I've just rewatched Urusei Yatsura: Only You, and now I have the need to gush about it. Please, bear with me.
Personally, I am completely blown away by how well they set up everything despite the movie being completely unrelated to the original manga. Elle as a character stands out in particular.
The way she is set up as the perfect Foil or, more accurately, Evil Counterpart for Lum has me obsessed.
Both girls are members of alien royalty and downright gorgeous, to the point of having countless admirers. They're also two girls who became interested in Ataru after losing a game of tag against him.
But that's where the similarities end.
Even their introductions are as similar as they are different. They both first appear playing a game of tag with Ataru, and in both cases he had no idea what he was getting into—with Lum he didn't know winning against her would lead to accidentally proposing to her, and with Elle he didn't know the chaos that would unfold for stepping on her shadow.
The differences start when we take into account how Lum and Elle were perceived at first, especially by Ataru. Because while Lum was originally an antagonist, both in and out-of-universe, as the representative of an invasive force and then as a nuisance on a more personal level for him, Elle was presented in-universe as a benevolent ruler and ally of Ataru. But the truth about both is actually much more complex and, frankly, quite the opposite to what meets the eye.
For all her flaws, Lum is actually quite open about them, never trying to hide them or present herself as better than she actually is. And her relationships with both Rei and Ataru show that, no matter how many admirers she might have, her heart will only belong to one person at a time.
She was also introduced as a forced to be reckoned with from the get-go, thanks to her ability to fly and generate electric shocks. Not to mention, the fact that she's based on the Japanese Oni also established her as captivating but dangerous. Which is something reflected in her iconic tiger stripe bikini and go-go boots.
Elle and her people, on the other hand, are clearly meant to represent a rose. In fact, when describing her, a certain expression comes to mind: every rose has its thorns.
Because Elle is as dangerous as she is beautiful.
Unlike Lum's devotion to Ataru, Elle spent the eleven years they were apart collecting men and refusing to let go of their love in the most horrifying way possible, far exceeding Lum's own possessiveness. And when they finally did meet again, she did not hesitate to try and hide her more unsavoury qualities from him. Heck, the main reason her true nature was discovered was because she couldn't help herself from freezing Mendo even though Ataru was already hers!
Her appearance also serves to illustrate how she's not as good as she presents herself to be. Aside from the obvious choice of white and red to highlight her hidden villainy, there's also the fact that whereas Lum's skimpy outfit draws attention to a more seductive side (which was gradually downplayed once she became the female lead), Elle's is deceptively modest in comparison. She wears a red and white leotard, boots, and her body is almost always covered by a white cloak. Yet she is far more depraved than Lum (and even Ataru!) will ever be.
I would also like to point out how both Lum and Elle are not to be trifled with in different ways. As mentioned above, Lum relies more on her natural abilities than on her planet's military power and resources to deal with her problems. Elle, on the other hand, was never shown to have any special abilities beyond being indescribably beautiful. At first glance, this is another reason why she would seem a "safer" choice than Lum...Until we remember what she lacks in special powers she more than makes up for in military forces she will not hesitate to sic on her enemies at the slightest provocation.
And finally, there's also how the two of them have a specific term of endearment for Ataru. While he's Lum's "darling", in the original Japanese he is Elle's "honey".
(On a side note, I also really love the fact that a planet based after a rose uses insect-like hovercrafts.)
Given the magnificent job the team behind this movie did, it's no wonder this was Takahashi's favourite Urusei Yatsura film. It's simply phenomenal.
throughout usagi yojimbo, there is this running theme of fatherhood, with usagi generally enjoying interactions with kids. if possible, he tends to seek them out (this is just as adorable as it sounds, btw)
as somebody who has long been iffy about the subject of kids/kid fics and media with a big focus on this, i'm surprised to find just how much i like sakai's exploration on the subject.
so, i've decided to delve into (a part of) why i think this works so well for me. for this, i'm focusing on UY issue #54: the return of the lone goat and kid.
