Season
overview:
This first season of Urusei Yatsura is the cast introductions. The animators
bypass the flow of the early manga and introduce most of the main characters
early and in quick succession. This is also the season of episodes that
truly are episodic. Instead of the half-hour long stories that
would become the norm in the series, this season was made up of 12-minute
shorts that were closer to the frantic pace of the manga. Most
of the episodes here are highly entertaining if you don't mind the inconsistent
animation. Considering when they were made and the tight budget they were
made under a lot of the episodes are very nicely animated, but it is inconsistent
and there are plenty of poorly animated ones too.
This features some of the earliest work of Mamoru Oshii, who will go on to become a legend in the anime industry when he works on Mobile Police Patlabor and Ghost in the Shell. The season
was capped by a 2 part TV special which were pretty much just two TV episodes
placed back to back. Note that
except for episodes 10 and 11, all episodes up to 21 included two seperate
installments seperated by commercials halfway through the program. On
this page, episodes are divided up in two such as "1-1" and
"1-2".
Many of the episode notes below are from Animeigo, the original English language license-holder for Urusei Yatsura.
Episode 1-1: うわさのラムちゃんだっちゃ!
Uwasa no Lum-chan daccha (I'm Lum the Notorious!)
This episode opens with a baseball game and Ataru getting hit with a left field flyball. Ataru is soon escorted home and discovers he's been chosen to fight an invading alien force's champion in a 10-day game of tag. If he loses, the aliens will invade. But if he wins, the aliens will go home. Ataru isn't at all willing to play tag until he sees the alien's champion: the beautiful Lum.
We have a translation of a promotional blurb from My Anime magazine from August 1981 discussing the upcoming release of the Urusei Yastura anime.
The April 1982 issue of Animedia magazine features a contest in which viewers were asked to find all the parodies from the first episode of Urusei Yatsura. You can read our translaton.
The very first shot of the first episode is a parody. The pitcher displays a technique invented by Hoshi Hyuuma, star of the popular manga/anime series Kyojin no Hoshi (Star of the Giants), called "Dai-League Ball Nigoo" (Big League Pitch No. 2). The technique involves raising one's leg up in the air, thus kicking up lots of sand. When the ball is thrown through the sand, the sand creates a smoke screen effect which makes it disappear just before the batter is about to hit it.
When the left fielder shouts, "Ataru zo! Ataru!" he means (and this is what the subtitles say), "It's gonna hit you!" But the character whose name is Ataru thinks that someone is calling his name, completely misunderstanding the shouting, with predictable results.
Director Mamoru Oshii pointed out that the car chase through Tomobiki after Ataru has been kidnapped is a parody of the famous car chase in Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (ルパン三世 カリオストロの城).
In the scene where Ataru first meets the invader (Lum's Father), Ataru's first response is to intone the phrase "Oni wa soto..." This phrase is part of the ritual incantation "Oni wa soto... fuku wa uchi," which means Oni (devil/evil) outside the house, luck inside. This phrase is typically used during Makemaki (a kind of bean-throwing ceremony intended to ward off Oni). In this case, Ataru is invoking it against real Oni, in an attempt to make them go away.
Ataru saying that he'd "rather go to Iscandar than fight and be killed by an Oni" is a reference to the highly popular Uchuu Senkan Yamato ("Space Battleship Yamato," better known in America as Star Blazers) anime/manga series, created by Leiji Matsumoto and Yoshinobu Nishizaki. Iscandar, a planet some 148,000 light-years from Earth, in the Greater Magellanic Cloud, was the destination of the Yamato on its original voyage, a last-ditch attempt to save mankind from annihilation, much the situation that Ataru finds himself in at this point, though he thinks the trip to Iscandar would be the less risky venture.
Director Mamoru Oshii also pointed out that two scenes pay homage to Steven Spielberg's 1977 film Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The first is the Oni ship landing on Earth to deliver Lum, which parodies the mothership of Close Encounters as it lands in Devil's Tower, Wyoming. The second reference is Lum's appearance in a beam of light from the Oni mothership, which references the passengers leaving the ship scene in Close Encounters.
