(Hi) Urusei Yatsura Remake

[FlareKnight]

Originally Posted by Frontier

I've seen speculation that this is from a timeline where Lum never showed up on Earth. The class never mentioned her like they did Mendo and Ryunosuke and Lum forcing herself on Ataru was one of the main reasons Shinobu gave up on him.

Honestly that makes sense. One would think Lum would still show up for this or be mentioned if this was a timeline when her people showed up on Earth. I suppose it's possible she just happened not to be mentioned, but I have my doubts.

They would very likely have ended up together without Lum's presence utterly changing the status quo. So any changes shouldn't impact this particular timeline. Although good chance it does impact how both Ataru and Lum act going forward. Both having their expectations of the future shaken up.

[Kanon]

Originally Posted by Frontier

I've seen speculation that this is from a timeline where Lum never showed up on Earth. The class never mentioned her like they did Mendo and Ryunosuke and Lum forcing herself on Ataru was one of the main reasons Shinobu gave up on him.

That's what makes the most sense, yeah. Ataru did have a good thing going with Shinobu at the beginning of the series, even if his flirting got on her nerves.

If we're going to see other alternate futures in the next episode, it's going to be really fun. Pretty sure that wasn't in the original anime, it's something I would have remembered even with my terrible memory.

[Alchemist007]

Yeah I didn't remember that being in the old anime either, nice to see some new stuff (or perhaps it was manga only?).
That kid sure was stupid.

[Frontier]

Shinobu thinks she's cursed to be surrounded by hopeless men, but the only curse she's under is being in Urusei Yatsura...same as Sakura, where they both have to deal with Ataru's womanizing ways and snagging a Sakura lap pillow while comforting Shinobu all at the same time. But hey, there's always the future ?

Oh snap! OP and ED subs! And as always both songs are from Lum's perspective as she reflects and espouses her love for Ataru, no matter what difficulties she faces !

Figures with Shinobu's luck the next hot guy she meets is some pervert in a bunny costume, but said bunny guy is none other than Inaba, who works with an agency that helps cater to peoples' fortunes through wormhole doors...and just happened to leave his key with Shinobu. Which wouldn't be a problem had Shinobu not also been acquainted with an alien girl who can make a door to hyperspace lickety split !

We're seemingly back to the future with Shinobu as Ataru's wife and mother of his child! And Kokeru is as classy and lucky with women as his father. But it's a pretty doomed scenario for Shinobu !

Oh hey, future Mendo! And he smokes! But he also has Ataru as an employee and would of course want to fire him personally, though he still has the insatiable compulsion to draw a katana on Ataru whenever he sees his face .

Good for Sakura that she and Tsubame finally got together! And we finally see Tsubame again after, like, 20 episodes. They have some cute kids! Now if only kids, and especially homewrecker in the making Ataru, would just leave them alone !

Oh hey, future Lum! With braided hair and her moms' dress! She looks like a MILF in the making! It's just too bad...she's married to Rei!? And on top of that Ran turns into a spinster whose only goal in life is making them miserable. Yeah, that about checks out .

Then the rabbit men collect them, but these kids aren't about to take these futures or their attempts to make them forget lying down! They'll find their perfect future even if it kills them .

This arc was worth it just for Bunny Girl Lum and Shinobu !

Wow, there are a lot of worlds with variants of Lum and Mendo ending up together with Ataru as their footman! At least Ran snagged Rei once !

[Alchemist007]

Seems like it could be an omniverse series of doors, all things are possible.

[Frontier]

I guess we were bound to run into a post-apocalyptic future at some point, with Tomobiki town looking straight out of Fist of the North Star and Ataru being a villain hunting down Lum and the last rice of humanity with Shinobu as an old school anime Villainess by his side...oh and Mendo has a lightsaber katana and kills Ataru mid-speech. Wow .

The gang are already getting pretty tired of traipsing through futures, especially when Lum is no closer to finding a future where she and Ataru are together and Ataru is no closer to finding his MODEST future of a full Harem with all the girls. Hey, at least he still kept Lum in the Harem plan !

