Around the Time of Urusei Yatsura.
An Interview with Rumiko Takahashi

Translated by: Harley Acres

I'd like to ask you what you think about that era of Urusei Yatsura and what it was all about.

Takahashi: You mean what is Urusei Yatsura?

How did your debut work, Katte na Yatsura, come about?

Takahashi: Before my debut, I had penned a few works. ^[1] However, they didn't lead to a debut, so I thought I'd try submitting my work for a manga award. I liked Shonen Sunday, so that's how I went about submitting my work. That was the kind of thing I wanted to draw. Something slapstick and a bit sci-fi, that sort of thing.

I feel like there wasn't much science fiction back then.

Takahashi: That's right. There wasn't much manga that felt like that... in other words, there wasn't much silly science fiction.

Specifically, how did you create the story?

Takahashi: Even back then I wasn't the type to make plots or anything like that, but I did have a rough outline in mind. However, I created a page of about this size... a square frame about 2x3cm, and thought up the general flow of the piece. It was short so I couldn't draw in detail what was going on inside the page, but I just drew and thought about it as I went. Now I create very detailed storyboards and do them every time.

It was a pretty lucky situation that Katte na Yatsura was selected as an honorable mention and was suddenly published in the main Weekly Shonen Sunday magazine. ^[2]

Takahashi: It hadn't been decided at all where or when Katte na Yatsura would be published. By chance, a certain author had a 30-page one-shot in Weekly Shonen Sunday that had to be redrawn slightly, leaving a gap in the magazine. So they published it to fill in the gap. Two pages were cut, though.

I guess that meant it was well-received.

Takahashi: It seems so.

So then you started talking about trying to serialize it for a bit. There wasn't much time between Katte na Yatsura and Urusei Yatsura.

Takahashi: That's right. My debut work, Katte na Yatsura, was published in June, and then two months later Urusei Yatsura began as a five-part serialization. ^[3]

Only two months...

Takahashi: Around that time, other major publishers were thinking about creating manga magazines for young people, and there were a lot of similar movements, and I was also tentatively approached. When I mentioned it to the editor in charge at Sunday, it was decided that I would serialize it.

Before someone else takes it!

Takahashi: It would have been a different story if I had told them I was being approached and they would have just brushed it off with “Oh, yeah”. But I am glad that they kept me. I think they thought they would rather have me draw it than have someone else do it. I really appreciate that.

What was the basis for Urusei Yatsura?

Takahashi: The original story I was making at Gekiga Sonjuku at the time. ^[4] They were my own ideas. There were three of those, and I used those as a base, incorporating ideas from those into the first three chapters of the five-part series... that's how I made it.

The fact that you used the material for the first three chapters meant that it was like an assignment for Gekiga Sonjuku?

Takahashi: Yes. Gekiga Sonjuku had a course for original stories and a course for illustration, and I was taking both courses, so I was doing both original stories and illustrations. So these came from the original stories course.

But the preparation period for Urusei Yatsura was pretty tough.

Takahashi: So the fact that I had three original stories to start with was a big factor. However, although there was a story about "tag" in which two people who were like the prototypes for Lum and Ataru appear, the characters weren't developed at all, or rather, they weren't well-established. So, I did try to create characters that could withstand serialization first. I think I rewrote the storyboards about seven times.

Seven times, that's amazing.

Takahashi: The six that were scrapped were just so pointless and boring. So the seventh one starts with Ataru getting slapped by Shinobu for the first time. That's when it finally came together. The characters were established this way, with ideas like why he gets slapped, what kind of girl she is, and what's the cause of this interaction.

Ataru looks like a pretty normal guy.

Takahashi: Well, I thought it would be a five chapter series, and I thought it would be pointless to draw him as particularly handsome, so I ended up with him like that (laughs).

Lum looks really active, doesn't she? She's in a bikini, so it's easy to move around in. There's not much extra decoration.

Takahashi: It's simple and comfortable.

Was this during the summer vacation of your third year of university?

Takahashi: Yes.

The serialization was to be five installments at first, but how did you feel when it was decided that it would be serialized?

Takahashi: I was very happy.

Were you told from the beginning that it would be five chapters?

Takahashi: I was told five chapters. But I don't know what happened after that. ^[5]

You made your debut as a manga artist while you were still a student.

Takahashi: It was during summer vacation, so I just drew five chapters during that time.

