To Us in 1983

The theme in those days was “don't cut corners”. I'd like to think that the storyboards were uncompromising...

Translated by: Harley Acres

Date of interview: May 1, 2009
Place of interview: Rumiko Takahashi's atelier
Rumiko Takahashi
26 years old in 1983
Born October 10, 1957 in Niigata Prefecture. Libra. Blood type A. Debuted in 1978. She has many representative works. Her motto is "sleeping on firewood and tasting gall." ^[1] Her favorite thing is the Hanshin Tigers. Dislikes earthquakes. Currently serializing in MAO (in Shonen Sunday) as of July 2024. ^[2]

Q: Why did you choose "Lum's Wrath" as one of the best of 1983?

A: "Mysterious Ego Death Potion" or "Lum's Wrath" I had already decided to choose either one of them. What these two stories had in common was that they were both so "silly" that it was hard to choose one over the other. I wondered what kind of manga Urusei Yatsura was, and I thought it should be "easy to laugh at".
-Rumiko Takahashi

Urusei Yatsura

Serialized from issue 38 in 1978 to issue 8 in 1987. Total of 34 volumes of Shonen Sunday Comics. The catch copy is "Super Rumic Fantasy World".

Introduction

Ataru Moroboshi is a boy with a rare, twisted spirit. Lum-chan, an alien, suddenly appears before him. Today, the two of them, as the craziest duo in Japan, are involved in the most bizarre incidents...

Is the charm of Urusei Yatsura it's easy-going silliness?

First of all, please tell us why you choose "Lum's Wrath" as one of the best of 1983.

Takahashi: I was asked by the editorial department about two months ago, but before this interview started... I was still debating until just a moment ago. I had narrowed it down to one or the other. What these two stories had in common was that they were both so "silly" that it was hard to choose one over the other. I wondered what kind of manga Urusei Yatsura was, and I thought it should be "easy to laugh at". But, "Mysterious Ego Death Potion" features odd female characters that people who are not familiar with Urusei Yatsura might not grasp. On the other hand, "Lum's Wrath" features all the main characters. I chose that story because I thought it would be easier to understand if you were reading Urusei Yatsura for the first time.

"Lum's Wrath" is more like a group skit, and even the details are funny, like the line "if I try a bunch of different ways, at least she'll know I'm sincere."

Takahashi: Thank you. At that time, although the meaning was different from that line you mentioned, I feel like there were a lot of various types of jokes. Like, various patterns of jokes were prepared for a certain events. But it's only in the last ten years or so that I've started to watch comedy shows seriously.

By the way, what are some of your favorite comedy shows since you started "taking them seriously"?

Takahashi: I really like the Gorenjai from Gottsu. ^[3] Mr. Skull, played by Hamada, is actually lecturing us on how to draw different characters, like in manga. Like, "Why are there two yellows!" (laughs).

So, what was your typical workload like in 1983 when you were drawing Urusei Yatsura?

Takahashi: I think it was a very heavy workload. I was not only working on the weekly serialization of Urusei Yatsura, but I was also drawing Maison Ikkoku for Big Comic Spirits, and that was two chapters per month. In addition, I also drew Sunday's extra edition and drew four or five Graphics for Sunday as well. ^[4]

Did you ever resent the editor for the sheer volume of work?

Takahashi: Not at all. I really enjoyed drawing manga.

If you had to say something to yourself back in 1983, what would you say?

Takahashi: I think, “You're doing a great job." Sometimes, when I was tired, and my linework was obviously a bit messy, I'd want to say, “Why don't you draw more carefully?" But I'd like to say, “you're doing a good job, aren't you?

Manga should aim to entertain as many people as possible.

What was the most important thing to you when drawing manga back then?

Takahashi: I never thought about it. I couldn't afford to think about it at the time anyway. But I think... “never cut corners”. I'd like to think that I never compromised... on the name. ^[5] I would never compromise until I made it interesting. I think it's the same for all manga artists, but if I'm not satisfied with the name, my hand stops moving and I can't draw. I don't want to draw something boring, or rather I don't want to waste time drawing it. That is why I had close meetings with my editor. We'd sometimes spend four hours on the phone, had lunch during the meeting, and had a lively meeting that turned into dinner, and ended up having breakfast together (laughs).

