Rumiko Takahashi's Appearance At San Diego Comic-Con 1994

[kndy]

FOUR FUNERALS AND A WEDDING?

A Brief Report of Rumiko Takahashi's Appearance
at the '94 San Diego Comicon

By Joe Rispoli

(Dayton Animation Club Newsletter Supplement for Aug 27, 1994)

[Part 1 of 2]

As soon as I heard the Rumiko Takahashi was scheduled to
make her first official American appearance at the San Diego
Comicon, I knew where I wanted to spend my summer vacation. And
although our original plans to drive cross-country didn't work
out, Nate Ebersole (also of the DAC) and I got to meet and talk
with the author we both admire and respect so much...

Saturday Aug 6th was a day I'll never forget... Arriving a
few hours too late to get into the limited (to 75!) autograph
line outside the Convention Center, we consoled ourselves with
the hope of running into other USA YATSURA APA members (which we
did, including Michael Susko, editor of the same), as well as
looking forward to seeing Miss Takahashi in person. [Next time,
I'm bringing a sleeping bag and/or showing up very, very
early...]

We had originally planned to stay in the room scheduled for
her appearance, but we were notified by the VIZ people co-
ordinating the event that the room would be cleared out so the
her fans could be allowed into the room in an orderly manner. We
quickly asked where the line was forming, and headed for it.
After spending nearly an hour and a half as part of a group of
friendly and anxious fans and semi-pros, we were let back into
the room passing by at least a dozen of the con's security
people, who were stationed there to keep people from jumping in
line (which would probably have gotten the jumper killed in many
various quick and painful means...)

It was estimated that the room's capacity was approximately
1500 people, and as far as I could see, there were few empty
seats in the room. Then the moment (and the person) we had all
waited so anxiously for arrived. It was announced that Miss
Takahashi would be present for an awards presentation, then
return for a question and answer session after the showing of the
dubbed 2nd Ranma Movie.

Miss Takahashi appeared, wearing a black and gold silk
Chinese style dress, escorted by her translator and bodyguards
(?) and the room went wild with applause. She shyly accepted our
accolades of welcome and then sat down in the center of a multi-
seat podium in the front of the room, where she was presented
with one of American Comicdom's most prestigious awards, the
Inkpot, for all the ground-breaking work she had done as well as
her technical excellence in comic story-telling.
Then she was presented with a special award by Capital City
Distributors (who had arranged her appearance in America) in
honor of how well her Ranma 1/2, Maison Ikkoku, Mermaid and Lum
books had done in our country. She then thanked the presenters
and the audience for allowing her to be there, and for buying her
books.

Then the VIZ spokesperson announced the premiere of the
dubbed 2nd Ranma Movie, and it was almost as much fun watching
the fans who quite obviously had never seen it before as it was
watching the movie itself. Eyes were bulging out and jaws were
nearly hitting the floor almost consistently. A little Nakajima
goes a long way, and we know that Atsuko Nakajima doesn't do
things in a small way...

Shortly after the movie ended, we awaited the return of Miss
Takahashi to the room, and we were invited to an open Question
and Answer session with her. We were reminded that she was the
creator of Manga (Comic) Series, and to limit our questions to
that topic, since she had little to do with the Anime series spun
off from her stories. Did I mention that I was sitting in a
aisle seat, only 5 feet away from the questioner's microphone?
(and sitting only 10 to 15 feet away from Miss Takahashi
herself...)

Out of sheer courtesy (and not wanting to appear too
anxious), I didn't rush the microphone when the announcement was
made, but I let one other fan get in front of the mike before I
was up there. While we were waiting for Miss Takahashi to return
from taking care of some personal business, some other people
came up, and asked to move ahead for various reasons, (editor of
a magazine, personal favors, etc.) I figured let them go ahead,
and if they asked what I was planning to ask, then I'd ask
something else. Plenty of questions had been churning in my mind
that I could ask her.

A few of the questions that were asked (Please bear with me,
I wasn't quite all there, and may not be 100% accurate on the
wording of the questions and answers that follow:

Q: What's your favorite series?
A: Whatever I'm working on at the time.

Q: Being a woman, how can you see so accurately into the
male mind when you do your male characters?
A: Well, women are human beings, too. (Touche')

Q: What sort of materials do you use to draw your manga?
A: Oh, quite ordinary things for the trade, artists board,
inks, various types of pens and brushes...


