Ask John: Why More Inuyasha Anime Instead of Rin-ne?

Question:
Does the fact that Inuyasha is getting more anime mean Rin-ne is already bombing in Japan?

Answer:
I don’t know exactly how well Rin-ne is performing, but its success probably has little to do with the upcoming Inuyasha revival. In fact, Inuyasha may be getting revived in anime form specifically because creator Rumiko Takahashi’s new manga serial has reinvigorated Japanese consumer interest in her previous work. Nearly all of Rumiko Takahashi’s professional manga has been adapted into anime: Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku, Ranma 1/2, Inuyasha, the “Mermaid Saga,” Laughing Target, Maris the Chojo, Fire Tripper, One Pound Gospel. (Maison Ikkoku and One Pound Gospel have also had live action adaptations.) So an anime adaptation of Rin-ne is almost inevitable. But since Rin-ne just premiered this past April, the story is still so young that there’s certainly not enough of it completed yet to sustain an anime adaptation. Maybe we’ll see a lengthy second Inuyasha TV series followed by a Rin-ne TV series. A situation like that would mirror past precedent. The final episode of the Urusei Yatsura television series aired on March 19, 1986, and the Maison Ikkoku TV anime premiered the following week. After airing for almost exactly two years, Maison Ikkoku ended. Then the Ranma 1/2 TV anime premiered just slightly over a year later.