Time to Shine Once Again

Translated by: Dylan Acres

Date with a Spirit and Terror of Girly-Eyes Measles, released by Pony Canyon on June 24th

Two new Urusei Yatsura specials are released after a long time

▲From the jacket of Date with a Spirit
▲The spirit of a girl named Maiko possesses Tsubame, causing a commotion.
▲Maiko-chan approaches Tsubame
▲From the cover of Terror of Girly-Eyes Measles: The town is plunged into panic due to "girly-eyes measles," a disease that only infects men.
▲Ataru also contracts the Girly-eyes Measles, and earns the eyes of a maiden…
▲Even Mendo is inflicted with the Maiden measles.

Pay attention here!

I'm sure fans of the Lum Negotiations Team, or rather, those with Lum Syndrome, who are satisfied as long as Lum is in the show, would forgive it, but I can't forgive the "sloppy work" of the staff who created this work, which has a 120% sleep-promoting effect. A drop in quality is the downside of brand-name goods. (Tokugi) ☆

Lum's crumbling drawing, Sakura's drawn-out voice, and other sloppy details make me want to ask, "What happened?" I appreciate the fan service of using the opening and ending themes from the old TV series. But why Urusei Yatsura again? It lacks a new appeal. (Ogata) ☆

The animation is shaky. What on earth happened? Even though it's an OVA, it's an extension of the TV series, so I wonder if this is okay. I just can't accept it... However, I'm impressed by how they made the female characters so cute. (Asari) ☆☆

Will Urusei Yatsura make a new start with a new feature-length film?

The Urusei Yatsura TV series began airing 10 years ago, in October 1980. Even after a full decade, Urusei Yatsura still has many fans. The new feature-length film, Urusei Yatsura, is a commemorative work made to express gratitude to those fans.

Urusei Yatsura continued to air on television until 1986. Most of the fans during that time are now college students. Current Urusei Yatsura fans fall into two categories: those older fans who have been with the series for a long time, and those who became fans after seeing other anime adaptations of the same author, Rumiko Takahashi's original works, such as Maison Ikkoku and the currently airing Ranma 1/2. The reason Urusei Yatsura has maintained its popularity for so long is not only the appeal of the work itself, but also the appeal of Takahashi's manga, which has consistently produced popular works. This, in turn, has created a deep emotional attachment in the hearts of fans to Urusei Yatsura, Takahashi's masterpiece and a defining anime of the era. How will the new Urusei Yatsura respond to fans' expectations, expectations that carry the weight of 10 years? "I'm planning to make a very ordinary Urusei Yatsura. Without any overly elaborate production, I'm trying to recreate the town of Tomobiki, unchanged for 10 years. I want to bring out the joyous world of the original work, and the hearts of fans, filled with familiar characters like Lum, Ataru, and Mendo, in a way that's as enjoyable as eating a makunouchi bento lunch," says Director Katsuhisa Yamada. Yamada says that the happiest, most shining moments seem to stand still. Tomobiki, the setting of Urusei Yatsura, is a world frozen in glorious time, and Yamada's work is about extracting just one aspect of that brilliance. ^[1]

"I believe this world still has a lot of possibilities. I hope this new film will not just be a 10th-anniversary fan service, but also a launchpad for a new start for Urusei Yatsura," says Director Yamada. We can look forward to an enjoyable film that will once again inspire the hearts of fans.

Lupica-chan is mine~

▲What will Lum be thinking as she holds the last love potion?
▲Lum, Benten and Oyuki are the most dangerous(?) trio in the universe. They lean their heads together and plot a rescue plan, but…
▲Lupica and Rio. The two are a little bit stubborn and cause a big commotion.

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Footnotes

• [1] Katsuhisa Yamada (山田勝久) is perhaps best known as the director of The Last Unicorn (最後のユニコーン) and animation director of The Hobbit (ホビットの冒険), both for Rankin-Bass, as well as chief director of Genesis Climber Mospeada (機甲創世記モスピーダ), Devil Hunter Yohko (魔物ハンター妖子) and Junk Boy (ジャンクボーイ).

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