The (nearly complete) Rumiko Takahashi chat transcript page
Thanks to Michael Howe for providing the transcript. You can read more about Michael's encounter with Takahashi-sensei at his website, The Entertainment Nut. This page was created to give people the oppurtunity to hear what went on during the July 22, 2000 discussion panel for Rumiko Takahashi in San Diego, CA.A fan from Hong Kong offered to help me get a copy of his full tape recording on video, but I haven't heard from him since. What follows is a transcript taken from my video camcorder, with about 5-10% of questions and material missing.
The following people are identified as coded:
Rumiko Takahashi: creator of Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku, & Ranma 1/2
Toshifumi Yoshida: translator for Viz Video Productions
Trish Ledoux: Head of Viz "Special Projects"
Fan #: Fans and order of which they asked questions
Audience caption: when they applauded, etc.
Transcript of the July 22, 2000, 3:30 PM Discussion Panel with Rumiko Takahashi
(Writer's note: Due to technical difficulties, the introductions to the panel are missing, as well as the first two questions that were asked. We begin with Fan #3)
Fan #3: Takahashi-sensei, atashio namae wa Arissan desu, ju go sai desu, hajimemashite.Toshifumi Yoshida (Translating for audience): Ms. Takahashi, I'm Allison, I'm 15, how do you do?
Fan #3 (continuing): Okay, we all know that Akane and Ranma are together, but the big question is, if you had a second choice for a girlfriend to be with Ranma, who would it be?
(Note: At this point, Takahashi was speaking into the microphone, and when the audience heard "um, Shampoo," they broke into applause. However, that was not what she meant to say, because of the noise of the audience)
Toshifumi Yoshida: You didn't hear the whole thing, she said Shampoo, or Ukyo.
Trish Ledoux: No Kodachi?
Rumiko Takahashi: Um, all the women are (meaning all second choices).
Fan #4: Hello, Ms. Takahashi, um, I had a question on Akane Tendo. I got into the series when she had short hair, but later on I found out she had long hair, and I fell in love with her having long hair. As of now, I am currently the proprietor of the only Long-Haired Akane Shrine online. And I have had people ask me, and they've been pondering also, what was your main reason for having Akane's hair cut, because I always thought she looked cuter with long hair.
Trish Ledoux (watching Toshi and Takahashi talk): Making sure all the finer points are being explained, like the shrine.
Rumiko Takahashi: Um, that's just the way the story developed. I'm sorry. [1]
Fan #5:Hello, Ms. Takahashi. My wife and I very much love your Maison Ikkoku series especially, but I'd like to know what your average day is like. And, how many pages a day do you dedicate, or is your goal for producing each day. So, what is your day like?
Trish Ledoux: Last night, originally, we were discussing something along these lines, and she said that she pretty much has a staff of about four assistants, and three have pretty much been with her forever, and one tends to be sort of a rotating position.
Toshifumi Yoshida (to fan): Would you like to hear during the Maison days, or right now?
Fan #5: Whichever is her pleasure.
Rumiko Takahashi: Well, my typical week, I guess, is I spend three days coming up with the story. I spend two days on the artwork for that week's story, and I typically work at night. During the day, I like to think I lead a normal life: take walks, do chores, eat. [2]
Fan #5: Thank you.
Fan #6: Um, one of the things I really like about you, Rumiko, is that you do a lot of different genres, subject matter, and I think you have a really wide range. And I was wondering, what is your favorite genre. Do you like to do comedy best, do you like to do horror, or, you know, romance?
Rumiko Takahashi: Um, in my younger days, I think I enjoyed doing comedy the best. But right now, I think I like doing comics with a bit more deeper story, like Inuyasha.
Toshifumi Yoshida: Who's got the mike?
Fan #7: Ms. Takahashi, Um, when you began Urusei Yatsura, you had Lum appear in the first episode, then she was nowhere to be seen in the second episode, and then she appeared again in the third episode, and then she was in the series from then on. My question is, when you first conceived the series, did you think Lum would be a regular character, or was that an afterthought, later you decided that you wanted her to be in it all the time?