That's quite a lot, isn't it? For five chapters. About 90 pages? You were already a fast writer even then.

Takahashi: I guess I wasn't slow.

For the first five sessions, you drew the storyboards one by one, then drew a draft, drew a storyboard, drew a draft, and so on?

Takahashi: That's right. But I managed to do it.

Were you drawing alone at that time?

Takahashi: My friends would ink the flat parts for me, or I'd get some really concentrated battles, and it was like, "I don't think there's anybody who's done that much." Was it Yamamoto-kun (Atsuji Yamamoto-sensei) who drew the spaceship? ^[6] Obviously. The pipe-shaped parts were definitely that. Yamamoto-kun's mecha have a great style to them.

At that time, you were in an apartment in Nakano...

Takahashi: That's right.

It seems like if you're doing that much, it would affect your university life too...

Takahashi: No, I was going to school regularly. It was fine. I was already in my third year, so there were fewer classes.

That's amazing.

Takahashi: No, no, no. It's mostly just manga and studying, so I could manage. If I added sports to that, it would've been all over.

So, you drew the first five chapters like that, and then did you think about what would happen after that?

Takahashi: No, I didn't think about it because I thought that Urusei Yatsura was over with the fifth chapter, but then I was asked to write a one-shot for Urusei Yatsura. So I thought, if it's okay to do it, I'll think about continuing it. So it's not like I had any grand plan or anything. I just make it up as I go along.

So after the first five chapters, from the sixth chapter onwards you were working on your studies.... And while you were doing that, I think you were starting to see graduation from university on the horizon. At that point, you were faced with the choice of whether to make a living as a manga artist or to stop manga and get a job. Did you ever have any doubts about that?

Takahashi: I wasn't even looking for a job (laughs). I thought I had no choice but to become a manga artist. I thought I should get a librarian's qualification at university, but there was a first semester and a second semester to get that. So I was taking the first semester. Credits. But I somehow missed the second semester. Then when I became a fourth year student, I thought I'd just retake the second semester, but it was made a year-round course, starting the next year. I would have had to do another year. It would have been a waste of time. So, what I really wanted to be other than a manga artist was to work in a library, but I never did anything concrete about it. I regret not getting a librarian's qualification. I still don't have that. But that aside, I wanted to be a manga artist the most. I had drawn quite a few drawings while I was a student, so I thought if I worked hard I could do it.

I think the first and second volumes were pretty popular.

Takahashi: It was pretty popular.

After graduating from university, you started your weekly serialization in earnest. How did you feel at the time?

Takahashi: I was happy. But I didn't think it would be with Urusei Yatsura. I thought maybe I should come up with some new material, but I was told to go with Urusei Yatsura.

So then, expectations for Urusei Yatsura were pretty high at the time.

Takahashi: I was getting a fair amount of fan mail, so I thought things were going well. Now that I think about it, I was still in my apartment in Nakano around chapters 1 and 2 and through when Mendo appeared in Urusei Yatsura.

To get the series fully underway, you also recruited a dedicated assistant, right?

Takahashi: I think I put an ad for an assistant in the classifieds or something, and Kuniko Saito applied. ^[7] (※Actually it was a vertical column in the margins of Sunday). ^[8] She'd been drawing motorbikes, and I thought her attitude was great. She didn't just go with something simple, she just had the attitude to just get drawing. She's a girl, after all. I thought it was amazing that she still wanted to draw motorbikes.

Then, Mendo appears in the full-fledged serialization, but strangely, all of his friends from his first year of high school - such as the character called Megane in the anime - disappear at the same time.

Takahashi: The reason for that is that the grades have changed. So, Ataru, who was in his first year of high school, is now in his second year, and it was about time for a change of environment.

Is it a matter of feeling the need to change from first to second year?

Takahashi: Not really a feeling, but because it was essentially a new serialization.

Was there a preparation period for this full-scale serialization?

Takahashi: There must have been. But I was still in my apartment in Nakano, and I think I had been working on the drawings for a few months, and had about five sketches saved up.

Mendo made quite a striking entrance, like he completely changed the scene.

Takahashi: Yes. But even then, I had redrawn the storyboard six or seven times, so the character of Mendo didn't come out very easily.

Jumping out of a helicopter is a way to make an entrance like that of a leading character.

