Rumiko Takahashi
Born	October 10, 1957 (1957-10-10) (age 50) Niigata, Japan
Nationality	Japanese
Area(s)	writer, penciller, inker
Notable works	Maison Ikkoku Urusei Yatsura Ranma ½ InuYasha

Rumiko Takahashi (高橋 留美子, Takahashi Rumiko^?, born October 10, 1957) is a Japanese mangaka. Events 680 - Battle of Karbala: Shia Imam Husayn bin Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, is decapitated Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) WikipediaWikiProject Japanese prefectures for guidelines--> is a prefecture of Japan located on Honshū Island on the coast of the For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. is a Seinen Manga by Rumiko Takahashi which was serialized in the manga magazine Big Comic Spirits from 1980 through 1987 is a well-known late 1970s to 1990s Manga ( 1978 - 1987) and Anime ( 1981 - 1993) series created by Rumiko is a Japanese Manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi with an Anime adaptation full title ( romanized as INUYASHA Events 680 - Battle of Karbala: Shia Imam Husayn bin Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, is decapitated Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) The are the dominant Ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent of these approximately 127 million are residents of Japan is the Japanese word for a comic artist or Cartoonist. Outside of Japan, Manga usually refers to a Japanese Comic book and mangaka

Takahashi is one of the wealthiest women in Japan. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. ^[1][2] The manga she creates (and its anime adaptations) are very popular in the United States and Europe where they have been released as both manga and anime in English translation. ˈmɑŋgə is the Japanese word for Comics (sometimes called komikku コミック and print Cartoons In their modern form manga date from shortly (anime in Japanese, The United States of America —commonly referred to as the English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Her works are relatively famous worldwide, and many of her series were some of the forerunners of early English language manga to be released in the 1990s. Takahashi is also the best selling female comics artist in history; well over 100 million copies of her various works have been sold. She has twice won the Shogakukan Manga Award: once in 1981 for Urusei Yatsura, and again in 2002 for InuYasha. The Shogakukan Manga Award is one of Japan's major Manga awards sponsored by Shogakukan Publishing. is a well-known late 1970s to 1990s Manga ( 1978 - 1987) and Anime ( 1981 - 1993) series created by Rumiko full title ( romanized as INUYASHA ^[3]

Contents 1 Career and major works 2 Animation 3 Popularity and impact on the western world 4 References 5 External links

Career and major works

Born in Niigata, Japan, Rumiko Takahashi showed little interest in manga during her childhood. WikipediaWikiProject Japanese prefectures for guidelines--> is a prefecture of Japan located on Honshū Island on the coast of the Though she was said to occasionally doodle in the margins of her papers while attending Niigata Chūō High School. A doodle is a type of sketch an unfocused Drawing made while a person's attention is otherwise occupied Takahashi's interest in manga did not come until later. During her college years, she enrolled in Gekiga Sonjuku, a manga school founded by Kazuo Koike, mangaka of Crying Freeman and Lone Wolf and Cub. is a prolific Japanese Manga writer novelist and entrepeneur Early in Koike's career he studied under Golgo 13 creator Takao Saito and is a Manga by Kazuo Koike & Ryoichi Ikegami about an Assassin who sheds tears after he kills his targets is a well-known Gekiga or Manga created by the writer Kazuo Koike and the artist Goseki Kojima. Under his guidance Rumiko Takahashi began to publish her first doujinshi creations in 1975, such as Bye-Bye Road and Star of Futile Dust. are self-published Japanese works usually manga or novels They are often the work of amateurs though some professional artists participate as a way to publish material outside the regular Koike often urged his students to create well-thought out, interesting characters, and this influence would greatly impact Rumiko Takahashi's works throughout her career. ^[4]

Takahashi's professional career began in 1978. Her first published story was Those Selfish Aliens, a comedic science fiction story. During the same year, she published Time Warp Trouble, Shake Your Buddha, and the Golden Gods of Poverty in Shōnen Sunday magazine, which would remain the home to most of her major works for the next twenty years. is a weekly Shōnen Manga Magazine published by Shogakukan. History Shōnen Sunday was first published on Tuesday March Later that year, Rumiko attempted her first full-length series, Urusei Yatsura. is a well-known late 1970s to 1990s Manga ( 1978 - 1987) and Anime ( 1981 - 1993) series created by Rumiko Though it had a rocky start due to publishing difficulties, Urusei Yatsura would become very well known.