But hey, they can just make their own futures with their own knobs! And it's not like there's much Inaba's co-workers can do when they've got to fend off the super strong and super electric Bunny Girls Shinobu and Lum !

So Ataru finally finds his Harem future...and he's stuck in a cramped apartment with a bunch of women. And, obviously, Lum wants no part of it though a big part of the reason why is he basically mooched off of her and cast her out to dry for his Harem, and even after all that it still feels hollow without her in it. It says a lot that even OUR Ataru is ashamed of himself .

Shinobu's ideal future...is basically everyone as adults doing the same thing they were doing as teenagers. Because while their antics are crazy, violent, and go nowhere...at least they're having fun !

Lum has finally had enough of Ataru's antics and the prospect that they'll never be together and goes on a rampage trying to shock Ataru...but that just lets him finally stumble into the future where he and Lum get married. And even though the audience is all complaining about it, Lum in a wedding dress and with that smile on her face is the most beautiful thing of all time. And Ataru is genuinely touched by it, and Lum appreciates that too !

Shinobu, I think Inaba is a keeper! He prioritizes making sure the future you made is okay, holds off his co-workers to protect you and your friends, and obviously cares a lot about you! It's no wonder Shinobu seems to have fallen for him and cried her eyes out when she thought he was in danger because of her! Good thing they just gave him more work, while still letting him have some time to be with Shinobu! It even looked like a double date with Ataru and Lum !

You'd think Onsen-sensei was finally having a break with Shinobu but the sheer exhaustion and the lack of Shinobu's parents make him come off like a creep trying to break into her house and he gets sent flying! Oh, and did we mention Ataru's house is next? This poor teacher .

[Kanon]

This arc was really great. Ataru is a lot more honest with himself about his feelings for Lum in this remake. Yes, there were some episodes in the original where he made it obvious he loved, but I don't remember anything on this level. He was just as happy as Lum herself to find a future where they get married.

[AndrewR5D4]

Anybody else notice this story is basically the opposite of "To Love-Ru"; the protagonist is a scumbag, the original human crush basically wants nothing to do with him, the alien princess is violent and possessive, and nobody wants to be part of a harem!

Also, does Ataru find Lum attractive? I recall in the manga she once hid her horns and went to school with dyed hair pretending to be human, and Ataru fell for the ruse and started flirting not knowing it was her until she angrily revealed herself. Maybe her horns bug him. I remember Tomoki Sakurai from Heaven's Lost Property was turned off by the fact that most of his admirers had Angel wings. Could this be similar?

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by Kanon

This arc was really great. Ataru is a lot more honest with himself about his feelings for Lum in this remake. Yes, there were some episodes in the original where he made it obvious he loved, but I don't remember anything on this level. He was just as happy as Lum herself to find a future where they get married.

It says a lot that even full Harem Ending Ataru didn't feel happy without Lum there .

Originally Posted by AndrewR5D4

Also, does Ataru find Lum attractive? I recall in the manga she once hid her horns and went to school with dyed hair pretending to be human, and Ataru fell for the ruse and started flirting not knowing it was her until she angrily revealed herself. Maybe her horns bug him. I remember Tomoki Sakurai from Heaven's Lost Property was turned off by the fact that most of his admirers had Angel wings. Could this be similar?

He definitely found her physically attractive in the first episode, it's just when she started getting clingy that it became a turn-off, but he still fell for her anyways.

[Kanon]

Originally Posted by AndrewR5D4

Anybody else notice this story is basically the opposite of "To Love-Ru"; the protagonist is a scumbag, the original human crush basically wants nothing to do with him, the alien princess is violent and possessive, and nobody wants to be part of a harem!

It's kind of the opposite. To Love-ru is a more friendly, ecchi oriented Urusei Yatsura. I'm pretty sure Yabuki is a big fan of Rumiko, Ayakashi Triangle was basically Ranma 1/2 x Inuyasha.

[Frontier]

Oh no! One of the Mendo octopuses are missing!? And even worse, Mendo has a ghost octopus locked onto his head! I guess it's the Case of the Ghostly Akamaru !

