Rumiko Takahashi is one of the most successful mangaka in the world, having created landmark series like Ranma 1/2 and Inuyasha. While she is most known for those works, her career started all the way back in 1978 with Urusei Yatsura, a romantic comedy manga that features the adventures of the crude and philandering Ataru Moroboshi and the beautiful alien Lum, who believes herself to be his wife after an accidental proposal. The series took off immediately and was Rumiko Takahashi's first major success.
Like many of Rumiko Takahashi's works, Urusei Yatsura was an outlandishly ludicrous romantic comedy series with quirky characters and absurd premises, and it captured the hearts of fans all over the world during its prime, which included an anime series that ran from 1981 to 1986 and several original films. Since then, the series has mostly been out of the spotlight as other Takahashi works came into prominence. However, the franchise has returned in 2022 with a new anime series, set to air during the Fall season. While many newer anime fans may not be aware of this classic series, there is definitely a lot to be excited about when it comes to this new series.
Classic Anime Aesthetics In Modern Production
Urusei Yatsura is a very old anime, so much so that the original series and the new series are airing nearly 40 years apart. As a result, it's obvious that a change in art style is going to be a matter of course. The trailer for the anime has already given fans a taste of what the new art direction will be like, featuring a vibrant color palette and modern-day production values. It's a far cry from the original Urusei Yatsura series from the 80s, which certainly looks like a product of its time.
Of course, while the new Urusei Yatsura series clearly looks like something developed in the modern era, it's still highly influenced by the original 80s series. Remnants of that style can be seen in the way characters are rendered in the trailer. In addition, Rumiko Takahashi's art style is absolutely iconic, and while Urusei Yatsura is certainly one of her older works, fans can definitely see an attempt to synergize her art style with the modern art direction of the 21st century. While there is certainly going to be a modern approach to the new series' animation quality, there's still potential to showcase some of the aesthetics of classic anime shows.
The Return Of Iconic Characters
There are very few characters more easily recognizable than Rumiko Takahashi's Lum. With her vibrant, fluorescent blue-green hair and tiger-striped bikini, Lum is easily one of Takahashi most well-known characters, and the revival of her anime series is sure to spark interest in her once again. Lum's popularity is massive even decades after the peak of Urusei Yatsura's popularity, and she has even appeared in a music video made by musician Matthew Sweet, a fan of the character.
Of course, Lum is not the only character of note in Urusei Yatsura. There is also the incorrigible lead character Ataru Moroboshi, the easily aggravated Shinobu Miyake, the arrogant rich kid Shutaro Mendo, as well as many other characters that have found fame through this series. Part of Urusei Yatsura's claim to fame is the hilarity that occurs when these characters' varied and incompatible personalities clash. Humor is a big part of this series, and while not everything may have aged well, the new series is sure to showcase much of Urusei Yatsura's absurd characters getting themselves into unfortunate situations.
It's Going To Be Long
Urusei Yatsura was a long-running series, with its manga being 34 volumes long and its anime consisting of 195 episodes. It's not a series that can be adequately covered in 12 episodes, which is why it's great that the new series will be running for four cours, with the first two cours starting in the Fall season. With a full year's worth of episodes, it's certain that the new series will be able to cover a decent amount of the source material, making it a worthwhile watch.
Urusei Yatsura is largely an episodic series, with each episode generally covering a different story. This is pretty standard for a romantic comedy anime, but with four cours, the series will be able to not only establish many of the major characters, but also give them enough time to breathe and develop over the course of the series. While Urusei Yatsura isn't especially plot-intensive, it does benefit a lot from getting a lot of time to explore its cast, and the more episodes there are, the more hijinks that the characters can get into. It'll also give viewers a lot of time to get acclimated to the series' pace, and give the characters enough time to embed themselves in the public consciousness once again.