Rumic Theater
| Rumiko Takahashi Anthology | |
| 高橋留美子劇場 / 高橋留美子傑作集 (Takahashi Rumiko Gekijō / Takahashi Rumiko kessakushū) | |
|---|---|
| Manga | |
| Written by | Rumiko Takahashi |
| Published by | Shogakukan |
| English publisher |
  VIZ Media |
| Demographic | Seinen |
| Magazine | Big Comic Original |
| Original run | 1987 – ongoing |
| Volumes | 4 |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Akira Nishimori |
| Studio | TMS |
| Licensed by |
Geneon |
| Network | TV Tokyo |
| Original run | 5 July 2003 – 27 September 2003 |
| Episodes | 13 |
Rumiko Takahashi Anthology, also known as Rumic Theater, is a manga collective composed of many short stories written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. New stories are published annually in Shogakukan's Big Comic Original magazine since 1987. In Japanese it has been published under several different names, including Takahashi Rumiko Gekijō (高橋留美子劇場) and Takahashi Rumiko Kessakushū (高橋留美子傑作集). Some editions are numbered 1–3 while other editions are unnumbered; volume 4 currently only exists in an unnumbered edition. It is also a thirteen episode collection of anime from short stories by Rumiko Takahashi that includes the Mermaid Saga.
Manga
The Rumic Theater are manga short stories published periodically by Rumiko Takahashi since 1987. The majority of them are akin to her work Maison Ikkoku, in that they are domestic stories with a unique twist. An English language edition of the first two volumes was released by Viz in 1996. The four volumes published so far have individual titles:
- Pii no Higeki (Pの悲劇)
- Semmu no Inu (専務の犬)
- Akai Hanataba (赤い花束)
- Unmei no Tori (運命の鳥)
Stories
- "The Tragedy of P"
- "The Merchant of Romance"
- "Middle-Aged Teen"
- "Hidden In The Pottery"
- "Aberrant Family F"
- "As Long As You Are Here"
- "One Hundred Years of Love"
- "In Lieu of Thanks"
- "Living Room Lovesong"
- "House of Garbage"
- "One Day Dream"
- "Extra-Large Size Happiness"
- "The Executive's Dog"
- "Bird of Fate"
Anime
The Tragedy of P
Japanese Title: P no higeki
- Air Date: July 6, 2003
- Yuko Haga: Sakiko Tamagawa/Wendee Lee
- Mrs. Kakei: Megumi Hayashibara/Sally Dana
- Pitto: Nao Nagasawa
- Kota Haga: Minami Omi/J.D. Stone
- Hiroshi Kakei: Junko Hori/Adam Gordon
- Mr. Haga: Wataru Takagi/Patrick Seitz
- Mitsue: Haruna Ikezawa/Carrie Savage
- Old Man: Hajime Koseki/William Frederick
- Housewife 1: Sachi Matsumoto/Michelle Ruff
- Housewife 2: Yūko Satō/Jody Jaress
- Housewife 3: Nori Kobayashi
- Summary: The Tragedy of P follows the struggle of Mrs. Haga to keep her guest, Pitto the penguin, out of sight from Mrs. Kakei, the resident tattletale who will report the bird's violation of the pet free apartment building.
The Merchant of Romance
Japanese Title: Roman no akindo
- Air Date: July 13, 2003
- Yukari: Satsuki Yukino/Michelle Ruff
- Betto: Kappei Yamaguchi/William Markham
- Old Gentlewoman: Natsumi Sakuma/Barbara Goodson
- Old Gentleman: Yousuke Akimoto/Michael McConnohie
- Auntie: Minami Takayama/Jody Jaress
- Pops: Jouji Yanami/William Frederick
- Keiichi: Yasunori Matsumoto/Lance J. Holt
- Bride: Sachi Matsumoto/Carrie Savage
- Employee: Kouzo Mito/Patrick Seitz
- Male Customer: Hiroshi Kawaguchi/Doug Stone
- Female Customer: Chisato Nakajima/Wendee Lee
- Summary: A wedding chapel that has fallen on hard times struggles to stay in business while its young owner seeks to deal with a recent divorce and the burden of keeping her friends employed.
Middle-Aged Teen
Japanese Title: Oyaji Low Teen
- Air Date: July 20, 2003
- Toshi Furuda: Akira Kamiya/Doug Stone
- Kazuko: Kazuko Sugiyama/Sonja S. Fox
- Minoru Furuda: Kappei Yamaguchi/Kevin Hatcher
- Emiri: Satsuki Yukino/Jennifer Sekiguchi
- Co-Worker: Kazunari Tanaka/Michael McConnohie
- Yuko's Husband: Wataru Takagi/Patrick Seitz
- Doctor: Minoru Inaba/Doug Stone
- Nurse: Sachi Matsumoto/Wendee Lee
- Summary: A tough, business-minded father loses his memory and believes he is a teenager. He meets a young school girl and can't help but become smitten with her.
