Urusei Yatsura (2022)

Some may argue the Urusei Yatsura remake was not necessary and that it added nothing to the franchise. I disagree. I believe David Production did an awesome job revitalising a classic and making it accessible for a new generation while still keeping the same charm that made it so popular. As a massive fan of all of Takahashi Rumiko’s works I was really excited to hear we’d be getting more Urusei Yatsura. This series was revolutionary when it first came out and is recognised by many as the origin of many common tropes that we see every season in anime, most notably Lum as thefirst tsundere. I enjoyed the episodic slice of life/monster of the week style of storytelling and found the show to be an excellent way to wind down towards the end of the week. There’s not much of an overarching story going on, but over the course of the season we’re introduced to new characters who pretty much all personify some sort of archetype. While the show leans HEAVY into a lot of what are now considered common tropes, it’s important to remember that at the time these were innovative and new. I found the playful nature of every episode and the antics to be fun. It can be a bit repetitive at times, and Akaru is an idiot as an MC, but it just works for me and I love the characters. It’s important to note that this is not a 1:1 remake of the original either, so it should be a fun watch for fans of the original and newcomers. It’s still got the same general storyline, but they’ve changed some things up and tried to make a new experience. David Production used an art style that feels true to the original while also fitting in perfectly with modern anime. I love the shiny colours, the eyes, just designs in general were really good in this. The animation itself isn’t anything crazy since it’s a gimmick slice of life series, but quality remained top notch and consistent throughout. The OST, OP and ED for both cours were great too with wonderful performances from my favourite singer Minami. Urusei Yatsura is a solid modern interpretation of a classic series that really influenced all modern romance anime. It may not be perfect, but it’s a very enjoyable ride that offers loveable characters, some solid comedy and beautiful art. No complaints from me and I can’t wait to see what the next season brings. Urusei Yatsura remake gets 9 out of 10.

Nowdays, practically any anime can get resurrected from the dead including classic franchises. Mainstream shows such as Bleach got the continuation treatment while old school franchises like Bastard!! Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy got a new adaptation. What if I told you that Urusei Yatsura gets another chance in the modern age too? Just saying that almost sounds unbelievable. Remaking an anime always carries its risks. Fans expects a remake to match or even outperform the original. This is easily applied to the case for Urusei Yatsura, in which the manga series has gained an international audience. Expectations are high and when we got the announcement ofthe remake, it's obvious that fans wanted to get the most out of this show. After all, it did also influence other anime in the past and still continues to influence in the present. Mind you, Urusei Yatsura does something that should easily be accepted by viewers: to entertain. The Urusei Remake largely adapts the same premise as the original. I have not seen the original series but as a new viewer, the first few episodes accomplishes the series' intention to bring together two vastly different characters. Meet the ordinary Ataru Moroboshi and the not so normal, bubbly alien Lum. Almost like a fate-like scenario , the two are tied together by perhaps the biggest misunderstanding I've seen in recent anime. The word 'marriage' should be treated as an understatement because Ataru's life changes forever. In the meantime, Lum herself finds attracted to Ataru despite his high libido. And at that point, you have to ask yourself how these two can be together. Trust me, it's not that hard to see how a big misunderstanding managed to create such an unorthodox couple. The anime tosses common sense out of the window with Lum's childishness. Always seeking to impress Ataru, Lum becomes a testament of childness, like a kid trying to get their parents attention. It also doesn't help that Ataru is always trying to get Shinobu, his ex-girlfriend back to him. On most cases, it can take some time to tolerate the main cast. Characters such as Ataru, Lum, and Shinobu has a tendency to throw tandrums, and this occurs almost on a daily basis. The show also connects the three into a love polygon when we meet Shutaro Mendou, a young man who finds himself attracted to Lum. As you imagine, this sparks feelings of jealousy from Ataru and the rest is history. Really though, this anime tests characters' emotions at every chance it gets. Often times, these goes to extreme lengths with cases such as Lum and Ataru. The gag humor theme tag is appropriate for this show as the anime often doesn't take itself seriously. Even during moments that does, those moments pass quickly and we feel the cartoony gag humor as shown in every episode. Narratively speaking, the anime follows a sit-com format that connects the overarching themes together. However, many episodes consists of standalones that doesn't focus too much on plot depth or character development. If you're looking for a deeply engaging anime about character study and realistic romance, this is not the place. If you watch Urusei Yastura without a specific goal in mind, then it's probably for the best because this anime does its best when treated as entertainment. The idea of having a romance angle connecting two very incompatible characters draws in nothing less than daily shenanigans and drama. Whether it's at home, on the street, or at school, you can bet that Ataru's life is never the same again. With a colorful supporting cast such as Ran, Rei, Sakura, Ryuunosuke, and among others, the remake seems to never ran out of steam. Keep in mind that this just the first two-cours that consists of 23 episodes. We're only half way to go before this remake is fully over so brace yourself for another season of Urusei Yatsura entertainment. I have to applaud David Production for an outstanding job at bringing this remake to a modern audience. The promotional material lived up to its hype and manage to adapt this anime to the highest quality possible, while also maintaining an old school feel. The character designs looks vibrant that displays the alluring looks of Lum and butt monkey expressions of Ataru. It amplifies the humor gag by having characters react in overexaggerated ways that often pushes the boundaries of humor. Trust me, you'll be laughing a lot out of this show. And of course, you'll be bedazzled by the voice acting. I can say with supreme confidence that not only do the catchy theme songs live up to modern standards but the voice acting too. There's not one episode that I felt the characters felt out of place. On all accounts, the director, studio, and staff created this show for what it lives up to. We're fortunate to be living in an age where any anime can be resurrected and remade to gain a new audience. Urusei Yatsura is such an example that is so much more than just an anime. It's cultural sensation that has influenced other franchises and ultimately, one that deserved this remake. And with another 23 episodes awaiting on the horizon, it's time to get entertained.