That's incredible. What caught my attention was that earlier you criticized your old drawings. I've heard that your speed at completing your drawings, Takahashi-san, is incredibly fast. Not only is it fast, but it's also accurate. According to the editor in charge at the time, "The time required per page is pretty much set, so if you ask, 'How far have you draw at the moment?' he could calculate the time to complete the manuscript almost exactly." ^[6]

Takahashi: That's also thanks to the excellent staff. Actually, I'm not that stable with my drawings at times. There are days when I just can't draw. Sometimes it takes a long time to draw one face, and even if I draw, erase, draw, erase, and repeat, it still doesn't work. At times like that, it's definitely better to go to sleep and reset my brain before drawing, but if I do that, I won't be able to make the deadline. So, I once redrew something at the tankobon stage. It was in a chapter of Maison Ikkoku, but it was a very important scene, and I had to publish it without being satisfied with the character's face at the time of serialization. I was so frustrated that I redrew it at the time of the tankobon's publication, but it seemed like the readers didn't care. In fact, some people said they preferred the expression at the time of serialization (laughs). However, this is a matter of my awareness as the artist, so there's a possibility that I'll redraw something in the future without anyone knowing. ^[7]

In 1983, Weekly Shonen Sunday was synonymous with romantic comedy, and Urusei Yatsura was categorised as a leader in that genre. Were you conscious of the idea of romantic comedy?

Takahashi: No, romantic comedy itself was pioneered by people like Kimio Yanagisawa-sensei. ^[8] I think I was able to be a part of it thanks to that, but Urusei Yatsura is a manga that could do pretty much anything. I started drawing it with the feeling that it would be a sci-fi slapstick manga, but after about the fifth chapter of the serialization, the reaction of readers to the love story between Lum and Ataru was really good. It was a fresh reaction.

Did you feel any sense of rivalry with other Sunday serials at the time?

Takahashi: No, I didn't feel that way at all. I was just so focused on my own manga. But the person I thought "I can't beat this guy" was Mitsuru Adachi-sensei. ^[9] I tried my best and thought I'd written a good story, but I still couldn't beat him. It was frustrating. It was frustrating, but I honestly thought that it couldn't be helped if I lost to Adachi-sensei. The popularity of Touch was incredible, seriously!

Adachi said, "Some of her works were not popular with me, but all of Rumiko Takahashi's works are home runs. That is amazing," he said.

Takahashi: No no. From my perspective, it was Adachi-sensei who was always ahead of me.

What if you couldn't become a manga artist? "I'd still want to be one (laughs)."

What are some things you've focused on as a manga creator, both in 1983 and now?

Takahashi: I've always thought that manga should aim to be something that as many people as possible can enjoy. Moreover, I think that "being easy to understand" is the bare minimum. I feel that "it's not enough to just understand," ultimately it has to be interesting. I'll even go so far as to say that "it's not enough to just be moving," if you ask what else is necessary, I think the most important thing is that it's "fun, no matter what."

Takahashi-san, are there any manga that you would never draw?

Takahashi: You mean "wouldn't draw" or "couldn't draw"?

Please feel free to submit both "don't draw" and "can't draw".

Takahashi: If I don't draw it, it's just something I don't like. I don't draw stories without hope. Of course, I don't want to avoid drawing people dying, for example. I don't want to put a lid on it. Because death is inevitable in a person's life. But I don't draw, and don't want to draw, unrewarded deaths, or deaths where a character is simply forgotten, even if it's within the story. And then something I can't draw it, maybe a baseball manga. Ball games are fun to watch. Drawing ball games is really difficult. ^[10]

So, you respect Adachi-san, who regularly draws baseball manga?

Takahashi: No, that has absolutely nothing to do with it (laughs).

So how would you answer the question, "If you hadn't become a manga artist, what job would you have had?"

Takahashi: Well, you see, if I hadn't become a manga artist, no matter what job I had, I'd probably still be "someone who wants to be a manga artist." So now, I really hate people who have become manga artists (laughs).

Hahaha. This may be a stupid question, but why did you want to be a manga artist so badly?

Takahashi: Because I loved manga ever since I was little. I've been reading Weekly Shonen Sunday since I was little, and it made me really happy that there was always new manga published every week. At the time, there wasn't much in the way of entertainment and we didn't have much money, so I read manga over and over again. I was excited by Osamu Tezuka's W3, and when I was reading it, I didn't even think about the fact that I would be able to read the continuation next week. ^[11] Now, I'm really happy that I have this week's issue of Sunday in front of me.