When Shinobu calls Lum "oni no onnanoko"--"Oni-girl"--the phrase has a double meaning. There is its literal description of Lum as a girl of the Oni, and its more common slang meaning of calling a woman a "devil-girl," which roughly equates to calling a woman a "bitch" in English.
The word for Tag in Japanese is "Onigokko," which, literally translated, means "Game of the Oni." Naturally, therefore, the Oni would have it as their favorite sport.
Ataru has a number 4 on his running shirt. In Japan, "4" is actually an unlucky number, because it has two different pronunciations--"yon" and "shi," where the latter "shi" also happens to be a pronunciation for "death."
The guys interviewed on the news: Kakuei Tanaka was the Prime Minister who opened the way for normalizing relations with China (ending relations with Taiwan), and then went to jail in the Lockheed-Marubeni bribery scandal (think of Richard Nixon for an American parallel). He also provides a textbook example of pork-barrel politics: his home constituency of Niigata Prefecture still think well of him for all the good things he did for them, in spite of all the bad things he did in office--well enough to keep electing him in spite of his poor health. Again, like Nixon, he never admitted his guilt in the scandal. But unlike Nixon, he retained his popularity despite his involvement in scandal. Suguru Egawa, a high-powered high-school pitcher, became notorious for breaking the rules of the Japanese baseball draft, which require that one go to the team which drafts one, or not play at all. Instead, he cut an under-the-table deal to join the Yomiuri Giants, where he really wanted to go, by taking advantage of a loophole in the draft rules. His sneakiness, combined with a lackluster professional record, resulted in a love-hate relationship with his fans. The joke here is that, even though the fate of the Earth is at stake, he still thinks only of himself.
When Ataru grabs Lum's horns, he starts muttering, "I can get married!" Lum misinterprets his meaning, and agrees to marry him. The joke here is based on a myth that says that an Oni has to grant a wish to whoever grabs its horns. Ataru simply wasn't specific enough about his wish. This particular myth originated in Nara, where deer herds are abundant, and bucks are routinely shorn of their horns as a method of population control.
In this episode there is a famous scene where Lum 's breasts are exposed. Fuji TV initially requested that this scene be cut, but chief director Mamoru Oshii refused, saying "It's fine," and also refused calls to shorten the scene. The scene was broadcast as is, and the PTA and other organizations complained. Later, Fuji TV producer Tadashi Oka reflected, "Oshii-kun, you are the only director who hardly listened to what I said, but now I feel nostalgic about everything." Meanwhile, in the commentary on the audio extras on the DVD of Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer released by Toho in 2002, Oshii said about the scene in question, "There was a fuss after it was broadcast, but we were not warned at all beforehand."
Episode 1-2: 町に石油の雨がふる
Machi ni sekiyu no ame ga furu (It's Raining Oil in Our Town)
This episode opens with Ataru friends Megane and Lum's Stormtroopers at school who are watching films of the tag game. In this episode, a space taxi gives Ataru a ride home by accident and the fee is... too much. Since Ataru cannot pay, the space Taxi Collection Agency starts stealing all the oil in the world.
The words "Senshoo," "Tomobiki," "Sembu," "Butsumetsu," "Taian," and "Shakkoo" are known as "Rokki," a kind of "Rekichu," or diary reference, in Buddhist reckoning. They refer to how "lucky" a given day will be. These names are used to determine which days will be best for important events, especially weddings. "Taian," the luckiest day, means "great peace." "Tomobiki," which means "pulling friends" or "friends coming along," is the name of the high school and area of Tokyo (fictional) where much of the series takes place. It also means a day of no winners and no losers, wherein the early morning and late afternoon are lucky, and the rest of the day is unlucky, as opposed to "Shakkoo," which is just the opposite. People try to avoid having funerals on Tomobiki, because, as its name states, it will pull friends along, and cause them to suffer the same fate as the deceased. "Butsumetsu," which means "the death of Buddha," is considered the unluckiest day, and is also the name of the girls' school next to Tomobiki High. "Senshoo" means that the morning is lucky, and the afternoon is unlucky. It also means that one will be lucky with things which one is doing in a hurry. "Sembu" is the reverse: unlucky mornings, lucky afternoons, and luck in taking things easy. The joke about using these names for place names is that no one would normally even think of using them to name a place. Calling a school "Butsumetsu," for example, connotes a feeling of extreme unluckiness--certainly not a place where one would want to send one's daughter.