Takahashi: I don't know, but I think I wanted something new. Even for me. Readers have already seen a certain amount of Urusei Yatsura up until that point, so I wanted something other than Ataru and Lum.

Mendo really does an amazing job in the beginning.

Takahashi: I thought I really had to establish him.

The three characters who were there from the beginning, Ataru, Lum, and Shinobu, plus Mendo, were all well established.

Takahashi: Yes. Somehow.

And then it became a weekly serialization, but each chapter is self-contained, right? The story. I thought it was amazing that you could keep doing that for nine years.

Takahashi: It was all about training. Yeah. Training on how to wrap a story up. To add a punch line. That was really it. Other than that, there was a lot of freedom. Like jokes and items. I threw in these kinds of tools among the characters. Like, what will happen? That's what Urusei Yatsura was all about.

There are four main characters...

Takahashi: And each of them will always have a different reaction. And that goes for the other characters too. Anyway, when everyone reacts differently to one thing, it becomes a drama.

So, Maison Ikkoku started a little later. I think it was a few months later.

Takahashi: My memory is a bit hazy, but I think I was busy drawing Urusei Yatsura around May or June, and Maison Ikkoku started in the fall. I think Spirits was launched in October. ^[9]

That's right, I think.

Takahashi: So, I think they approached me about 2-3 months prior, asking if I would do it. It just so happened that the second editor in charge of Urusei Yatsura had been transferred to Spirits. I think it was him who approached me. ^[10]

By that time, I think Urusei Yatsura had become one of Sunday's two flagship titles, alongside Touch. ^[11]

Takahashi: Well, they did say they would serialize it, but there were plenty of other popular titles as well. Sunday was fun back then. It was kind of hot at the time.

Did you have a sense that Urusei Yatsura was selling well around that time?

Takahashi: Yes. One time, I suddenly got about two cardboard boxes full of fan letters. I hadn't received any up until then. I was really happy. Like, "Wow, so many?!"

So your editor had been saving them up?

Takahashi: Yeah. He had been saving them up. I said, "Give them to me a little at a time," (laughs). He said, "That's what encourages you." Well, I was very grateful for that. I really did't know. Everyone wrote me long letters telling me which character was their favorite, so I was very grateful.

By the way, even in this internet era, are there still people who write proper letters?

Takahashi: Yes. It's little by little nowadays, but I still get fan mail.

Currently, how about MAO?

Takahashi: Well, I've been doing manga for many years, and while mentioning past works that they liked, they're also supporting MAO. Or, Urusei Yatsura which has been made into an anime again.

Ranma 1/2 has also been remade into an anime, and the industry is really excited about it. How did you feel when Urusei Yatsura was first made into an anime in 1981?

Takahashi: Well, I was kind of happy, but like, eh? Is this okay? I was a little confused, but I was happy, too. But, you know, I was worried that it would end so soon. On the contrary, I'm glad it continued for five years. Ultimately, I mean.

How many volumes of the manga were there when they decided to make it into an anime?

Takahashi: I think it was around volume 8.

Were you sent the scenario or character designs?

Takahashi: I don't think I was sent anything in general. I was shown the design of Tomobiki High School, though. It was a normal school building, but in the anime it had that distinctive shape, and when I met director Mamoru Oshii and asked him why, he said that since anime is a flowing picture, it's good to have a distinctive design that can be recognized at a glance from a distance, and I remember saying I understood. ^[12]

Did you watch the anime every week?

Takahashi: Yes.

When it comes to anime, there are original episodes inserted, but do you check those beforehand?

Takahashi: No. I don't. I did see the script for the movie Only You, though. Well, I guess that was the era back then. Nowadays, on the contrary, they send me all the scripts very diligently.

There were quite a few original anime episodes that were quite adventurous.

Takahashi: Yeah. Well, I think you could have fun with it. Because there was a lot of material. I think it was something that could be played with in a lot of different directions. Anyway, I think the anime had a lot of energy, which was great. There were a lot of different artists at that time. I was really impressed with the incredible angle of Mendo's jump from the helicopter. It was a movement that was quite famous at the time, and you could tell it was done by this person.

The animation for Mendo's jump scene was done by Masahito Yamashita-san. ^[13] He was heavily influenced by Yoshinori Kaneda-san. ^[14]

Takahashi: Like the "Kaneda movement" (金田動き). I think it was a bit luxurious to watch something like that without knowing anything about it. The voice actors were also like a dream come true.

