Welcome to the world of “Urusei Yatsura”. A 195 episode long comedy series based on a manga by Rumiko Takahashi of “Ranma ½” and “Inuyasha” fame. It was one of the landmark anime of the 1980s and created one of the most iconic female characters in the medium. For the first 106 episodes the series director was none other than Mamoru Oshii, who would go on to direct “Ghost in the Shell” and “Angel’s Egg”. And yet this series had eluded me for so long. I had been aware of it for years, but for one reason or another just let it continue to slip by me. Now that I have experienced it in full I can confidently say it’s a real treat deserving of the praise it receives filled with lots of charm and heart. As always we start with the story.

Ataru Moroboshi is a 17 year old wannabee ladies man with the most unfortunate luck in the world for he has been randomly selected to represent Earth against alien invaders from the planet Oniboshi. The game is tag and his opponent is the beautiful and feisty Lum. Through a misunderstanding Lum believes he has asked her to marry him which she immediately accepts to Ataru’s bewilderment. As the episodes play out more characters enter the story bringing in their own form of unbridled chaos. And life as Ataru knew it would never be the same again.

For me the real key to the anime’s appeal lies in our main characters. Lum has reached a level of fame that many anime characters don’t achieve. There are people who don’t know what “Urusei Yatsura” is, but they know Lum due to her iconic look. She isn’t just a cute girl in a bikini though. Her personality is so fun and energetic and, like the other female characters Takahashi would create, she has a bit of a bite to her. As much as she loves Ataru she also lacks patience for his antics and it leads to so many hilarious scenes of slapstick between the two of them. When it comes to Ataru I think he was a great protagonist to place at the center of all this. I know there are some people who vehemently hate perverted male characters, I’m honestly not one of them. I think when done right they can be very fun and Ataru’s definitely done right. He’s a really fantastic example of an amoral character and how you can fill someone with so many flaws yet keep them likeable. He’s lazy, stubborn, impulsive, he won’t commit to Lum because he wants to be with all the girls, he’s selfish. However at the same time we see in various episodes that Ataru does truly love Lum and has a genuine kindness in him. When faced with situations where he could really lose Lum we see that he needs her around and how far he’ll go to bring her back. And in episodes like the one with the caterpillar or the one with the ghost girl we see that his heart is in the right place. Ataru is a flawed person, but I don’t think he wants to be a bad person either. He might not always communicate his feelings, but they’re there. And those episodes were some of the best in the entire series.

Generally with me I am not someone who likes to watch romantic couples who bicker and argue constantly. I’ve dropped anime for having that kind of dynamic. But I find that Takahashi finds a way to make dysfunctional relationships that work. I think its because she manages to strike a great balance between conflict and moments of happiness. Ataru and Lum have many hilarious scenes that involve him saying or doing something stupid leading to her electrocuting him. But we also get several scenes of them that truly feel sweet. Takahashi can get cheeky when she wants to, but she always fills her stories with an emotional warmth that makes me keep going back to them. Even after over 100 episodes of this anime I kept going back in having a fantastic time with these two. And, of course, there’s other characters that added to the experience. Mendou is perhaps one of Takahashi’s funniest creations, Shinobu was the focus of some great episodes, Ryuunosuke was a lot of fun, I always looked forward to the episodes with Benten and Oyuki, I wasn’t sure about Ran at first but she really grew on me and became one of my favorites by the end, Ten was adorable, and I always got a smile whenever Kotatsu Neko graced us with his presence. I could go on, the cast of characters in this anime is massive and so likeable.

Now the anime is not without its flaws. Some episodes were not as great as others, some jokes have not aged well, there are some recap episodes that I honestly found unnecessary, and I can understand why people may recoil at the thought of watching 195 episodes. In spite of that I felt the strengths far outweighed the flaws. Oshii’s time with the series gave us some of the best episodes in the series and we even can see some where his signature directing style seems to take shape. One might think after losing such a talent the show would hit a nosedive, it does not. The remaining episodes are just as lively and fun as the earlier ones. While the series was made during the early 80s and comes with the limitations of that era, it does have a very appealing visual aesthetic and some episodes are honestly very beautiful to look at. The animation at times is limited, but when they needed things kicked up a notch the animation rises to the occasion and can look great. I also love this voice cast. There are so many names attached to this series that its really impressive. Toshio Furukawa, Akira Kamiya, Mayumi Tanaka, Shigeru Chiba, there’s even appearances by Masako Nozawa, Tohru Furuya, and Norio Wakamoto. Just wonderful.

All in all my time spent with “Urusei Yatsura” is something that I’m incredibly happy to have. It gave me so many moments, so many characters that I just know I am going to look back on with fondness for years to come. Its funny, its charming, its creative, its strange, its energetic, its one of the great comedy anime for a reason. I know that the length is intimidating, and I know some people might think a premise like this couldn’t possibly stay fresh for that long, but trust me it does maintain its charm and once you click with this series you are hooked. I really could not believe how easy it was to slip myself into this world and grow attached to it. Its some of the most fun I have had with an anime in recent years and I absolutely recommend trying it on for yourself. You won’t regret it, Darling.