Early on, Shinobu says, "Don't call for Lum! If you do, she'll take over your life for sure!" The word she uses in Japanese, "toritsukareru," implies something evil is taking over, say, a parasite or an evil spirit. In other words, it means that Megane's plot to sacrifice Ataru in a ritual aimed at summoning Lum back to Earth will result in Lum taking possession of Ataru if it succeeds--a sort of techno-magic pun.
The term "UFO" is used in the series to refer not just to "unidentified flying objects." Lum's spacecraft is referred to as "Lum's UFO," for example. This is because UFO doesn't mean "unidentified flying object" in Japanese. It means basically any alien spacecraft.
Episode 2-1: 宇宙ゆうびんテンちゃん到着!
Uchuu yuubin Ten-chan touchaku (Mail From Space--Ten Arrives!)
Jariten, Lum's cousin, arrives in Tomobiki. Jariten arrives in a giant peach and he and Ataru are enemies at once.
In this story, Ten, Lum's cousin, arrives on Earth like Momotaro ("Peach Boy," a famous character in an old Japanese legend), encapsulated inside a peach. In the Momotaro legend, a very old, childless married couple, find the gigantic peach, talk about it for a while, then decide to "cut it up and see!" And bingo, there is a boy inside! In the story, Mrs. Moroboshi says the same thing, and then tries to slice the peach in question. The peach is very tough, and the knife doesn't go through--because Ten is doing the infamous Ninja sword-master trick! (stopping the incoming swing of a sword with bare hands above his head, which in Japan is considered one of the most difficult techniques, which can only be mastered after decades and decades of sword training!) Ten's name is also a joke. It's derived from "ten," meaning 'the place above the clouds, or heaven' where the Oni reside. Most people refer to "ten" as just that, and use "tengoku" to mean the utopia-heaven. And, on top of all this, Ten speaks in Osaka dialect.
Ten's calling Ataru's Mother "Oneechan" (dear young miss) in one scene is a blatant attempt to get on her good side.: In Japan, most women above the age of about 30, especially if they are mothers, would be called "Obasan" (auntie), especially by young children. Calling Mrs. Moroboshi "Oneesan," let alone "Oneechan," is either high praise or cheap flattery, depending on the situation. Needless to say, she eats it up with a spoon.
Propane delivery: In Japan, propane is a commonly-used fuel for stoves and heating. So propane companies deliver propane containers to homes.
Episode 2-2: つばめさんとペンギンさん
Tsubame-san to pengin (Mrs. Swallow and Mrs. Penguin)
A swallow swallows some food Jariten gives it and it grows such that it looks like a penguin. Its appearance in school is just the start of a full day of panic.
Episode 3-1: 変身美男レイが来た!
Henshin binan Rei ga kita! (The Coming of Rei, the Handsome Shapechanger!)
Rei, Lum's former fiance, arrives on Earth. Ataru watches a storm impassively from his room while Lum tries to coax him to bed. Shinobu meets Rei and brings him to Ataru's house. After a lot of arguing, Rei challenges Ataru to a duel for Lum.
This episode begins with a word play on "Ke." Unfortunately, unless you are able to read the Kanji used in the script, you can't understand it! Mrs. Moroboshi thought that Cherry said "Hair of something," though what Cherry really meant was "some evil thing." Both these words can be pronounced "Ke" in Japanese. Most likely, 99% of the original audience didn't get it as well!
Cherry follows up that pun with a somewhat more successful one on his own name. He introduces himself as "Sakurambo," writing it with kanji that read "deranged monk." Mrs. Moroboshi misunderstands again, assuming the more familiar meaning of "cherry." Cherry then proceeds to reinforce her confusion by telling her to call him "Cherry," thus completing the pun.