(beware spoilers <3)
(caption: a cropped image of the cover of usagi yojimbo issue #54.)
within this issue, we witness the return of the lone goat and kid, betrayed samurai turned legendary assasin mercenary, with his young son, gorogoro.
i immediately liked these characters when first reading, not only because of the general badassery that they tend to exude, but also because they are very autistic-coded (/pos /lh), and gorogoro is depicted as non-verbal.
(note: he could be very young, but i'm fairly certain he just prefers not to talk, and saves his words for very specific occasions. either way, i love him a normal amount totally definitely /j.)
seeing their return was a welcome surprise, and though usagi and yagi are very autistic when interacting (/pos), usagi's soft-spot for kids plays a big part in their relationship, having saved gorogoro from falling to his death the last time they crossed paths.
even more welcome of a surprise was the plot and focus on gorogoro and usagi's relationship. i love to see usagi allowed to just... hang out with kids. you can tell he really enjoys doing it w/out the story putting a huge emphasis on that fact, which is part of why i enjoy it so much.
(the kid in question.)
now, to break this all down nice and simply, sakai's comics are generally so well done that i think you could just read the comic yourself and glean the same idea, probably in a better, more meaningful way than i can explain it.
but i've already committed, so here we go.
when we first meet gorogoro, he's being chased by a bunch of henchmen who intend to use him as bait for the capture of his father (being a very, very, very wanted man. er, goat.)
usagi stumbles upon him being threatened by one of the few other rabbits in this series and proceeds to suplex him after his hat is ruined. after that, we get the first good-parent-role-model-usagi moment:
(usagi participates in 10 out of 10 parenting/responsible adult behavior. to avoid writing this out ten million more times, i will simply be referring to this phenomenon as usagi being 'father material.')
he (re)introduced himself, puts himself in the (well-earned) position of "trustworthy adult" and then tries to figure out where tf yagi is. gorogoro, of course, does not speak, but instead of pushing him for an answer, he comes up with a conclusion and offers a solution.
usagi: "i guess you two have been seperated, huh. well, it's dangerous in these woods. there could be more of those guys around."
usagi: "there's a town not far away. your father will have an easier time finding you there."
he then invites gorogoro to come with him, saying he can escort him to the town. gorogoro seems unconvinced.
this might be the point where a lesser protagonist would try and convince/force the kid to come with them, or even manipulate them in some way (i.e. offering false promises/reassurances or just straight up lying.)
usagi, however, is not a lesser protagonist.
(several more panels of father material usagi content.)
quick side tangent: you could argue this is somewhat irresponsible, but i disagree.
usagi has met yagi and gorogoro before, and he knows that gorogoro is a smart kid. he doesn't have the full story for why gorogoro is here. for all he knows, gorogoro is on his way to meet up with his father somewhere farther on in the forest.
the point is: he doesn't try and make a decision for gorogoro or try and coax/force him into making one. he instead treats him like an equal and offers him the choice of whether to follow him or not.
when gorogoro doesn't seem to actively seek his help, he walks away, giving gorogoro full reins of his decision while also respecting an unspoken boundary that gorogoro has made.
(though, to be fair, he did assume gorogoro would follow him-- an assumption that paid off.)
("i see you decided to come along after all.")
what's important here isn't that his guess paid off, it's that he allowed gorogoro to make the decision. not to mention, he still hasn't quite figured out how to best work with gorogoro, as is showcased in the following panels:
(usagi participates in ableism /j /lh /not serious)
usagi is shown to be "good at kids." he gets along with them, and they tend to like him in turn. but that's not just an innate talent (though aptitude to kids does play a big part of it.)
he invests in positive relationships by treating children not as we often see/think of in parent-child or adult-child platonic relationships, but by treating them like equals. simply, he offers them the same respect he would offer anyone else.
which is so fucking important.
anyway, they get to the town and go to an inn inside, where usagi buys gorogoro food. once again, he exhibits king and father material attributes.
gorogoro doesn't look interested in eating the food. this is the exchange that follows:
and then:
(the 'king shit' in question)
now. let's break this down.
usagi offers food, but gorogoro is distrustful. he employs a tactic that may have worked on other children to try and convince/reassure gorogoro that eating it is fine. gorogoro is, in fact, unconvinced.
then, instead of getting irritated, or continuing to try and (unsuccessfully) convince gorogoro the food is convinced, he uses what he's observed about gorogoro/what he knows about gogoro's life to understand what he is actually saying.
he does not force him. he doesn't get annoyed. when he calls him 'weird,' it feels less like an insult and more like a neutral observation, one that he then uses to better work with/communicate with gorogoro.
