Ataru Moroboshi is an unlucky student content on chasing
every girl he lays his eyes on. His luck
changes, not necessarily for the better, when a Alien invasion force come to
Earth and declares he must face their champion in a game of tag for the fate of
the planet. Ataru wins but soon finds
himself hopelessly engaged to the beautiful Oni Alien Girl Lum Invader. The invasion has opened Earths doors and now
Aliens and Demons are all coming to have a little fun with the blue planet. It
seems the whole galaxy wants a piece of Ataru, if Lum or half of planet Earth
doesn’t find a way to kill him first.
Like Fist of the North Star and Macross, Urusei Yatsura
is a staple of 80s Anime and one of the two megahit titles from Rumiko
Takahashi, alongside Ranma 1/2. I know
plenty of people who love the hell out of this show and some who continue to
cosplay it’s signature beautiful girl Lum Invader to this day at
conventions. I suppose it was inevitable
I’d find my way to this one. So, what
did I think of the first episode of this landmark Anime juggernaut? I actually liked it more than I thought.
Watching this first episode, comprised of two short
stories, kind of clears up a great many mysteries about random Urusei Yatsura
episodes I might’ve glimpsed from time to time.
The arrival of Lum and the introduction of hopeless, helpless oaf Ataru
are both immediate highlights and they’ll definitely be a fun pair to
observe. Ataru might be a bit of an
idiot but when the kid wants something, he goes for it. His surprise tactic that won his epic game of
tag with Lum (which also saved the planet from invasion) surprised me…in both
its lewdness and its genius. And what of
the fabulous Lum…damn I can see why she is still such a figurehead among the
many, many Anime heroines in history.
Wearing very little and rocking a killer bod, Lum knows she’s hot and
can charm anyone…except Ataru but as long as theyre on the verge of getting
married she’ll wear him down eventually.
The comedy of Urusei Yatsua still works even today. It feels random and outrageous which is very
much in line with modern day classics like FLCL or Gintama. Ataru cant pay for a universal speed hop
across two blocks: Aliens decide to suck up all of Earths oil and later return
it via rain. Lum can fly, so Ataru uses
a special gun to yank off her top and distract her. Random, all of it but nonetheless fun to
watch and it does produce some good laughs.
I should also note that this first episode and the first two seasons of
Urusei Yatsura are directed by Mamoru Oshii…yes Ghost in the Shell and Patlabor
Mamoru Oshii. Seeing him do something so
lighthearted is a bit strange ill admit, but then again I’ve only ever seen his
more introspective and somber films like the aforementioned Ghost in the Shell
or Patlabor 2. Still, he’s adapting
directly from a Manga so it all goes against that style im used to. Nothing wrong with it, just something to
note.
While it clocks in and around 200 episodes, Urusei
Yatsura might be a good background noise/welcome distraction from time to
time. Lum lives up to her sexy reputation
and the show is very funny. I can see
why this was a good entry point for Anime fans in the 80s and even the
90s. They do call certain shows Legends
for a reason.
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