Ah, so that's why you're still so attached to weekly shonen magazines, Takahashi-san?

Takahashi: That's right. I'd be happy if the current incarnation of Shonen Sunday could still portray the admiration and excitement I felt as a child.

What do you think is the appeal of this genre now that you've become a manga artist, your perception of it is probably different from the love you had as a child reader?

Takahashi: I think it's a form of expression with many possibilities, and the appeal is that you can do it alone. Of course, you're not truly doing it alone, because it wouldn't work without an editor or assistants. But you can publish it under your own name, you're responsible, and if you create a bad work, it's your fault. In that sense, being able to draw pictures, write a story, think about the composition, and do a large part of it all by yourself is a very strong form of expression.

Takahashi-san, you've always based your work on weekly serialization, both in 1983 and now in 2009. What are the pros and cons to weekly serialization, such as being pressured by deadlines?

Takahashi: I don't really feel that way about the cons. Because, if there isn't a certain deadline, no one would draw. In fact, when I took a break for about ten months after the serialization of Inuyasha ended, I was really surprised that I didn't draw at all. I thought that I'd feel like drawing after a while, but I didn't feel that way at all. So, I started to get anxious about two months before the new serialization was decided on, and then I decided on the story, and then I finally started drawing. ^[12]

Did you enjoy those eight months without drawing?

Takahashi: It was so much fun and I felt like I was the happiest I'd ever been.

The follow-up, Kyokai no RINNE, is both funny and serious, and its style is different from Inuyasha.

Takahashi: That's right. Inuyasha has few jokes, and there are parts where I drew it while suppressing the humorous inclination. Especially towards the end of the story, it became very serious, so I couldn't draw the characters' smiles. So, I would like people to read RINNE in a relaxed, light-hearted way. Of course, it was because I had drawn the serious Inuyasha to the end that I felt like drawing a manga that would go in that direction.

I see. Now for my last question. What does Urusei Yatsura, your first serialized work in Weekly Shonen Sunday, mean to you, Takahashi-san?

Takahashi: ...It's still a very important manga. Without Urusei Yatsura, I wouldn't have anything; it's like my first step. So, if all the readers laughed even a little back when "Lum's Wrath" was the latest chapter... I think that in today's world, it's the people who have worked so hard and diligently who are now struggling, but if they can transcend time and think "back in 1983, we could laugh about trivial things," then nothing would make me happier.

