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Rumik World: Laughing Target
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"The Laughing Target" is a one-shot 50 minute OVA from 1987, based on the short comic by Rumiko Takahashi.
When Yuzuru was a child, he was betrothed to his 2nd cousin, Azusa. A decade later, with his family betrothal forgotten, he’s living the life of an average teenage high-schooler and he has a girlfriend, Satomi.
Azusa’s mother dies in a strange accident and Yuzuru’s father invites Azusa to stay at their house. Even though Yuzuru has paid no heed to the betrothal, Azusa has taken it very seriously and expects Yuzuru to fulfill their family expectations. When he was child, Yuzuru also promised her directly that he’d stay with her, and she took it to heart. When Azusa sees Yuzuru with Satomi, she tries to scare Satomi off, in the hope that Yuzuru will return to her; but instead, he goes back to Satomi. Azusa then decides she has to take care of Satomi… permanently. And that’s no idle threat; because unknown to Yuzuru, Azusa, due to a family curse, is a demon that feeds human flesh to hungry ghosts. Satomi tries to tell Yuzuru that Azusa is after her, but she can’t do it directly because Azusa is stalking her. Worse yet, Yuzuru, while aware that something strange is going on, is somewhat oblivious to Azusa’s actions.
"Laughing Target" is my favorite Rumiko Takahashi inspired Anime. Even though she’s an inhuman monster, Azusa is a sympathetic character. Her character is very much like Kikiyo from "Inuyasha", only her back-story isn’t as long or as convoluted. The more developed characters in the show are Azusa and Satomi. Yuzuru is just kind of sweet and dim. Still, he’s one of the luckier Rumiko Takahashi male characters, because he doesn’t have a “time of the month”, like Inuyasha, and he doesn’t change into a girl, like Ranma.
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