Rumic Theater
Japanese manga series
title: "Rumic Theater" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["2003-anime-television-series-debuts", "animation-anthology-series", "geneon-usa", "japanese-television-dramas-based-on-manga", "manga-anthologies", "nhk-television-dramas", "odex", "seinen-manga", "shogakukan-manga", "tms-entertainment", "tv-tokyo-original-programming", "viz-media-manga", "works-by-rumiko-takahashi"] description: "Japanese manga series" topic_path: "arts/film" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumic_Theater" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Japanese manga series ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox animanga/Header"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Rumiko Takahashi Anthology |
| image | Rumic_Theater.jpg |
| ja_kanji | 高橋留美子劇場 / 高橋留美子傑作集 |
| ja_romaji | Takahashi Rumiko Gekijō / Takahashi Rumiko Kessakushū |
| genre | |
| :: |
|name = Rumiko Takahashi Anthology |image = Rumic_Theater.jpg |caption = |ja_kanji = 高橋留美子劇場 / 高橋留美子傑作集 |ja_romaji = Takahashi Rumiko Gekijō / Takahashi Rumiko Kessakushū |genre = | type = manga | author = Rumiko Takahashi | publisher = Shogakukan | publisher_en = {{English anime licensee |NA = Viz Media | imprint = Big Comics Special | magazine = | first = 1987 | last = | volumes = 6 | volume_list = |type = tv series |director = Akira Nishimori |producer = |writer = |music = |studio = TMS Entertainment |licensee = {{English anime licensee |NA = Geneon |network = TV Tokyo |first = July 5, 2003 |last = September 27, 2003 |episodes = 13 |episode_list =
Rumic Theater, or Rumiko Takahashi Anthology, is a Japanese manga anthology series composed of one-shots written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi which are published annually in Shogakukan's Big Comic Original magazine since 1987.
A 13-episode anime adaptation of these short stories was produced by TMS Entertainment and broadcast on TV Tokyo from July to September 2003, followed by the sequel series Rumic Theater: Mermaid Forest, adapting Takahashi's Mermaid Saga. A two-episode Japanese television drama based on the stories was broadcast on NHK-BS Premium in July 2012.
Media
Manga
Rumic Theater is a series of manga one-shots published annually by Rumiko Takahashi in Shogakukan's Big Comic Original since 1987. An English language collection by Viz Media 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*s One or Double collection.
Volumes
|Language = Japanese |WithTitle = yes |Width = 70% |VolumeNumber = 1 |OriginalRelDate = January 29, 1994 |OriginalISBN = 978-4-09-184721-8 |LicensedRelDate = June 5, 1996 |LicensedISBN = 978-1-56-931054-0 |ChapterList =
- "The Tragedy of P"
- "The Merchant of Romance"
- "House of Garbage"
- "Hidden in the Pottery"
- "One Hundred Years of Love"
- "Extra-Large Size Happiness" |Title = The Tragedy of P |OriginalTitle = Pの悲劇 |TranslitTitle = P no Higeki |VolumeNumber = 2 |OriginalRelDate = May 29, 1999 |OriginalISBN = 978-4-09-184722-5 |LicensedRelDate = – |LicensedISBN = |ChapterList =
- "The Executive's Dog"
- "Aberrant Family F"
- "As Long as You Are Here"
- "Living Room Lovesong"
- "Middle-Aged Teen"
