HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Rumiko Takahashi is a Japanese manga artist. With a career of several commercially successful works, beginning with '' Urusei Yatsura'' in 1978, Takahashi is one of Japan's best-known and wealthiest manga artists. Her works are popular worldwide, where they have ...
's ''
Urusei Yatsura is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It was serialized in Shogakukan's ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from September 1978 to February 1987. Its 366 individual chapters were published in 34 ''tankōbon'' volume ...
'', a Japanese
anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
and
manga Manga ( Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is ...
series, has six films and twelve OVA releases. During the television run of the series, four theatrical films were produced. '' Urusei Yatsura: Only You'' was directed by
Mamoru Oshii is a Japanese filmmaker, television director and writer. Famous for his philosophy-oriented storytelling, Oshii has directed a number of acclaimed anime films, including '' Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer'' (1984), '' Angel's Egg'' (1985) ...
and began showing in Japanese cinemas on February 11, 1983. '' Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer'' was also directed by Mamoru Oshii and was released on February 11, 1984. ''Urusei Yatsura 3: Remember My Love'' was directed by Kazuo Yamazaki and released on January 26, 1985. ''Urusei Yatsura 4: Lum the Forever'' was directed again by Kazuo Yamazaki and released on February 22, 1986. After the conclusion of the television series, two more films were produced. A year after the television series finished, ''Urusei Yatsura: The Final Chapter'' was directed by
Satoshi Dezaki is an anime director, producer, and screenwriter. After graduating from Tokyo Metropolitan North High School, he attended Hosei University. His younger brother was the late anime director Osamu Dezaki. Brief history Dezaki was born in Tokyo, J ...
and was released on February 6, 1988 as a tenth anniversary celebration. It was shown as a double bill with a ''
Maison Ikkoku is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It was serialized in Shogakukan's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Big Comic Spirits'' from 1980 to 1987, with the chapters collected into 15 ''tankōbon'' volumes. ' ...
'' film. The final film, ''Urusei Yatsura: Always My Darling'' was directed by Katsuhisa Yamada and was released on November 2, 1991. In North America, ''Beautiful Dreamer'' was released by
Central Park Media Central Park Media, often abbreviated as CPM, was an American multimedia entertainment company based in New York City, New York and was headquartered in the 250 West 57th Street building in Midtown Manhattan (on the corner of Central Park, henc ...
. The remaining five films were released by
AnimEigo AnimEigo is an American entertainment company that licenses and distributes anime, samurai films and Japanese cinema. Founded in 1988 by Robert Woodhead and Roe R. Adams III, the company was one of the first in North America dedicated to lic ...
in North America and
MVM Films MVM Entertainment, also known as MVM and MVM Films, is a British licensor and distributor of Japanese animation. The company also sub-licenses anime titles from US anime companies such as Media Blasters, Geneon, Nozomi Entertainment, Urban Visio ...
in the United Kingdom. After re-releasing ''Beautiful Dreamer'' in North America in 2018,
Discotek Media Discotek Media is an American entertainment company based in Altamonte Springs, Florida, focused on distribution and licensing Japanese anime, films, and television series. Formed in 2005, Discotek primarily focuses on licensing retro titles fr ...
acquired the rights to the other five films in 2020. On September 24, 1985, the special ''Ryoko's September Tea Party'' was released, consisting of a mixture of previously broadcast footage along with 15 minutes of new material. Almost a year later on September 15, 1986, ''Memorial Album'' was released, also mixing new and old footage. On July 18, 1987, the TV special ''Inaba the Dreammaker'' was broadcast before being released to video. It was followed by ''Raging Sherbet'' on December 2, 1988, and by ''Nagisa's Fiancé'' four days later on December 8, 1988. ''The Electric Household Guard'' was released on August 21, 1989 and followed by ''I Howl at the Moon'' on September 1, 1989. They were followed by ''Goat and Cheese'' on December 21, 1989 and ''Catch the Heart'' on December 27, 1989. Finally, ''Terror of Girly-Eyes Measles'' and ''Date with a Spirit'' were released on June 21, 1991. The OVA's were released in North America by
AnimEigo AnimEigo is an American entertainment company that licenses and distributes anime, samurai films and Japanese cinema. Founded in 1988 by Robert Woodhead and Roe R. Adams III, the company was one of the first in North America dedicated to lic ...
who released them individually over 6 discs. AnimEigo produced dubs for the DVD releases. On December 23, 2008, a new special was shown for the first time at the ''It's a Rumic World'' exhibition of Rumiko Takahashi's works. Entitled ''The Obstacle Course Swim Meet'', it was the first animated content for the series in 17 years. On January 29, 2010, a boxset was released featuring all of the recent Rumiko Takahashi specials from the Rumic World exhibition. Entitled ''It's a Rumic World'', the boxset contains ''The Obstacle Course Swim'' meet as well as a figure of Lum. The OVAs are not true OVAs, however, as they were all released theatrically prior to being released on video.