('does [he] know kids or what,' indeed.)
in the space of two pages, usagi was able to figure out how to better work with gorogoro, not by changing gorogoro, but by changing his methods.
his outlook is not the one we see depicted in much of modern media-- "the parent is always right, and the child must do as they are told."
instead, it introduces a sense of respect, and therefore trust, into their dynamic. i thought i could only get something this good from roald dahl's matilda, but of course, i should've known to never doubt stan sakai /lh
this of course, isn't the end (but we are close!). a bunch of plot stuff happens, and in the search to reuinte gorogoro with his father, usagi ends up on a bridge, with enemies after gorogoro's head (and associated reward) flanking either side of it.
gorogoro, while still maintaining his distance/boundaries, shows that he trusts usagi by running behind him when threatened.
not only that, when usagi orders him to stay behind him (for reasons of protection,) he does so and continues to do so. because usagi has earned his trust, he feels comfortable entrusting usagi with his safety, where he was less comfortable doing so at the beginning.
(the bridge show-down, with the addition of usagi's killer clapback of a line. 10/10, i laughed.)
there's only one other moment i want to mention, but despite how small of a detail it is, it's what got me thinking about this whole thing.
after usagi realizes he's been flanked on either side and will need to fight his way out in order to keep gorogoro safe, this exchange happens:
one of the very first things usagi must have noticed is the silent boundary that gorogoro put up, one that he's been maintaining this entire time. he prefers space-- i.e., he would rather not be touched, at least not without permission.
in this scene, a lesser protagonist would have snatched gorogoro up by the arm, let loose some feral battle cry, and then rushed all seven henchmen using only one arm.
usagi is not a lesser protagonist.
he takes a moment, however small, to communicate his intentions to gorogoro. "i need to carry you" doubling as a silent question: can i carry you?
while he probably would have had to either way, usagi already built up trust between himself and gorogoro. so, gorogoro obliges.
and then usagi single-handedly (literally!) fights his way through seven guys.
ok, well, that's not quite true-- yagi, the 'lone goat' of the duo (more like G.O.A.T -- yes, i have been waiting for a time to make that godawful pun, and no, this is not an appropriate time, but i had to make it. you don't understand /j /nsrs) shows up on the other side pushing gorogoro's cart, and also contributes to the slaughter.
which leads to this epic, two-page panel:
(its so good ITS SO GOOD--)
after this, the story is wrapped up, the kid is returned to his goat, and usagi and the lone goat and kid go their separate ways (for now.)
as you can probably guess, this depiction of platonic child/adult relationships is very, very important to me, not only because i feel we need more of this in the general media, but also to me, specifically, as a member of the neurodivergent community.
seeing a character that i genuinely like respecting the unspoken boundaries of a nonverbal child character means a lot to me. whether he meant it to be interpreted this way or not, it really feels like we get to see an autistic character having different needs/wants and not being shamed for that by the narrative.
this is only one aspect of what makes usagi yojimbo so great, but it showcases some of the many details that sakai uses to create a well-paced, interesting, and engaging narrative.
gone are the annoying, one-dimensional kid characters and the terrible tropes that usually follow them. instead, sakai treats the children in his characters the same way that usagi treats them: as people, characters that have motivations and reasons and that deserve time and respect as well.
as i stated before, i have long shied away from kid-related stories, especially those with younger kids. but lemme tell you. UY has won me over.
i would happily pay away my livelihood to read 700 more panels with usagi toting around a 6-month-old while he talks about conspiracies with the town inspector (see: usagi yojimbo issue [blank]: [name]), or usagi letting the kid of the family he's staying with admire his blades [insert comic here.]
sakai just gets kids, and now when i'm faced with the question of: is this an example of positive parenting/guidance?, i just ask myself, "would usagi do that?"
and it answers my question.
bonus: usagi and yagi being absolutely not in any way incredibly autistic at each other during The Exchange.
