manga
are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
series composed of short stories written and illustrated by
Rumiko Takahashi
is a Japanese manga artist. With a career of several commercially successful works, beginning with ''Urusei Yatsura'' in 1978, she is one of Japan's best-known and wealthiest manga artists. Her works are known worldwide, where they have been tra ...
. New stories are published annually in
Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of comics, magazines, light novels, dictionaries, literature, non-fiction, home media, and other media in Japan.
Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but ...
's ''
Big Comic Original
is a Japanese manga magazine published by Shogakukan, aimed at an older adult and mostly male audience. It is a sister magazine to the manga magazine '' Big Comic'', the biggest difference being that it goes on sale twice a month in the weeks ...
'' magazine (and other Shogakukan magazines), and have been since 1987.
A 13-episode
anime
is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
adaptation of these short stories was produced by
TMS Entertainment
, formerly known as the is a Japanese animation studio owned by Sega Corporation.
TMS is one of the oldest and most renowned animation studios in Japan, known for its numerous anime franchises such as '' Detective Conan'', '' Lupin the Third ...
and broadcast on
TV Tokyo
JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as is a Japanese television station that serves as the flagship of the TX Network.Mermaid Saga''. A two-episode
Japanese television drama
, also called or J-drama, are television programs that are a staple of Television in Japan, Japanese television and are broadcast daily.
Format
All major Television networks, TV networks in Japan produce a variety of Drama (genre), drama serie ...
based on the stories was broadcast on NHK-BS Premium in July 2012.
Media
Manga
''Rumic Theater'' is a series of manga short stories published periodically by Rumiko Takahashi
Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of comics, magazines, light novels, dictionaries, literature, non-fiction, home media, and other media in Japan.
Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but ...
's ''
Big Comic Original
is a Japanese manga magazine published by Shogakukan, aimed at an older adult and mostly male audience. It is a sister magazine to the manga magazine '' Big Comic'', the biggest difference being that it goes on sale twice a month in the weeks ...
'' and other Shogakukan magazines since 1987. An English language collection by
Viz Media
Viz Media, LLC is an American entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California, focused on publishing manga, and distribution and licensing Japanese anime, films, and television series.
The company was founded in 1986 as Viz, ...
was released in two volumes on June 5, 1996, and June 5, 1998, the first corresponding to the volume ''The Tragedy of P'', but the second being a release of ''
Rumic World
can refer either to a series of short manga stories written by Rumiko Takahashi or to a series of original video animations (OVAs) based on those stories.
''Rumic World'' was later reprinted in Japan as , and released in English by Viz Med ...
Animage
is a Japanese anime and entertainment magazine published by Tokuma Shoten since July 1978. Notable works serialized in the magazine include Hayao Miyazaki
is a Japanese animator, filmmaker, and manga artist. He co-founded Studio Ghibli a ...
'' announced that an anime adaptation of ''Rumic Theater'' produced by
TMS Entertainment
, formerly known as the is a Japanese animation studio owned by Sega Corporation.
TMS is one of the oldest and most renowned animation studios in Japan, known for its numerous anime franchises such as '' Detective Conan'', '' Lupin the Third ...
and directed by
Akira Nishimori
is a Japanese anime director, known for directing series such as '' Rumic Theater'', '' Gallery Fake'', ''Petopeto-san'', '' Hitohira'', ''Zombie-Loan
''Zombie-Loan'' (stylized as ''ZOMBIE-LOAN'') is a Japanese manga series created by Pea ...
would premiere on
TV Tokyo
JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as is a Japanese television station that serves as the flagship of the TX Network.Geneon Entertainment
(abbreviated as NBCUEJ) is a Japanese music, anime, and home entertainment production and distribution enterprise that is a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, owned by American telecommunications/media company Comcast headquartered in Akasaka, Min ...
licensed the series for English language release. They released the series on four DVDs from January 11 to July 19, 2005.
Episodes
=Episode 1
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Summary: It 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.
;Characters:
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;Mr. Haga
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=Episode 2
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Summary: A wedding chapel that has fallen on hard times struggles to stay in business while its young owner deals with her recent divorce and the burden of keeping her friends employed.
;Characters:
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;Old gentlewoman
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;Old gentleman
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;Auntie
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;Pops
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=Episode 3
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Summary: A tough, business-minded father loses his memory and believes he is a teenager. He meets a young school girl and cannot help but become smitten with her.
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=Episode 4
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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.
;Characters:
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;Tonegawa Mother
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;Tonegawa Husband
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;Yukie's Husband
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=Episode 5
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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.
;Characters:
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;Hazuki's Father
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;Hazuki's Mother
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;Aisaki's Girlfriend
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;Neighbor
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;Doctor
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=Episode 6
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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.
*Note: Narration by
Ichiro Nagai
, also known mononymously as , is a Japanese former professional baseball outfielder who played for 28 seasons. He played the first nine years of his career with the Orix BlueWave of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), and the next 12 years w ...
;Characters:
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=Episode 7
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Summary: Risa Hoshino comes back from the dead with amazing telekinetic powers. The old woman develops a crush on another patient and believes him to be the reincarnation of her jilted lover from decades ago.
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=Episode 8
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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.
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;Kobato's Son
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=Episode 9
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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.
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=Episode 10
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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.
;Characters:
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;Manager
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;Manager's Wife
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;Ritsuko's Father-in-Law
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=Episode 11
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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.
;Characters:
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;Shinonome's Wife
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=Episode 12
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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.
;Characters:
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:;Young Ryūichi
::
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=Episode 13
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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.
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;Mrs. Matsurida
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Drama
A two-episode
television drama
In film and television show, television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or docudrama, semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humour, humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional te ...
adaptation was broadcast on NHK-BS Premium. The first episode adapted the "Red Bouquet", "Hidden in the Pottery" and "Aberrant Family F" stories, and the second adapted "The Executive's Dog", "Birds of Fate" and "As Long As You Are Here". Both episodes aired on July 8 and July 15, 2012, respectively.
See also
*''
Rumic World
can refer either to a series of short manga stories written by Rumiko Takahashi or to a series of original video animations (OVAs) based on those stories.
''Rumic World'' was later reprinted in Japan as , and released in English by Viz Med ...