This graphic novel shows the first manga works of the talanted Rumiko Takahashi, who we all know from Ranma 1/2 and Inu-Yasha.

This graphic novel has a collection of stories from the authors first works, which contain humourous tales of the unknown and stories of lingering danger and fear. The artwork is identical to the aucthor's present drawings, beautiful and fun to view.

If you ever wanted to see Takahashi's first works or are just a loyal fan to her, then this graphic novel will be a great book for you.

The Suzuki method is clearly delineated in Volume One of this instructional series and has many distinct advantages to more traditional beginner method books. Its multicultural approach allows the student to immediately appreciate the international appeal of this instrument. Many practical methods are used that do an excellent job integrating familiar tunes, classical tunes and simple etudes in an exciting way. One of the best features includes the use of the audio CD with piano accompaniment. This CD is an exact rendition of the short piece in the book but with a simple piano accompaniment. The student can listen and "read" the music with the CD or practice it alone with Volume One.

The approach is holistic and facilitates rapid integration of the written sheet music with fingerings and tempos while keeping the beginner student glued to each new piece. It also is an excellent preparation for classical flute playing and advances students more quickly using simple and practical techniques.

The Suzuki Flute Method Volume One will be a memorable introduction to the sounds of a great instument.

Beautiful Art! I feel that the author really captured sweet simplicity. It gives us all great ideas. I just love this book!

Takahashi's dictionary is the most complete Japanese-English dictionary I have found so far. I use it as a backup for my Merriam Webster's Japanese-English Learner's Dictionary. This learner's dictionary is very good, but the example sentences often contain words which are not defined in the same dictionary. I can usually find them defined in Takahashi.

Something to be careful about: there are two editions of this book: the original version, which is more than 1500 pages in length, and the abridged version, which is a little less than 1000 pages in length. I have the abridged version, which is good enough for me, but you may prefer the original version. Check the page length to make sure you get the version you want.

VERY COMPREHENSIVE AND VERY UP TO DATE (1999)

This book is cool very cool!

I love pokemon and this book is perfect for pokemon lovers

THIS BOOK IS GREAT FOR FUTURE POKEMON MASTERS (THAT MEANS ME!!!

I wouldn't recommend reading this book if you haven't at least read the first book, and even then this might be confusing. It begins with a continuation of the confrontation that began in the third book. Kagome has been kidnapped by a pair of demons, the Thunder Brothers, but she manages to convince them that she'd be of more use to them alive than dead. They find Inu-yasha because they want the shards of the Shikon Jewel that he has, in order to increase their own demonic powers. In the second half of the book, Kagome is back in her own time period and trying to survive school. Unfortunately, she can never seem to get anything done without something supernatural appearing. Kagome has to somehow get a dead girl to find peace before the Tatari-mokke, a demon that plays with the ghosts of newly dead children, opens its eyes. The girl will go to hell if she can't find peace before then. The second part of the book is, I think, the first time that Kagome and Inu-yasha have ever done anything that didn't give them the possibility of recovering a shard of the Jewel. Rumiko Takahashi handles the death of a child and the idea of learning forgiveness very nicely in that second part.

This book is a definite MUST-BUY for all Rumiko Takahashi fans, like me, or even just a manga fan. The story is interesting and it was easy for me to get hooked on it. Ever since I've been introduced to this manga, I have also given it to my friends to read and they all loved it. Before you read Inu-Yasha, though, you might also want to consider buying Ranma 1/2 to get you into the manga spirit. Ranma 1/2 is also by Rumiko Takahashi. It is easy reading, hillarious, and another MUST-BUY. I've read several reviews before I wrote this and Inu58 had mentioned an Inu-Yasha translations site, for those who want to get ahead and read their way up to book 13, which is what Japan is up to at this moment. The page is an excellent information site for new inu-yasha fans and those loyal fans who have to go through a painful week of waiting for a new translated chapter. For those who only know Pokemon, Sailormoon and Dragon Ball, I will have to say that ALL of Rumiko Takahashi's works are way better than any of those other manga. Unlike those, Rumiko Takahashi actually includes funny scenes and excellent drawings instead of tasteless humor and bad artwork.