- "In Lieu of Thanks" |Title = The Executive's Dog |OriginalTitle = 専務の犬 |TranslitTitle = Semmu no Inu |VolumeNumber = 3 |OriginalRelDate = June 30, 2005 |OriginalISBN = 978-4-09-184724-9 |LicensedRelDate = – |LicensedISBN = |ChapterList =
- "One Day Dream"
- "Grafitti Pop"
- "Dutiful Vacation"
- "Help"
- "Red Bouquet"
- "Permanent Love" |Title = Red Bouquet |OriginalTitle = 赤い花束 |TranslitTitle = Akai Hanataba |VolumeNumber = 4 |OriginalRelDate = July 15, 2011 |OriginalISBN = 978-4-09-183887-2 |LicensedRelDate = – |LicensedISBN = |ChapterList =
- "Positive Cooking"
- "Wrong for One's Age"
- "Birds of Fate"
- "Happiness List"
- "Trouble with the Neighbors"
- "Scene of the Crime" |Title = Birds of Fate |OriginalTitle = 運命の鳥 |TranslitTitle = Unmei no Tori |VolumeNumber = 5 |OriginalRelDate = September 18, 2019 |OriginalISBN = 978-4-09-860432-6 |LicensedRelDate = – |LicensedISBN = |ChapterList =
- "Dinner with the Witch"
- "A Guilty Happening"
- "I Hope You Die"
- "Amorphous Family"
- "(Confidentiality) Renaissance"
- "My Sky" |Title = Dinner with the Witch |OriginalTitle = 魔女とディナー |TranslitTitle = Majo to Dinā |VolumeNumber = 6 |OriginalRelDate = March 29, 2024 |OriginalISBN = 978-4-09-862671-7 |LicensedRelDate = – |LicensedISBN = |ChapterList =
- "Room for Two"
- "You Are No.1"
- "Nasty Runner"
- "The Woman From the Past"
- "Dedicated to S"
- "The Power of Money" |Title = The Power of Money |OriginalTitle = 金の力 |TranslitTitle = Kane no Chikara
Anime
In June 2003, the July issue of Animage announced that an anime adaptation of Rumic Theater produced by TMS Entertainment and directed by Akira Nishimori would premiere on TV Tokyo on July 5, 2003. The series ran for 13 episodes until September 27, 2003.
In North America, Geneon Entertainment licensed the series for English language release. They released the series on four DVDs from January 11 to July 19, 2005.
Cast and characters
::data[format=table]
| Character | Japanese | English |
|---|---|---|
| Episode 1 "The Tragedy of P" | Yuko Haga | Sakiko Tamagawa |
| Mrs. Kakei | Megumi Hayashibara | Sally Dana |
| Pitto | Naomi Nagasawa | |
| Kota Haga | Minami Omi | J.D. Stone |
| Hiroshi Kakei | Junko Hori | Adam Gordon |
| Mr. Haga | Wataru Takagi | Patrick Seitz |
| Mitsue | Haruna Ikezawa | Carrie Savage |
| Episode 2 "The Merchant of Romance" | Yukari | Satsuki Yukino |
| Betto | Kappei Yamaguchi | William Markham |
| Old gentlewoman | Natsumi Sakuma | Barbara Goodson |
| Old gentleman | Yousuke Akimoto | Michael McConnohie |
| Auntie | Minami Takayama | Jody Jaress |
| Pops | Jouji Yanami | William Frederick |
| Keiichi | Yasunori Matsumoto | Lance J. Holt |
| Episode 3 "Middle-Aged Teen" | Toshio Furuda | Akira Kamiya |
| Kazuko | Kazuko Sugiyama | Sonja S. Fox |
| Minoru Furuda | Kappei Yamaguchi | Kevin Hatcher |
| Emiri | Satsuki Yukino | Jennifer Sekiguchi |
| Episode 4 "Hidden in the Pottery" | Yukie Asakawa | Megumi Hayashibara |
| Ruriko Tonegawa | Kikuko Inoue | Megan Hollingshead |
| Tonegawa Mother | Tomie Kataoka | Barbara Goodson |
| Tonegawa Husband | Yasunori Matsumoto | Darrel Guilbeau |
| Yukie's Husband | Wataru Takagi | Sam Regal |
| Episode 5 "Aberrant Family F" | Hazuki Fuwa | Yuko Minaguchi |
| Hazuki's Father | Bin Shimada | Doug Stone |
| Hazuki's Mother | Hisako Kyouda | Erica Shaffer |