Rumiko Takahashi: You're pretty observant. Originally, in Urusei Yatsura, Lum was going to be a guest character. She appeared in the first episode, and then she wasn't in the second, because she was a guest character. But I really needed to pump up the story, so after that point, after three, she was one of the main characters. [3]
Fan #8: Takahashi-san, Um, I was wondering where you got the idea for Akane to run around with a giant-ass mallet (note: at this point, the fan actually held up a giant-ass mallot he had made!)
Rumiko Takahashi: Well, for very many manga, a lot of comedy has situations where a character would suddenly get a large object out of nowhere to inflict pain, so I think that is almost a legendary or a convention in Japanese comics.
Trish Ledoux: Why a hammer over other things, I'm curious?
Rumiko Takahashi: Because it's a "striking" instrument.
Fan #9:Hi Ms. Takahashi, I really love your series Ranma 1/2, and I was just wondering, have you read any of the fanfiction about "Ranma" on the internet?
Rumiko Takahashi: Um, what's the internet? I don't even have a computer.
Toshifumi Yoshida: It's true.
Fan #10: Ms. Takahashi, out of all your works, my favorite is Maison Ikkoku, and my question to you is, of all the works you've done, which is your favorite, and why?
Rumiko Takahashi: I love all my works, I couldn't possibly pick one that I like the best.
Audience: (applause)
Fan #11: I had a question as far as the current series which she is producing over in Japan. Which ones are they and what are the future projects, as well as which other conventions might she be heading to?
Rumiko Takahashi: Ok, first of all, the current series I'm working on is being serialized in the same venue that Urusei Yatsura and Ranma 1/2 were seriualized, Shonen Sunday, it's called Inuyasha-
Toshifumi Yoshida: Being published by Viz Communications-
Rumiko Takahashi: And this fall, on TV, the animated series is going to start. For future series or short stories I plan to be doing this fall, I'm tossing around the idea of doing another One-Pound Gospel story. [4] And as for other conventions, no other current plans to go to anything else.
Fan #12: Ms. Takahashi, I bet you've heard this millions of times, but thank you for bringing some of the best manga in the world. I know you've been an inspiration to many young wannabe aritsts including myself, and, thank you very much.
Toshifumi Yoshida: Do you have a question?
Fan #12:Yes, my question is, what do you think makes a good romantic comedy, like Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku, and Ranma 1/2, have been to a certain degree?
Rumiko Takahashi: Well, theoretically speaking, you take a character, and give him some problems. It could be a little, tiny cute problem, or something else. Then you have that person fall in love, and then go from there, and create situations for him to deal with. I think that might be the beginnings of a story.
Toshifumi Yoshida: You know, stopped by aliens, or turned to sex.
Toshifumi Yoshida: Who's got the mike?
Fan #13: I do. Hello Ms. Takahashi, I've been a fan of your since I was six years old, I was watching Urusei Yatsura when I was six, you're my favorite, I love you. Actually, my question's not really so much about your series, but you. I know producing manga at the rate you do must be really stressful, so, what do you do to unwind on your days off? If you're so sick of manga, how do you cope with the stress of it all?
Rumiko Takahashi: Um, to me, I don't think I get too much stress. And also, drawing for me is a form of stress relief, so working kind of relieves stress. But even if that doesn't work, I hang out with my friends, go out for walks, eat alot, sleep.
Trish Ledoux: There's this rumor we've heard about women's professional wrestling, any truth to that? [5]
Rumiko Takahashi: It's true, it's true.
Trish Ledoux: Who has the microphone? You do (directed at Fan #14).
Fan #14: Hi, Ms Takahashi. Um, I was wondering, I have a question: Could you sign my book?(Note: Fan #14 holds up a copy of Lum: Urusei Yatsura Perfect Collection)
Toshifumi Yoshida: Probably not right now.
