Urusei Yatsura (うる星やつら) is a Japanese manga series written and drawn by Rumiko Takahashi. It was published in Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday magazine from August 1978 to January 1987. The series has 366 chapters, which were collected into 34 book volumes. The story follows Ataru Moroboshi and an alien named Lum, who believes she is Ataru's wife after he accidentally proposes to her. The series uses many elements from Japanese mythology, culture, and wordplay. It was adapted into two anime TV series that aired on Fuji TV stations.
The manga was published again in different formats in Japan. Viz Media released the series in North America in the 1990s with titles such as Lum Urusei Yatsura and The Return of Lum, but stopped publishing after nine volumes. In 2019 to 2023, Viz Media reacquired the rights and released a single large book version with updated translations. The first anime TV series, made by Kitty Films, aired from October 1981 to March 1986 and had 194 half-hour episodes. Twelve OVAs (original video animations) and six movies were also made, and the series was released on home video formats. A second anime TV series, produced by David Production, aired from October 2022 to June 2024 on the Noitamina channel. This version is licensed by Sentai Filmworks and is available on Hidive.
The original TV series, OVAs, and five of the movies were released in North America with English subtitles and English versions of the movies by AnimEigo. These releases included extra information to help people understand the cultural references and jokes in the series. The remaining movie, Beautiful Dreamer, was released with both Japanese and English versions by Central Park Media. Five movies and the OVAs are also available in the United Kingdom from MVM Films. The series was shown on television in Southeast Asia under the title Lamu the Invader Girl. Discotek Media reacquired the rights to release the series and movies on Blu-ray.
Urusei Yatsura helped launch Rumiko Takahashi's career and was well-received by fans and critics in Japan and around the world. The manga has sold over 35 million copies, making it one of the best-selling manga series ever. In 1980, it won the 26th Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōnen category. In 1987, it received the 18th Seiun Award for Best Comic.
Plot
An alien group called the Oni arrives on Earth with the goal of taking control. Instead of using force, the Oni offer humans a chance to prove they deserve to stay on Earth by participating in a competition. The competition is a version of the game tag, known as "the game of the Oni" in Japanese. In this game, a human player must touch the horns on the head of an Oni player within one week. The human chosen by a computer to play is Ataru Moroboshi, a high school student from Tomobiki Town in Nerima, Japan. He is described as someone who often has bad luck, is not successful in school, and has interests that are not always appropriate. The Oni player is Lum, the daughter of the leader of the alien group. At first, Ataru is unwilling to join the competition, but he becomes interested after meeting Lum. When the competition begins, Lum surprises everyone by flying away, making it hard for Ataru to catch her. Before the final day, Ataru’s girlfriend, Shinobu Miyake, promises to marry him if he wins. On the last day of the competition, Ataru wins by taking Lum’s bikini top, which causes her to focus on protecting her modesty instead of her horns. After winning, Ataru celebrates by expressing his happiness about the possibility of marriage. Lum misunderstands this as a proposal and accepts during a live television broadcast. Despite this confusion, Lum grows fond of Ataru and moves into his home.
Ataru shows little interest in Lum and tries to reconnect with Shinobu. However, Lum often interrupts their relationship, causing Shinobu to lose interest in Ataru. Ataru continues to act in ways that are not appropriate, even with Lum’s attention. Lum tries to stop him, and as a result, Ataru receives electric shocks from her. Two traits of Ataru are especially noticeable: his interest in things that are not appropriate and his tendency to experience bad luck, which brings unusual people from Earth, the spirit world, and even the galaxy into his life. Later, Lum begins attending the same school as Ataru, despite his objections. She gains a group of admirers among the school’s boys, including Shutaro Mendo, a wealthy and attractive young man who is admired by many girls in Tomobiki. Although some of Lum’s admirers are interested in her romantically, none attempt to separate her from Ataru. However, they try to punish Ataru for his behavior and interfere when he and Lum spend time together.
Production
In 1977, Rumiko Takahashi wrote a short story called Those Selfish Aliens, which was considered for an award called Shogakukan's Best New Comic Artist. This story later became the foundation for Urusei Yatsura, a comic series that first appeared a year later when Takahashi was 20 years old. Urusei Yatsura was her first major comic work, as she had only published short stories before. The series mixes romantic comedy, science fiction, stories about everyday life, and Japanese folktales. The title is a pun in Japanese, using the word urusai (meaning "noisy" or "annoying") but written with the kanji for "planet." This makes the title roughly mean "Those Obnoxious Aliens" in English. The series first appeared in Weekly Shonen Sunday, a comic magazine, in September 1978. At the start, the series was planned to last only five chapters. Ataru was the main character, and each chapter introduced a new strange character. Lum, a character who later became popular, was only meant to appear in the first chapter but was brought back in the third. The series did not become popular right away, and chapters were published irregularly because Takahashi was still in university. Between May and September 1978, she also worked on another comic called Dust Spot. However, as Urusei Yatsura gained more readers, she focused on it, and the series became a regular part of the magazine starting in mid-1979.