As your popularity continued to grow, how did you feel when you were told that it was going to be made into a movie?

Takahashi: I was grateful for the news, but I was still young so it didn't really sink in. I was like, is it really okay when I should have just been happy about it? Well, more than being confused, I was kind of scared. For example, when the anime ended, people would say things like, "That manga's still coming out?" That was scary too. It's different now though.

Well, that was true in those days.

Takahashi: Back then, you know, if you went up, you were afraid of falling down.

For the movie Only You, you also did some amazing drawings for Shonen Sunday Graphic (a magazine published by Shogakukan that featured the Urusei Yatsura anime and information about Rumiko Takahashi. ^[15] 15 volumes in total + special edition were published). The pictures were very dense.

Takahashi: Well, I'm sure I read the script, but I didn't even know what the wedding dress would look like, so I drew it timidly. ^[16]

But it seems like you got the design for Elle, an original character for the movie, right?

Takahashi: I definitely did the design for Elle. Or rather, I think I did? Elle?

In Shonen Sunday Graphic it says "Elle was designed by Rumiko Takahashi-sensei."

Takahashi: That must be true then. That's why. Well, it was a lot of fun drawing the posters, like the Only You poster.

Takahashi-sensei makes a lot of appearances in Shonen Sunday Graphic.

Takahashi: Back then, yes. But before that, there was this thing where all the artists in Jump would get together around New Year's. ^[17]

You used to gather writers and sing songs for Sunday and make LP records, right?

Takahashi: Yes, we did that. (※Weekly Shonen Sunday's 1500th issue commemorative record Wings of Freedom in 1985). ^[18] That was when they took me out at night, and I was like, "Come on!", even though I was really busy. Then, I was suddenly taken there, changed into other clothes, and told, "We're going to record now," and I was like, "what are you talking about?" (laughs). There were people who were already gathered, some who understood, and some who didn't really understand. There was something like midnight snacks, and I was like, "Oh, does this mean it's going to take a long time?" (laughs). Also, I think we had a meeting or decided on the title of the one-shot Excuse Me For Being a Dog!! in the taxi on the way there at night. Well, it's a good memory.

It's amazing. You were suddenly taken out in the middle of the night to record an album.

Takahashi: It's like a world from a manga (laughs). I want Kazuhiko Shimamoto-san to draw me in Aoi Honoo. ^[19]

Since you started showing your face a lot, haven't you gotten some attention?

Takahashi: I don't mean reputation, it's this (pointing her finger). Whenever I go out, people call me by my name, like, "Isn't that Rumiko Takahashi?"

They should add "sensei" to it. For some reason, there are a lot of travel photos in it [Shonen Sunday Graphic].

Takahashi: When I said, "I'm going on a trip to Bali," they said, "Please let me use your photos!" ^[20]

There's something like a report on an autograph signing session, and here it is. It's completely unrelated, but it says you went to Nagasaki.

Takahashi: Ah, yes, yes. I think we went to an autograph signing session in Fukuoka and then went to Nagasaki. ^[21] The Nagasaki part was pure sightseeing. I wonder if Oshima, the editor who accompanied us, took the photos specifically for this. ^[22]

What was a typical week like while working on Urusei Yatsura and Maison Ikkoku at the same time?

Takahashi: Well, rather than a week, you had to do, say, one chapter every five days to make it work. So it was pretty tough. I would get the manuscript written up in the morning, and then I'd do a storyboard for one chapter before the assistants showed up in the evening.

And it's amazing that both Urusei Yatsura and Maison Ikkoku are so interesting every time.

Takahashi: Thank you. I did my best. I think I was able to do it because I was really young and healthy. After Urusei Yatsura and Maison Ikkoku were over and I was just doing Ranma 1/2, I was just so bored.

Eh, really? (laughs)

Takahashi: Well, I feel like my days working on Urusei Yatsura and Maison Ikkoku were very intense. Recording the song was definitely a bit of a "whoa!" moment. Oh, and there was also one time I was suddenly dragged out to draw pictures on the computer. ^[23]

Oh, that's right... I wonder what the secret was to being able to work on Urusei Yatsura for nine years without taking a break?

