Rumiko Takahashi is known as the "Princess of Manga."  During her 25+ year career in comics, she's created one hit after another, many of which have been turned into successful anime shows.  Rumiko had her first big comic in 1978, the year she turned professional, with Urusei Yatsura (also known as Lum.)  While this series was still going on, she also started Maison Ikkoku, and followed that up with fan favorite Ranma ½.  Rumiko is also the creator responsible for Inu-Yasha, and the darker Mermaid Saga.  Somehow while creating all these works, she also had time to write and draw a number of short stories.  The best of these shorter works have been animated and collected under the title Rumiko Takahashi Anthology.

The second volume of this series presents three stand alone tales that show how varied and skilled Ms. Takahashi's writing can be.  They are:

In a Pot:  Mrs. Tonagowa is a mean woman and the subject of a lot of gossip.  She doesn't take care of the house, and makes her mother-in-law do all the housework.  When both her husband and mother-in-law both die in a car accident, and she leaves her plants in the care of a neighbor.  When the neighbor finds a piece of human bone in one of the pots though, she begins to think that Mrs. Tonagowa was up to something sinister.  But things are not always as they appear, as this mysterious episode illustrates.

Aberrant Family F: Hazuki is a young girl who is very worried.  She overhears someone mentioning that her father has lost his business and is deeply in debt.  When her parents suggest taking an expensive and extravagant family vacation, Hazuki thinks she knows the reason: They are planning a family suicide.

As Long as You are Here: Mr. Dohmoto is a very stern but capable company man.  He's given 30 years of his life to his business, but when the company goes under, he can't find another job.  When his wife gets sick, he fills in for her at her part time job at a fast food restaurant, with hilarious results.

Rumiko Takahashi is a very good story teller, and these are all fun to watch.  One of the thing I like about this anthology is that you're never sure what you are going to get with each episode.  These three stories are all different running the gamut from drama and light suspense to out and out comedy.

One of the main reasons that this show is so fun is that Rumiko Takahashi is great at characterization.  The people in her stories aren't good or bad, they are all human.  They have human foibles and realistic, if sometimes exaggerated, reactions to situations.  Whether it be a laid off salary man or a housewife with an active imagination, the people who populate these stories seem real, and that makes them a pleasure to watch.

Audio:

This DVD offers the viewer the choice of the original Japanese soundtrack or an English dub, both in stereo.  The show is mainly dialog based and both soundtracks reproduces the actor's voices very well.  I alternated between tracks, and liked them both equally well.  There were no dropouts or other audio defects of note.

Video:

The widescreen anamorphic image looked very good.  The colors are bright and vivid, and the picture is sharp.  With only three episodes on the disc, there was plenty of room for the video, and compression artifacts are practically nonexistent.  A very good looking disc.

Extras:

This disc includes a textless closing, an art gallery or production sketches and stills, and a series of Geneon trailers.

Final Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this DVD.  The shows were fun and enjoyable due to the interesting and very human characters that Rumiko Takahashi was able to create.  A good choice for people who are looking for something different or just some light entertainment.  A high Recommendation.