Hidden in the Pottery
Japanese Title: Hachi no naka
- Air Date: July 27, 2003
- Yukie Asakawa: Megumi Hayashibara/Tara Hudson
- Ruruko Tonegawa: Kikuko Inoue/Megan Hollingshead
- Tonegawa Mother: Tomie Kataoka/Barbara Goodson
- Tonegawa Husband: Yasunori Matsumoto/Darrel Guilbeau
- Yukie's Husband: Wataru Takagi/Sam Regal
- Flower Shop Owner: Katsutoshi Houki/Reg Green
- Yoshiko: Machiko Toyoshima/Hunter Mackenzie Austin
- Housewife: Sachi Matsumoto/Georgette Riley
- Summary Mrs. Asakawa suspects her neighbor of beating her elderly mother-in-law being responsible for the death of her husband. The mystery unfolds when Mrs. Asakawa makes a shocking discovery hidden inside a potted plant.
Aberrant Family F
Japanese Title:
- Air Date: August 3, 2003
- Hazuki: Yuko Minaguchi/Rachel Hirschfeld
- Hazuki's Father: Bin Shimada/Doug Stone
- Hazuki's Mother: Hisako Kyouda/Erica Shaffer
- Shohei: Megumi Hayashibara/J.D. Stone
- Aisaki: Kappei Yamaguchi/Darrel Guilbeau
- Aisaki's Girlfriend: Kumiko Nishihara/Hunter Mackenzie Austin
- Neighbor: Rikako Aikawa/Megan Hollingshead
- Doctor: Toshihiko Nakajima/Stephen Martello
- Newscaster: Isshin Chiba/Ivan Buckley
- Friend: Sachi Matsumoto/Jennifer Sekiguchi
- Summary: Hazuki's family is virtually in the poorhouse. Therefore she is shocked when her father decides to go on an expensive family vacation. Soon she suspects that her father's motives may involve a suicide pact for her and her family.
As Long As You Are Here
Japanese Title: Kimi ga iru dake de
- Air Date: August 10, 2003
- Kochiro Domoto: Chikao Ohtsuka/Alfred Thor
- Achara: Keiko Han/Reiko Matsuo
- Hosoda: Minoru Yada/Reg Green
- Sumiyo Domoto: Ikuko Tatsu/Georgette Riley
- Narration: Ichiro Nagai/???
- Part-Time Worker:Tomie Kataoka/Louise Chamis
- Housewife: Chisato Nakajima/Hunter Mackenzie Austin
- Summary: When Mr. Domoto is laid off of his prestigious job as a salaryman, his wife falls ill and asks him to fill in for her at the convenience store. There, his rough personality doesn't mesh well with his co-workers, but he learns from a hard-working foreigner named Achara to persevere.
One Hundred Years of Love
Japanese Title: Hyaku-nen no koi
- Air Date: August 17, 2003
- Risa Hoshino: Hiroko Emori/Louise Chamis
- Koizumi: Satsuki Yukino/Hunter Mackenzie Austin
- Date: Wataru Takagi/Michael McConnohie
- Takanezawa: Yasunori Matsumoto/T.Axelrod
- Doctor: Minoru Inaba/Stephen Martello
- Risa's Son: Kozo Mito/Michael McConnohie
- Senior Nurse: Chisato Nakajima/Barbara Goodson
- Young Nurse: Sachi Matsumoto/Karen Thompson
- Summary: Risa Hoshino comes back from the dead with amazing telekenetic powers. The old woman develops a crush on another patient and believes him to be the reincarnation of her jilted lover from decades ago.
In Lieu of Thanks
- Japanese Title: Orei ni kaete
- Air Date: August 24, 2003
- Kobato: Satsuki Yukino/Michelle Ruff
- Shiratori: Michie Tomizawa/Erika Schaffer
- Ukai: Roko Takisawa/Jody Jaress
- Kamoshita: Masayo Kurata/Erika Weinstein
- Kyuu: Wataru Takagi/Jay Klein
- Kobato's Son: Asako Dodo/Barbara Goodson
- Mr. Kobato: Kazunari Tanaka/Sam Regal
- Watari: Megumi Urawa/Lulu Chaing
- Tachi: Ikuko Tatsu/Carrie Savage
- Nakagawa: Sachi Matsumoto/Karen Thompson
- Housewife: Chisato Nakajima/Hunter Mackenzie Austin
- Summary: Mrs. Kobato finds herself in the middle of a battle between the stuck-up Mrs. Shiratori and the elderly Mrs. Ukai, who eventually bring a crab and a bird into the argument.