Q: Miss Takahashi, you are well known for your wacky and
romantic stories. Why are you writing a horror series like the
'Mermaid' stories?
A: (with a grin) It's my hobby.

Then the moment of infamy arrived... It was my turn at the
microphone, and I vowed to do my best to remain calm, cool and
collected (need I say I failed?) But I did have one of the
longest talks with her (if not the longest) during the Q & A
session! I broke up a few of my statements with minor pauses so
that her translator could ensure that she understood my comments
to her.

Me: Miss Takahashi, first I'd like to state that I consider
it quite an honor to be able to be here, to meet you in person
and to be able to actually talk with you.

A: Thank you.

Me: I have been a member of the USA YATSURA APA fanzine for
many years. It is a fanzine that covers many aspects of Anime
and Manga, focusing mainly on your works, since they are the best
on the market to many of us.

A: Thank you again.

Me: I am sure I speak for everyone in this room (I should
have added 'and thousands of your other American fans who
couldn't be here') when I say, 'Doomo arigatoo gozaimaishita.'

(At this point, Miss Takahashi's face lit up...)

Me: (Turning to the members of the audience, and then back
to Miss Takahashi) For those of you who don't know what I just
said, I'll translate: 'Thank you so very much for all you have
done!"

(At this point, everyone in the room stood, cheering and
clapping, expressing their agreement with what I had said, and
their heart-felt admiration for Miss Takahashi. After a few
moments to let things calm down, I then asked the question I had
selected.)

Me: Miss Takahashi, do you ever plan to write the Urusei
Yatsura story where Lum actually marries her (my voice cracked
and my eyes started watering) ...Darling?

A: No, I do not plan to go back to Urusei Yatsura... I
ended the story the way I wanted to, and I see no need to go back
anymore... (I was devastated, and tried hard not to let it
show.)

A: (continuing) However, if you can see their future in your
imagination, feel free to write it down.

(I didn't have the gall to tell her I had been doing just
that for over 4 years now, the FUYS [Final Urusei Yatsura Season]
Fan-fiction stories have become a hobby unto itself...)

Me: 'Doomo arigato.' (Thank you very much.)

I stumbled back to my seat, mumbling to Nate, Mike and James
'Kitsune' Staley that Takahashi didn't know the can of worms she
had just re-opened, and that the APA members better look out...

******* Ranma 1/2 SPOILERS AHEAD!!!! ******


Then we got hit with a medium-sized nuke...

Q: Miss Takahashi, rumor has it you will be ending your
Ranma 1/2 manga series soon. Is it true?
A: Yes.

Q: Could you tell us anything about your plans to end it?
A: By the time the series is ended, Ranma and Akane will
have settled all their differences and difficulties between them.

(The audience went stark, raving bonkers!!! After a cooling
off period, the questioning went on.)

Q: Do you mean Ranma will marry Akane?
A: (smiling) Yes!

(The previous reaction was nothing compared to the uproar
that now took place. A few obvious Shampoo/Ukkyo/Kodachi fans
were looking around for long, sharp pointy things to throw
themselves on... But on second thought, they should have been rejoicing,
since their dream girls are now free to look for someone else...
Quick, what's a ticket to Furiniken cost? Better yet, how much to get
to Tomobiki? There's a certain biker goddess I'd love to get better
acquainted with...)

After that blockbuster, I was pretty much out of it. I'm
sure that VIZ will print a full/edited version of the Q & A
session in a future issue of Animerica, and I look forward to it.

And the title of this article is what I suggest VIZ use for the
dubbed version of the "Final Ranma Movie", whenever that comes
out... "FOUR FUNERALS AND A WEDDING" seems to fit both VIZ's naming
tendencies and the spirit of the Ranma Finale as well... [You heard it
here first, folks!]

My final comment is: "2 out of 3 isn't bad, Miss Takahashi,
how about trying to bat .1000? Please!"

[greg]

I saw her at the '01 SDCC. The one question I remember was from some fan who said something like, "I run a long-haired girl anime shrine on the Internet, and I was wondering that if you would start Ranma 1/2 again, could you draw Akane with long hair again, please?" I bet his precious shrine was on GeoCities or something like that.

[Animusubi]

Man, I wonder how that audience felt when they read the end of Ranma 1/2 and it had a different ending than what she had said. HAHA!