Fan #14: I also had another question: what would be your greatest influence to make all these different characters and different genres of your series'?
Rumiko Takahashi: I wouldn't say there's any one source of inspiration. I spend everyday thinking about what would make good manga. So, no matter what happens to me in a day, might become a story in the future, so just everyday life is a source of inspiriation.Audience: (applause)
Fan #15: Takahashi-sensei, when you first introduced Nikaido in Maison Ikkoku, he was almost a match for Mr. Yotsuya. And then, after a few strips, he sort of changed his mind and turned into a clueless idiot. I was wondering, how this happens, do you find yourself in-do you write yourself into a corner, how often does this happen, what do you do about it? And my other question is, what does Yotsuya do for a living?
Rumiko Takahashi: Um, well, in the case of Nikaido, it's just the way that it turned out. [6] And as for Yotsuya, no one has a clue.
Fan #16: Takahashi-sensei, currently in Shonen Sunday, there's a lot of changes going on between the relationship between Inuyasha and Kagome, and, I was wondering what your plans are for the relationship in the future.
Rumiko Takahashi: Don't worry, it will resolve itself somehow.
Fan #17: Hi, over here (directing attention to herself).
Trish Ledoux: Oh, there you are.
Fan #17: Um, Miss Takahashi, my name is Marsha, I'm from Mexico City. I just wanted you to know that I enjoy your work very much, you have a lot of fans over there, and I'm pretty sad that I didn't get a win in the raffle (note: She's referring to the raffle for the autograph session). My question is, do you know how many languages Ranma 1/2 has been done in, (note: at this point, the audio becomes somewhat indistinguishable, but she finished with the following words) thank you.
Toshifumi Yoshida: So you want to know how many languages Ranma is available in?
Trish Ledoux: That's actually more of a publishing question, than necessarily something Ms. Takahashi would know, she just makes the comics, and other people publish it. I think they are discussing it now (Takahashi and her editor from Shonen Sunday), I know there are quite a few, I know it's very popular in Spanish-speaking countries, and I've seen French editions, any number of Spanish dialect. There are quite alot. I've seen Chinese versions.
Toshifumi Yoshida: Um, just the ones they could think of off the top of their heads, seven, but I have a feeling there's more.
Fan #18: Um, all the characters in Ranma 1/2 are all so weirdly dysfunctional. It sounds like fun to come up with people like that. I was wondering, what character was the most fun to come up with?
Rumiko Takahashi: Well, for fun, I'd have to say Ranma was the most fun to create, as the main character. But, if I had to pick a character that surpassed my initial intent for the character, it would have to be Kuno. His level of pervertedness sort of surpassed anything I had originally imagined for the character. [7]
Fan #19: Um, Ms. Takahashi, I love your work so much, thank you so much. My question is-I'm so nervous I wrote it down-do you feel like you made an impact on the manga world for other female artists?
Rumiko Takahashi: I guess there must be some people who consider me as some source of inspiration. I'm sure there are a few. I'd like to think so. I can't think of anyone in particular, I don't remember any artist's names, but certain themes, certain feelings you get from certain comics, and I think maybe I had an influence on.
Fan #20: Takahashi-san, I've noticed that a lot of episodes of the Ranma 1/2 TV Series are stories thast didn't appear in the original manga, and I was wondering if you had a part in writing those stories, and if not, how you feel about those?
Rumiko Takahashi: Um, in the case of the TV series, for the original stories, they pretty much went ahead with their stories. But in the case of the OVA's, they often come to me about story concepts, character designs, and ask me what I think about them. [8] But for the TV series in general, it's the TV company doing the stories on their own.
Trish Ledoux: Was it your intent to make Kasumi really, really evil in one OVA? Or was that an idea that was presented to you?
Toshifumi Yoshida: (explaining something not very clearly to us, but understandable to Trish Ledoux)
Trish Ledoux: Oh, that was one of the manga stories that was varied.Trish Ledoux: Who's got the mic? Stand up and speak up.