Living Room Lovesong
Japanese Title: Cha no ma no rabusongu
- Air Date: August 31, 2003
- Ichiro Todokoro: Kouji Yata/William Frederick
- Makiko Todokoro: Nana Yamaguchi/Barbara Goodson
- Hitomi Momoi: Haruna Ikezawa/Mia Bradley
- Odagiri: Akira Ishida/Liam O'Brien
- Priest: Hiroshi Kawaguchi/Michael McConnohie
- Man 1: Isshin Chiba/Sam Regal
- Man 2: Mitsudo Kouzou/Patrick Seitz
- Woman 1: Yūko Satō/Hunter Mackenzie Austin
- Woman 2: Sachi Matsumoto/Karen Thompson
- Summary: A middle-aged man loses his wife, yet his wife's soul is bothered by the fact that he does not cry at her funeral. Her spirit soon returns to haunt him as he begins to develop feelings for the young office worker at his company.
House of Garbage
Japanese Title: Poi no uchi
- Air Date: September 7, 2003
- Ritsuko Hirooka: Kumiko Watanabe/Karen Thompson
- Yoshio Hirooka: Yasunori Matsumoto/Partrick Seitz
- Manager: Ryuuji Nakaki/Simon Isaacson
- Manager's Wife: Miyuki Ichijo/Barbara Goodson
- Ritsuko's Father-in-Law: Wataru Takagi/William Frederick
- Kenta Hirooka: Sachi Matsumoto/Tara Platt
- Ami Hirooka: Keiko Han/Reiko Matsuo
- Summary: The Hirooka's front door is mistaken for a garbage drop spot, and when the Boss's wife starts throwing out his favorite things, Ritsuko and Yoshio have to do everything they can to save the tacky items, or risk losing a promotion.
One Day Dream
Japanese Title: Higaeri no yume
- Air Date: September 14, 2003
- Mr. Shinonome: Akira Kamiya/Jackson Daniels
- Shinonome's Wife: Ai Orikasa/Wendee Lee
- Tsuyoshi:Ikue Ootani/Ted Sroka
- Saeko Shima: Sumi Shimamoto/Jennifer Sekiguchi
- Shima-chan: Fuyumi Shiraishi/Kirsty Pape
- Tajima: Daiki Nakamura/Mike McFarland
- Shinonome's Classmate: Akira Ishida/Kevin Hatcher
- Young Mother: Isshin Chiba/Hunter Mackenzie Austin
- Oda: Mari Maruta/Carrie Savage
- Summary: Shinonome is a downtrodden company man who is going through life without finding true happiness. His junior high school reunion soon rolls around and his thoughts turn to a girl he once loved named Shima.
Extra-Large Size Happiness
Japanese Title: L saizu no shiawase
- Air Date: September 21, 2003
- Hanako: Gara Takashima/Kirsten Potter
- Kayoko: Masako Kyoda/Sonja S. Fox
- Ryuuichi: Nobuo Tobita/Liam O'Brien
- Baby Ghost: Chie Kojiro
- Grandfather: Teppei Takasuki/William Frederick
- Real Estate Agent: Isshin Chiba/Sam Regal
- Young Ryuuichi: Asako Dodo/Kirsty Pape
- Summary: Ryuuichi's mother, Kayoko moves in with her son and his young wife, Hanako. But problems start to arise when Hanako starts behaving oddly and risking the anger of her mother-in-law who they are counting on to invest in their new home. Hanako claims a large spirit is the cause, but only she can see him.
The Executive's Dog
Japanese Title: Senmu no inu
- Air Date: September 28, 2003
- Matsuko Kogure: Ai Orikasa/Kirsty Pape
- Yuji Kogure: Takehito Koyasu/Chris Kent
- Kanna: Fumi Hirano/Erica Shaffer
- Yuko Kogure: Machiko Toyoshima/Jennifer Sekiguchi
- Kosuke Kogure: Mari Maruta/Jessica D. Stone
- Matsurida: Ryo Kamon/Stephen Martello
- Mrs. Matsurida: Mari Mashiba/Sonja S. Fox
- Housewife: Roko Takisawa/Barbara Goodson
- Gorgeous: Wataru Takagi/Liam O'Brien
- Summary: The Kogure's are asked to take care of Mr. Matsurida's dog Gorgeous, but when his mistress moves in and the children draw eyebrows on the dog, things become complicated.
See also
External links
- Description on Furinkan.com
- Rumic Theater (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
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