Urusei Yatsura (2022)

Urusei Yatsura (2022) is a remake/reboot of the 1981 anime of the same name. I didn't watch the original or read the manga. I've heard the 2022 version is more faithful to the manga, but not sure how accurate that is so I can't really attest to that. The only reason I checked this out is because my girlfriend is really into Urusei and loves Lum, I always intended to watch the original but since this was airing I decided to watch this first.

The main focus of the Urusei Yatsura is the relationship between the two main characters, Ataru and Lum. Both characters are very likeable, Ataru comes off as a bit much at first. The way he treats others around him, while it's played for laughs - can get a bit repetitive. But after a few episodes he slowly grew on me I think that's because of some of the things we learn about him. Not saying he has like a tragic backstory or something, but his character is fleshed out nicely. Same with Lum, I thought she was funny at first but that was it - but seeing her interactions with Ataru over the course of the show can make me laugh, or just be genuinely heartwarming at times.

The show is very well paced, usually adapting 2 story arcs into one episode. This keeps things from ever getting stale. There are times when I wasn't particularly fond of a particular story, but it didn't matter because a few minutes later we were moving onto the next one. The show is about 80% comedy and 20% romance. And when it does focus on the romance, it usually does so in a comedic manner. This is a good thing - the show is very funny. But when they do pull back on the comedy and decide to really focus on the character moments, it kind of comes out of nowhere and hits you like a truck. Again, this is a good thing. I don't think the writing in this show is anything out of this world (heh) but those serious moments really do feel earned, and I think it's due to the fact that the show emphasizes comedy so much. I don't know for sure though, because most shows would have a hard time with this.

Another aspect Urusei gets right is the supporting cast. I talked about Ataru and Lum already, but they're far from my favorite characters. Shuutarou Mendou is a hilarious foil to Ataru and he is really fun to watch on screen. Of course a large part of that is his vocal performance done by Mamoru Miyano. Who I know as the JP voice for Ryuji Persona 5, but also the producer from Zombieland Saga. Quickly rising up to becoming one of my favs in the industry, and I might check out more anime he's done just because he's in it.

Besides Mendou, some other characters I like are Shinobu, (when she's on her own, I don't really care for the whole ShinobuXAtaru thing the show tries to push unless its a joke. Which to be fair, most of the time it is). Ryouko Mendou (Shuutarou's sister) is also really funny and I hope season 2 has more episodes with her. Honestly this show has a lot of good characters in it. It has a lot of characters in general. The cast should come off as too crowded but it never does. I think part of the reason for this is because they don't ever try to do an episode with every character on screen at the same time. There are certain "cliques" of characters that always hang out - the students, Lum's trio of friends, the Mendou family, etc. Sometimes they'll cross paths, but never does it become overbearing or too much to keep track of. Not saying every character lands or is super innovative - but none of them are unbearable. I think the only one I wasn't really a fan of was Ryuunosuke and her father, but that might have been because I happened to watch all of her episodes in one sitting (see below).

Also because the show doesn't have a crazy overarching narrative it's trying to push - if we spend 1 or 2 episodes on just bringing in new characters its fine because it's fun to watch, so it doesn't feel like time is being wasted. Also those characters are probably going to come back later - so it's like an investment that pays off.

Musically, the show does a fantastic job. Again I never watched the original, but I know enough to be able to recognize when the remix the original OP from the 80s series. The soundtrack as a whole does a good job of complimenting what's going on on screen. Both OPs and EDs are phenominal, I really like OP 2 a lot, both musically and visually. In fact the entire show looks phenominal, as expected from david productions.

If I have to talk about some things I didn't like, the humor for the most part is good, though some of it is a bit dated. It's a manga from the 80s so I can look past it I guess, but it is worth mentioning. I guess some of the individual story arcs feel a little rushed? I know I said everything was really well paced and it is!! But sometimes it does feel like they're running out of time and the ending just comes really soon. I don't know if that's a thing with the adaptation or not. Also, and this one is on me a bit, but since i wasn't watching this one as weekly as I should have been, sometimes when I would watch more than like 3 episodes in one sitting it would kinda drag. The show is a bit formulaic, mind you that formula works. But if you're looking to get caught up on this one, might I recommend watching only 2-3 episodes at a time?

But honestly, if you're even thinking about picking this show up, give the first 2 or 3 episodes a watch. They're a pretty good indication on if you're going to like the show or not when it comes to it's tone/comedy. I had a lot of fun with this one, and I look forward to season 2 next year!