''Only You''

Release date: February 13, 1983, dubbed 2003. was released in 1983. The guest characters include Elle, another alien princess, who is in charge of Planet Elle. 6-year-old
Ataru Moroboshi is a fictional character and protagonist of Rumiko Takahashi's manga and anime series ''Urusei Yatsura''. Appearances In ''Urusei Yatsura'' Ataru is a 17-year-old student at Tomobiki High School, Class 2-4. Born during a major earthquake in ...
steps on Elle's shadow during an impromptu game of shadow-tag; in Elle's culture, this is viewed as a marriage proposal. Eleven years later, Elle returns to Earth in order to marry Ataru — by which time not only had he forgotten the events of his childhood, but he was also going out with Lum. The rest of the plot focuses on Lum's attempts to prevent the marriage. The film was directed by
Mamoru Oshii is a Japanese filmmaker, television director and writer. Famous for his philosophy-oriented storytelling, Oshii has directed a number of acclaimed anime films, including '' Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer'' (1984), '' Angel's Egg'' (1985) ...
, who was mad at the many requests that the producer made of him to alter the film.
Rumiko Takahashi is a Japanese manga artist. With a career of several commercially successful works, beginning with '' Urusei Yatsura'' in 1978, Takahashi is one of Japan's best-known and wealthiest manga artists. Her works are popular worldwide, where they have ...
considers this film her favorite and it is the most true to the original series. A subtitled
Laserdisc The LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium, initially licensed, sold and marketed as MCA DiscoVision (also known simply as "DiscoVision") in the United States in 1978. Its diameter typical ...
of the film was released by
AnimEigo AnimEigo is an American entertainment company that licenses and distributes anime, samurai films and Japanese cinema. Founded in 1988 by Robert Woodhead and Roe R. Adams III, the company was one of the first in North America dedicated to lic ...
in North America on September 25, 1993.


Additional cast

*
Yoshiko Sakakibara is a Japanese actress, voice actress and narrator. Career In 1981, she made her voice actor debut as Flore in ''Six God Combination Godmars''. She also narrates many news programs, especially as a main narrator for TV Asahi News Station for o ...
as ''Elle'' *
Hisako Kyouda Hisako is a Japanese name for females. Although written romanized the same way, the kanji can be different. ''Hisako'' may refer to: * Hisako Arakaki (born 1977), J-pop singer * Hisako Hibi (born 1907), Japanese painter *Hisako Higuchi (born 1945 ...
as ''Babara'' *
Yuko Maruyama is a Japanese volleyball player who plays for NEC Red Rockets. Profiles *Her father was a volleyball player of NEC. Clubs *MatsumotoShonan High School → NEC Red Rockets is a women's volleyball team based in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan. I ...
as ''Rose'' * Kazuyo Aoki as ''Commander'' *
Bin Shimada Bin Shimada ( ja, 島田 敏, Shimada Bin; born November 20, 1954) is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narratorDoi, Hitoshi.Shimada Bin. ''Seiyuu Database''. July 17, 2010Archivedby WebCite July 20, 2010. affiliated with the talent management fir ...
as ''Assistant Commander'' *
Shiori is a Japanese feminine given name. Possible writings Shiori can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *栞, "bookmark / guide" *撓, "lithe" *詩織, "poem, weave" *汐里, ''tide, village'' The name can also be written in ...
as ''Elle (young)'' *Kazuki Suzuki as ''Child A'' *Nariko Fujieda as ''Child B''


''Beautiful Dreamer''

Release date: February 11, 1984, dubbed 1996. is the second ''
Urusei Yatsura is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It was serialized in Shogakukan's ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from September 1978 to February 1987. Its 366 individual chapters were published in 34 ''tankōbon'' volume ...
'' film. Like its predecessor, ''Beautiful Dreamer'' borrows heavily from the Japanese
fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful beings. In most cult ...
of
Urashima Tarō is the protagonist of a Japanese fairy tale (''otogi banashi''), who in a typical modern version is a fisherman rewarded for rescuing a turtle, and carried on its back to the Dragon Palace (Ryūgū-jō) beneath the sea. There he is entertained ...
. Writer/director
Mamoru Oshii is a Japanese filmmaker, television director and writer. Famous for his philosophy-oriented storytelling, Oshii has directed a number of acclaimed anime films, including '' Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer'' (1984), '' Angel's Egg'' (1985) ...
, unsatisfied with how the first film, ''Only You'', had developed, rejected the idea of catering to audience expectations and decided to do the film his own way. This almost caused Takahashi to reject the script because it deviated so far from the original story. Even though the film is generally well-loved by English-speaking fans, when it was first released in Japan the response was not as favorable. Criticism was especially given towards Oshii, generally from the fan community. As a result, Oshii quit working on the production of ''Urusei Yatsura'' and went on to do other more experimental projects. Despite this, the film has been referred to by most fans as the best film in the ''Urusei Yatsura'' series.


