Rumiko Takahashi Anthology - Primal Needs (Vol. 1)
As the title suggests, this OVA series (also known asRumic Theater) offers the anime equivalent of a short-story collection. The maladjusted characters in these brief tales suggest rejected lodgers from Takahashi'sMaison Ikkoku. Kyoko would certainly get along with Yukari in "Merchant of Romance," who struggles to keep her father's shabby wedding hall in business. Like Kyoko, Yukari remains blithely unaware of a not particularly secret admirer. In "The Tragedy of P," a housewife has to conceal a visiting penguin from a neighbor who is all too aware of everything that goes on in their apartment building. A weird variety of amnesia forces a businessman's selfish wife and son to re-examine their behavior in "Middle-Aged Teens."Anthologydoesn't offer the supernatural adventures ofInu-Yashaor the transgender comedy ofRanma 1/2, but Takahashi's stories provide solid entertainment. (Rated 7 and older, but more appropriate for ages 12 and older: alcohol and tobacco use)--Charles Solomon