So, try this out (you may want to start with book one) and you are guaranteed to enjoy it as much as I have!

First off, let me just say this: Inu-Yasha is my favorite Takahashi manga to date! Second, I think you get a pretty good plot summary from Amazon and the other reviews, so I won't go into that. However,I will say that with plot and characters both, Takahashi surpasses all her other manga series. Personally, I thought that Lum was a bit out there, Mermaid Scar a bit too gory, and Ranma 1/2 was too repetitive, but in this title, it's as if Takahashi has taken the best from all of her series and decided to part with the worst (not that there was much of that anyway!). She's finally perfected the blend of action and romantic comedy. Inu-Yasha and Kagome as the reluctant couple complement each other perfectly--Kagome is mature in her actions, yet not in her feelings, and Inu-Yasha, while aware of what he feels, can't get past his somewhat juvenile behavior. I'm happy to say Takahashi-san has ironed out the flaws that persisted in the relationship between Ranma and Akane. Kagome is smart, independent and *very* likable, but she isn't violent or unforgiving or unwilling to listen, like Akane sometimes was. She's more than capable of standing up for herself, but she doesn't have to put others down to do it. Finally, a heroine who can put up with her guy! I'm very impressed with her--she can see past Inu-Yasha's hostile exterior and be kind to him in spite of his insults (though by no means being a suffering saint!). It's also refreshing to see the characters grow--Kagome started out slightly ditzy, but as she found herself having to deal with demons and monsters, she quickly shapes up and becomes reliable in a crisis, stable and in control. She's also sensitive and caring. On to Inu-Yasha. He seems at first to be a Ranma-type character--unable to express his feelings, hurting the ones he loves by accident, yet as the manga progresses, you see he has much more depth to him. Inu-Yasha has a rather unfortunate past with Kikyo, and that's the thing stopping him from fully accepting his relationship w/ Kagome. His past also leads him to be suspicious of mortals, and his heritage adds yet more complications to his emotional outlook. As a half-demon who fights agains his humanity, he's really a much better person than even he knows. I must say it was very surprising to find out that he's quite aware of his feelings for both Kikyo and Kagome--he just can't bring himself to put them out in the open. One thing I love about this manga is that we can finally *really* emphasize with Inu-Yasha's distrust of women and Kagome's frustration at not being able to get closer to him. In Ranma, it was hard to take the characters or their feelings seriously--the situations were always so wacky and bizzare that they spoiled and refuted any really dramatic moments. But here, you can really feel Kagome's ache for something more, and Inu-Yasha's bitter reluctance to commit. Another factor is the much more mature storyline, with gripping action that leads you to exclaim and sometimes hold your breath in anticipation as you flip the pages. Finally--if you felt some of Takahashi's other titles were too repetitive--that they settled into a pattern and stayed there--I'm happy to say that _this isn't the case_ with Inu-Yasha. Just as you think the story's beginning to be in a rut (about Volume 4)--Takahashi introduces a whole new aspect to the plot, dealing with passion, trust, heartbreak and betrayal in a surprisingly serious way. This all starts out in Volume 5, and only gets better from there on. This isn't quite the light-hearted comedy Takahashi-san usually serves up, but with still plenty of laughs in between. So even if you found some of Takahashi's other works not to your liking (but especially if you did!) here comes a manga with something for everyone. Buy it already!