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Footnotes

• [1] "Sleeping on firewood and tasting gall," (臥薪嘗胆/Gashin Shotan) is an idiom that has its origins in China. It became popular in Japan after the Triple Intervention on April 23, 1895 when Russia, France and Germany objected to the Treaty of Shimonoseki that Japan imposed on China after the First Sino-Japanese War. Japan was to have been awarded the Liaodong Penninsula but Russia objected and convinced France and Germany to join them. Japan could not defy the three countries at the time and acquiesced. This began the "sleeping on firewood and tasting gall" spirit in Japan, which carries the meaning of "persevering through hardship (for the sake of revenge)".
• [2] This article was reprinted in 1983 Youth of Romantic Comedies Shonen Sunday (１９８３年の「ラブコメ青春」サンデー/1983 nen no "Rabucome Seishun" Sandee) which is why it mentions MAO despite the interview taking place before that series was published. We are including the original publication information below but with this introduction, as the original printing did not give the date or location of the where the interview was conducted.
• [3] End of the Century Sentai Gorenjai (世紀末戦隊ゴレンジャイ/Seiki Matsusentai Gorenjai) is a skit parodying Super Sentai shows. The skit was performed by the comedy duo Downtown on their variety show Downtown's Feeling Real Good (ダウンタウンのごっつええ感じ/Downtown no Gottsu Ee Kanji). Masatoshi Hamada (浜田雅功) played Skull Mask in the skit. The note included in the article stated, "The Gorenjai series was a popular series from the legendary comedy show Downtown no Gottsu Ee Kanji. The official title is Seikimatsu Sentai Gorenjai. Although the heroes' catchphrase is "All five of us are Gorenjai!", they are biased with three red (rangers) and two yellow (rangers), and are no longer in a position to fight against the mysterious Skull Mask (Hamada), and end up getting lectured instead. Rumiko Takahashi, who watched the Gorenjai series recorded by her assistant later, commented, "They're doing something amazing.""
• [4] This was likely the busiest time in Takahashi's career, drawing a weekly series (Urusei Yatsura), a twice monthly series (Maison Ikkoku), short stories (Fire Tripper, The Laughing Target and Sleep and Forget) and the special illustrations, manga and interviews she gave to the series of Shonen Sunday Graphic books that focused on different aspects of Urusei Yatsura and included her autobiographical manga Diary of Kemo Kobiru.
• [5] "Name" (ネーム) are storyboards. These are the rough drawings that layout each page's panel layouts, character positions in each panel, and handwritten dialogue balloons. Some artists ink over their name, others draw on a fresh sheet which preserves the name. After joining Twitter (and on a few rare occasions earlier) Takahashi would share a panel of her name next to the finished panel. The explanatory footnote in the Japanese article stated, "Name: The lifeblood of a manga, akin to a blueprint. Although the level of precision varies depending on the artist, it generally includes the frame layout, pictures, and dialogue."
• [6] Likely the editors during 1983 were Makoto Oshima (大島誠) who started work in 1981 and lasted into 1983 (in whole or in part, it is unclear) or his replacement Tomofumi Arito (有藤智文). Arito's replacement, Shigeo Kubota (久保田滋夫), started as Takahashi's editor in Shonen Sunday 1985 Vol. 33, so it would have been one of his immediate predecessors.
• [7] Takahashi had discussed making this correction before, it was Kyoko Otonashi's face in Maison Ikkoku chapter 116.
• [8] Kimio Yanagisawa (柳沢きみお) is a manga artist born in Niigata Prefecture in 1948. He has many representative works, including The Moon and the Soft-shelled Turtle (月とスッポン/Gettsu to Suppon), Flying Couple (翔んだカップル/Tonda Couple), and Special Agent Chief Hitoshi Tadano (特命係長 只野仁/Tokumei Kakaricho Tadano Hitoshi). He gained recognition and popularity as a romantic comedy manga artist with Flying Couple, which was serialized in Weekly Shonen Magazine from 1978 to 1981. The work has been made into a series: New Flying Couple (新・翔んだカップル/Shin Tonda Couple, Flying Couple Continued (続・翔んだカップル/Zoku Tonda Couple), and Flying Couple 2 (翔んだカップル2/Tonda Couple 2).
• [9] Mitsuru Adachi got his start in shojo comics before moving to Shonen Sunday which would be his primary publisher for the vast majority of his career. At Sunday he published alongside Rumiko Takahashi for three decades before he moved to Gessan, the monthly Sunday imprint. Adachi is well known for his romantic sports comedies such as Touch, Miyuki, H2, Katsu and Mix among many, many others. You can read a very early interview between Takahashi and Adachi here and another interview between the two here. Additionally, Rumiko Takahashi talks about her love of his work in another interview.
• [10] The Hanshin Tigers are Takahashi's favorite baseball team and are historically known as the second best team, usually losing out to the Yomiuri Giants. You can watch our video (or read the article version) discussing Rumiko Takahashi's love of the Hanshin Tigers. Takahashi has drawn only one proper baseball manga, The Grandfather of All Baseball Games, and a handful of manga where baseball is tangentially involved in the storyline like such This Year a Championship and with CAT.
• [11] Osamu Tezuka (手塚治虫) is the "God of Manga" and easily the most influential mangaka in history. His major works include Astro Boy (鉄腕アトム/Tetsuwan Atom), Black Jack (ブラック・ジャック) and Dororo (どろろ). Takahashi has mentioned many times that W3 was a particularly important manga during her childhood. The footnote in the original article stated, "W3 is a science fiction manga by the god of manga, Osamu Tezuka. It was serialized in Weekly Shonen Sunday from 1965 to 1966. It depicts the exploits of the Galactic Patrol members known as W3 (Wonder Three), Bocco, Pucco, and Nocco, and the protagonist, Shinichi Hoshi."
• [12] At the time, the break between Inuyasha and Kyokai no RINNE was Takahashi's longest break. Following the conclusion of Kyokai no RINNE she took off from December 13, 2017 until May 8, 2019 before beginning MAO.

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