| Shohei Fuwa | Megumi Hayashibara | J.D. Stone |
| Aisaki | Kappei Yamaguchi | Darrel Guilbeau |
| Aisaki's Girlfriend | Kumiko Nishihara | Hunter Mackenzie Austin |
| Neighbor | Rikako Aikawa | Megan Hollingshead |
| Doctor | Toshihiko Nakajima | Stephen Martello |
| Episode 6 "As Long As You Are Here" | Domoto | Chikao Ohtsuka |
| Atchara | Keiko Han | Reiko Matsuo |
| Hosoda | Minoru Yada | Reg Green |
| Sumiyo | Ikuko Tatsu | Georgette Riley |
| Narrator | Ichiro Nagai | |
| Episode 7 "One Hundred Years of Love" | Risa Hoshino | Hiroko Emori |
| Koizumi | Satsuki Yukino | Hunter Mackenzie Austin |
| Takanezawa | Yasunori Matsumoto | T. Axelrod |
| Date | Wataru Takagi | Michael McConnohie |
| Episode 8 "In Lieu of Thanks" | Kobato | Satsuki Yukino |
| Shiratori | Michie Tomizawa | Erika Schaffer |
| Ukai | Roko Takisawa | Jody Jaress |
| Kamoshita | Masayo Kurata | Erika Weinstein |
| Kyuu | Wataru Takagi | Jay Klein |
| Kobato's Son | Asako Dodo | Barbara Goodson |
| Episode 9 "Living Room Lovesong" | Ichiro Tadokoro | Kouji Yata |
| Makiko | Nana Yamaguchi | Barbara Goodson |
| Hitomi | Haruna Ikezawa | Mia Bradley |
| Odagiri | Akira Ishida | Liam O'Brien |
| Episode 10 "House of Garbage" | Ritsuko Hirooka | Kumiko Watanabe |
| Yoshio Hirooka | Yasunori Matsumoto | Patrick Seitz |
| Manager | Ryuuji Nakaki | Simon Isaacson |
| Manager's Wife | Miyuki Ichijo | Barbara Goodson |
| Ritsuko's Father-in-Law | Wataru Takagi | William Frederick |
| Kenta Hirooka | Sachi Matsumoto | Tara Platt |
| Episode 11 "One Day Dream" | Mr. Shinonome | Akira Kamiya |
| Shinonome's Wife | Ai Orikasa | Wendee Lee |
| Tsuyoshi | Ikue Ootani | Ted Sroka |
| Seiko Shima | Sumi Shimamoto | Jennifer Sekiguchi |
| Shima-chan | Fuyumi Shiraishi | Kirsty Pape |
| Tajima | Daiki Nakamura | Mike McFarland |
| Oda | Mari Maruta | Carrie Savage |
| Episode 12 "Extra-Large Size Happiness" | Hanako | Gara Takashima |
| Kayoko | Masako Kyoda | Sonja S. Fox |
| Ryūichi | Nobuo Tobita | Liam O'Brien |
| Young Ryūichi | Asako Dodo | Kirsty Pape |
| Baby Ghost | Chie Kojiro | |
| Episode 13 "The Executive's Dog" | Matsuko Kogure | Ai Orikasa |
| Yuji Kogure | Takehito Koyasu | Chris Kent |
| Kanna | Fumi Hirano | Erica Shaffer |
| Yuko Kogure | Machiko Toyoshima | Jennifer Sekiguchi |
| Kosuke Kogure | Mari Maruta | J.D. Stone |
| Matsurida | Ryo Kamon | Stephen Martello |
| Mrs. Matsurida | Mari Mashiba | Sonja S. Fox |
| Gorgeous | Wataru Takagi | Liam O'Brien |
| :: |
Episodes
| EpisodeNumber = 1 | Title = The Tragedy of P | TranslitTitle = P no Higeki | NativeTitle = Pの悲劇 | NativeTitleLangCode = ja | OriginalAirDate = | ShortSummary = 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. | EpisodeNumber = 2 | Title = The Merchant of Romance | TranslitTitle = Roman no Akindo | NativeTitle = 浪漫の商人 | NativeTitleLangCode = ja | OriginalAirDate = | ShortSummary = 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. | EpisodeNumber = 3 | Title = Middle-Aged Teen | TranslitTitle = Oyaji Rō Tīn | NativeTitle = おやじローティーン | NativeTitleLangCode = ja | OriginalAirDate = | ShortSummary = 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. | EpisodeNumber = 4 | Title = Hidden in the Pottery | TranslitTitle = Hachi no