Rumic World Trilogy, Vol. 1 [Paperback]

Rumiko Takahashi (Author, Illustrator)

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: VIZ Media LLC; 1 edition (January 5, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569311269
• ISBN-13: 978-1569311264
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,321,627 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

The spotlight on Rumiko Takahashi's career began in 1978 when she won an honorable mention in Shogakukan's annual New Comic Artist Contest for Those Selfish Aliens. Later that same year, her boy-meets-alien comedy series, Urusei Yatsura, was serialized in Weekly Shonen Sunday. This phenomenally successful manga series was adapted into anime format and spawned a TV series and half a dozen theatrical-release movies, all incredibly popular in their own right. Takahashi followed up the success of her debut series with one blockbuster hit after another--Maison Ikkoku ran from 1980 to 1987, Ranma 1/2 from 1987 to 1996, and Inuyasha from 1996 to 2008. Other notable works include Mermaid Saga, Rumic Theater, and One-Pound Gospel.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars good,but not great., April 9, 2000

By 

Gremio - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rumic World Trilogy, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

Rumiko Takihashi. That is the name of one of Manga and animes most successful artist. You may know her for "Ranma 1/2",a comedy series in which Ranma,a youth,who is cursed. Whenever he touches cold water,he turns into a female. Ranma 1/2 Which has a huge following of fans,various Animated movies,And a Manga following it. She is also responsible for the popular Anime series,"Ureisei Yatsura",which has over 100 episodes, and features a bikini-clad woman who has a habit of zaping her lover with electricity. Yes,Rumiko Takihashi mostly prefers to dish out comedic works rather than actual drama's. Now,with"Rumic World Trilogy",Takihashi steps into a more serious tone,and succeeds,mostly. I will review each story seperately.

1."Those Selfish Aliens" 4 stars From the begining, you can tell this is yet another comedy by Rumiko Takihashi. It concerns a young paper delivery boy who gets captured by aliens. This poor kid gets a bomb implanted into his body by the aliens. The Aliens turn out to be very imcompintant, and they crash their flying saucer in the middle of the ocean. They survive,and are captured by some sea monsters.The delivery boy meets a girl named Akane,and she joins him. But,the poor delivery boy gets another bomb in his body.Chaos follows. Some of the Chaos is entertaining,while some is stupid.But most is entertaining. This particular tale seems silly. The artwork seems a little plain. I like some of the characters,though. I found my self laughing while reading this Manga. I love the letter that the aliens send to the local newspaper.Overall,this is a solid,and very funny,tale.

2."Maris the Chojo" 3 stars "Maris the Chojo" tells the tale of Maris,a superhuman girl with superhuman strength. Maris is so powerful, that in fact, she must wear a device that allows her to control her power. In this tale, Maris is assigned the duty to save a captured prince. Secretly, Maris has plans to wed this prince after her mission of saving him are complete. What follows are waves of wacky jokes."Maris the Chojo" is mostly hit and miss. Unfortunatly, most of the jokes are misses. The premis is of the story is very strange. The artwork is poorly detailed,But I'll give it credit, The creatures in this tale are very wacky looking. Personally,I didn't Really like the Character Maris. Also,some of the Characters actions seemed stupid. The story gets 3 stars for some interesting ideas.It should be noted that a anime was made after this short story.

3."Time Warp Trouble" 1 stars "Time Warp Trouble" is a short story about a high school that,one day,recieves some guests from another time. These Guests from the past(or so they claim) are currently having a famine,and need food for their village.This is probably the worst story in this collection. It suffers from a weak plot, unintelligent characters,and very unfunny jokes. Trust me,you'll be wanting to skim this boring tale.The only thing it has going for it is the interesting twist at the end,but other than that,this one is drivel.

4."Fire Tripper" 5 stars "Fire Tripper" is a wonderful story about a girl with the amazing ability to travel thru time when she touches fire. One day,while walking home from school,a gas leak occurs,fire envelops her,and she is tossed back in time. This is by far the best story in the entire book.It has a very clever idea that is executed well. The plot is excellent,it is touching,and stays myterious,as well as intriging,for the entire entire story. Also,the character development is the best I've seen for a short story.Each Character has a strong personalitie that grows as the plot progresses. These characters are wonderful,and Its almost impossible to not become attached to them. The artwork was also another highlight of this tale.It very detailed,from the armor the certain characters are wearing,to the characters facial exprestions.The artwork does a great job of capturing emotions.This is simply a wonderful story.Even are garbage like "Time Warp Trouble",this is the one great title that makes the entire book worth purchasing.

5."The Laughing Target" 3 stars To end this book,we have "The Laughing Target",a tragic tale about a arranged marriage for two kids when they were young. Now,they've grow up and have been seperated for a long time. Due to the mysteroius death of the girls guardian,she travels to his home. But he has a new love. While some of the suspence in this tale is nale biting,its not intirerly the smartest horror story. Some of it seems ridiculous,but its a overall decent tale.The only problem is it might be hard for young kids as it features several dusturbing death scenes,and sexually abusive elements.

Overall,this book is O.K. Rumiko shows her creativity well.Averaging out each score,I'd like to give this one 4 stars,but its very clear that "Time Warp Trouble" weighs down the overall quality of the book.In total,it earns 3 stars.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent girl's stories from the creator of Ranma 1/2, January 16, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Rumic World Trilogy, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

Rumic World Trilogy Vol 1 contains several great stories in comic form by Rumiko Takahashi. She has written several popular Japanese comics for girls. One story that sticks in my mind is about a Japanese girl who witnesses a huge explosion and is transferred back in time several hundred years. It is a romantic story, but contains some interesting surprises. Most of the stories have a sci-fi theme. One is about a girl possessed by evil spirits. Another is about Maris, a woman with superpowers in the future who is too strong for her own good. Another hilarious story is about a boy who is kidnapped by aliens, held hostage by sea-men, and interrogated by the secret service; all in one day! Many of her stories have interesting twists and romance. There is incidental nudity, and a few hints about adult situations, so I would not recommend this book for young children. Enjoy

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intese wording and beautiful art, August 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Rumic World Trilogy, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

I bought this book a while ago, on a whim, but I must say it is one of the BEST manga I own. My particular favourite I fell in love was the last one, by the name of "The Laughing Target". I don't think the title explains the story well, but I cried at the end if it's a consolation. Azusa has become a staple in everything I do(yes, this IS possible), her charachter, allthough posessed, was done beautifully. This book is worth the steep price, deffinately.