Fan #21: Hi, I'm Aryan (note: not sure, but this was what it sounded like), probably the most unusual American name you'll hear, but, I was just wondering, earlier we mentioned that if Ranma 1/2 were to come to TV, would you be afraid of censoring at all?
Rumiko Takahashi: Well, I guess we'll have to get it on the air first and see how it goes, but you know, I'd like to see it on the air here.
Toshifumi Yoshida: Who's got the mic?
Fan #22: Rumiko, (note: FAN #22 then begins to speak in muffled language).
Toshifumi Yoshida: Say what?!
Audience: (laughter)
Fan #22: Where is the Kuno's mother?
Rumiko Takahashi: Now that you mention it, there was a point of time where I thought about creating Kuno's mother, but considering the depth and strangeness of other families, in order to surpass that to make Kuno's mother, seemed like too much of a task.
Fan #23: Um, Takahashi-sensei, I noticed that alot of the couples in the comedies you have are somewhat similar. I can see parallels between Ranma & Inuyasha, and Akane & Kagome, and I was wondering if those are the types of characters you like most, because you don't see alot of Nabiki-type characters in your manga, as being main character types. So I was wondering, what is it you like in the Ranma/Akane, Inuyasha/Kagome type characters?
Trish Ledoux: You mean as like, main character couples as compared to...
Rumiko Takahashi: Well I guess if you're looking at it from an outside standpoint, everyone has archetypes, and I'm creating all these stories on my own, so, I have a concept in my mind how a lead male should be, and how a lead female should be, so I'm sure people on the outside could see correlations between the characters I create, but it's nothing intentional.
Trish Ledoux: Also, how many Nabiki-types do you think the world could sustain? She's pretty much one of a kind. Who's our next question?
Fan #24: Takahashi-sensei, there's been some debate on this question, it's somewhat trivial, but does Inuyasha have a small tail?
Rumiko Takahashi: He's half-human so I feel he doesn't have one.
Fan #24: We've been debating that on the internet, so I'll post that, thank you.
Fan #25: Sensei, Takahashi-san. Um, this may sound like a pointless question, but I've been always wondering this, but in the Ranma series, everyone had a partner, like Ranma had Akane, and Kuno had Nabiki in a way. Who does the witch Kodachi have?
Rumiko Takahashi: Unfortunately, I hadn't thought of coming up with someone to be Kodachi's partner.
Toshifumi Yoshida: In the animated seires, it seems to default to Sasuke all the time, but as you know, that's the animated series.
Trish Ledoux: That's more of a henchman kind of thing than romance, I guess. Next question.
Fan #26: Thank you for coming Takahashi-sensei. Um, with authors like Steinbeck, it's often the case where they have real places which have inspired their stories, and many people like to go and visit these places. For instance, to see the ranches in central California, where it was inspired upon him the ideas for Of Mice and Men. It would be interesting if you could give us hints to the location of the actual apartment facilities that inspired Maison Ikkoku.Rumiko Takahashi: Um, it's in a town called Nakano, where I lived during college. [9]
Toshifumi Yoshida (to Fan #26): Um, I also asked her since, to follow up on your question, if there was a "Clock Tower Hill," or a "Tokeizaka" somewhere in Japan, and she said "No, not really. I like hills, for one thing, and I have a vague memory where I used to live growing up, and that place having alot of hills, so that's where that city would be."
Trish Ledoux: Following up on that briefly, I recall from a previous interview she mentioned something about looking at a really rundown apartment building as a possible basis for Maison Ikkoku. Now is Maison Ikkoku based on an actual apartment building, or if it were a real place, it would be a Nakano-kind of thing?
Toshifumi Yoshida: It was right across from where she lived.
Trish Ledoux: So it was a real, physical, actual place?
Toshifumi Yoshida: Yes, where strange people came in and out.
Trish Ledoux: Who's our next question?