It's nice that Mendo's friends (and Ataru and Ten) showed up to check in on him and his ghostly octopi headache. Why, even Ryoko helped for once by painting the thing so they could notice it, not that it does him much good .

Heck, even Ten being a blabbermouth paid off because it got Sakura (in full shrine maiden mode) and Cherry to show up and provide a solution to this spectral octopus! After everyone has a good laugh at Mendo's expense, of course !

How did an octopus end up trapped in Mendo's pillow? Why, because it's adventurous of course! That explains everything !

I guess to a sickly girl who has never really known a life outside a hospital room, and passed away before she could really get to live, someone who lives life as carefree and gusto as Ataru would come off like someone worth admiring and falling for. And thus begins the tale of the ghostly Nozomi and her lingering crush on Ataru .

I see that Ataru draws the line at monster women, but who could resist a cute and sincere ghostly girl like Nozomi (voiced by Reina Ueda!)? Especially when she hand-knit so many things for him! Who cares that they're totally out of season since she died on Christmas? It's the thought that counts !

And then they proceed to do all the things you would expect out of a date and have a genuinely good time together, even if Ataru is overheating because of the clothes, but at least Nozomi is happy .

What date isn't complete without fireworks? Especially if the sparks of said fireworks make it look like snow enough for her to share her most treasured dream of locking arms with the person she loves amidst the snow. And did she say she loved Ataru before she faded away? Oh, Nozomi .

It's nice to see Ataru being sincere and genuinely caring to a girl, especially because that's what Lum loves about him .

[Dop]

Dangit you wacky gag anime, you made me cry.

But seriously that second part with the ghost girl was genuinely sweet and adorable.

[Kanon]

Given that it was impossible to physically interact with Akamaru's astral body or whatever, how did Ryouko paint him to being with? Massive plot hole, story ruined.

The date with the ghost girl was really sweet. Lum didn't even get jealous.

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by Kanon

Given that it was impossible to physically interact with Akamaru's astral body or whatever, how did Ryouko paint him to being with? Massive plot hole, story ruined.

The date with the ghost girl was really sweet. Lum didn't even get jealous.

Chaos magic ?

[Alchemist007]

Might just be my recollection but the remake of this ghost girl story seemed a bit too fast paced. Still pretty sweet at least.

[Frontier]

The principal of Tomobiki High is an easygoing guy! Always hanging around his pal Kotatsu Cat and keeping the peace in school! Which is amazing considering he's got a class with Ataru and the gang to keep track of and driving Onsen-sensei up the wall! But what happens when the Principal falls in the line of duty !?

The case of the Battered Principal! We've got five suspects but no motive! Who could it be? Lum, who may have attacked him over blackmail to keep Ataru from getting expelled (even though Lum always shocks the people she wants to take out someone. Also here's a Lum pout)? Ryunosuke to protect her and her father from getting kicked out (even though she would never do anything for her dad)? Or Onsen-sensei himself who was always frustrated with the principals' easygoing behavior ?

The boys (and Ryunosuke) were just waiting to lean hard into all those detective cliche's, weren't they? Well, can't say they didn't work, even though the culprit was the principal himself! Let this be a lesson not to use your own head to crack an egg .

Gotta be careful around a plant that spreads whatever gossip you tell it! Ran wasn't even planning to use it to screw over Lum until she put the idea into her head! And then the two of them have to scramble before their deepest and most embarassing secrets get heard by the entire town !

Although with two sets of secrets and spread all out, the messages are so inconsistent that you can't make anything out! So it doesn't seem like any harm happened and everything is okay...other than Onsen-sensei thinking the students are out to get him and Mendo being revealed as a bedwetter. Shinobu's image of him probably isn't going to recover any time soon .

Poor Onsen-sensei...he's falling apart but he keeps pushing himself forward for these home visits! Even if it means collapsing in the Moroboshi front door and getting denied tempura while Ataru's family talks smack about him. Though now he's got nabbed by Lum's UFO! What's next for this teacher ?

Next week: Is that Rie Kugimiya I hear ?