Takahashi said she dreamed about the world of Urusei Yatsura since she was young. She explained that the series includes everything she wanted to create. She chose science fiction because it allows for creative freedom. She wanted to surprise readers with unexpected scenes and used slapstick comedy to make readers laugh. When she ran out of ideas, she created new characters. While working on the comic, she lived in a small apartment with her assistants and slept in a closet because there was not enough space. She also started working on another comic called Maison Ikkoku, using her experiences from university and Urusei Yatsura to shape its setting. Character names often have hidden meanings. For example, Ataru Moroboshi means "hit by a star," referencing the aliens and people around him. Shinobu suggests a patient person, but the character is actually quite different. The setting, Tomobiki, means "friend taking." It was also the name of a day in an old Japanese calendar where people believed no one would win or lose, and funerals rarely happened on this day. The character Lum was named after Agnes Lum, a famous model in the 1970s. Lum used the word "Darling" when talking to Ataru to show she was from another country and to play on the name Darrin, a character from a TV show.
In the first anime adaptation of Urusei Yatsura, characters like Megane, Perm, Kakugari, and Chibi appear as nameless fans of Lum, but they are less common after another character, Mendo, is introduced. In contrast, the character Kosuke Shirai plays a major role in the comic but does not appear in the first anime. His role is often taken by Perm in the anime. The second half of the first anime is closer to the comic than the first half. In 2022, Takahashi said the series ended because she saw that the character Shinobu was happy after another character, Inaba, was introduced. She has stated she will not create any more content for Urusei Yatsura.
Media
Urusei Yatsura, written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi, began appearing in Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday magazine on August 30, 1978. It first appeared in the magazine's 39th issue and became a regular feature by mid-1979. The series ended on January 21, 1987, in the eighth issue of that year. It had published 366 chapters and nearly 6,000 pages. Between 1980 and March 1987, 34 volumes were released in tankōbon format, each containing 11 chapters. After the series' tenth anniversary in 1989, 15 wideban editions were published between July 1989 and August 1990. Each wideban volume had about 25 chapters, higher-quality paper, and new inserts. A bunkoban edition with 17 volumes was released between August 1998 and December 1999. Each bunkoban volume included forewords by other manga creators about the series' influence. A "My First Big" edition, similar to tankōbon but with lower-quality paper and cheaper prices, was printed from July 2000 to September 2004. A shinsoban edition with 34 volumes was released between November 17, 2006, and March 18, 2008. These volumes had new cover art and included artwork from current manga artists.
Viz Media licensed the series for English release in North America as Lum Urusei Yatsura. The series started well but was canceled after eight issues. It later returned in the magazine Animerica and was retitled The Return of Lum. Chapters were first published monthly in Animerica, but due to reader interest, it became a separate monthly publication. The English release ended in 1998 and is now out of print. The first 11 Japanese volumes were covered, but some chapters were omitted, and nine English volumes were released.
On July 19, 2018, Viz Media re-licensed the manga for a new 2-in-1 omnibus edition with updated translations. Based on the Japanese shinsoban format, the first volume was published on February 19, 2019, and the final volume on February 19, 2023.
The series was adapted into an animated television show by Kitty Films. It aired on Fuji TV from October 14, 1981, to March 19, 1986. Each episode combined two 15-minute stories, totaling 194 episodes with 213 stories. The first 106 episodes were directed by Mamoru Oshii, and the rest by Kazuo Yamazaki. Six opening themes and nine closing themes were used during the series.
The first VHS release of the series in Japan occurred on December 10, 1983. It was also released on 50 LaserDiscs. A second VHS release began in March 1998 and ended in April 2000. Two DVD box sets were released between December 2000 and March 2001, followed by 50 individual DVD volumes between August 2001 and August 2002. To celebrate the series' 35th anniversary, a new HD transfer was created and released on Blu-ray in Japan. The first Blu-ray box set was released on March 27, 2013, with the fourth box set released on March 26, 2014. The anime was rebroadcast in high definition on Kids Station to promote the Blu-ray releases.