‟One day, 40 years ago, Rumiko Takashi made a manga, waifu was born and the rest is history” Urusei Yatsura is a classic, a reference and a pioneer in the romcom genre, having this historic piece of japanese animation being remade in the beautiful craftsmanship of today's visuals, seiyuu and musics is a great honour for this anime, the idea of remaking a classic but way nicer is a nice way to make the new generation of anime fan enjoy grandpa anime peak, but does Urusei Yatsura (2022) fulfil this task and makes it an enjoyable watch ? Maybe, it's pretty complicated. It's sad to say,it had everything to be good, everything except this caveat, this thing that stuck with me the most during this watching, IT. IS. NOT. FUNNY. Before arguing, let me explain in the following paragraphs. It is VERY important to note that comedy and what you find funny is SUBJECTIVE, everyone has their own taste in comedy, and a certain person can find something extremely hilarous while their neighbour would have a straight and apathetic face, AND THAT'S OK. If you've found Urusei Yatsura funny, it's understandable, it's made to be funny and it's filled with silly jokes. But as for myself, this was the least funniest anime that I've seen yet. I haven't been able to enjoy more than 75% of the episodes because except thinking hmm ok and maybe a smile once or twice per episode, most random comedic story is very plain and 1D. I really feel like it's because the jokes are too old, most of them are simply unfunny and sometimes just wrong or malicious (it could work in a more enjoyable anime where something somewhat offensive could be used as something to bounce of and make something good out of it, but not there). It just keeps repeating itself and never tries to make it another way, it's just the same bland thing over and over that I cannot find to enjoy, which is a bummer compared to the rest. What's the rest ? Something quite qualitative I would say, and the reason why it's generally pretty acclaimed as something neat. Compared to the original anime adaptation that's still pretty old, it's not a question to ask if it's better now, because it obviously is, it's really like a ULTRA HD 4K HDR version of it (even though I could say that after a while the outsourcing kinda shows and that's unfortunate that David Production wasn't able to deliver fully for all 23 episodes of something that wasn't that hard to achieve) and graphics are one of the main way you can hook a random anime watcher to a certain anime, or else they will just say it looks shit/old and won't watch it, it's the most important part that they made in order for the new era of anime watchers to see this. Something that they definitively didn't cheap on are the seiyuu that they used for the characters. There is a plethora of them, and there is a pretty high likelihood and if you know a certain seiyuu, it will be featured in this anime, which is always epic to see and excite yourself about. The final thing I wanna mention that's so great about this anime are it's Openings and Ending, MAISONdes outdid themselves and literally made the best opening of 2022, it's an absolute banger and I'm very impressed by it, it's of course always secondary to the content and execution, but a very neat part of it. So yeah generally this anime is very polished and a lot of effort was put into it, which is a sign of quality. In a way, it's hard to determine if it's a good watch or not, outside of the peak that's episode 10 (won't say anything about it to avoid spoiling), I did not find it enjoyable, but that's only on a very subjective part of the anime, so I can't really say it's bad in any way, especially how strong the other parts of this anime is. I would probably say that the comedy is hit or miss, so it'll probably be up to you to determine if after 2-3 episodes you find it comedic or not, if you do, you'll most likely have a blast, if you find it unfunny, please stop, it's the exact same mistake being repeated over and over again, and I will have told you that it's not that funny. To conclude, the reboot of Urusei Yatsura is a cool idea, having already a season 2 announced might just make a best of everything the original manga and anime has to offer, in a way that anyone can enjoy, but I won't be watching that as for myself.

Gonna be honest I hate ataru, and all the protagonist like him. He really brought down this show for me, and from the sounds of it he is the reason all the others exist by setting the prescient. He is the always horny, flirting with every girl in sight, peeping on them, but the moment they give consent he suddenly loses all interest. It got real old fast honestly he brought down my enjoyment alot. It almost seems like he doesn't want to do sexy things unless the other person doesn't want it cause lum is head over heals, and he avoids her the wholeshow like a plague. Well not at first but the moment she shows interest. I liked the other characters and the animation and art looked great, but I don't know man just can't stand him even with my enjoyment of the other parts.

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