Takahashi: Well, I think the secret is that it was just natural to keep drawing, that was the kind of era it was. And I really wanted to continue being a manga artist, so the key to that was to keep drawing. Luckily I was physically strong, which was good. So even when I felt like I was about to give up, I managed to do it. At least I don't think I ever put out something boring, like, "this is good enough." Anyway, I tried my best until the very end. Well, if the readers say it's boring, then there's nothing I can do about it. At least I think I did my best until the end.

What do you think Urusei Yatsura means to you as a manga artist?

Takahashi: It was like the first step. Anyway, without Urusei Yatsura, I don't know if I would have become what I am now. Urusei Yatsura is a manga with a lot of freedom, you can do anything. And because it's a series of shorts, I think it was a good training and practice. I think doing that led to what I did later. I think it was also that I was drawing both Urusei Yatsura and Maison Ikkoku at the same time. I think that helped me become a creator that people thought was okay. I think the editors who asked me to do work trusted me to a certain extent. I think that is quite important.

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Footnotes

• [1] Takahashi had published dojinshi work prior to her debut. These include Star of Empty Trash, Bye-Bye Road and Aim For The Ace!.
• [2] Takahashi won honorable mention for the 2nd Shogakukan Newcomers Manga Award (第2回小学館新人コミック大賞) in the shonen category. The way the Newcomer Manga Award is structured is there is a single winner and then two to three honorable mentions that are unranked. In 1978 the winner in the shonen category was Yoshimi Yoshimaro (吉見嘉麿) for D-1 which was published in Shonen Sunday 1978 Vol. 26. The other honorable mentions in addition to Rumiko Takahashi were Masao Kunitoshi (国俊昌生) for The Memoirs of Dr. Watson (ワトソン博士回顧録) which was published in Shonen Sunday 1978 Vol. 27 and Hiroaki Oka (岡広秋) for Confrontation on the Snowy Mountains (雪山の対決) which was published in a special edition of Shonen Sunday (週刊少年サンデー増刊号). Oka would also publish later under the name Jun Hayami (早見純). Other winners in various Newcomers categories include Gosho Aoyama, Koji Kumeta, Yuu Watase, Kazuhiko Shimamoto, Naoki Urasawa, Kazuhiro Fujita and Ryoji Minagawa, Yellow Tanabe and Takashi Iwashige.
• [3] Urusei Yatsura's early publication history was fairly non-traditional. After the first five chapters were published weekly from August through September of 1978 the sixth chapter was then published in a special issue of Shonen Sunday in October or November. Takahashi then returned in February to continue Urusei Yatsura for approximately ten chapters. This was because Takahashi was still in college at this point in her life. She then returned to Urusei Yatsura through April 1979 before stopping and publishing the five chapter monthly mini-series Dust Spot!! in a special edition of Shonen Sunday. After Dust Spot!! she returned to Urusei Yatsura sporadically until March of 1980 when its continual, regular weekly publication began in earnest. Looking at the publication dates of the chapters in the first two volumes helps clarify this as well as shows that some of the chapters were rearranged from their original publication order.
• [4] Gekiga Sonjuku was a manga "cram school" where Kazuo Koike, the writer of such iconic manga as Lone Wolf and Cub, Crying Freeman and Lady Snowblood helped train a number of manga luminaries before their debuts. Besides Rumiko Takahashi, other Gekiga Sonjuku alumnai include Tetsuo Hara (Fist of the North Star), Yuji Hori (Dragon Quest), Hideyuki Kikuchi (Vampire Hunter D), Keisuke Itagaki (Grappler Baki) and Marley Caribu (Old Boy).
• [5] Takahashi discusses working on Dust Spot!! between chapters of Urusei Yatsura just prior to the latter series' ongoing serialization. She was ultimately given a choice of which series to continue to serialize and she chose Urusei Yatsura.
• [6] Atsuji Yamamoto (山本貴嗣) was a fellow student at Gekiga Sonjuku with Takahashi. He is best known for Ultimate Teacher (最終教師/Saishuu Kyoushi), Elf 17 (エルフ・17) and Saber Cats (セイバーキャッツ). Yamamoto worked as an informal assistant on Urusei Yatsura, often providing mechanical and weapon designs.
