Search - Urusei Yatsura, TV Series 1 (Episodes 1-4) on DVD

Sci-Fi? Romance? Drama? Yes!

Christopher Bubb | Saline, MI United States | 07/17/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Rumiko Takahashi's first major work illustrates why she is so popular, both in Japan and in the United States: there is literally no limit to her imagination. She comes up with the strangest ideas, stuff that will quite literally have you saying, "Whoa! I didn't expect THAT to happen!" and laughing yourself silly while you say that. And as much as RANMA ½ is my favorite of Takahashi's works, none of her works illustrate her vast imagination better than URUSEI YATSURA. It's a series that seems to throw in everything under the sun and then some - some episodes are sci-fi-oriented, some are pure drama, some are romantic comedies and some are nothing but good old-fashioned comedy. Fans of just about any genre of anime will find something to like here. I will admit, though, that it is quite jarring to have some of the stories end so abruptly without any real resolution... you're waiting for some kind of resolution and suddenly realize that the episode is over! That's why I think the best way to watch this series is to not try to figure it out or overanalyze it, but to just sit back, take it for what it is and enjoy. It's not as story-driven as Inuyasha, Maison Ikkoku, or the first season of Ranma, and first-time viewers may be put off by the apparently disjointed vibe, but it's still very enjoyable. These first four episodes are a good introduction to the characters and premise, but be forewarned - starting in episode one, URUSEI YATSURA starts pouring the wackiness on thick and then keeps it coming relentlessly until the DVD is over.

The old-fashioned animation style will undoubtedly jar some viewers, but keep in mind this was a TV series which as I write this is now a little over three years shy of being 30 years old. This series was an early directorial job for GHOST IN THE SHELL's Mamoru Oshii. Studio Pierrot, also known for YU YU HAKUSHO, MIDORI DAYS, and the early-years-of-Nickelodeon classic MYSTERIOUS CITIES OF GOLD (why the heck isn't THAT series on DVD?!), handled the animation, and though the animation is of varying quality, it's still decent for an early `80s TV series. (And it does get better as the series progresses.) The character voices fit the characters very well (Fumi Hirano as Lum - her debut voice role - and Kazuko Sugiyama as Ten are my favorites so far), and the opening theme "Lum's Love Song" (basically Lum scolding Ataru to stay away from other women because she "Loves him the best") is perhaps the catchiest anime theme song ever written. I don't speak a word of Japanese but I still find myself humming it! It captures the spirit of the series perfectly.

Unlike other comedy-oriented series, URUSEI YATSURA's greatest strength is in the characters. Stock characters they most certainly are not. Ataru is a womanizing jerk but yet not entirely unsympathetic and unlikeable - it's hard not to feel sorry for him when his mother says, "I never should've had him," or to admire him for simply letting his troubles roll off of him like water off a duck's back. Shinobu is an interesting character as well; she deplores Ataru's womanizing yet always seems willing to give him one more chance (which he inevitably blows, though not always through his own fault). And though I find myself agreeing with Ten (and just about everyone else) that Lum could do so much better than Ataru, she won't give up on him - obviously she sees something in him that no one else does. Yet it's also fun to note Lum's naivete when it comes to Earth ways and customs (i.e., she thinks it's perfectly natural to visit her "Darling" Ataru at school... in his classroom). I think Ten may actually be my favorite character thus far; it's fun to watch him torture Ataru with his fiery breath and with his constant stream of insults. Ten is probably the best at putting Ataru in his place when he needs it.

Even in the first four episodes, you notice many motifs that will be replayed in Takahashi's later works. Lum is a lot like Shampoo from Ranma, and Ten reminds me a lot of Inuyasha's Shippo. And then there's Lum's ex, the hunky but hopelessly stupid Rei (his name means "zero," and that describes him pretty well), whose transformation into a tiger when he gets angry seems to have presaged the water-induced transformations of Ranma.

As for there not being an English dub... AnimEigo did in fact release an English dub of the first two episodes, titled THOSE OBNOXIOUS ALIENS. It was never released on DVD and the VHS is long out of print now, but it's just as well, because the dubbing was terrible - and I say this as someone who actually likes and enjoys English dubs. Lum was given an accent that was so thick it made her hard to understand at times; Ataru's voice sounded like some kind of bumbling mad scientist; and don't even get me started on Shinobu, whose English VA sounded like she was SCREAMING HER LINES AT THE TOP OF HER LUNGS! I generally do like English dubs, but not this one - the only decent voices belonged to Ataru's parents, in fact. The dub was uncut and the dialogue almost exactly the same as the English subs, but the poor acting ruined it and it just smacked of lack of effort. If you ever get the chance to watch LUM THE INVADER GIRL, an English dub made by the BBC and aired in the UK a couple of years back on what is now BBC 3, watch it instead of THOSE OBNOXIOUS ALIENS. The dialogue is less faithful to the original Japanese, but the voice actors do a much better job, though it may be jarring (for American viewers) hearing anime characters speaking in a British rather than American dialect of English. Of course, you will get the best viewing experience by watching in the original Japanese with English subs, partly because there simply isn't any easy way to work in the many Japanese cultural references adequately into an English dub.

Parents be forewarned: some very mild and brief nudity, but much less than in RANMA ½. Should be suitable for ages 12 and up. I'd say there is more of a risk of hurting yourself by laughing too much than of being scarred by the sight of Lum's bare breasts in Episode One.

Simply put: if you are a fan of Rumiko Takahashi's later works, of 1980s anime or of old-school anime in general, you owe it to yourself to check out URUSEI YATSURA.
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