Rating: 
Summary: Takahashi can do better, but still worthwile
Review: All right, those of you who have read Takahashi's later series such as Ranma ½, Maison Ikkoku, Inu-Yasha, and even Urusei Yatsura, have come to expect more from the great Rumiko Takahashi. None of the stories in here are really stand out stories, such as The Laughing Target, which was in the first volume. Some of them seem dragging, like The Golden Gods of Poverty and The Entrepreneurial Spirit. They feel like just a short, shallow attempt to make us laugh. At least in her other series, there's been an extended plot which truly gives her more things to draw on and the stories end up seeming very meaningful and funny, but in these everything comes to quickly. Well, with the slight exception of Wasted Minds. Wasted Minds feels kind of like the others, but it draws you in more and is longer (5 chapters instead of 1). For the best in Takahashi romantic/slapstick/comedy/action, definitely try Urusei Yatsura or Ranma ½, and if you want to lean more towards romance but you still want your fair share of zany humor and peeping Toms, try Maison Ikkoku, and if you're a fan of Fire Tripper or The Laughing Target (both in the first volume of the trilogy) then try Inu-Yasha. So for people expecting Takahashi at her best, try again, but if you want to see the origins of who is in my opinion the greatest manga artist ever, and/or is already a fan of Takahashi, this is a good buy. Just don't expect to be able to compare it to either of her four main series, all of which I've mentioned.
Rating:
Summary: Takahashi can do better, but still worthwile
Review: All right, those of you who have read Takahashi's later series such as Ranma ½, Maison Ikkoku, Inu-Yasha, and even Urusei Yatsura, have come to expect more from the great Rumiko Takahashi. None of the stories in here are really stand out stories, such as The Laughing Target, which was in the first volume. Some of them seem dragging, like The Golden Gods of Poverty and The Entrepreneurial Spirit. They feel like just a short, shallow attempt to make us laugh. At least in her other series, there's been an extended plot which truly gives her more things to draw on and the stories end up seeming very meaningful and funny, but in these everything comes to quickly. Well, with the slight exception of Wasted Minds. Wasted Minds feels kind of like the others, but it draws you in more and is longer (5 chapters instead of 1). For the best in Takahashi romantic/slapstick/comedy/action, definitely try Urusei Yatsura or Ranma ½, and if you want to lean more towards romance but you still want your fair share of zany humor and peeping Toms, try Maison Ikkoku, and if you're a fan of Fire Tripper or The Laughing Target (both in the first volume of the trilogy) then try Inu-Yasha. So for people expecting Takahashi at her best, try again, but if you want to see the origins of who is in my opinion the greatest manga artist ever, and/or is already a fan of Takahashi, this is a good buy. Just don't expect to be able to compare it to either of her four main series, all of which I've mentioned.
Rating: 
Summary: A veriety of realy great stories.
Review: All the stories in here are great! You have to read them! Espesialy Fire Tripper and Those Selfish Aliens. Takahashi-san is one of the best manga writers out there no matter what story she writes.
Rating:
Summary: Love it!
Review: I am a very big Takahashi fan, so I was very happy when I found this book. I like reading short stories by her and this was an exceptionally good collection. My very favorite was "Fire Tripper". It had a really surprising twist. I read this book over and over again and never get tired of it.
Rating:
Summary: Great manga!
Review: I am a very big Takahashi fan, so I was very happy when I found this book. I like reading short stories by her and this was an exceptionally good collection. My very favorite was "Fire Tripper". It had a really surprising twist. I read this book over and over again and never get tired of it.
Rating:
Summary: Intese wording and beautiful art
Review: I bought this book a while ago, on a whim, but I must say it is one of the BEST manga I own. My particular favourite I fell in love was the last one, by the name of "The Laughing Target". I don't think the title explains the story well, but I cried at the end if it's a consolation. Azusa has become a staple in everything I do(yes, this IS possible), her charachter, allthough posessed, was done beautifully. This book is worth the steep price, deffinately.
Rating:
Summary: Love it!
Review: I love the book. Personally, I love the story Fire Tripper the best. If you are thinking about bying the book, this story should help convince you. It has romance, comedy, and action. It is story about a girl who lived during fuedal times, but was somehow sent to the future (our time). She grew up never knowing that she belonged in the past. I am not going to tell anymore otherwise it would ruin the story! ^_^
Rating:
Summary: dramatic, romantic, humorous, horrific...absolutely stunning
Review: It's hard for me to decide which one of the stories is my favorite because all of them are beautifully drawn with unique plots. "When My Eyes Got Wings" left me breathless (from both the shock and crying) so I'll probably say I like that one the best. Others, such as "Sleep and Forget", "The Face Pack", "Wedded Bliss", and "A Cry for Help", also left me wanting for more. "That Darn Cat", an autobiographical story of Rumiko Takahashi let us take a look at our favorite manga artist's life. Overall, great story, worth every penny! (And I mean it, cos God knows I'm broke from the anime convention I went to this summer...)
