Urusei yatsura (1981–1986)

The series begins when aliens from the planet Oniboshi invade Earth. They agree to leave only if Earth's champion can defeat the Oni champion in a game of tag within a ten-day time limit. ... See full summary »

Creator:

Rumiko Takahashi

Stars:

Fumi Hirano, Toshio Furukawa, Saeko Shimazu

Cast

Series cast summary:
Fumi Hirano	...	Lum (192 episodes, 1981-1986)
Toshio Furukawa	...	Ataru Moroboshi (192 episodes, 1981-1986)
Saeko Shimazu	...	Shinobu (150 episodes, 1981-1986)
Akira Kamiya	...	Mendou (149 episodes, 1981-1986)
Shigeru Chiba	...	Megane (137 episodes, 1981-1986)
Ichirô Nagai	...	Cherry (134 episodes, 1981-1986)
Kazuko Sugiyama	...	Ten-chan (117 episodes, 1981-1986)
Issei Futamata	...	Chibi (116 episodes, 1981-1986)
Akira Murayama	...	Perm (112 episodes, 1981-1986)
Shinji Nomura	...	Kakugari (97 episodes, 1981-1986)
Natsumi Sakuma	...	Ataru's Mother (91 episodes, 1981-1986)
Kenichi Ogata	...	Ataru's Father (81 episodes, 1981-1986)
Tomohiro Nishimura	...	Kotatsu Neko (81 episodes, 1982-1986)
Michihiro Ikemizu	...	Onsen Mark (80 episodes, 1982-1986)
Machiko Washio	...	Sakura (77 episodes, 1981-1986)

Storyline

The series begins when aliens from the planet Oniboshi invade Earth. They agree to leave only if Earth's champion can defeat the Oni champion in a game of tag within a ten-day time limit. Earth's champion, randomly selected by the aliens, is Ataru Moroboshi, a Japanese teenager with highly overactive hormones. The alien competitor turns out to be the curvaceous Lum, so Ataru relishes the idea of having to catch this beauty. However, his attitude changes when he discovers that Lum can fly. When things start looking desperate for the Earth, Ataru's girlfriend, Shinobu offers to tie the knot if he succeeds, and on the last day, when he finally catches Lum, he declares his intentions to be married. Lum misunderstands this as a proposal and eagerly agrees, since she has become smitten with Ataru. He tries to disengage himself, but Lum is adamantly faithful and demonstrates a willingness to use her natural ability to generate electric shocks to keep her "husband" in line. Later in the ...

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Plot Keywords:

alien | based on comic | high school | ufo | slapstick | 

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Genres:

Animation | Comedy | Sci-Fi

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Details

Official Sites:

STUDIO PIERROT CO., LTD. [jp] (japanese) - Lam page

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

14 October 1981 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Those Obnoxious Aliens

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fuji Television Network, Kitty Films, Studio Gallop

Technical Specs

Runtime:

23 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The oni reference Japanese mythology. In many Japanese tales (including "Momotaro, the Peach Boy") Oni were analogous to demons, and were known for committing horrific acts on humans. They were described as having a horn or horns, being primitive and wearing animal skins. In some myths, they also had control of the weather. Male oni were hideous and violent, where as oni women were beautiful but posessed of a fierce temper and jealousy.

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Quotes

[repeated line]
Ataru's Mother: Oh, I never should have had him.

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Crazy Credits

During the end credits, we see Lum dance to the song "space is weird" and after the credits close we see the cast in a big crowd and a Dappya monster falls on Ataru's head.

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Connections

Followed by Urusei Yatsura 4: Ramu za fôebâ (1986)

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Soundtracks

"Open Invitation"
Written by Ralph McCarthy and Mebae Miyahara
Music by Yûichirô Oda
Arranged by Mikkî Yoshino (as Micky Yoshino)
Performed by Cindy
Courtesy of Kitty Records
(Closing theme Season 7)

User Reviews

Boy Mets Alien!

No doubt about it, Urusei Yatsura was one of the best anime series of the 80's. This tale of an alien princess, Lum, in love with the world's biggest lecher, Ataru, could only come from the wild mind of Rumiko Takahashi.

This fantastic comedy/sci-fi/romance is full of memorable characters like Ten, Sakura, Mendo, Shinobu, Ryunosuke, Ran, Cherry and a lot of others. The stories will have you busting out laughing and the animation is pretty good by 80's standards. The voice actors are all first rate, but a special round of applause must be given to Fumi Hirano for her portrayal of Lum. It's just to perfect for words.

So if you're an anime fan, your collection isn't complete without some UY in it. Da'cha!