In 1992, AnimEigo licensed the series for North American release. Their VHS version began in October 1992 and was among the first subtitled anime titles in North America. The release schedule was inconsistent, and the episodes were also released on LaserDisc in 1993. The first two episodes were released with an English dub in 1995 as Those Obnoxious Aliens. Anime Projects released the series in the United Kingdom in April 1994. AnimEigo later released the series on DVD in box sets and individual volumes. Between March 2001 and June 2006, 10 box sets and 50 individual DVDs were released. Each DVD and VHS included liner notes explaining cultural references and puns from the series. A fan group called "Lum's Stormtroopers" convinced KTEH, a California public television station, to broadcast subtitled episodes in 1998. AnimEigo's license expired, and the series is now out of print in North America as of September 2011. An improvised English dub of the first and third episodes was broadcast on BBC Choice in 2000 as Lum the Invader Girl. Discotek Media announced they licensed the anime series during their Otakon 2022 panel.
On January 1, 2022, a second television series adaptation was announced and premiered on Fuji TV's Noitamina block on October 14, 2022. The series is produced by David Production and directed by Takahiro Komei, Hideya Takahashi, and Yasuhiro Kimura. Yūko Kakihara wrote the scripts, and Naoyuki Asano and Masaru Yokoyama composed the music. The series is planned for 46 episodes, divided into two seasons of two cours each. The first season aired from October 2022 to March 2023, and the second season from January to June 2024. Sentai Filmworks licensed the series for release in North America, Europe, Oceania, and parts of Latin America and Asia.
During the first television series, four theatrical films were made. Urusei Yatsura: The Movie was released in 1981, directed by Mamoru Oshii. Urusei Yatsura: The Second Movie followed in 1982. *Urusei Y
Reception
By November 2020, more than 35 million copies of Urusei Yatsura were sold. In 1985, the series made ¥10 billion (about $91.12 million) from selling merchandise. The manga won the 26th Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōnen category in 1980. It also received the "Best Comic" award at the 18th Seiun Award in 1987. In a 2021 poll by TV Asahi called Manga Sōsenkyo, where 150,000 people voted for their favorite 100 manga series, Urusei Yatsura ranked 61st.
In Manga: The Complete Guide, Jason Thompson described Urusei Yatsura as a mix of funny, science fiction, fairy-tale, and ghost-story elements with many cute female characters. He noted that Lum, a character in the series, is known as "the original otaku dream girl." He gave the series four stars out of four. Graham Higgins of The Independent praised the series, comparing the experience of reading it to "channel-hopping between The Outer Limits, Neighbours, and Star Trek." Fred Schodt, in an interview with Ex.org, was surprised by the popularity of the original English version of the manga, as he thought cultural differences might cause problems. Arpad Lep of Comics Beat called the 2019 English release of the manga an impressive and essential debut by a living legend of comics. He said the story shows many themes and styles that appear in the author’s other works and compared the art to that of Go Nagai. Lep noted that the author, Takahashi, creates strong physical comedy and that the series keeps its humor fresh with recurring characters like a frustrated girlfriend, a lazy hero, and a mischievous yokai.
RightStuf wrote that Takahashi is good at creating characters who interact well with each other. Lum, who is usually calm and innocent but sometimes angry, contrasts well with Ataru, who is often foolish and lazy. Nick Benefield of Operation Rainfall liked that each chapter can be read in any order and that the manga uses many puns, visual jokes, and parodies of other works. He did not like some translation choices by Viz, such as using too much American slang and leaving terms like "Oni" and "Karasutengu" untranslated, but he said the translation improved from the 1990s version. Elias Rosner of Multiversity Comics praised Takahashi’s clear artwork, expressions, and timing for slapstick comedy. He said that while the artwork is lively and the humor is sharp, Urusei Yatsura may not appeal to everyone. He noted that the first volume introduces the strange world and characters well and that the series has remained strong for over 40 years. Fans of Takahashi’s work will enjoy seeing her storytelling journey, which began with this series.
Influence and legacy
The series is said to have influenced other works, such as Tenchi Muyo! and Love Hina, according to Jonathan Clements in Schoolgirl Milky Crisis: Adventures in the Anime and Manga Trade. Tokyo Movie Shinsha created the series Galaxy High School for CBS in an effort to make a similar show for American audiences. In this version, the story is changed so that humans attend a high school for aliens.
In 1993, a band from Glasgow was formed under the name "Urusei Yatsura" as a tribute. In 2015, a life-size bronze statue of Lum was built at Ōizumi-gakuen Station.
Use of Japanese culture
The series is a good place to learn about Japanese culture and mythology. The manga uses a lot of Japanese literature, stories, history, and pop culture. Examples include The Tale of Genji and Urashima Tarō. Many characters in the series are based on creatures from myths. Sometimes, the creatures themselves appear in the story, and other times, characters are designed to have traits from these mythical beings.
The stories use these mythological elements to create jokes and compare them to the original myths. For example, the Oni choose a game of tag to decide their contest with Earth because the Japanese word for tag, Onigokko, means "game of the Oni." When Ataru grabs Lum's horns during their contest and she misunderstands his statement that he can get married, it refers to the myth that grabbing the horns of an Oni can make your dream come true.