Fan #27: Um, Takahashi-sensei, if the Tessaiga was hidden in Inuyasha's eye, where did Sesshomaru get Tenseiga? And if the Tessaiga can kill 100 men with one swing, does the Tenseiga have a similar attack as the "wind scar?"
Rumiko Takahashi: I have a feeling that Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's father had alread given Tenseiga to Sesshomaru, a long time ago, it's just that he never used it because it couldn't kill anyone. Yes, a single swing by Tessaiga could kill 100 people.
Fan #28: Ms. Takahashi, it's a pleasure to have you here again. I'm just curious, do Mr. & Mrs. Moroboshi have first names?
Rumiko Takahashi: No.
Trish Ledoux: Where's the next question?
Toshifumi Yoshida: The mic's moving around.
Trish Ledoux: Ok, there it is.
Fan #29: Hi, glad to have you here. I've been a huge fan of yours for four years, and I think I speak for everyone in this room when I say that you're a legend and you're just wonderful. And, Ranma 1/2 by far is my favorite anime series ever, and I'm just curious, what is your favorite manga character, or who is your favorite manga character?
Rumiko Takahashi: I think I'd have to pick Ranma if I had to pick one.
Fan #30: Takahashi-sensei, thank you very much for coming, and it takes a wonderful storyteller to appeal to the entire world as your works have done, all to different countries. Um, my question is, as you work on manga, daily, have there been any upcoming manga artists perhaps in Shonen Sunday or other Shogakukan publications, have you read their work and are particularly impressed by them?
Rumiko Takahashi: I'm having a hard time of thinking of any. I buy alot of manga from the publisher I work for and other publishers, and I read alot of the compilations that come out every week, from various places, and I enjoy alot of comics.
Fan #30: Any favorites by name?
Rumiko Takahashi: (note: Takahashi thought long and hard, but couldn't give us any names)
Toshifumi Yoshida: Okay, we'll move on. Yes.
Fan #31: Um, Takahashi-sensei, um, I was wondering if you could just tell us a little bit about your experiences when you first began writing manga, and maybe how the industry has changed, and what you see is the future of manga in Japan.
Rumiko Takahashi: Well, my working situation when I first started was, I was a student, I was living in a dinky little apartment, so I would work, you know, where I lived, because I didn't have a studio, so I only had one desk. So I would do my work, and my assistants, who didn't have a desk, would pretty much work on a dining table, and then since I was a student back then, there were a lot of people who were classmates who would come in and help me, so I think things have changed alot for me now. As for the industry itself, I don't think it's changed a whole lot, it's still pretty much the same. [10]
Toshifumi Yoshida: Ok, just to pick things up for a change, how many people are curious about the new Inuyasha TV Series?
Audience- (applause and cheering)
Toshifumi Yoshida: Ok, I guess we'll run a quick 30-second clip. Um, it's not actually a part of the series, it was a commercial for Shonen Sunday.
Trish Ledoux: It's a sneak-peek video.
Toshifumi Yoshida: It's a sneak-peek, but it's pretty much the look that the TV series is going to take. Ms. Takahashi really wanted to bring the first episode with her, but that's not going to be completed til the middle of August, becuase it's going to begin broadcast in October. So, if we could show the video-
(Note: At this point, Takahashi mentioned something, and when the audience heard the name "Ranma," they broke into cheers)
Rumiko Takahashi: Inuyasha is going to be played by Kappei Yamaguchi, the first Japanese voice who voiced Ranma. The voice for Kagome is Satsuki Yukino. She's someone I haven't worked with before, so I'm really looking forward to that.
Toshifumi Yoshida: Ok, we've got til 5:30, so we've got plenty of time then.
Fan #31: (Note: Fan #31 was a man wearing an outfit like the character Cologne from Ranma 1/2, that was hilarious to the audience!) Good afternoon Ms. Takahashi. I was introduced to your work in 1988, when I purchased the last volumes of Maison Ikkoku, and Urusei Yatsura. Now, after reading the whole 15 volume and 34 volume set, it seems to me as if you had always conceived the actual ending stories of those volumes, as if they were all destined to end the way they did. Did you plot that far ahead in your stories, or did you think "Oh I got to end it now, let's just end it?"