Another great story from Rumiko Takahashi. This one is definitely not in the same vein as Ranma 1/2 due to the great prevalence of blood and death, but the familiar themes draw the reader in. We are introduced to Yuta, a tragic character with a heart of gold. Takahashi paints an aching portrayal of the loneliness that comes with immortality; the curse of life ever-lasting. We see how he comes across, through horrendous means, a young girl named Mana who has been cursed just as he. In finding her, he also finds the will to continue to walk this earth a little longer as long as she is by his side. Just as I did with the Ranma 1/2 series, I looked forward to every subtle, yet profound development of Yuta's relationship with Mana through their glances, gestures, and concern for each other during their many macabre adventures. Believe it or not, it is romantic. Sometimes what is left unsaid is worth more than any flowery exhortation. For those who seek it, there is plenty of action as well as an on-going revelation of many sides of the human nature. Don't miss this intro to a great series.

i bought this book thinking it would be funny like ranma 1/2 and urusei yatsura. i was so wrong. it was good nonetheless and it made me cry in more than one place. rumiko takahashi is so talented and this book is more proof to that. it starts with a wandering man (yuta) looking for a mermaid. he then meets mana who has been in shackles her entire life. they are both blessed (or cursed?) with immortality and they both die several times. this book is definately NOT for younger children or people with weak stomachs. However, it does have a very sweet bit of romance in it. the only reason i gave it four stars instead of five is that the story is rather choppy wheras i prefer a smooth running story. a great book all in all, and greater still if you are looking for a surprise from takahashi.

This is really an amazing peice of work. The characters become real people with real faults and real hearts, and the stories--macabre, yet insightful towards human nature--are ones that will keep you thinking well into the future. It is made up of three stories-A Mermaid Never Smiles, Village of the Fighting Fish, and Mermaid Forest--and all revolve around Yuta, a man who appears to be 20 years old, but is really 500. Long ago, he ate the Flesh of a Mermaid, and now he is cursed with Immortality. Wandering, alone, for hundreds of years, he seeks the cure--but all he knows is he must find a Mermaid. Each story is about his quest, spanning hundreds of years, beginning in 1509 in Ancient Japan. Takahashi does her best work here--beleive me. If you are a devout Ranma addict, look out--one look at this, and you'll never be able to go back.

Lum. If you've never heard the name before, then roll it round your tongue, get used to it; you'll be hearing it again in the future. Urusei Yatsura is a classic comic series from Japan, and this book is the perfect introduction. It tells how the Earth was saved from invasion by a lecherous young man called Ataru Moroboshi, and how in doing so he accidentally ends up marrying the princess of the alien race.

So far so good, but what really lifts Urusei Yatsura head and shoulders above any other series is the characterisations. They are the most wonderfully creative group of dysfunctional characters I've yet encountered. Every single person in the book is a wonderfully realised, if vaguely mad, character. No one feels badly developed or two-dimensional. And because they feel like real people, the mad situations feel normal, or at least not quite so mad, and you even care what happens to them.

Urusei Yatsura is a modern classic, and the Perfect Collection is the perfect place to start your collection!

"Urusei Yatsura" translates literally as "obnoxious aliens", and that's the focus of this, one of Japan's most enduring "manga" series. The action revolves around Ataru Moroboshi, a young man who, through a series of circumstances, finds himself engaged to a beautiful alien princess named Lum - much to the aggravation of his girlfriend, Shinobu. When Lum moves in, things begin to snowball, and a stream of wierd and wacky characters find their way into Ataru's life. Aliens, demons and sorcerors - every one intent on making Ataru's life as complicated as possible. "Urusei Yatsura" was made into a popular TV series, and Lum and Ataru remain one of Japan's most popular anime couples. Ms. Takahashi has gone on to create a number of popular series, such as "Ranma 1/2", "Maison Ikkoku" and "Inu-Yasha"

I write this in response to reviewer "Steve Miller," who expressed an obvious dislikeing towards the earlier Rumiko Takahashi work like Lum: Urusei Yatsura. Personally I completely dissagree with him. If you can't appreciate the old works, how can you appreciate the new?

Anyone who know's Ms. Takahashi's history will completely understand why many of the chapters in this book don't relate to one another (if you look carefully you can see in-jokes from her "rumic world" series), and why it's not untill the second graphic novel that they start to have some correlation. (mostly because her work was being published irregularly and inconsistently)

This book is a fine example about how things so completely bizarre can be taken so seriously. Her writing, although somewhat primitive (obviously showing how her writing has developed) is still as charming and exciting to read as any of her later work like Ranma, or Maison Ikkoku.