Rating:
Summary: good,but not great.
Review: Rumiko Takihashi. That is the name of one of Manga and animes most successful artist. You may know her for "Ranma 1/2",a comedy series in which Ranma,a youth,who is cursed. Whenever he touches cold water,he turns into a female. Ranma 1/2 Which has a huge following of fans,various Animated movies,And a Manga following it. She is also responsible for the popular Anime series,"Ureisei Yatsura",which has over 100 episodes, and features a bikini-clad woman who has a habit of zaping her lover with electricity. Yes,Rumiko Takihashi mostly prefers to dish out comedic works rather than actual drama's. Now,with"Rumic World Trilogy",Takihashi steps into a more serious tone,and succeeds,mostly. I will review each story seperately. 1."Those Selfish Aliens" 4 stars From the begining, you can tell this is yet another comedy by Rumiko Takihashi. It concerns a young paper delivery boy who gets captured by aliens. This poor kid gets a bomb implanted into his body by the aliens. The Aliens turn out to be very imcompintant, and they crash their flying saucer in the middle of the ocean. They survive,and are captured by some sea monsters.The delivery boy meets a girl named Akane,and she joins him. But,the poor delivery boy gets another bomb in his body.Chaos follows. Some of the Chaos is entertaining,while some is stupid.But most is entertaining. This particular tale seems silly. The artwork seems a little plain. I like some of the characters,though. I found my self laughing while reading this Manga. I love the letter that the aliens send to the local newspaper.Overall,this is a solid,and very funny,tale. 2."Maris the Chojo" 3 stars "Maris the Chojo" tells the tale of Maris,a superhuman girl with superhuman strength. Maris is so powerful, that in fact, she must wear a device that allows her to control her power. In this tale, Maris is assigned the duty to save a captured prince. Secretly, Maris has plans to wed this prince after her mission of saving him are complete. What follows are waves of wacky jokes."Maris the Chojo" is mostly hit and miss. Unfortunatly, most of the jokes are misses. The premis is of the story is very strange. The artwork is poorly detailed,But I'll give it credit, The creatures in this tale are very wacky looking. Personally,I didn't Really like the Character Maris. Also,some of the Characters actions seemed stupid. The story gets 3 stars for some interesting ideas.It should be noted that a anime was made after this short story. 3."Time Warp Trouble" 1 stars "Time Warp Trouble" is a short story about a high school that,one day,recieves some guests from another time. These Guests from the past(or so they claim) are currently having a famine,and need food for their village.This is probably the worst story in this collection. It suffers from a weak plot, unintelligent characters,and very unfunny jokes. Trust me,you'll be wanting to skim this boring tale.The only thing it has going for it is the interesting twist at the end,but other than that,this one is drivel. 4."Fire Tripper" 5 stars "Fire Tripper" is a wonderful story about a girl with the amazing ability to travel thru time when she touches fire. One day,while walking home from school,a gas leak occurs,fire envelops her,and she is tossed back in time. This is by far the best story in the entire book.It has a very clever idea that is executed well. The plot is excellent,it is touching,and stays myterious,as well as intriging,for the entire entire story. Also,the character development is the best I've seen for a short story.Each Character has a strong personalitie that grows as the plot progresses. These characters are wonderful,and Its almost impossible to not become attached to them. The artwork was also another highlight of this tale.It very detailed,from the armor the certain characters are wearing,to the characters facial exprestions.The artwork does a great job of capturing emotions.This is simply a wonderful story.Even are garbage like "Time Warp Trouble",this is the one great title that makes the entire book worth purchasing. 5."The Laughing Target" 3 stars To end this book,we have "The Laughing Target",a tragic tale about a arranged marriage for two kids when they were young. Now,they've grow up and have been seperated for a long time. Due to the mysteroius death of the girls guardian,she travels to his home. But he has a new love. While some of the suspence in this tale is nale biting,its not intirerly the smartest horror story. Some of it seems ridiculous,but its a overall decent tale.The only problem is it might be hard for young kids as it features several dusturbing death scenes,and sexually abusive elements. Overall,this book is O.K. Rumiko shows her creativity well.Averaging out each score,I'd like to give this one 4 stars,but its very clear that "Time Warp Trouble" weighs down the overall quality of the book.In total,it earns 3 stars.