Rumiko Takahashi: I don't particularly choose an ending. If the story feels like it's progressing toward an ending, I'll start heading toward that point. But, should I find another path before I get there, I'll just take that one and move to a different ending.
(Note: At this point, I turned off the camcorder during the viewing of the Inuyasha video. Camcorders had to be turned off, and I missed 1-2 fan questions after the lights came back on, so the next question will be fielded by Fan #34)
Fan #34: Um, at AnimeExpo this year, Yuu Watase, the creator of Fushigi Yugi, viewed you as a role model and an idol. How do you feel about this?
Rumiko Takahashi: I'm honored, I'm happy.
Fan #35: Takahashi-sensei, thank you for coming and honoring us with your presence. I have first a compliment, an appeal, and then a question. The compliment is I was introduced to your work with Urusei Yatsura in the 80's, and despite the fantastic characters of that, Ranma, and everything else, the stories are so compelling because they capture a human element, and they tell a real story despite everything that goes on around them. My appeal to Viz and everyone else trying to bring these series to the American audiences was brought up. The culture difference between the Japanese and the Americans is different, and I'd hate to see the purity of the series get clobbered by the censors of America, as we try to target the audience it's intended for, but watch out for the people who don't want to target the audience it's intended for. The last thing is just a general question again, I was brought into the series through Urusei Yatsura, and I was wondering some of the inspirations for the characters there, specifically Lum, and how much or how close it comes to you, when it was created.
Rumiko Takahashi: Well, first of all, there was no real model for the Lum character, only that I wanted to keep the "oni" theme, the ogre theme, so I had to really think hard to come up with that character. [11] All the other characters I just sort of thought of characters that could possibly exist, not counting the ones from outer space, and then enhancing them a bit.
Fan #36: Konichiiwa Takahashi-sensei. So many peple here in America want to become manga artists, just like you. Such as me, I want to become a manga artist, and what advice do you have to give us, to achieve our dream?
Rumiko Takahashi: Well, I think first of all, you have to enjoy drawing manga. And furthermore, you have to enjoy having your manga read by others. And when you can do that, you'll find that you're really happy. It makes you even happier to draw even more manga. So, I think just starting from that standpoint is really important for becoming a manga arist.
Toshifumi Yoshida: Ok, um, Ms. Takahashi has other commitments, so we only have time for a few more questions. So, who's next? yes.Fan #37: Hi, Ms. Takahashi. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to come here to meet your fans and sign autographs. And my questions, I know your manga are supposed to be "boy comics," I wonder how you feel about so many females liking your work also. And also, my second question is, I read somewhere that the name Lum was a childhood nickname, I was wondering if that was true.
Rumiko Takahashi: Yes, Ranma was published in a boy's comic, and I'm very happy to see many female fans. I'd be even more happy if many more males and females read my comics. That is a rumor (the Lum nickname).
Toshifumi Yoshida: (listening to a high pitch from the sound system) Where are we getting all this feedback from?
Fan #38: Hi, my name is Mark, and this is just a general question. Um, given the current trend of turning comics into live-action films, I'm wondering if there is any consideration of turning your work into live-action.
Toshifumi Yoshida: Any particular title?
Rumiko Takahashi: Well so far, Maison Ikkoku was a live-action film that was made a few years back, a decade back. [12] And as for other titles, I really don't have any plans for live-action films of my comics.
Fan #39: When you were a teacher did your tea- When you were a girl, did your teachers encourage you to become a writer?
Toshifumi Yoshida: Comic writer or...
Fan #39: Either one.
Rumiko Takahashi: No.
Toshifumi Yoshida: So, one more question?
Trish Ledoux: Last question.
Toshifumi Yoshida: Last one.
