Rumic Theater

Rumiko Takahashi Anthology, also known as Rumic Theater, is a collective manga of many short stories. In Japanese it has been published under two different names: first as Takahashi Rumiko gekijō (高橋留美子劇場) and then as Takahashi Rumiko kessakushū (高橋留美子傑作集). Takahashi Rumiko gekijō is numbered from 1 to 2 (no further volumes were published under this title), while the Takahashi Rumiko kessakushū volumes are unnumbered and referred to under individual titles: Pii no higeki (Pの悲劇), Semmu no inu (専務の犬) and Akai hanataba (赤い花束). New chapters are published in Big Comic Original annually. It is also a thirteen episode collection of anime from short stories by Rumiko Takahashi that includes the Mermaid Saga.

Manga
The Rumic Theater anime stories were adapted from a series of short stories published by Rumiko Takahashi in the 1980s. The majority of them are akin to her work Maison Ikkoku, in that they are domestic stories with a unique twist. An English language edition of the first two volumes was released by Viz in 1996.

Stories

 * "The Tragedy of P"
 * "The Merchant of Romance"
 * "Middle-Aged Teen"
 * "Hidden In The Pottery"
 * "Aberrant Family F"
 * "As Long As You Are Here"
 * "One Hundred Years of Love"
 * "In Lieu of Thanks"
 * "Living Room Lovesong"
 * "House of Garbage"
 * "One Day Dream"
 * "Extra-Large Size Happiness"
 * "The Executive's Dog"
 * "Bird of Fate"

The Tragedy of P
Japanese Title: P no higeki Air Date: July 6, 2003

'' Yuko Haga: Sakiko Tamagawa/Wendee Lee

Mrs. Kakei: Megumi Hayashibara/Sally Dana

Pitto: Nao 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

Old Man: Hajime Koseki/William Frederick

Housewife 1: Sachi Matsumoto/Michelle Ruff

Housewife 2: Yūko Satō/Jody Jaress

Housewife 3: Nori Kobayashi''

Summary: The Tragedy of P 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.

The Merchant of Romance
Japanese Title: Roman no akindo Air Date: July 13, 2003

'' Yukari: Satsuki Yukino/Michelle Ruff

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

Bride: Sachi Matsumoto/Carrie Savage

Employee: Kouzo Mito/Patrick Seitz

Male Customer: Hiroshi Kawaguchi/Doug Stone

Female Customer: Chisato Nakajima/Wendee Lee''

Summary: A wedding chapel that has fallen on hard times struggles to stay in business while its young owner seeks to deal with a recent divorce and the burden of keeping her friends employed.

Hidden in the Pottery
Japanese Title: Hachi no naka Air Date: July 27, 2003

'' Yukie Asakawa: Megumi Hayashibara/Tara Hudson

Ruruko Tonegawa: Kikuko Inoue/Megan Hollingshead

Tonegawa Mother: Tomie Kataoka/Barbara Goodson

Tonegawa Husband: Yasunori Matsumoto/Darrel Guilbeau

Yukie's Husband: Wataru Takagi/Sam Regal

Flower Shop Owner: Katsutoshi Houki/Reg Green

Yoshiko: Machiko Toyoshima/Hunter Mackenzie Austin

Housewife: Sachi Matsumoto/Georgette Riley''

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.

Aberrant Family F
Japanese Title: P no higeki Air Date: August 3, 2003

'' Hazuki: Yuko Minaguchi/Rachel Hirschfeld

Hazuki's Father: Bin Shimada/Doug Stone

Hazuki's Mother: Hisako Kyouda/Erica Shaffer

Shohei: 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

Newscaster: Isshin Chiba/Ivan Buckley

Friend: Sachi Matsumoto/Jennifer Sekiguchi''

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.

As Long As You Are Here
Japanese Title: Kimi ga iru dake de Air Date: August 10, 2003

'' Kochiro Domoto: Chikao Ohtsuka/Alfred Thor

Achara: Keiko Han/Reiko Matsuo

Hosoda: Minoru Yada/Reg Green

Sumiyo Domoto: Ikuko Tatsu/Georgette Riley

Narration: Ichiro Nagai/???

Part-Time Worker:Tomie Kataoka/Louise Chamis

Housewife: Chisato Nakajima/Hunter Mackenzie Austin''

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.

