Legendary manga artist receives award at French ambassador’s residence in Tokyo.
As the creator of Inuyasha, Rumiko Takahashi has achieved a level of success that few manga artists have. What’s more, even if she’d never drawn a single page of that series, she’d still one of Japan’s most popular and admired comic artists, since she also created Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku, and Ranma 1/2.
In other words, Takahashi is a legend…and now she’s also a knight.
▼ Takahashi shared a photo of her award through her Twitter account.
On Thursday, Takahashi visited the residence of the French ambassador to Japan, where a ceremony was held to bestow upon her the title of Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, or Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters. First established in 1957, the award is conferred by the French Minister of Culture upon individuals who have made outstanding achievements in the fields of art and literature, either in its creation or its popularization within France or the rest of the world.
“I am grateful for this tremendous honor,” said Takahashi in a statement released by her publisher, Shogakukan. “It gives me great joy that my stories, which are based on everyday life in Japan, are enjoyed by the people of France.”
▼ We should point out, though, that “based on everyday life in Japan” and “exactly like everyday life in Japan” are two different things, as this clip from Ranma 1/2 illustrates.
With this, Takahashi joins fellow manga creators and previous Ordre des Arts et des Lettres award recipients Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira), Leiji Matsumoto (Galaxy Express 999, Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball), and Go Nagai (Devilman). However, there doesn’t seem to be any chance that this is going to lead to Takahashi resting on her laurels, as she also said:
“I will take this award as encouragement and continue working hard at drawing manga.”
Given Takahashi’s incredible work ethic, it’s really the only reaction any of us should have expected.
Source: Oricon News via Livedoor News via Hachima Kiko
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