In 1980, Rumiko Takahashi found her niche and began to publish with regularity. A niche market is a focused targetable portion (subset of a market At this time she started her second major series, Maison Ikkoku, in Big Comic Spirits magazine. is a Seinen Manga by Rumiko Takahashi which was serialized in the manga magazine Big Comic Spirits from 1980 through 1987 is a weekly Japanese Seinen Manga magazine published by Shogakukan, aimed at males 20-25 years old and originally launched on October 14 Written for an older audience, Maison Ikkoku is a romantic comedy. Takahashi managed to work on Maison Ikkoku on and off simultaneously with Urusei Yatsura. She concluded both series in 1987, with Urusei Yatsura ending at 34 volumes, and Maison Ikkoku being 15.

During the 1980s, Takahashi became a prolific writer of short story manga. Her stories The Laughing Target, Maris the Chojo, and Fire Tripper all were adapted into original video animations (OVAs). is an Anime OVA released in Japan in 1987 It was licensed for North American release by Central Park Media, but this license has since expired literally translated as "The Supergirl" is a one shot Manga story by Rumiko Takahashi. is an Anime OVA based on a Manga story by Rumiko Takahashi. In North America it was released on VHS by Central Park Media under abbreviated (and sometimes as OAV) is a term originating from Japanese animation ( Anime) for animated films and series which are made specially to be In 1984, after the end of Urusei Yatsura and Maison Ikkoku, Takahashi took a different approach to storytelling and began the dark, macabre Mermaid Saga. Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) is a series of Manga graphic novels in three volumes by Japanese Mangaka Rumiko Takahashi. This series of short segments was published sporadically until 1994, with the final story being Mermaid's Mask. Many fans contend that this work remains unfinished by Takahashi, since the final story does not end on a conclusive note.

Another short work left untouched is One-Pound Gospel, which, like Mermaid Saga, was published erratically. is a Manga series created by Rumiko Takahashi, author of Maison Ikkoku, Ranma ½, and InuYasha. The last story to be drawn was published in 2001, however just recently she wrote one final chapter concluding the series. ^[5] One-Pound Gospel was recently adapted into a tv drama, which ran for 9 of its originally scheduled 11 episodes.

Later in 1987, Takahashi began her third major series, Ranma ½. is a Japanese Manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi with an Anime adaptation Following the late 80s and early 90s trend of shōnen martial arts manga, Ranma ½ features a gender-bending twist. is a Japanese word literally meaning few years which can have the following meanings Shōnen a typical Boy, from elementary school through junior high Martial arts are systems of codified practices and traditions of training for Combat. Gender bender is an informal term used to refer to a person who actively transgresses or "bends" expected Gender roles Boy George is called a The series continued for nearly a decade until 1996, when it ended at 38 volumes. Ranma ½ is popular amongst manga fans outside Japan.

During the later half of the 1990s, Rumiko Takahashi continued with short stories and her installments of Mermaid Saga and One-Pound Gospel until beginning her fourth major work, InuYasha. full title ( romanized as INUYASHA While Ranma ½, Urusei Yatsura, and Maison Ikkoku all were heavily seated in the romantic comedy genre, InuYasha was more akin to her dark Mermaid Saga. The series features action, romance, horror, fantasy, (folklore-based) historical fiction, and comedy. History The concept of folklore developed as part of the 19th century ideology of Romantic nationalism, leading to the reshaping of oral traditions to serve modern ideological This series remains ongoing in Shōnen Sunday magazine and is as of this writing 55 volumes, making it her longest work by far. is a weekly Shōnen Manga Magazine published by Shogakukan. History Shōnen Sunday was first published on Tuesday March

Animation

In 1981, Urusei Yatsura became the first of Takahashi's works to be animated. This series first aired on Japanese television on October 14, and went through multiple director changes during its run. Most notable of these directors was Mamoru Oshii, who made Beautiful Dreamer, the second Urusei Yatsura movie. Mamoru Oshii (押井守 Oshii Mamoru; born August 8, 1951 in Tokyo) is a Japanese Animation and live-action Film Urusei Yatsura, a Japanese Anime and Manga series has six movies

Kitty Animation, the studio that animated Urusei Yatsura continued their cooperation and adapted Rumiko Takahashi's second work, Maison Ikkoku in 1986. Kitty Films (キティ・フィルム Kiti · Firumu) is an Anime production company established in 1972 in Japan. The TV series ran for 96 episodes, 3 OVAs, a movie and also a live-action movie.