Fan #40: I want to give you a present from Italian fans. Thank you very much (Note: Fan #40 presented Ms. Takahashi with a bouquet of roses, to great applause from the audience).
Toshifumi Yoshida: I guess we'll conclude this panel with closing comments from Takahashi-sensei.
Rumiko Takahashi: It's been 5 years since my last visit to the United States. I am very happy to be able to meet all my fans again in America. As a manga artist, to have all of you here enjoy my works and continue to enjoy my works would bring me the greatest of happiness. Thank you very much for inviting me.
Footnotes
- [1] Takahashi has actually answered this question more substantially elsewhere. In her editorial comments published in the wideban editions she stated that she felt she had a hard time understanding who Akane was until she cut her hair. After that she felt that she had a better grasp of the character. Takahashi's editor, Shigeo Kubota (久保田滋夫) said he felt like this is when Ranma 1/2 truly began.
- [2] Takahashi expanded more on her schedule when she joined Twitter.
- [3] Takahashi had actually confirmed this in a 1988 interview as well.
- [4] This took place in 2000, and despite Takahashi's plans she would not revisit One Pound Gospel for another year with chapter 31.
- [5] Takahashi has cited Dump Matsumoto and Manami Toyota as her favorite wrestlers. Dump Matsumoto (ダンプ松本) was a female wrestler in Japan in the 1980s. To this day she is still known as the biggest heel (bad guy) in women's professional wrestling. She is the basis for Bái Yá-Shàn in Kazuo Koike and Ryoichi Ikegami's Crying Freeman (クライング フリーマン) manga. For more on Rumiko Takahashi's fondness for Dump Matsumo please see our Rumic Mini. Manami Toyota (豊田真奈美) is generally considered the greatest woman wrestler of all time and is a particular innovator with her famouse finishing manuver the "Japanese Ocean Cyclone Suplex". A small blurb in an earlier issue of Animerica states that Toyota was present at the celebration for Takahashi selling 100 million copies of her work where she was in a six woman tag match with Reggie Bennett and Kaoru Ito vs. Aja Kong, Kyoko Inoue and Takako Inoue.
- [6] Though she does not go into detail here, she has mentioned on Twitter that Nikaido was a character that did not work out as she had foreseen.
- [7] Takahashi has mentioned that Tatewaki Kuno was a character that behaved in ways she could not predict describing him as an interesting, weird character that she could not understand in a good sense, he always seemed to surprise her.
- [8] Takahashi mentions the OVAs (original video animation). Most of the OVAs are based on Takahashi's manga stories, however the two part The One to Carry On is an original anime-only story with two characters, Natsume and Karumi, who did not appear in the manga. However, as she does for all of the one-off film characters (from all of her films regardless of the series) Takahashi was responsible for creating the look of those characters.
- [9] Years later Takahashi would illustrate her experience of witnessing the goings-on at this neighboring building and its inspiration for Maison Ikkoku in the short story 1980.
- [10] You can get a good sense of Takahashi's situation in her early days in Hello! Sensei.
- [11] Takahashi has mentioned the swimsuit model Agnes Lum as a vague inspiration for Lum, at least her name and her being a popular swimsuit model of the 1970s.
- [12] If you'd like to see our documentary video on the live action Maison Ikkoku film you can see that here.
- [13] Kenshiro is the main character from Fist of the North Star, one of Takahashi's favorite series. Akira Kamiya, who played Shutaro Mendo as well as Shun Mitaka, also played Kenshiro. The Urusei Yatsura anime series takes the connection one step further by actually having a giant student that looks exactly like Kenshiro and is also played by Akira Kamiya.
- [14] Prefectural Earth Defensive Force (県立地球防衛軍/Kenritsu Chikyu Boei Gun) is a 1983-1985 manga by Koichi Yasunaga. It is a parody of Ultra Seven.
- [15] The reference to "mermaid's flesh" refers to Rumiko Takahashi's Mermaid Saga where characters become immortal after eating the flesh of a mermaid.
Rumic World
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