By Rumiko Takahashi
VIZ, 256 pp.
Rating: No rating

Before I get into the first review for Classics Corner, I would like to talk about the general idea. Many of us, readers and reviewers, have been fans of manga for a long time. I can’t count the amount of out-of-print books that I have sitting in my bookcase. With all the new manga coming out, it is easy for many readers to forget about the roots of manga. With Classics Corner, I invite reviewers as well as readers to explore what manga was in the past when it first started out in America and how these books have shaped the present. So to kick things off, the first Classics Corner review will be on Rumiko Takahashi’s Rumic Theater: One or Double.

Early on, Takahashi published short stories rather than the longer titles we are familiar with. These ran in various shonen and seinen magazines and were quite popular in Japan. In America, Viz published some of these stories in a trilogy called Rumic World, published others in two graphic novels bearing the title Rumic Theater (the first, simply called Rumic Theater, was released in 1996 and the second, Rumic Theater: One or Double, in 1998), and included the stories in its now-defunct monthly anthology, Manga Vizion. Though not as immensely popular as Ranma 1/2 or Maison Ikkoku, these short stories hold a special place in the hearts of Takahashi fans and spark quite a bit of interest among readers. There are whole sites devoted to them! (See: www.furinkan.com/)

I always found Rumic Theater: One or Double to be interesting because in many of the stories you can see the genesis of many of Takahashi’s future titles. For instance, in “Excuse Me For Being a Dog!” the main character, Shiro, is a boxer who changes into a dog when his blood is stimulated (i.e. getting socked in the nose). Sounds a lot like One Pound Gospel or Ranma, right?

Aside from all the allusions to the future, Takahashi’s writing was strong from the get-go. Many of her stories center around young romance and some action, though several of her stories also deal with ghosts and the paranormal. One of my personal favorites is “Reserved Seat,” the story of Masahiko, a rocker who is haunted and often possessed by his grandmother, a Takarazuka (a type of play where the cast is all women) fan. Though it is mostly comedic, it was certainly interesting to see Takahashi use something as simple as ghosts for a subject rather than just young love or fantastical animal-related fantasy.

As for artwork, Rumic Theater: One or Double encompasses all forms of Takahashi’s art. Since her short stories spanned a longer period of time, some are reminiscent of Urusei Yatsura and others look more like Ranma or InuYasha. It’s refreshing to see the differences, though. For instance, Takahashi’s older style has a much more organic and lighter feel to it; however, her newer stuff is more detailed-oriented and attention grabbing. Its difficult to choose which I like better because both have their strong suits.

All in all, Rumic Theater: One or Double is certainly something worth buying if you’re a big fan of Takahashi or just looking for something new to read. The book itself is beautifully bound and seems like it can last a lifetime. In addition, the cover is beautifully colored. In all honesty, Takahashi’s color work is some of the best I have seen. As I have mentioned before in my previous reviews, I always enjoy seeing the work artists did before they hit it big. The creative process of building characters and story arcs is exciting and very inspiring to see.

Rumic Theater: One or Double is available now.