Naka | NativeTitle = 鉢の中 | NativeTitleLangCode = ja | OriginalAirDate = | ShortSummary = 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. | EpisodeNumber = 5 | Title = Aberrant Family F | TranslitTitle = Meisō Kazoku F | NativeTitle = 迷走家族F | NativeTitleLangCode = ja | OriginalAirDate = | ShortSummary = 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. | EpisodeNumber = 6 | Title = As Long As You Are Here | TranslitTitle = Kimi ga Iru Dake de | NativeTitle = 君がいるだけで | NativeTitleLangCode = ja | OriginalAirDate = | ShortSummary = 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. | EpisodeNumber = 7 | Title = One Hundred Years of Love | TranslitTitle = Hyaku-nen no Koi | NativeTitle = 百年の恋 | NativeTitleLangCode = ja | OriginalAirDate = | ShortSummary = 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. | EpisodeNumber = 8 | Title = In Lieu of Thanks | TranslitTitle = Orei ni Kaete | NativeTitle = お礼にかえて | NativeTitleLangCode = ja | OriginalAirDate = | ShortSummary = 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. | EpisodeNumber = 9 | Title = Living Room Lovesong | TranslitTitle = Chanoma no Rabu Songu | NativeTitle = 茶の間のラブソング | NativeTitleLangCode = ja | OriginalAirDate = | ShortSummary = 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. | EpisodeNumber = 10 | Title = House of Garbage | TranslitTitle = Poi no Uchi | NativeTitle = ポイの家 | NativeTitleLangCode = ja | OriginalAirDate = | ShortSummary = 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. | EpisodeNumber = 11 | Title = One Day Dream | TranslitTitle = Higaeri no Yume | NativeTitle = 日帰りの夢 | NativeTitleLangCode = ja | OriginalAirDate = | ShortSummary = 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. | EpisodeNumber = 12 | Title = Extra-Large Size Happiness | TranslitTitle = L Saizu no Shiawase | NativeTitle = Lサイズの幸福 | NativeTitleLangCode = ja | OriginalAirDate = | ShortSummary = 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. | EpisodeNumber = 13 | Title = The Executive's Dog | TranslitTitle = Senmu no Inu | NativeTitle = 専務の犬 | NativeTitleLangCode = ja | OriginalAirDate = | ShortSummary = 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.
Drama
A two-episode television drama 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.
References
References
- link. Natalie]]. (February 23, 2009)
- "Rumic Theater, Vol. 2". [[Viz Media]].
- link. [[Shogakukan]]
- (1996). "Rumic Theater, Vol. 1". Viz Communications.
- link. [[Shogakukan]]
- link. [[Shogakukan]]
- link. [[Shogakukan]]
- link. [[Shogakukan]]
- link. [[Shogakukan]]
- Macdonald, Christopher. (June 16, 2003). "New Anime from Rumiko Takahashi".
- link. [[TMS Entertainment]]
- (11 January 2005). "Rumiko Takahashi's Anthology - (V.1) Primal Needs". [[Amazon (company).
- "Rumiko Takahashi's Anthology - (V.2) Happy Disaster". [[Geneon Entertainment]].
- "Rumiko Takahashi Anthology - (V.3) A Touch of Magic". [[Geneon Entertainment]].
- "Rumiko Takahashi Anthology - (V.4) Weird Stuff".
- Loo, Egan. (March 6, 2012). "Rumiko Takahashi's Rumic Theater Manga Gets Live-Action Project".
- Loo, Egan. (April 8, 2012). "Rumiko Takahashi's Live-Action Rumic Theater Show Cast".
- link. [[NHK]]
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