#currently: maison ikkoku

[namimikan]

mmkay it’s kinda like this: i feel like both ranma and ataru intentionally rile akane and lum up, respectively

so when akane and lum bite back, so to speak, be it dousing ranma in water/twisting his neck that he’s spend all day trying to untwist (and akane did untwist his neck originally!), or your standard electric zap

… that’s kinda karmic justice in a way? he dug a hole by insulting her, therefore he’s going to get punished bc he went too far? that can be funny bc i often like that self-inflicted comedy.

godai and inuyasha? i… i think they offend their love interests more obliviously?? godai will pretty instantly want to clarify the misunderstanding, kyoko will not fucking listen until someone else tells her afterwards or godai finds a way hours after the fact. the anime for inuyasha kind of made it seem as if kagome used sit boy as stress relief. it was much less frequently used in the manga but the anime? once an episode was too much imo. but it often felt as if inuyasha never understood why kagome was upset, he should just figure it out himself, which… idk. felt unfair.

like there’s elements of ranma getting punished when he doesn’t deserve it, yeah, but i think it makes sense, given that akane is immature and doesn’t want to admit that she is wrong. at least there are moments where it is ranma’s fault on purpose, rather than accidental.

some of it is takahashi rumiko’s humour which is… uh, hit and miss at the best of times. but it’s interesting to make sense of what works and doesn’t work for me.

[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!! 🌹

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[sailorblossoms-rankane]

any thoughts on rumiko's other works? just for funsies, no worries on answering if you don't feel like it :)

i like them! can't really give a more detailed answer without re-reading, it's been forever, but i have read inuyasha, maison ikkoku, one-pound gospel, mermaid saga...

i'm currently having a great time with urusei yatsura

[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.

[rumic-world]

Hi! I am currently watching the Maison Ikkoku anime and in episode 18 there's a lovely song that plays in the background while Kozue and Godai exchange gifts. I saw on your website you list the lyrics for the miscellaneous theme music, but I didn't know the name of this insert song. Do you know which it is?

Apologies for it taking so long for us to see this message! It's always easiest to contact us through email at www.furinkan.com As for your question, the song is Garden of Love by Cindy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvIjbf4dbAo

[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

[chickenstilldancing]

I'd like to make a post with all my thoughts about Mao, though until that moment let me cough out this: it kinda is a shame that now that for once in a long time (after Kyōko Otonashi from Maison Ikkoku) we got a Rumic Girl with her own past traumas and some current trouble at home Takahashi stopped exploring at all this part of her character after chapters 43-44 to focus everything on Mao's problems. Like, for instance, Nanoka's relationship with her grandpa and all her worries about him deserve more room. And Uozumi, please more Uozumi. Anyway, there's still time, the manga is not finished yet, hopefully the story will pick up these threads at some point. I want to believe it.

[namimikan]

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]

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.

[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!

[sailorblossoms-rankane]

Do you like any of Rumiko Takahashi's other works? Been wanting to check some of them out but not really sure where to start!

i've never read anything by her that i didn't like. where you start depends on what you're in the mood for: more comedy? fantasy? mature romance?

i'm enjoying urusei yatsura right now, though it understandably has a bit of a rough start and takes a bit to really start hitting... if you want to see the most unhinged thought rumiko takahashi ever had (for comedy) you should check it out lol

when i read ranma over a decade ago, i also read and loved inuyasha, maison ikkoku... mermaid saga and one punch gospel are incomplete, but i remember liking them...

i'm currently watching the maison ikkoku anime (for what it's worth, this was the only adaptation of one of her manga that i actually wanted to watch and expected to enjoy... and i am enjoying it) this is her take on a more mature romance (it still has her humor) though if you read the manga it has a bit of a rough start too (started a year after UY, you can really see her grow as a storyteller in real-time)

with inuyasha it really depends on whether you're in the mood for fantasy... i'm not, so i'm not really planning on re-reading it (but i did love it! i had a pretty strong inuyasha phase lol) (this is the same reason i'm not checking out mao, i'm just not in the mood for that type of plot) (i've been recommended rinne but i've never been particularly interested in it, i might check it out in the future)

[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!