Additional cast

*
Takuya Fujioka was a Japanese actor. He is most famous for playing the role of Daikichi Okakura on the television drama series ''Wataru Seken wa Oni Bakari''. Fujioka attended Kwansei Gakuin University but dropped out because of illness. His first starring ro ...
as ''Mujaki''


''Remember My Love''

Release date: January 26, 1985, dubbed 2003. is the third ''Urusei Yatsura'' film. The guest characters are: * Ruu, a mysterious boy bent on fixing Lum's life * Lahla, Ruu's tutor, who tries to get things set straight The third film finds Ataru transformed into a pink
hippopotamus The hippopotamus ( ; : hippopotamuses or hippopotami; ''Hippopotamus amphibius''), also called the hippo, common hippopotamus, or river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of only two exta ...
, which sends Lum chasing after the wicked magician responsible, with catastrophic results. With Lum gone, her friends decide that there is no reason to remain, and so Tomobiki slowly returns to normal. The highlight of the film is a high speed chase scene with an angry Lum flying after the mysterious Ruu through the city at night and into a hall of mirrors (and illusion). Ataru's true feelings for Lum are probably more obvious in this film than any of the others. The film grossed () at the Japanese box office, becoming the year's eighth highest-grossing Japanese film. A subtitled Laserdisc was released by
AnimEigo AnimEigo is an American entertainment company that licenses and distributes anime, samurai films and Japanese cinema. Founded in 1988 by Robert Woodhead and Roe R. Adams III, the company was one of the first in North America dedicated to lic ...
in North America on January 19, 1994.


Additional cast

*
Mitsuo Iwata is a Japanese actor, voice actor and singer who was born in Tokorozawa, Saitama.Endo, Akira et al. "Voice Actor Spotlight". (November 2006) ''Newtype USA''. pp. 110-111. He is married to voice actress Rikako Aikawa. Mania.com praised him as "tr ...
as ''Ruu'' *
Sumi Shimamoto , real name , is a Japanese actress, voice actress and narrator of film and anime and video games. After graduating from the Toho Gakuen College of Drama and Music, she joined Gekidan Seinenza, a theatrical acting troupe. She is currently indepen ...
as ''Lahla'' * Masako Sugaya as ''Oshima'' *
Hisako Kyouda Hisako is a Japanese name for females. Although written romanized the same way, the kanji can be different. ''Hisako'' may refer to: * Hisako Arakaki (born 1977), J-pop singer * Hisako Hibi (born 1907), Japanese painter *Hisako Higuchi (born 1945 ...
as ''Old Lady''


''Lum the Forever''

Release date: February 22, 1986, dubbed 2004. is the fourth ''Urusei Yatsura'' film. Guest characters include Tarōzakura, the great cherry tree. A horror film production comes to town, casting the cast of the series as extras in the production. But when the director orders the cutting down of a cursed great cherry tree called Tarōzakura, the remains of the tree curses Lum by way of removing her horns and powers. The quest to restore Lum's demon powers puts Ataru at odds with the spirit of the tree, who forces the cast of the slasher film to believe they are their roles as it seeks vengeance upon the film crew. There was also released on 15 February 1986 a documentation about the film.


Additional cast

*
Mugihito , better known by his stage name of , is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Musashino, Tokyo. Mugihito was formerly credited under his birth name and also . Filmography Television animation ;1976 *'' Dokaben'' (Domon) ;1978 *'' Fut ...
as ''Mendou's Father'' *
Bin Shimada Bin Shimada ( ja, 島田 敏, Shimada Bin; born November 20, 1954) is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narratorDoi, Hitoshi.Shimada Bin. ''Seiyuu Database''. July 17, 2010Archivedby WebCite July 20, 2010. affiliated with the talent management fir ...
as ''Tobimaro Mizunokoji'' *
Sumi Shimamoto , real name , is a Japanese actress, voice actress and narrator of film and anime and video games. After graduating from the Toho Gakuen College of Drama and Music, she joined Gekidan Seinenza, a theatrical acting troupe. She is currently indepen ...
as ''Asuka Mizunokoji''


''The Final Chapter''

Release date: February 6, 1988, dubbed 2004. is the fifth ''Urusei Yatsura'' film. Guest characters include: * Rupa, Lum's
fiancé An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...
* Carla, is said to be Rupa's betrothed. The fifth film is an animated adaptation of the final story of the
manga Manga ( Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is ...
and is also the official ending of the anime series, in which Lum and Ataru must repeat the game of tag played out in the first episode of the television series, or the Earth will be infested with mushrooms larger than buildings. Further, should Ataru lose, Lum will leave forever and everyone's memories will be changed so that they don't remember she, or her friends, were ever there. Finally, Lum refuses to allow Ataru to win unless he says to her those three words, "I love you", that he has steadfastly refused to say over the entire series. '' Maison Ikkoku: The Final Chapter'' was also released on the same date as this film.