• [7] Kuniko Saito (斎藤邦子) was one of Takahashi's earliest assistants. She appears as characters in her manga The Diary of Kemo Kobiru. You can read an interview with her here.
• [8] This is typically how Takahashi recruited her assistants. See the notes we have written for chapter 27 of Ranma 1/2 when Takahashi was similarly advertising for a new assistant.
• [9] Two interviews that thoroughly detail Takahashi's Maison Ikkoku helping to launch Big Comic Spirits are "Rumiko Takahashi and Takashi Iwashige" and "Monthly Heroes - Katsuya Shirai x Rumiko Takahashi".
• [10] This is likely her editor Takao Yonai (米内孝夫) who she is referring to.
• [11] Mitsuru Adachi (あだち充) is the author of Nine (ナイン), Slow Step (スローステップ), Miyuki (みゆき), Touch (タッチ), H2 and many other hit manga. Because he and Takahashi were both mainstays of Shonen Sunday and both were writing romantic comedies they have hand a lengthy friendship. Adachi had also sold over 100 million copies of his work at the time of this article (and 200 million as of 2008). They've done many collaborative drawings over the years and worked on a joint short story, My Sweet Sunday together as well.
• [12] Mamoru Oshii (押井守) got his start as the director of the Urusei Yatsura anime along with the first two films, Only You and Beautiful Dreamer. Readers are often curious about Takahashi's feelings about Mamoru Oshii's work on Beautiful Dreamer, and his adapatation of Urusei Yatsura. "The Time We Spoke Endlessly About the Things We Loved" and "Three-Way Interview" are two articles that are recommended so that readers can make up their own minds about her feelings in her own words. Additionally in her 35th anniversary interview with Comics Natalie she expresses her enjoyment of Oshii's work, though by contrast in her Italian interview she gave a vague answer that was more negative (though she did not name Oshii or Beautiful Dreamer explicitly).
• [13] Masahito Yamashita (山下将仁) is one of the acclaimed animators who worked on Urusei Yatsura, Beautiful Dreamer, Maison Ikkoku, Project A-ko, Macross Plus and others.
• [14] Yoshinori Kanada (金田伊功) is often considered one of the most influential animators in anime. He has often worked with Hayao Miyazaki on films such as Castle in the Sky (天空の城ラピュタ/Tenku no shiro Rapyuta) and My Neighbor Totoro (となりのトトロ/Tonari no Totoro). Other works include Birth (バース/Baasu) and Galaxy Express 999 (銀河鉄道999/Ginga Tetsudo 999). A well-researched series of articles on the history of the Kanada School is highly recommended.
• [15] Shonen Sunday Graphic (少年サンデーグラフィック) were a series of mooks (magazine-books) featuring original manga and anime artwork, articles and interviews. There were 15 Urusei Yatsura volumes with a bonus one made decades later in the 2020s. You can read more about the Shonen Sunday Graphics here.
• [16] The wedding dress appears in Only You and Takahashi provided a number of full-color promotional illustrations in Shonen Sunday Graphic illustrating scenes from the film. She also designed and illustrated the film's poster.
• [17] Shonen Jump typically used group photos of their mangaka on the cover of the New Year's edition of their magazine. You can read about these unique covers here.
• [18] We have written extensively about the Wings of Freedom album and made a video about it as well. You can listen to the album as well.
• [19] Kazuhiko Shimamoto (島本和彦) is a longtime friend and fan of Rumiko Takahashi's work. He appears in her autobiographical manga The Diary of Kemo Kobiru. Aoi Honoo (アオイホノオ/Blue Blazes) is Shimamoto's own autobiographical retelling of this 1980s career, lightly fictionalized. Takahashi and Urusei Yatsura are frequently referenced in the series.
• [20] Takahashi's 1983 vacation to Bali is shown in Shonen Sunday Graphic Urusei Yatsura volume 8.
• [21] Takahashi's August 25-26, 1983 trip to Fukuoka and Nagasaki are documented in Shonen Sunday Graphic Urusei Yatsura volume 9.
• [22] Makoto Oshima (大島誠) was the the fifth editor on Urusei Yatsura and the fourth and final editor on Maison Ikkoku, Oshima is the basis for the similarly named tanuki in Urusei Yatsura and appears in the "My Page One" intviews with Takahashi's editors.
• [23] Drawing on a computer would sound completely commonplace to contemporary readers, but Takahashi was asked to draw Lum, Ten and Cherry on a computer for an article in Shonen Sunday 1983 volume 7.

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