All of Rumiko Takahashi's work should be read, and one should not simply quite reading them because of computerized text or primitive drawings. Her work should be enjoyed and not dismissed.

This volume has "The Golden Gods of Poverty", all five parts of "Wasted Minds", and "The Enterpreneurial Spirit". "The Golden Gods of Poverty" was okay, and certainly strange, but it felt very weak. In the story, a boy named Sakae is used by his parents in an attempt to get money without any actual work. Instead of money, they get the Seven Lucky Gods. Unfortunately, these gods aren't very helpful. This story and the last one were the worst in the book.

The parts of "Wasted Minds" follows the adventures of three JCIA agents. There's Tamuro Gomi, who can teleport, but only from garbage to garbage, Yura Enjoji, who's really strong, and Sekoi, who is, I suppose, a regular human being. The "Wasted Minds" stories are the best in this volume, showing some of the quirkiness that can be found in Rumiko Takahashi's other works. There's also an attempt at romance, although I think that that should have been left out - it felt more like an afterthought, like it was tacked on. These stories made me laugh, but, once again, they weren't as good as some of the author's series.

The last story was about a school club trying to make money by charging people for seances. Unfortunately for the people trying to make money, things don't go entirely as planned. Really, that's all there is to the story - it's very short, shorter even than the first story in this volume. I didn't think it was very interesting or very funny, and it's probably the weakest story in this volume for me.

If you're a big fan of Rumiko Takahashi, you'll probably want to read this, but I don't think it's a keeper. Personally, I think it would be better to buy another Inu-yasha volume.

Rumic World Trilogy Vol 1 contains several great stories in comic form by Rumiko Takahashi. She has written several popular Japanese comics for girls. One story that sticks in my mind is about a Japanese girl who witnesses a huge explosion and is transferred back in time several hundred years. It is a romantic story, but contains some interesting surprises. Most of the stories have a sci-fi theme. One is about a girl possessed by evil spirits. Another is about Maris, a woman with superpowers in the future who is too strong for her own good. Another hilarious story is about a boy who is kidnapped by aliens, held hostage by sea-men, and interrogated by the secret service; all in one day! Many of her stories have interesting twists and romance. There is incidental nudity, and a few hints about adult situations, so I would not recommend this book for young children. Enjoy

This book is really very funny,intamate,and charming.I've heard great things about Rumiko Takahashi,and it's all true(unless the few of us without brains havn't guessed yet,this is the first book of hers I've bought.might I also add that I have no brain either^_^)Well,if you're still not convinced,I'll anilize it,k? 1.'Wedded Bliss'.In this first story a young married couple find out the joy of a good fight to relieve stress,much to the dissapointment of their neighbors.When they try to stop,or get evicted, it's the worst possible thing in the world.I really liked this one,because let's face it,it was just plain hilarious. 2.'That Darn Cat'.This is a little bit of Ms.Takahashi's own life when she is asked to look after a cat.Very funny. 3.'Cry For Help'.The laughs keep rolling in in this third story about a boy who cries louder than the explosion of an a-bomb when he's in trouble. With a little help(or is it?)from an alien he fends off his enemies. 4.'War Council'.Ever wonder what'd happen if three student cuncils were battling for right to plan the school's budget?Well,wonder no more.This entertaining tale will keep you laughing even after you're done reading it. 5.'When My Eyes Got Wings'.Unlike the other stoies, this one is more serious.Ii's about a sick little boy who falls in love with a Junior High girl.But this is no ordinary boy,which makes for a beautifully written story.This is one that makes the whole thing buying. 6.'Sleep And Forget'.Another wonderfully serious story(personally I like the serious ones better). I can't explain it other than to say that it has a little bit of horror,an intruiging plot,and is a love story.Yet another one that ultimately makes this worthwhile. 7.'The Face Pack'.This last story lets you down on a light note.It's about these kids who are into wearing masks,even in public.But they soon learn that masks are only used for entertainment,not for your own ends. That's it!Buy this book,you'll love it!I know I did.