1978
January
February
March
April
May
June
June 11th2nd Shogakukan Newcomers Manga Award
2nd Shogakukan Newcomers Manga Award (第2回小学館新人コミック大賞) in the Shonen category have been announced in this week's issue of Weekly Shonen Sunday volume 26. This year the winner in the shonen category is Yoshimi Yoshimaro (吉見嘉麿) for D-1 which was published in this week's issue of Shonen Sunday. The other honorable mentions in addition to Rumiko Takahashi are Masao Kunitoshi (国俊昌生) for The Memoirs of Dr. Watson (ワトソン博士回顧録) which will be published in Shonen Sunday 1978 Vol. 27 and Hiroaki Oka (岡広秋) for Confrontation on the Snowy Mountains (雪山の対決) which will be published in a special edition of Shonen Sunday (週刊少年サンデー増刊号). Oka would also publish later under the name Jun Hayami (早見純). Source: Rumic World
June 20th
Rumiko Takahashi Sees Story Published
The recent runner up of the 2nd Shogakukan Newcomers Manga Award (第2回小学館新人コミック大賞) in the Shonen category is having her submission published in this week's issue of Shonen Sunday. It is rare for a runner up to see their work published, but apparently one author did not complete his work on time this week and so Takahashi-sensei's story was chosen as a fill-in. Entitled Katte na Yatsura (勝手なやつら/Those Selfish Aliens), the story finds a boy named Kei abducted by multiple groups of aliens and subjected to all manners of horrible machinations. Source: Rumic Theater
July
August
August 1stBelly Hole Published
Rumiko Takahashi has published a short story entitled Belly Hole (腹はらホール) in a supplemental issue of Big Goro magazine. The story sees a high school student named Minoru planning how to maximize Japan's food supply and unwittingly creating a time warp to what appears to be the Tenmei Era when famine was running rampant. Source: Rumic Theater
August 11th
Do Your Best in This Degenerate Age Published
Takahashi-sensei seems to really be taking off with Shogakukan as they are publishing another story by her entitled Do Your Best in This Degenerate Age (がんばり末世). Published in Monthly Shonen Sunday #8 the story sees teenager Daisuke Goko debating the Maitreya Buddha and becoming national celebrities! Source: Rumic Theater
August 30th
Urusei Yatsura Chapter 1
Unlucky student Ataru Moroboshi must play tag against an alien princess named Lum with the fate of the earth hanging in the balance. Source: Tomobiki-cho
September
September 1stThe Golden Gods of Poverty Published
Takahashi-sensei has another short story published to start the month off! Monthly Shonen Sunday #9 has The Golden Gods of Poverty (黄金の貧乏神). The story finds Sakae, a young boy who is subjected to bizarre experiments by his parents in hopes of making money. The boy tries to escape from them and ends up joining the pirate-like crew of the Seven Lucky Gods. Source: Rumic Theater
September 6th
Urusei Yatsura Chapter 2
An imp hounds Ataru as his miserable luck continues to attract odd creatures, however the monk Sakuranbo seems to be one of the weirdest of all. Source: Tomobiki-cho
September 13th
Urusei Yatsura Chapter 3
Ataru's school friends try to summon Lum to return to earth, but Ataru winds up getting pulled into a space taxi and runs up an incredible bill in the process. Source: Tomobiki-cho
September 20th
Urusei Yatsura Chapter 4
With Lum now back on Earth Ataru is trying to duck her and make time with his girlfriend, Shinobu. While escaping he meets a sickly woman named Sakura who is plagued by ghosts. Source: Tomobiki-cho
September 27th
Urusei Yatsura Chapter 5
Lum rains down lightning bolts as Ataru tries to meet up with Shinobu. In the conclusion Rumiko Takahashi thanks her readers for their support as she wraps up Urusei Yatsura with this chapter. Source: Tomobiki-cho
October
October 3rdA New Dojinshi?
It may be hard to track down, but it seems as though Rumiko Takahashi is still publishing some fan works with her dojinshi group at Japan Women's University. The four page story is titled A Band of Young Ruffians (不良青年団) and appears in Bibito volume 3. Spark Enjoji even shows up again! Source: Rumic Theater
October 18th
Student Work Published
It will be hard to find, but it seems that Takahashi-sensei has published another work under the name Kemo Kobiru. The piece, entitled Kemo's 24 Hours (けもの２４時間) is a four page work that follows Takahashi-sensei for 24 hours. As fans who get to see this we should feel lucky as the story was a graduation project for Kazuo Koike-sensei's Gekiga Sonjuku. If you can track down a copy of Koike Kazuo Gekiga Mura Jyaku Volume 2 read this autobiographical story for yourself. Source: Rumic Theater
November
November 20thUrusei Yatsura Chapter 6
It seems Urusei Yatsura has an extension as publication has shifted to Shonen Sunday Extra with the debut of a new character Rei arrives. Source: Tomobiki-cho
November 22nd
Urusei Yatsura Chapter 7
Back to Shonen Sunday for the latest chapter of Urusei Yatsura. Ataru travels to Neptune alongside his school chums and meets the snow princess Oyuki in this week's chapter. Source: Tomobiki-cho
November 26th
Gegika Sonjuku in the News
Mainichi Shimbun has a brief article and photo of the first graduating class of Kazuo Koike's Gekiga Sonjuku. Pictured from top left are: Atsushi Yamamoto, Kazuo Koike, Akira Sakuma, Marley Caribu, and Rumiko Takahashi. Source: Atsushi Yamamoto's Twitter
December
December 20thUrusei Yatsura Chapter 8
Publication has jumped back to Shonen Sunday Extra once again. Ataru's personality changes drastically due to becoming possessed by a drunken fox alien. As the alien's mate starts possessing others, Ataru's behavior becomes more and more outragous. Source: Tomobiki-cho