Rating:
Summary: good,but not great.
Review: Rumiko Takihashi. That is the name of one of Manga and animes most successful artist. You may know her for "Ranma 1/2",a comedy series in which Ranma,a youth,who is cursed. Whenever he touches cold water,he turns into a female. Ranma 1/2 Which has a huge following of fans,various Animated movies,And a Manga following it. She is also responsible for the popular Anime series,"Ureisei Yatsura",which has over 100 episodes, and features a bikini-clad woman who has a habit of zaping her lover with electricity. Yes,Rumiko Takihashi mostly prefers to dish out comedic works rather than actual drama's. Now,with"Rumic World Trilogy",Takihashi steps into a more serious tone,and succeeds,mostly. I will review each story seperately. 1."Those Selfish Aliens" 4 stars From the begining, you can tell this is yet another comedy by Rumiko Takihashi. It concerns a young paper delivery boy who gets captured by aliens. This poor kid gets a bomb implanted into his body by the aliens. The Aliens turn out to be very imcompintant, and they crash their flying saucer in the middle of the ocean. They survive,and are captured by some sea monsters.The delivery boy meets a girl named Akane,and she joins him. But,the poor delivery boy gets another bomb in his body.Chaos follows. Some of the Chaos is entertaining,while some is stupid.But most is entertaining. This particular tale seems silly. The artwork seems a little plain. I like some of the characters,though. I found my self laughing while reading this Manga. I love the letter that the aliens send to the local newspaper.Overall,this is a solid,and very funny,tale. 2."Maris the Chojo" 3 stars "Maris the Chojo" tells the tale of Maris,a superhuman girl with superhuman strength. Maris is so powerful, that in fact, she must wear a device that allows her to control her power. In this tale, Maris is assigned the duty to save a captured prince. Secretly, Maris has plans to wed this prince after her mission of saving him are complete. What follows are waves of wacky jokes."Maris the Chojo" is mostly hit and miss. Unfortunatly, most of the jokes are misses. The premis is of the story is very strange. The artwork is poorly detailed,But I'll give it credit, The creatures in this tale are very wacky looking. Personally,I didn't Really like the Character Maris. Also,some of the Characters actions seemed stupid. The story gets 3 stars for some interesting ideas.It should be noted that a anime was made after this short story. 3."Time Warp Trouble" 1 stars "Time Warp Trouble" is a short story about a high school that,one day,recieves some guests from another time. These Guests from the past(or so they claim) are currently having a famine,and need food for their village.This is probably the worst story in this collection. It suffers from a weak plot, unintelligent characters,and very unfunny jokes. Trust me,you'll be wanting to skim this boring tale.The only thing it has going for it is the interesting twist at the end,but other than that,this one is drivel. 4."Fire Tripper" 5 stars "Fire Tripper" is a wonderful story about a girl with the amazing ability to travel thru time when she touches fire. One day,while walking home from school,a gas leak occurs,fire envelops her,and she is tossed back in time. This is by far the best story in the entire book.It has a very clever idea that is executed well. The plot is excellent,it is touching,and stays myterious,as well as intriging,for the entire entire story. Also,the character development is the best I've seen for a short story.Each Character has a strong personalitie that grows as the plot progresses. These characters are wonderful,and Its almost impossible to not become attached to them. The artwork was also another highlight of this tale.It very detailed,from the armor the certain characters are wearing,to the characters facial exprestions.The artwork does a great job of capturing emotions.This is simply a wonderful story.Even are garbage like "Time Warp Trouble",this is the one great title that makes the entire book worth purchasing. 5."The Laughing Target" 3 stars To end this book,we have "The Laughing Target",a tragic tale about a arranged marriage for two kids when they were young. Now,they've grow up and have been seperated for a long time. Due to the mysteroius death of the girls guardian,she travels to his home. But he has a new love. While some of the suspence in this tale is nale biting,its not intirerly the smartest horror story. Some of it seems ridiculous,but its a overall decent tale.The only problem is it might be hard for young kids as it features several dusturbing death scenes,and sexually abusive elements. Overall,this book is O.K. Rumiko shows her creativity well.Averaging out each score,I'd like to give this one 4 stars,but its very clear that "Time Warp Trouble" weighs down the overall quality of the book.In total,it earns 3 stars.
|