(note: their smiles in that end panel make it all worth it, i think.)
What do you think of all stars so far? Most of the "old school" fans criticize that it's lack luster and that the pacing is horrible and, of course, comparing it to the original adaption.
It may be impopular, but I actually like that Davidpro decided to mostly only adapt directly the chapters, they haven't really added extra scenes compared to how the original did. I think the fast pacing suits UY weirdness very well and, overall, it just gotta show that the manga was already very good. I love the original and I'm glad it exist and it had the luck to have so many talented people that contributed to make such an iconic and timeless adaption, but I disliked how some of the old fans worship Oshii to the point of saying it was thanks to HIM that Urusei Yatsura was an icon and most of them even forget that Rumiko's manga was already an acclaimed masterpiece way before the anime adaption began, so All-Stars wanting to keep the adaption as similar to the manga as possible warms my heart. It will never replace the original, but is a good adaption for the fact that it's made as tribute to the manga instead of try to compete with the original.
Hi!
Well first, as you said the old anime had really good animation and they added a lot because they had liberties.
Even though it was aesthetically incredible and had some interesting concepts, there was a fatal error.
Their inconsistency with the characterization. Sometimes I liked Ataru's character and other times I freaking hated his actions and over-the-top rudeness. Lum was also very bland sometimes like the perfect girl men would worship, her sparky attitude most of the time forgotten.
Mendou was a war freak, something that made me uncomfortable because tanks are no laughing matter.
Shinobu also was sometimes unnecessarily mean and rude to Lum.
Megane's as a character just irks me because he never saw Lum as a human being, she saw it as someone to worship. As if she was an idol, an obsession. Let's not forget the abuse and torture he applies with his group to the main protagonist.
The characters were hurt just for "comedy", for Oshii's comedy that was all over the top. Oshii may be a incredible in animation, but he fails really badly in Urusei Yatsura and it's characters.
He tried to compete with the original Urusei Yatsura with his "male vision" but failed to appreciate the heart and complexity of Rumiko's Takahashi pen.
Oshii may be a person and legend in the animation industry but it has never been well known to such a degree as Rumiko Takahashi, her characters while flawed GROW in their own way. Her characters in Inuyasha, Mermaid Saga, Maison Ikkoku, Ranma 1/2. Kyokai no Rinne and Mao are diverse and flawed but they become better as the story goes.
The character in Urusei Yatsura don't grow as the story goes on, one episode Ataru grows, and the next episode after that one keeps him softer with Lum and then his character goes back to the next one to 0.
As if the episode before it never happened.
People don't remember the 80's anime because of the characterization normally, no they go for the aesthetic. We see the characters like buffons and over the top most of the time and laugh about their bad luck. Most of the time don't feel like real people since their flaws over shade their good points in a lot of episodes.
They are good episodes also, one's that show the characters good points but they can be counted, like 4 or 5...even 7 of 195 EPISODES!.
And with David productions, we have fun and the characters are flawed but lovable? They are more human! They respect their characterization, we know how each one is.
We know that Ataru is a flirt but a loyal guy with a girl he openly dates, that Lum is a lovable but jealous person, that Shinobu is cute but also goes with the looks sometimes rather than the feelings and Mendou is a rich boy who is trying to have a normal School life while having the mentality of a person feed with a golden spoon.
They had their errors but we also see their good side, we see them as friends.
The 80's anime is mostly another version of Urusei Yatsura. Less true and more experimental but lacking.
We are grateful that it exists because as I said, there are some good ones and cool concepts.
Oshii never perfected Urusei Yatsura, he played with the concept but never topped it. People who love Oshii's work are perfectly fine in liking that experimental face more but saying that he perfected Urusei Yatsura is a slap in the face for Rumiko Takashi.
