Rumiko Takahashi is a legendary mangaka who has been creating classic manga and anime series for over forty years, starting with the outrageous romantic comedyUrusei Yatsura. This success was followed by several massive series that have cemented her name in history as one of the greatest mangaka of all time, alongside legendary creators like Osamu Tezuka, Akira Toriyama, and more.
This year,Urusei Yatsurawas given a brand-new anime series which aired in the Fall 2022 anime season. Despite the popularity of Rumiko Takahashi’s work, this new series was likely the first time many new fans had the chance to experience her first major hit, since the series ended decades ago in the mid-80s. While it’s great to seeUrusei Yatsurareach new eyes, there are a lot of older Takahashi works that surely deserve the same treatment. The success of theUrusei Yatsurareboot series may encourage remakes of those older works, bringing Takahashi’s classic catalogue to the modern anime audience.
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Rumiko Takahashi’s Legacy and Career
Rumiko Takahashi’s first major work,Urusei Yatsura,debuted in the magazineWeekly Shonen Sundayin 1978, where it would eventually run for almost nine years, ending in 1987 with 34 volumes. The series would gain popularity quite quickly, allowing it to spawn an equally popular anime series as well as several movies. The character of Lum is considered iconic to this day, and many credit her for being a major influence on many future rom-com heroines in manga.
Rumiko Takahashi would publish many stories and series throughout the years afterward, with the most famous being the gender-bending romantic comedyRanma 1/2and the demon-hunting feudal adventure Inuyasha. Both series were massive and vital to manga’s popularity in the west during its early days, and are still beloved to this day. Despite her massive successes, Takahashi continues to create new manga series, with her most recent effort,Mao, having run inWeekly Shonen Sundaysince 2019. With so many popular series under her belt, it’s easy to see why Rumiko Takahashi is hailed as one of the best mangaka of all time.
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The Resurgence Of Takahashi’s Works
Many of Takahashi’s most famous works have been over for a while;Urusei Yatsuraended in 1987,Ranma 1/2ended in 1996, andInuyashaended in 2008. While these series are still remembered fondly by fans and older audiences, younger fans of anime tend to flock to the newer hits likeDemon SlayerandJujutsu Kaisenover series that have been over for more than a decade. Even Takahashi’s newer works cannot hope to reach the heights that her most classic works have reached, and it’s hard to deny that Takahashi’s works no longer have a dominant presence in the anime and manga community.
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However, that all changed in 2020when a sequel toInuyashawas announced. DubbedYashahime, the series follows the daughters of the main characters as they go on new adventures of their own. ThoughYashahimehas minimal input from Takahashi herself, the series did much to bringInuyashaand her works back into the mainstream. This was followed up by theUrusei Yatsurareboot in 2022, which revived her most classic series in a form more palatable to modern anime fans. With multiple series based on Rumiko Takahashi’s works seeing a fair amount of success, it’s not too much of a stretch for fans to wonder if remakes for some of her other series might be possible down the line.
What Takahashi Works Deserve A Remake?
Ranma 1/2is one of Rumiko Takahashi’s most famous works, featuring the gender-bending protagonist Ranma Saotome, who changes into a girl when splashed with cold water and changes back into a boy when splashed with hot water. The series was pivotal to manga and anime’s popularity in the west, but it hasn’t received much of note since the manga ended in 1996. For that reason,Ranma 1/2might have the best chance out of all of Takahashi’s works to get a new anime series. Its episodic nature means it could also do well if its reboot series is approached the same way asUrusei Yatsura’s is, althoughRanma 1/2has more structured, longer stories compared to the former, which largely consists of goofy one-chapter shenanigans.
WhileRanma 1/2has the best chance for it, it is not the only Takahashi series that could do with a remake.Maison Ikkokuis a series that Takahashi worked on alongsideUrusei Yatsura’s run, and it is also quite old, having ended in 1987 just likeUrusei Yatsura. A grounded romantic comedy series about an aspiring college student in love with his apartment manager,Maison Ikkokuwould be a great option were it to be chosen for an anime remake, as while it is not as famous as some of Takahashi’s other works, it is certainly one of her best. While there’s no indication that another reboot for a Takahashi series is on the way, fans of Rumiko Takahashi’s works would surely appreciate it, and these classic series surely deserve it.