One Hundred Years of Love
Japanese Title: Hyaku-nen no koi Air Date: August 17, 2003

'' Risa Hoshino: Hiroko Emori/Louise Chamis

Koizumi: Satsuki Yukino/Hunter Mackenzie Austin

Date: Wataru Takagi/Michael McConnohie

Takanezawa: Yasunori Matsumoto/T.Axelrod

Doctor: Minoru Inaba/Stephen Martello

Risa's Son: Kozo Mito/Michael McConnohie

Senior Nurse: Chisato Nakajima/Barbara Goodson

Young Nurse: Sachi Matsumoto/Karen Thompson''

Summary: Risa Hoshino comes back from the dead with amazing telekenetic powers. The old woman develops a crush on another patient and believes him to be the reincarnation of her jilted lover from decades ago.

In Lieu of Thanks
Japanese Title: Orei ni kaete Air Date: August 24, 2003

'' Kobato: Satsuki Yukino/Michelle Ruff

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

Mr. Kobato: Kazunari Tanaka/Sam Regal

Watari: Megumi Urawa/Lulu Chaing

Tachi: Ikuko Tatsu/Carrie Savage

Nakagawa: Sachi Matsumoto/Karen Thompson

Housewife: Chisato Nakajima/Hunter Mackenzie Austin''

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.

Living Room Lovesong
Japanese Title: Cha no ma no rabusongu Air Date: August 31, 2003

'' Ichiro Todokoro: Kouji Yata/William Frederick

Makiko Todokoro: Nana Yamaguchi/Barbara Goodson

Hitomi Momoi: Haruna Ikezawa/Mia Bradley

Odagiri: Akira Ishida/Liam O'Brien

Priest: Hiroshi Kawaguchi/Michael McConnohie

Man 1:Isshin Chiba/Sam Regal

Man 2: Mitsudo Kouzou/Patrick Seitz

Woman 1: Yūko Satō/Hunter Mackenzie Austin

Woman 2: Sachi Matsumoto/Karen Thompson''

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.

House of Garbage
Japanese Title: Poi no uchi Air Date: September 7, 2003

'' Ritsuko Hirooka: Kumiko Watanabe/Karen Thompson

Yoshio Hirooka: Yasunori Matsumoto/Partrik 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

Ami Hirooka: Keiko Han/Reiko Matsuo''

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.

One Day Dream
Japanese Title: Higaeri no yume Air Date: September 14, 2003

'' Mr. Shinonome: Akira Kamiya/Jackson Daniels

Shinonome's Wife: Ai Orikasa/Wendee Lee

Tsuyoshi:Ikue Ootani/Ted Sroka

Saeko Shima: Sumi Shimamoto/Jennifer Sekiguchi

Shima-chan: Fuyumi Shiraishi/Kirsty Pape

Tajima: Daiki Nakamura/Mike McFarland

Shinonome's Classmate: Akira Ishida/Kevin Hatcher

Young Mother: Isshin Chiba/Mackenzie Hunter Austin

Oda: Mari Maruta/Carrie Savage''

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.

Extra-Large Size Happiness
Japanese Title: L saizu no shiawase Air Date: September 21, 2003

'' Hanako: Gara Takashima/Kirsten Potter

Kayoko: Masako Kyoda/Sonja S. Fox

Ryuuichi: Nobuo Tobita/Liam O'Brien

Baby Ghost: Chie Kojiro

Grandfather: Teppei Takasuki/William Frederick

Real Estate Agent: Isshin Chiba/Sam Regal

Young Ryuuichi: Asako Dodo/Kirsty Pape''

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.

The Executive's Dog
Japanese Title: Senmu no inu Air Date: September 28, 2003

'' Matsuko Kogure: Ai Orikasa/Kirsty Pape

Yuji Kogure: Takehito Koyasu/Chris Kent

Kanna: Fumi Hirano/Erica Shaffer

Yuko Kogure: Machiko Toyoshima/Jennifer Sekiguchi

Kosuke Kogure: Mari Maruta/Jessica D. Stone

Matsurida: Ryo Kamon/Stephen Martello

Mrs. Matsurida: Mari Mashiba/Sonja S. Fox

Housewife: Roko Takisawa/Barbara Goodson

Gorgeous: Wataru Takagi/Liam O'Brien

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.