to younger generations of anime/manga fans. In a way they're preserving history, refusing to let the older classics be forgotten about in the sands of time. It's honestly so nice to see these older manga that helped inspire current manga that we see today and that had such an impact on the industry as a whole be brought back into the public eye.

It's wonderful to see historical works in a way be given life once again. :)

[mooglestiltzkin]

idk i can say maison ikkoku is atypical to her other stuff, but at the end of the day, takahashi rumiko likes her quirks and they’re here alright all the same

[basedkikuenjoyer]

Sometimes fate has a pleasant surprise in store. Current love Kyoko in Maison Ikkoku episode 29. For a filler episode we get a Halloween treat. Kyoko is Okiku! The girl from the well, with her own lovely chrysanthemum-patterned kimono. It was just so fun for me, I also love this dud playing Frankenstein's Monster who has an arc of being bummed he can't scare anyone. He gets there, don't worry.

What a cute episode though! Everyone gets stuck in the well thanks to hijinks from the pervy dude at the Maison. But...kimono Kyoko.

[showamagicalgirls]

I wanted to include one magical girlfriend (魔法彼女) series in my list of magical girl-adjacent stories, and I landed on Urusei Yatsura (うる星やつら). First of all, I love Rumiko Takahashi (高橋 瑠美子) — primarily for Maison Ikkoku (めぞん一刻) and Ranma 1/2 (らんま1/2); I like the idea that it was created by a woman generally, and I kind of think of it as the magical girlfriend urtext even though it is apparently also a bit of an early parody.

In general, even though I don’t know much about it, I think the magical girlfriend genre is interesting as a person who spends a lot of time thinking about the magical girl genre. Obviously they can sometimes feel worlds apart, but they also have a lot in common like the influences they both drew from Bewitched (奥さまは魔女).

The series debuted in 1978, but what I actually watched today was the first feature film, Only You (オンリー・ユー), from 1983.

You never know what you’re going to get with anime movies. Well, I suppose you do if you bother to check ahead of time, which I did not. I just noticed that I had all the movies dubbed into English and impulsively decided to bring them on this work trip I’m currently halfway through. I was kind of hoping it would be some kind of recap film, but it seems like it was more of a post-series vibe or maybe just a story completely outside of the TV timeline.

Anyway, because if that, there was a lot I didn’t have context to digest, but I had a lot of fun and will definitely be watching and reading more of this.

[hardworkandguts]

Astro Note

アストロノオト

(Anime)

Sci-fi Romcom by Shochiku KK

Era: 2020s

Rating: B

Plot: Takumi is a chef in in search for a job and finds an opening at Astro-Sou, a boarding house, where he meets Mira, the charming manager, and after seeing the culinary horrors she has put the residents through, decides to take the job, even if it's not what he expected from the job posting. Neither is Mira.

Length: 12 episodes

Thoughts: Don't do a drinking game on finding Maison Ikkoku references in the first episode or you'll be knocked out pretty quickly. The cute manager with a white dog the other main character has some misunderstanding over being a widow or not and finding her dangling from the roof, the room 5 where our protagonist ends up living, the eccentric co-inhabitants (but not THAT eccentric, I don't think Takumi could handle living between Akemi and Yatsuya), and it finds space to give each of those eccentrics a bit more of a backstory to them - the Wakabayashi father and son relationship, the Idol Teruko, and even throws in a ghost story at that. Shokichi, the oldest resident is mostly used as a link between Mira and previous manager Tasuke, but at the end he gets a big send off (and a Ashita no Joe Dezaki postcard). While it's Maison Ikkoku that got the most attention, this really wants to be a Showa era anime at heart, and I'm fine with it. The overall message of the show is one that is often found in many other shows - don't be constrained by what is expected of you, be it a galactic princess who'd rather clean leaves off the gutter, a local idol who's still at it in her 30s because she loves being in stage or a boy who wants to wear frilly skirts. It also does the usual love triangle things, however it feels like it's not committing too heavily to tell you things aren't going to end exactly where you expect. Narratively, it feels pretty balanced with the time it is given, if rushed at the end.

A big point of contention was the art style - it really goes for that kind of Showa era retro look but with modern production. It results in something very unique for a modern anime and kind of wish more tried this approach, although I feel it works so well here because once again this is an old show at heart. The ending really sends that home, throwing a super robot at it, something that is currently only running on nostalgia fumes from that era.

Recommended to: Have you ever imagined if Maison Ikkoku involved aliens? No, not like Urusei Yatsura.

Plus:

It gets a lot of the vintage vibe it aims for right, from the OP by Ai Furihata (who voices the indie idol Teruko, has a knack for doing 80s inspired pop) and character design, including how they can have any type of face it needs at the time, model be damned.

It goes full on the background art, and it has a very colourful look to it.

First episode really reminds you of Maison Ikkoku (if you need to be reminded)

Minus:

Also reminds you that you could be reading Maison Ikkoku again instead.

[actuallysaiyan]

Thanks for the tag!!!

Last Song: No Fun by The Stooges

Favorite Color: Green!!

Currently Watching: Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War

Sweet/Savory/Spicy: Honestly all of them!!!

Relationship Status: Committed relationship <3

Current Obsession: Hmmm... probs Kaguya Sama at this point, but it changes a lot.

Last Thing I Googled: hahah googling if Maison Ikkoku is on Crunchyroll for @beneathstarryskies

no pressure tags: @beneathstarryskies. @seireiteihellbutterfly. @loki-love. @yeowangies @dreadsuitsamus @carnal-lnstinct @tsukimefuku @jadedjane @starsinmylatte @benkeibear @kenpachisbrat and legit anyone else who feels up to it <3

9 people you’d like to know better

Thank you for the tag @clockwork-ashes and @lovely-vanserra-sunshine

Last song: Riot by Hollywood Undead- trust me I regret a full shuffle too. Lol

Favorite color: pastels but pink

Currently watching: Does GTLive count?

Sweet/Savory/spicy: sweet

Relationship status: Chronically single

Current obsession: -gestures around- acotar

Last thing you googled: atmospheric gravity wave experiment

No pressure tags: @acourtofladydeath @mybestfriendmademe @tilseptemberends @tsunami-of-tears @hieragalbatorixdottir @shadowdaddies @mika-no-sekai-blog @wickedfelinaxo @achaotichuman