{"id":1449,"date":"2008-06-22T16:28:20","date_gmt":"2008-06-22T21:28:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/?p=1449"},"modified":"2008-06-22T16:28:20","modified_gmt":"2008-06-22T21:28:20","slug":"rumiko-takahashi-anthology-anime-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/2008\/06\/22\/rumiko-takahashi-anthology-anime-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Rumiko Takahashi Anthology&#8211;Anime Review"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/image\/stars\/4o5.gif\" alt=\"4 Stars\" \/><br \/>\nRumiko Takahashi is best known for sprawling epics that <a href=\"\/fun\/2008\/06\/12\/the-end-of-inu-yasha\/\">go on and on seemingly forever<\/a>, but this series suggests that her greatest talent is writing short stories. Each of the 13 episodes is an independent short story. The stories are clever and whimsical, though sometimes with dark elements. All are set in modern Japan. The only connection between them is that sometimes you can catch glimpses of characters from other stories.<\/p>\n<p>Many <a href=\"\/fun\/terms-used-in-anime-reviews#manga\">manga<\/a> artists and <a href=\"\/fun\/terms-used-in-anime-reviews#anime\">anime<\/a> writers prefer to work with fantastic characters or exotic foreign locations.  Here however the characters are fairly realistic, even though some of the stories have fantasy elements. The milieu seems very Japanese; an American could probably learn a lot about Japanese society just from watching this series.<br \/>\n<!--more--><\/p>\n<ul class=\"ItemList\">\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Original Title<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\"><em>Takahashi Rumiko Gekijou <\/em><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Demographic<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\">Seinen<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Genres<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\">Comedy, Short Stories<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Contents<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\">13 episodes on 4 DVDs<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Languages<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\">Japanese with subtitles, English<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Based on<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\">A manga by Rumiko Takahashi<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Director<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\">Akira Nishimori<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Character Design<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\">Ichiro Ogawa, Mari Tominaga<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Art Director<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\">Toshiyuki Tokuda<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Animation Directors<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\">Ichiro Ogawa, Mari Tominaga<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Animation Studio<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\">TMS Entertainment<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Broadcast<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\">TV Tokyo, 2003-2004<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"Item\">Region 1 Publisher<\/div>\n<div class=\"Description\">Geneon<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Availability<\/h3>\n<p>This is yet another series that was orphaned when Geneon abandoned the American market. However it is still in stock at most of the usual online anime dealers and can be rented from Netflix.<\/p>\n<h3>Parental Advisory<\/h3>\n<p>These stories are not really aimed at children and include adult themes. Some contain elements likely to frighten or upset young children. Age 10 might be a reasonable minimum.<\/p>\n<h3>The Stories<\/h3>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/1-penguin.png\" alt=\"Penguin\" title=\"Penguin\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-1451\" \/><strong>1. The Tragedy of P.<\/strong> A housewife is forced to take care of a pet penguin belonging to her husband&#8217;s most important client. Unfortunately they live in an apartment with a strict &#8220;no pets&#8221; rule.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/2-weddinghallstaff.png\" alt=\"Wedding Hall Staff\" title=\"Wedding Hall Staff\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1452\" \/><strong>2. Merchant of Romance.<\/strong> The staff members of a run-down wedding hall struggle to keep the place in business.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/3-salarymanboy.png\" alt=\"Salaryman Boy\" title=\"Salaryman Boy\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1453\" \/><strong>3. Middle-Aged Teen.<\/strong> A frustrated salaryman suffers a head injury that causes him to believe that he is 13 years old. His family is annoyed.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/4-rumors.png\" alt=\"Rumors\" title=\"Rumors\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1454\" \/><strong>4. In a Pot.<\/strong> A woman start to wonder whether her neighbor is a murderer.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/5-girlincar.png\" alt=\"Girl in Car\" title=\"Girl in Car\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1455\" \/><strong>5. Aberrant Family F.<\/strong> A 13-year-old girl convinces herself that her parents are bankrupt and are plotting a family suicide.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/6-deliclerk.png\" alt=\"Deli Clerk\" title=\"Deli Clerk\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1456\" \/><strong>6. As Long As You Are Here.<\/strong> A man with a rigid Type &#8220;A&#8221; personality is forced to work at a delicatessen.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/7-oldladyonceiling.png\" alt=\"Old Lady on the Ceiling\" title=\"Old Lady on the Ceiling\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1457\" \/><strong>7. Hundred Years Love.<\/strong> An old woman seemingly dies, but then comes back to life with supernatural powers. Has she been brought back for a purpose?\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/8-confrontingqueen.png\" alt=\"Confronting the Queen\" title=\"Confronting the Queen\" width=\"249\" height=\"187\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1458\" \/><strong>8. In Lieu of Thanks.<\/strong> A new resident clashes with the &#8220;queen&#8221; of her apartment building. Can she get help from an old woman referred to as &#8220;the witch&#8221;?\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/9-ghostofwife.png\" alt=\"Ghost of Wife\" title=\"Ghost of Wife\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1459\" \/><strong>9. Living Room Love Song.<\/strong> A middle-aged widower feels attracted to a pretty, young co-worker. Inconveniently he is still being haunted by the spirit of his late wife.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/10-trash.png\" alt=\"Trash\" title=\"Trash\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1460\" \/><strong>10. House of Tossing.<\/strong> People start leaving their garbage in front of a young couple&#8217;s house.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/11-dreamgirl.png\" alt=\"Dream Girl\" title=\"Dream Girl\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1461\" \/><strong>11. One-Day Dream.<\/strong> A depressed salaryman gets an invitation to his class reunion, and starts to fantasize about the girl he once had a crush on.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/12-giantbaby.png\" alt=\"Giant Baby\" title=\"Giant Baby\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1462\" \/><strong>12. Large-Sized Happiness.<\/strong> A woman is haunted by an apparition of a giant baby, which seems determined to cause trouble for her.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/13-dogandmistress.png\" alt=\"Dog and Mistress\" title=\"Dog and Mistress\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1450\" \/><strong>13. The Executive&#8217;s Dog.<\/strong> A timid man is forced to pet-sit an expensive dog that belongs to his boss&#8217;s mistress.\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Character\">\n<\/div>\n<h3>Links<\/h3>\n<p>Wikipedia <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Rumic_Theater\">entry<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>ANN Encyclopedia <a href=\"http:\/\/www.animenewsnetwork.com\/encyclopedia\/anime.php?id=2690\">entry<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.furinkan.com\/\">Rumic World<\/a>, a Rumiko Takahashi fan site.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rumiko Takahashi is best known for sprawling epics that go on and on seemingly forever, but this series suggests that her greatest talent is writing short stories. Each of the&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/2008\/06\/22\/rumiko-takahashi-anthology-anime-review\/\">Read more &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[152],"class_list":["post-1449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-anime","tag-rumiko-takahashi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1449","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1449"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1449\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1449"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1449"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bugfox.net\/fun\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1449"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}