Maris the Chojo, Fire Tripper, and Laughing Target were all made into OVAs during the mid-80s. Her stories Mermaid's Forest and Mermaid's Scar were also made as OVAs in Japan on 1991.

In 1989, Kitty Animation produced its last major series, Ranma ½. The series went through ups and downs in ratings until Kitty Animation finally went out of business. Ranma ½ was never concluded in animated form despite being 161 episodes in length.

Sunrise was the first studio after Kitty Animation to adapt a major Rumiko Takahashi series. is a Japanese Anime studio and production enterprise It is a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings. InuYasha debuted in 2000 and ended in 2004. The TV series went on for 167 episodes and spawned four major films. The anime ended before the manga did, thus wrapping up inconclusively. Sunrise Animation has expressed interest in finishing the series through OVAs once the manga series ends, but there are no set plans to continue InuYasha at this time.

The latest Rumiko Takahashi animation adapts many of her short stories from the 80s. Rumiko Takahashi Anthology features her stories The Tragedy of P, The Merchant of Romance, Middle-Aged Teen, Hidden In The Pottery, Aberrant Family F, As Long As You Are Here, One Hundred Years of Love, In Lieu of Thanks, Living Room Lovesong, House of Garbage, One Day Dream, Extra-Large Size Happiness, and The Executive's Dog. Also, a TV series of Mermaid Saga was produced in 2003 as well, animating 13 of her stories.

Popularity and impact on the western world

Outside Japan, Rumiko Takahashi continues to be a popular and influential mangaka. is the Japanese word for a comic artist or Cartoonist. Outside of Japan, Manga usually refers to a Japanese Comic book and mangaka Her works are especially prevalent in Europe, and most particularly in France, where most of her manga series (including Urusei Yatsura, which never finished its run in the U. S. ) have been released.

Animeigo Was the first distributor for Takahashi's series in the English-speaking world, starting with Urusei Yatsura which was widely distributed first on VHS tape in the US, followed by Laser Disk distributions, and finally DVD. AnimEigo is an American licensor and distributor of Anime. It was founded in 1988 in Ithaca New York by Robert Woodhead and Roe R Animeigo has released the series in its entirety, including all the Movies (except Movie #2 which was licensed by [US Manga Corps]/[Central Park Media]), as well as all the OVAs in entirety. These products are still available for sale from them in the US, although in limited number.

Viz Media distributes most of Takahashi's series in the English-speaking world. Viz Media LLC, headquartered in San Francisco California, is an Anime, Manga and Japanese Entertainment company founded in 1986 They began to release her works via printed monthlies in the early 90s. However, the remainder of her works all met with success, especially Ranma ½ and Maison Ikkoku. At the time, Ranma ½ was a costly property most manga/anime companies were wary to touch. Viz's sales skyrocketed with Ranma ½ and later InuYasha, which were collected into graphic novels as the monthlies were released. The Ranma ½ anime became one of the first big anime titles to gain popularity amongst English-speakers, and was one of the most widely-viewed anime before the introduction of anime on DVD. DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is After the turn of the millennium however, Ranma ½'s popularity subsided considerably. Viz hit it big time by introducing the InuYasha anime on Adult Swim, where it gained massive recognition and ushered in a wave of anime available on cable network. Adult Swim, (usually stylized swim with its signature square Brackets, is an adult-oriented Television network sharing channel space with Cartoon

Today InuYasha is arguably her most popular work with both male and female teens and young adults, while Ranma ½'s continues to remain a favorite in the eyes of her long-time fans. Though not as recognized, both Urusei Yatsura and Maison Ikkoku have a small dedicated fanbase among older viewers. For many manga and anime fans, however, Rumiko Takahashi's works were their earliest exposures to the genre. Despite the fact that her works are often steeped in Japanese folklore and culture, her wide range of genres and sympathetic characters often make them universal to readers from around the world. Japanese folklore is the Folklore of Japan. It is heavily influenced by both Shinto and Buddhism, the two primary religions in the country

References

External links

• Furinkan.com, information about Rumiko Takahashi and her works
• Rumiko No Sekai French website on Rumiko Takahashi manga
• Rumiko Takahashi entry at Anime.com
• Takahashi's Work

---

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic