After a mysterious encounter in her childhood, Sakura Mamiya gained the power to see ghosts. Now a teenager, she just wishes the ghosts would leave her alone! Then one day she meets Rinne Rokudo, a boy who is far more than what he seems.
While suffering from a cold, Rinne gets a visit from a very strange doctor. The surprise house call leads Rinne, Sakura and Tsubasa to a confrontation with Sabato, Rinne's deadbeat father and president of the evil Damashigami Company! The stage is set for an all-out father-son battle in the afterlife.
Rumiko Takahashi (高橋留美子) was born in Niigata, Japan. She is not only one of the richest women in Japan but also one of the top paid manga artists. She is also the most successful female comic artist in history. She has been writing manga non-stop for 31 years.
Rumiko Takahashi is one of the wealthiest women in Japan. 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. 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 nineties. Takahashi is also the best selling female comics artist in history; well over 100 million copies of her various works have been sold.
Though she was said to occasionally doodle in the margins of her papers while attending Niigata Chūō High School, 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. Under his guidance Rumiko Takahashi began to publish her first doujinshi creations in 1975, such as Bye-Bye Road and Star of Futile Dust. Kozue 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.
Career and major works:
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, which would remain the home to most of her major works for the next twenty years. Later that year, Rumiko attempted her first full-length series, Urusei Yatsura. Though it had a rocky start due to publishing difficulties, Urusei Yatsura would become one of the most beloved anime and manga comedies in Japan.
In 1980, Rumiko Takahashi found her niche and began to publish with regularity. At this time she started her second major series, Maison Ikkoku, in Big Comic Spirits. Written for an older audience, Maison Ikkoku is often considered to be one of the all-time best romance manga. 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, which is surprising considering the massive lengths of most of her works. Her stories The Laughing Target, Maris the Chojo, and Fire Tripper all were adapted into original video animations (OVAs). 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. 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. The last story to be drawn was published in 2001, however just recently she wrote one final chapter concluding the series
Later in 1987, Takahashi began her third major series, Ranma ½. Following the late 80s and early 90s trend of shōnen martial arts manga, Ranma ½ features a gender-bending twist. The series continued for nearly a decade until 1996, when it ended at 38 volumes. Ranma ½ is one of Rumiko Takahashi's most popular series with the Western world.
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. While Ran
I read the first eleven volumes of this in quick (for me) succession, so I guess that's why I never wrote a review of this one. I have just a couple things to add to the nothin' that was here before.
First: Takahashi is great at crowd scenes. The banquet hall sequence was full of "walk-on" characters that made it enjoyable to closely scan the panels.
Second: the energy of this manga seems to vacillate for me, particularly when new characters are introduced. Once they're established, it's fun to see them bounce off of each other in funny and engaging comedy sequences. I like how Ageha's amorous advances on Rinne are met with complete indifference, and that there's a lack of the over-the-top jealous conflicts that characterize UY and Ranma 1/2.
I'm not sure why I decided to reread the early volumes of Rin-Ne rather than continue on, especially since at 40 volumes, it isn't short. My brother read the first few and wandered off, and I can understand why. It's low-key enough that the aforementioned ebbs in energy could easily cause a DNF for someone who isn't committed to reading it all like I am.
After reading the first three volumes of Rumiko Takahashi’s newest series “Rin-Ne,” I was wondering what major plot twist would happen in the later volumes that would help get this series off on its feet. Then, I read the fourth volume of “Rin-Ne,” which actually introduced a character who might change the events of the “Rin-Ne” universe forever!
Uh oh! Poor Rinne ends up catching a cold from Rokumon and is bedridden! Not only that, but a mysterious stranger pays Rinne a house call and it turns out to be Rinne’s sleazy father Sabato Rokudo, who is the president of the evil Damashigami Company! Now that Sabato had caused Rinne to be in a massive debt, Rinne will have to defeat him in the afterlife!
Will Rinne be able to defeat his father?
Read this volume to find out!
Now, when I mentioned that this volume might change the direction of the series, I never would have thought that Rinne’s father would be introduced so early in the series! Rumiko Takahashi did a fantastic job at throwing a curveball at the audience as not only is Rinne’s father introduced so early on in the series, but the fact that Sabato is actually the president of the evil Damashigami Company, implying that Rinne’s father is actually evil, was really shocking to me! I was also surprised to see that it was Sabato who caused Rinne to be in so much financial debt in the first place and now I am interested to see where Rinne’s relationship with his father will go in future volumes and whether or not it would lead to them reconciling with each other or killing each other, if the series goes in a darker direction. I will admit that having Rinne’s father introduced as the president of the Damashigami Company without any foreshadowing in the previous volumes was a bit odd for me as I would have liked it better if they had established the Damashigami as a threat prior to this volume, but at the same time, it sort of worked out for me because this event came out of nowhere and really made the twist worthwhile! Rumiko Takahashi’s artwork is as usual a treat to look at as the images of the Damashigamis in the afterlife were extremely creative to look at and there is one surprise image of a large panda who attends Rinne’s (supposed) inauguration in the Damashigami Company that would leave a smile on faces of anyone who is a fan of “Ranma ½!”
For those of you who are not fond of reading manga that has language in it, this volume does have some language that the previous volumes did not have before, even though the language in this volume is not as strong as some darker manga. Also, I did have a bit of a problem with how Rinne’s father was introduced in this volume as being the president of the evil Damashigami Company. I kind of wished that they would have developed the Damashigami as a much bigger threat in the earlier volumes so that way, it would make the revelation about Rinne’s father being the president of this company even more shocking. Or maybe they could have dropped some hints about Rinne’s father and what he was like in the past volumes just so when the volume that introduces him actually comes, the mystery surrounding Rinne’s father would be solved in an exciting and shocking way.
Overall, “Rin-Ne Volume Four” is a fantastic volume that introduces even more mysteries to the world of “Rin-Ne” and what it would mean for the characters in the future volumes!
Bueno, este es el padre más descarado de toda la historia del manga. Es un cínico de lo peor, pobre Rinne. Me gusta que ya nos hayan introducido a los damashigamis desde el libro anterior, para comenzar a preparar la historia de Rinne y su padre. Además, conocemos a una nueva shinigami que se ve estará muy involucrada en la historia.
“That’s right. I’m the president of the illegal enterprise ‘Damashigami Company.’ Sabato Rokudo.”
He’s finally appeared. The first and most important villain of this series: the good for nothing, eternally in debt, very, very handsome father, Sabato Rokudo. (Did I mention he is also very pretty? His very first panel, I was shook.)
Now that Rumiko had firmly established the rules of this world and all the main protagonists have appeared, it seems she was finally ready to introduce an antagonist that completely and intentionally sought to destroy this order. Sabato is such an interesting character because he’s completely the antithesis to everything Rokudo is. It’s no surprise that Sabato uses violence and has violence used against him constantly (even if it is slapstick half the time). It also appears he’s the one who has been forcing attachments (debt) onto Rokudo for years. This whole volume was just a prologue to show how Sabato’s debt/shadow looms over Rokudo and the rest of shinigami society.
This leads us to the second new character introduced, Ageha. Her burgeoning crush on Rokudo is very cute; my Rokudo/Sakura heart can't even be annoyed by it. It helps that unlike Tsubasa, whose whole motivation revolves around Sakura, Ageha has her own goals to achieve. I hope she’s eventually able to become an ally to Rokudo and Sakura.
And finally there is Rokudo and Sakura, whose relationship has hit a stalemate since the appearance of Masato. Sabato's interferences and Ageha's sudden affection have not made it any better. But you can tell they're both a little scared (for different reasons) to face their feelings, so neither of them are trying too hard to push the issue. Especially when every other character seems hell bent on pushing it for them. Even so, Rumiko treats their pining and reluctance with the same gentleness I've come to appreciate from this series, so it's still cute to watch them not quite be on the same page yet. I look forward to the day they can say what they really want to each other.
Siempre es hermoso leer un manga después de leer libros pesados o incluso antes. Es una manera de relajarte y divertirte. Me encanta que ya vaya en la parte con el padre de Rinne, debo decir que yo lo veo como una propuesta tentadora porque se ve como si fuera adulto nuestro joven Rokudou-kun. Es que quien no puede enamorarse de estos dos, bueno Sakura lo hace, por ahora. Debo decir que ya más o menos se que pasará en los otros volúmenes por el anime, pero es sorprendente ver los dibujos y como estos a pesar de no tener colores o movimiento, me parecen fascinantes. Me encantan todos los personajes y espero seguir leyendo más de ellos.
Come, come, come, have some adventures in the afterlife! Evil spirits will be out to get you! It’ll be fun, I promise. You’ll laugh a lot, dear reader.
I didn’t know that there is such a thing as Bloodsucking Wheel of Fire. Now I do! I am very happy! (The way our intrepid heroes deal with it is priceless.)
Romantic entanglements continue, because everyone is clueless. I have a feeling it’s not going to get better ;)))
This series is so ridiculous, that I think I am going to melt… On to the next volume!
Punya ayah yang hobi nyolong celengan anak sungguh luar biasa rasanya. Ternyata pria misterius berambut merah adalah ayah Rinne. Segala upaya dilakukannya agar Rinne mau ikut ke dunia sana, menjadi penerus usaha sang ayah.
Lisää draamaa, mutta ei aivan tyhjästä nyhjästy vaan avataan Rinnen elämää enemmän. Romanssikin "etenee", eli sitä vihjataan olevan olemassa, mutta kukaan ei myönnä mitään. Ihanan hidas, ettei tunnu että romanssia vaan tuputetaan tuutin täydeltä.
Por ahora, en 4 tomos leídos, no encuentro ninguna química entre personajes. Todos parecen muy planos. Se centra en historias y deja un poco de lado el desarrollo de los personajes. De vez en cuando te da alguna viñeta, algún pensamiento... Y ya está.
I borrowed the first four manga from the library because they had them. I doubt I'll read the rest. It's the same jokes, gags, and romance plot as Ranma 1/2. Rukumon is really cute though.
This volume wasn't as strong as the previous ones; I could take or leave the plot with Rin-Ne's dad really. I do love these characters, though and this series consistently cheers me up.
It was ok. I enjoyed it, but it won't be a re-read (unless I completely forget I've read it before).
More writing that reminded me of Takahashi's other works, namely Rin-ne's father who is an adapted version of Genma (complete with mystery mommy issues and using his kid to pay off his debts).
I do have to give her some credit though - the female shinigami who shows up so far seems to be an original character, and Rin-ne's behavior is starting to show some unique development as opposed to merely being a re-lay of InuYasha and Ranma. He doesn't have the macho bluster that they did, which isn't a bad thing.
It might be interesting to see how ti further develops. The story line is interesting, despite the similarities.
Somehow, Rumiko really shines when it comes to quarreling families. Sure, some of the banter may be reminiscent of Ranma and his father, but I'm not complaining. This volume was hilarious, and it really helped add more to Rinne as a character. It was traditional Takahashi slap-stick, with a litle bit of heart mixed in, which is exactly what I was waiting for.
3.75 Now it's a Rumiko Takahashi series! We meet one of Rinne's parents and a female complication. The level of humor has amped up and it's just very cute. I'm glad I read far enough to see it and will continue reading until/unless I get bored. :-)
Weakest installment so far. Not a fan of this new character Sabato and his plot line. What'shisface the would-be boyfriend seems to have backslid again after gaining some nuance in the previous volume.
I'm crossing my fingers that the addition of Ageha's story will continue to be interesting.
A bit of a light reading that doesn't really compel repeat reading. None the less, strong on the Takahashi humor that makes it worth reading even once.
My favorite volume in the series to date. The first seven chapters were hilarious. Rin-ne's father has given this series a zany boost. It felt like classic Takahashi. Highly recommended.
I love this zany manga. It's funny and the stakes are so so low, so it's not anxiety inducing to read. It has actually helped me a bit with my fear of ghosts.