[Frontier]

Ran is cooking something! That's how you know there's going to be trouble! And of course Ataru couldn't resist a Ran-baked cupcake even if it leaves him down and out with a huge balloon belly .

It's up to Lum to save her darling and stop Ran from going on a killing spree with these seemingly poisonous cupcakes! And good thing she left in an inspired mood after Ataru said her name before she heard him cycle through the entire female cast or she probably would have never left. Not that she needed to in the end, but still .

Let this be a lesson...never leave Cherry in charge of looking over someones' health .

Well, no surprise this was all another attempt by Ran to appeal to Rei, but for once Ran actually drops her rage at Lum and her obsession with the idea that Lum will steal Rei from her when she sees how obviously emotionally distraught Lum is...and then she even goes out of her way to make sure Lum sees her beloved Darling is all okay. Probably the nicest thing she's ever done for Lum...even if she still wants a complete and profuse apology for Lum's misunderstanding by the end of it. And poor Rei lost out on a cupcake .

Our cute little fox wants to spend more time with his crush Shinobu! This time with her as a fox too! Good thing kotatsu cat runs this town and could protect him from some dog thugs .

I love how the fox transforms into cute little fox versions of everybody and is convinced no one can see through the disguise .

Nobody wants to spend any time with Cherry, but for once he comes through and treats everyone to the very thing the Fox wanted Shinobu to eat in the first place! And everyone gets to spend some time as cute foxes! Complete with Shinobu and Lum's hair appearing in fox form !

So how does this Onsen-sensei home visit arc conclude? While he may have been alien-napped into space, Lum and her family are actually gracious and welcoming towards him and treat him to a full course meal to boot! After encounter after encounter of his students and their families abusing him, this bit of kindness is enough for Onsen sensei to gush tears of joy! And it's nice to see Lum's parents again .

Of course then he and Lum's dad become drinking buddies...and he can't leave...which means his students think he's either a deadbeat teacher or just straight up left his job. Poor guy can never win !

[Kanon]

I don't know where Lum brought that robot doctor but she should scrap it (she already did most of the job) because he's a complete quack.

Ataru did come Lum's name first... so that's something

[Frontier]

Mendo can't do anything without Ryoko catching wind of it...and he can't ignore her for one minute lest she hit him from behind with a mallet .

Final OP! Carrying a sense of finality and romance behind it, featuring all the various characters, couples, and ultimately Lum and Ataru's relationship spanning across the Earth and the universe !

Figures all of Mendo's "friends" would show up at his house to help mostly just to dig into the Mendo family fine dining rather than actually address his problems...but at least Lum cares! Well, mostly .

You would think by this point they would have realized nothing good comes time-travel, but I guess they wouldn't be the Urusei Yatsura cast if they learned their lesson .

Smol!Mendo was cute but was a complete brat, basically Mendo if he didn't have to carry the air of being a polite and mature noble, though quite forward with the ladies (who are the only ones actually nice to him...until he mistakes Ryunosuke for a guy) .

Ha! No younger Mendo is going to flirt with Lum in Ataru's presence !

Smol!Ryoko is absolutely cute...but still basically the same and a terror to her big brother, whether he be small or otherwise .

Poor Mendo...none of his family recognizes him, his younger self bullies him, and of course Ataru joins in because why would he not ?

The girls all look snazzy in those suits and sunglasses !

I forgot Mendo's mom talks through the butler. But instead of this turning into a family dispute over the dads' possible affair turned into the parents re-affirming their love. So...good I guess ?

I love the girls all wrecking the Mendo bodyguards .

Mendo finally overcomes his fear of being confined in absolute darkness! To the point where he becomes a horror figure and haunts his younger self...and thereby directly creating his fear of being confined in absolute darkness. So not only did Mendo cause the problem they were trying to solve, but his "cure" didn't take and he's no better off than he was before. But that's Urusei Yatsura .

The final ED is very sentimental and beautiful, focusing on Ataru's feelings for Lum and his memories of her going beyond the classroom and beyond the universe even !

[Kanon]

None of those idiots realized Mendo was the source of his own trauma.