As a companion piece to the Takahashi Rumiko retrospective, here’s a look at my top 5 Rumiko series. And an added bonus, top 5 Rumiko characters. As usual these are listed in no particular order.
Series:
Inuyasha – No particular order indeed, but it has to start here with me. Inuyasha is a series that means a great deal to me. It was one of the first long-running animanga that I followed more or less in real time. It can be a mess at times, but it’s still a great premise and the cast is absolutely crammed with iconic characters. Isekai we can believe in,
Ranma ½ – Probably the most characteristic Rumiko series of all of them, and her best seller. Often imitated, rarely equaled – this series has been hugely influential on anime and manga comedy for decades.
Maison Ikkoku – Another Rumiko series that’s been hugely influential, this time in the romantic comedy genre. Maison Ikkoku is certainly her most successful seinen venture, and quite unlike anything else she’s done in tone. Remarkably enough she serialized it and Urusei Yatsura at the same time.
Kyoukai no Rinne – The hidden gem in the Rumiko catalogue. I love RIN-NE and I think it’s massively underrated. It’s a brilliant expression of her deadpan side, absurdist but more understated than Ranma.
Ningyo no Mori – A short (3 volume) venture into traditional horror, Mermaid Saga is pretty unique in the Rumiko bibliography. The story of a human man who becomes immortal after eating mermaid flesh and his search for a way to become human again.
Characters:
Inuyasha (Inuyasha)- It does have to start here, with one of the great protagonists in fantasy. Kagome is a fine co-lead, but the series is called what it is for a reason.
Kohaku (Inuyasha) – An outlier I’m sure, given that he’s a relatively minor character in the grand scheme of screen time. But I thought Kohaku’s arc was incredibly tragic, and really exemplified just what a monstrous creature Naraku was.
Rukudo Rinne (Kyoukai no Rinne) – Very much a classic Rumiko protagonist through and through, but probably the biggest good boy among all of them. His unrelentingly bad luck in life is the engine that powers the series.
Saotome Ranma (Ranma½) – Probably the ultimate animanga take on the gender bender character. It’s remarkable how distinct Rumiko is able to make each half of Ranma’s self while maintaining the common identity that binds them (and having legendary seiyuu for the anime versions sure didn’t hurt).
Otonashi Kyoko (Maison Ikoku) – The heroine of the one series Rumiko has admitted was somewhat autobiographical – you do the math.
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