France has shown its love and appreciation for manga in several ways, honoring manga artists, filmmakers, and others for their work. A couple of years ago, a Kaiju No. 8 mural was also spread across the National Library building in Paris, which speaks for itself.
Among such accolades, the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) is one of the greatest. It is awarded by the French government.
On Thursday, Rumiko Takahashi, author of Inuyasha and Urusei Yatsura was awarded the knighthood at the French ambassador’s residence in Tokyo.
A ceremony was also held at the residence, where Takahashi expressed her gratitude for the honor. She added that she was thrilled to see people in France appreciate her work that depicts everyday life in Japan and she is now inspired to work harder.
The French honor has also been awarded to Jiro Taniguchi (The Summit of the Gods), Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira), Leiji Matsumoto (Galaxy Express 999), Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball) and Go Nagai (Devilman).
Takeshi Kitano, filmmaker and actor; Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata; and Shigeru Miyamoto, video game designer known for Mario have also been honored with the same.
Rumiko Takahashi’s works have been popular, with many of them inspiring anime series like Inuyasha, Urusei Yatsura, and Ranma 1/2. Her latest work, MAO is currently ongoing since its launch in May 2019.
It is amazing to see other countries and cultures appreciating Japanese art and literature. We are sure that their love and passion for it will only increase, especially when we are getting to read some excellent work in the contemporary era.
About Urusei Yatsura
Urusei Yatsura is a manga series by Rumiko Takahashi. It has a total of 374 chapters and was published from 1978 to 1987. Its anime adaptation received 195 episodes from 1981 to 1986. A new anime adaptation with selected stories began airing in October 2022.
In the series, a humanoid alien race invades the Earth but agrees that if the protagonist wins in a game of tag, they will leave it unharmed. Ataru wins against the alien girl, Lum.
Lum misunderstands and thinks Ataru is proposing marriage, and starts living with him and joins his high school. Ataru is a trouble magnet and gets stuck in weird situations pretty often.
Source: Crunchyroll , Comic Natalie
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