Additional cast

*
Hirotaka Suzuoki was a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture who graduated from Tokyo Keizai University. His best known roles include ''Mobile Suit Gundam'' ( Bright Noa), '' Captain Tsubasa'' ( Kojirou Hyuga), ''Saint Seiya'' ( ...
as ''Inaba'' *
Kaneto Shiozawa Toshikazu Shiozawa ( ja, 塩沢 敏一, Shiozawa Toshikazu, January 28, 1954 – May 10, 2000), better known by the stage name Kaneto Shiozawa ( ja, 塩沢 兼人, Shiozawa Kaneto), was a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Tokyo. At the ...
as ''Rupa'' *
You Inoue In Modern English, ''you'' is the second-person pronoun. It is grammatically plural, and was historically used only for the dative case, but in most modern dialects is used for all cases and numbers. History ''You'' comes from the Proto- ...
as ''Carla'' *
Kōichi Kitamura , better known by the stage name , was a Japanese voice actor born in Osaka, Japan. Kitamura was employed by the talent management agency Mausu Promotion. He is known for dubbing roles played by Peter Cushing. He died on October 2, 2007 of p ...
as ''Upa (Rupa’s grandfather)''


''Always My Darling''

Release date: August 18, 1991, dubbed 2005. (alternately ''Forever My Darling'') is the sixth ''Urusei Yatsura'' film and the tenth anniversary special. It is not the end of the anime series despite coming after ''The Final Chapter''. The character designer and animation director for the film was Kumiko Takahashi. The regular theatrical release in Japan was the November 2, 1991 and it was shown on a double bill with the first ''
Ranma ½ is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It was serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from August 1987 to March 1996, with the chapters collected into 38 ''tankōbon'' volumes by Shogakukan. The s ...
'' feature, ''Big Trouble in Nekonron, China''. Guest characters include Lupika, another alien princess. Lupika, an alien princess, is in love with a tofu seller. To make him love her too (at least, announce his love. He obviously fears the social taboo of a tofu vendor marrying a princess), she needs to get a love potion, which is in a certain temple. Legend has it that the only person that can obtain this love potion is the most lecherous man in the universe. That man turns out to be Ataru Moroboshi. Lupika kidnaps Ataru to make him get the potion, and Lum and her friends go out to search for Ataru. This film has been referred to by some fans as the worst of the series. Due to this, this is the last animated released content for the franchise until 2008 with the 12th OVA. A subtitled Laserdisc was released by AnimEigo in North America on July 27, 1994.


Additional cast

*
Naoko Matsui is a Japanese voice actress and narrator from Hakodate, Hokkaido. Matsui was a member of Production Baobab for 20 years before becoming a freelancer. Matsui is most notable for the roles of Uru Chie in '' High School! Kimengumi'', Rem Ayanokō ...
as ''Lupika'' * Shinnosuke Furumoto as ''Rio'' * Isamu Tanonaka as ''Commander''


OVA releases

''Urusei Yatsura'' also has a number of direct-to-market video releases which include stories not covered in the TV series or films. However, they are not true OVAs as all of them were released in theaters prior to being released on video. All but one of these were released after the ending of the series, so popularity may have also been a factor in the continued release of new animation. Sources:


References


Further reading

*


External links


AnimEigo ''Urusei Yatsura'' product page
* * * * * * {{Magic Bus 1985 anime films 1985 anime OVAs 1986 anime OVAs 1987 anime OVAs 1988 anime films 1988 anime OVAs 1989 anime OVAs 1991 anime OVAs 2008 anime OVAs Urusei Yatsura Shogakukan franchises Anime film series Anime films based on manga Comedy anime and manga Comedy film series Discotek Media Extraterrestrials in anime and manga Film series introduced in 1983 Films based on works by Rumiko Takahashi Japanese animated science fiction films Japanese film series Lists of anime films Madhouse (company) Magic Bus (studio) Pierrot (company) Science fiction film series Studio Deen Sunrise (company) Animated films about extraterrestrial life