Rumiko Takahashi and Yui Aragaki Reunite after 14 Years for Their First Ranma 1/2 Conversation, Sharing Untold Live Action Stories including a 25 Centimeter Haircut and Childhood Fan Works

Yui Aragaki’s Childhood Fan Works

――Did you first encounter Ranma 1 2 through the manga or the anime?

Aragaki:
The manga. I read the tankobon at a friend’s house in lower elementary school and fell head over heels. That friend’s home also had satellite television reruns of the anime at the time, so I watched when I visited and I became a big fan. My home had many manga as well, so I already liked reading, but I read Ranma 1 2 especially hard.

――Favorite episodes or characters?

Aragaki:
I love everything, but what I love changes depending on when I read it. In lower elementary school I loved the art, the gags, the momentum. Visually I loved Shampoo the most. I loved copying drawings, and I drew Shampoo a lot. I even dreamed of becoming a manga artist then.

――Can you still draw her now?

Aragaki:
I wonder. I will try when I get home. I also drew pictures together with that friend and exchanged them, making original stories. It is embarrassing to say this in front of you, but it was like today’s fan works. I copied favorite panels, imitated your art, drew as I liked, and connected the pages into a story. It was a manga version of an exchange diary.

Takahashi:
That sounds fun.

――It is fascinating that favorite parts shift with age. How did they change through junior high, high school, and adulthood?

Aragaki:
When I reread all the volumes in high school after puberty, the romance between Akane and Ranma pierced me and made me swoon. It is slapstick comedy and they often clash, so it is not sugary, but those occasional heart skipping moments had explosive power. As an adult I am moved by parent child relationships. The viewpoints that jump out at you change with age, which I think is part of the appeal. It stays fresh and fun no matter how many years pass.

Takahashi:
Those words make me very happy.

What Makes Ranma 1/2 Special

――You also watched the classic anime. How did it feel compared to the manga?

Aragaki:
The voice actors were superb. It felt like I could hear their voices while reading the manga. I watched thinking Ranma sounds like this and Akane sounds like this. As a child I watched without thinking about such things, but in hindsight that is how I felt. As an adult rewatching I realized how much I remembered.

――So the lines and tones are etched in memory?

Aragaki:
They remain. The lines and vocal tones are easy to recall because they were so impressive. I love the anime too.

――What is the essence of Ranma 1/2?

Aragaki:
I love that every character is gloriously unhinged. Everyone is extreme, and everyone has a little flaw, which makes their cool moments shine even more. That freewheeling world where those characters run wild is pure fun. Also, as I said, different parts hit you at different ages, which lets you enjoy it forever. Above all I love Takahashi sensei’s art. I always want to look at it. I love the characters, expressions, outfits, and posing. Even beyond the main cast, it is fun to see the bathhouse patrons or background onlookers drawn in detail one by one. The backgrounds are amazing.

――Your Ranma love will not stop?

Aragaki:
I love it all.

――What does Ranma 1 2 mean to you?

Aragaki:
It is a constant presence and a part of my life. I already read manga and drew before I met it, but Ranma 1 2 might be what made drawing even more fun and reading even more fun. It may be what first made me feel I really love something.

Source : ORICON NEWS