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Gintama's Hideaki Sorachi Jokingly Claims He 'Stole' Ideas from Rumiko Takahashi
posted on by Richard Eisenbeis
In the 39th issue of this year's Weekly Shonen Sunday magazine, 33 manga authors came together and drew fan art of Urusei Yatsura for the manga's 45th anniversary. Among those included was a Hideaki Sorachi of Gintama fame.
Sorachi's picture—which shows Gintama's Elizabeth (holding a sign that says "Sorry for stealing!") and Genma from Ranma ½ being electrocuted by Lum—includes a short, tongue-in-cheek message explaining he has been “stealing” from Rumiko Takahashi's works for years and is here for the punishment he so richly deserves.
“While under the influence of Rumiko's World, a petty thief of a writer who gets paid in pocket change from other magazines has come to [Weekly Shonen] Sunday to be punished. Lum-chan, Rumiko-sensei, not only for 45 years but for another 50 or 100 years, please punish all of us bad Atarus across Japan!”
Behind this comment is the all-too-true statement about the importance of Rumiko Takahashi to manga (and anime). So many manga tropes and clichés we take for granted come from her various works. Without the foundation Urusei Yatsura and Ranma ½ laid, modern gag manga like Gintama wouldn't exist in the forms they do today. It's a surprisingly touching sentiment hidden behind a self-deprecating joke—so it is pretty much on par with what we expect of Hideaki Sorachi.
Source: Livedoor News
