Rumic Theater volume 1

-- by Eugene Cheng

THE TRAGEDY OF P
THE MERCHANT OF ROMANCE
HOUSE OF GARBAGE
HIDDEN IN THE POTTERY
ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF LOVE
EXTRA-LARGE SIZE HAPPINESS

Takahashi Rumiko has oft been hailed as the greatest female manga artist of all time. The naysayers, however, are fond of critiquing artwork rather than content. The plainness of the lines and the lack of detail in backgrounds are often cited as weaknesses in her work. But this does not at all detract from her style. Critics must realize this: Takahashi Rumiko is first and foremost a storyteller. It is there that her strength lies. RUMIC THEATER should well be considered testament to this fact.

Here, Takahashi successfully develops characters and plot within the confines of a few pages. The reader, upon reading the first few pages, will be thoroughly entranced by the appeal of both the characters and their plight, ridiculous though they may seem. The stories found within RUMIC THEATER can be classified as either domestic comedy or domestic drama. However, they deal with topics the likes of which are rarely seen, much less novelized within literature.

THE TRAGEDY OF P follows the plight of Mrs. Haga as her husband promises to take care of his boss' pet. But Mrs. Haga is constantly hounded by her neighbor, Mrs. Kakei, because pets are not allowed in the apartment complex where they live. Furthermore, the boss' pet is no mere bird, cat, or dog, but a live penguin! The facial expressions in this story are especially well done. The characters are really developed throughout the story, and even the stoic Mrs. Kakei's nature is revealed in the satisfying conclusion of the story.

THE MERCHANT OF ROMANCE is possibly one of the weaker stories in this volume. But even this story is not without its appeal. It relates the story of a destitute woman who runs a decrepit wedding hall she inherited from her overly selfless father. Yukari eventually is forced to lay off a few of her employees in order to make ends meet. But a few of the more dedicated employees elect to remain and work. One day, a couple who moved to America and are indebted to Yukari's late father return to renew their vows. Yukari agrees to host their ceremonies, in the hopes that she can afford to repay the remaining employees the severance pay that she owes them. Will this be the last wedding which the Romance Villa will hold?

HOUSE OF GARBAGE relates the story of the Hirooka's, who by some twist of fate have Mr. Hirooka's boss as their new neighbor. And they are convinced that the garbage collection site is in front of the Hirooka's house! So they must endure the massive amounts of strange refuse that are piled up in front of their house every day. Mr. Hirooka tries to earn his next promotion while trying to convince his boss that his house is not the garbage collection site. In the process, he grows closer to the boss and learns about his strange fancy for exotic items.

A page from "The Tragedy of P."

HIDDEN IN THE POTTERY is one of Takahashi's darker items, in the vein of her MERMAID series. Mrs. Tonegawa was recently widowed, and mother-in-law passed away soon after the death of her Mr. Tonegawa. Many people have been gossiping about the strangely reclusive Mrs. Tonegawa. One day, she asks her neighbor to take care of her plants while she is away. The neighbor makes a shocking discovery; bones are hidden in the pottery! Whose bones are they and why are they in there? Takahashi takes us through some plot twists and turns before bringing us to the subdued yet happy conclusion.

ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF LOVE is the interesting tale of a selectively forgetful old woman named Hoshino Risa who returns to life because of her love for another. And with her return, she has gained some extraordinary powers. Extra Sensory Power (ESP) has often been a subject of manga, but none have ever dealt with it in a manner such as this one. Risa believes that she was brought back to aid a certain young nurse who is the object of adoration of another young man. It seems that in Risa's youth, she had rejected another's love, and the man had committed suicide. I would not wish to give away the ending, but suffice it to say it is quite humorous.

EXTRA-LARGE SIZE HAPPINESS is quite possibly the strangest story of the lot, and is based on the Japanese folk tale which cites the existence of Japanese-style gremlins. Hanako is a recently married housewife, whose only desire is to please her mother-in-law who has the money they need to move into a new house. But it seems that the gremlin is opposing her every move, even causing her to have a car accident to stop her. Why is the gremlin haunting Hanako alone? Domestic comedy a la RANMA.

All stories in this volume were originally published in MANGA VIZION, Viz's monthly anthology book. People who have already purchased the issues where these stories occur, may want to consider buying the collected volume because of the attractive packaging, and because it will tend to last longer than the individual issues. The volumes allow one to comfortably sit and handle pages, and are infinitely easier to maintain in good condition.

The talent that Rumiko Takahashi has in developing characters is evident in all the stories that she creates. But many readers do not want to devote themselves to as long a series as LUM (URUSEI YATSURA), MAISON IKKOKU, or RANMA. It is to these readers that I would heartily recommend this book. I firmly believe that the short works that are found in this volume are among the best that I've thus far to read, and I am certain that if readers give it a chance, they will understand why people all over the world are infatuated with the works of Takahashi Rumiko.

Story and Art by Takahashi Rumiko
English Adaptation by Gerard Jones and Lillian Olsen
Viz Comics
First Printing, March 1996
$15.95 US / $21.50 CAN
ISBN 1-56931-054-8