Rumiko Takahashi, the princess of manga didn't write and draw Inuyasha, Ranma 1/2 (These two works were known globally and without Oshii's help) Maison Ikkoku, Kyokai no Rinne and Mao (which one's stood by themselves with little or no filler in their anime adaptations) just for people to call Oshii the one that gives her exposure and makes better her work.
I am so grateful the new anime adaptation is following the manga more closely and adapting the characters in a way that stay true to their original characterization while making them better as if Rumiko was writing them today with all her new experience.
I love UY All-Stars so much and I agree with your opinion because it is a love letter for Rumiko Takahashi's work rather than one where you only remember the art rather than the characters.
Fhe idea that Lumwas forced on Takahshi by fan demand or editors is an urban legend on the internet with no evidence that I have ever been able find. No interviews or anything. The only reason given for Lum reappearing is simply Takahshi deciding to bring her back in Chapter 3 (of the planned 5) Like, good posts on Lum but that Urban Legend needs to die because it's often used a an exercise to bash other female Rumic characters
I remember reading somewhere about how Lum wasn't planned as the female protagonist, she was just a planned short-lived character. However, I don't remember the source so all of you should take this with a grain of salt.
Nevertheless, in the narrative sense, this "Urban Legend" makes the most sense.
Ataru and Shinobu are a couple in the very beginning. Being Lum the one that intervenes in their relationship, making it a love triangle in the same chapter because of a misunderstanding. We had seen Takahashi's work over the years and we had seen how in every single one of her works she presents the protagonists and future couple in the first chapter.
With Urusei Yatsura, we right away know that Ataru and Shinobu are a couple because of how they interact with each other. Lum was added later in the chapter as a way to cause friction.
You can see how Lum's writing is different from her personality later, she becomes more of her character rather than a passing but still important character for Ataru's pervert actions.
We seen how Shinobu's actions toward Ataru, to fix his over-attraction to other women get passed to Lum a few chapters later.
Shinobu later becomes a side character while Lum becomes more a protagonist.
And this is when I defend the point of Lum not being the protagonist in the beginning.
Maison Ikkoku, we meet Godai and Kyoko in the first chapter. Kozue comes after the first chapters.
With Ranma 1/2 we see Ranma and Akane interact, we see that even though Akane thinks of him as a girl. We know our main protagonists and couple, making their love rivals appear later in the story.
In Mermaid saga, Yuta meets Mana and saves her, we don't get to know his past loves until later chapters.
In Inuyasha we met Kagome first and later in the same chapter Inuyasha. We only know about Kikyo until the third chapter in the manga.
Kyokai no Rinne presents us Sakura and Rinne in the first chapter, showing romantic rivals chapters later.
Mao, we meet Nanoka and Mao in the first chapter. His past feelings for a lost love don't come until later in the story.
As you see after Urusei Yatsura, Rumiko Takahashi decides to first present us with the real protagonists and future couples of her series in the very first chapter of her manga, making the love rivals appear chapters later.
Why does she decide to develop first a little connection with the protagonists before presenting a love rival when that didn't happen in UY?
Simple because it's a very big probability that Rumiko noticed that it was bad to present a rival in the very first chapter when you don't make the readers have a connection with the main protagonists. Sure, we know about Shinobu and Ataru's relationship' but even as a gag manga we don't know much about them or any interesting interactions in the first chapter. Shinobu hits him (with good reasons) and when she shows a bit of love is because she's worried or to make him return his will. Although that comes in serious situations, where we are shown that Shinobu actually cares for him but in an extreme situation. It feels forced because we don't know how and why they got together when they aren't working.
And yeah, UY may be a gag manga but this is the first and only time we see Rumiko break an established couple in the very first chapter in the future to make another one work.
It doesn't make sense seeing how she wrote all of her works later.
Final point: I love Lum, but we all can agree how the fandom has a blind love for her. She wasn't likable in the first chapters but she must have gained attention back in the day because of her outfit and her bold personality, explaining why later she had a big but still believable change in terms of participation and personality to make Ataru and her work.
Lastly, can you tell me if a young female girl who seems like an important part of the character story or individualism in any of Rumiko Takahashi's works became a secondary or side character later after the first chapters?