The scene where Mrs. Moroboshi tries to keep her husband from leaving her after she gives Rei the eye is based on a classic Japanese melodrama called Konjikiyasha, originally a serial in the Yomiuri Times in 1897 by Ozaki Kooyoo, followed by a sequel in 1903 which was serialized in Shinshosetsu Magazine. The story deals with the relationship between a couple, Kanichi and Omiya, who are engaged to be married. But Omiya decides to marry another man, because he offered her a diamond ring. Disappointed, Kanichi makes a famous quotation: "Tonight, I will make the moon cloud over with my tears." Eventually, Kanichi avenges himself by becoming a loan shark, and using the influence that this gives him to ruin Omiya and her husband. Mr. Moroboshi's use of a slightly modified version of this quotation in this scene, combined with the appropriately melodramatic background and music, lampoon yet another classic Japanese story.
Episode 3-2: くたばれイロ男!
Kudabare iro otoko! (Die, Ladykiller!)
Ataru, Megane, and friends are going to a gyudon restaurant for lunch and are quite shocked to see Rei munching down food like a black hole. Rei is chasing Lum, Ataru and friends and as the chase goes on, the chaos goes on.
"Tora no Maki" (lit. "Tiger's scroll") is a nickname/synonym for "Anchoko/Anchoku" which means cheatsheet or super-easy study guide. In this case, it's a word play. Since Rei has tiger features, combined with the tiger markings on the scroll itself, his cheatsheet becomes 'Rei's Scroll,' or a literal as well as a figurative 'Tora no maki.'
Episode 4-1: 秋の空から金太郎!
Aki no sora Kintaro! (Kintaro of the Autumn Sky)
Kintaro, the vicious little boy with the pet flying bear and the red haired alien nanny, arrives. Lum and Jariten meet Kintaro inside a carp streamer, and Kintaro tells them he was looking for his nanny in the carp. Ataru, Shinobu, Lum, and Jariten try to help Kintaro find his nanny by asking around.
Mr. Moroboshi's first lines in this story are a quotation from a famous letter called "ippitsu keijo," which is considered a best shortest letter, from the Edo era. It was written by a samurai servant, and addressed to his wife. "Hi no youjin"--Literally, "Watch out for fires." Fire was the primary cause of disasters back then. "Osen nakasuna"--Lit. "Don't make the children cry." Parents wanted (they still do, of course) their kids to be peaceful and happy, and never wanted them to feel unhappy about anything. "Uma koyase"--Lit. "Let the horses eat all they want." Back then, people (esp. samurai) raised horses, and horses meant transportation. Actually, much more than that, as a Samurai's job required responsiveness and ability to move about quickly.
The letter is considered the best, because it told the basic necessities for the author at the time, using so few words. The joke here is that Mr. Moroboshi is answering Mrs. Moroboshi's question about what he thinks of his family by reciting the Ippitsu Keijo.
"Koinobori" are carp streamers, a kind of flag shaped like carp, raised to celebrate Children's Day in the spring (May 5). The joke here is that no one raises them in the autumn.
"Mushiboshi" is what people do to dry out clothes, etc., stored up for a long time, to make sure that bugs and mold don't take up residence in them.
"Urusei" can mean Planet Uru, and is thus a homonym joke for 'loud/obnoxious' just like in the series title.
Episode 4-2: たくましく生きるんやっ!
Takumashiku ikirunya! (Live Vigorously!)
Kintaro's nanny, with Ataru's help takes the alien children on a tour of Earth and a Earth child's school. Ataru tells the myth of the real Kintaro who grew up in the wild and slew a demon. So Kintaro decide to live up to his name.
No episode of Urusei Yatsura aired the following week. Though Urusei Yatsura's lead in, Dr. Slump did air at 7:00pm, on November 11, 1981 the Women's Volleyball World Cup aired instead which featured a match between Japan and Cuba.
When Kintaro says, "At the very least, take us to Tokyo Tower or Nijubashi!" he is referring to two famous landmarks in Tokyo. Tokyo Tower (which appears at the end of Ep. 2, Story 4, "Mrs. Swallow and Mrs. Penguin," is to Tokyo roughly what the Eiffel Tower is to Paris (except it is only half as big), and Nijubashi, or "double bridge," is one of the bridges to the Imperial Palace.
The "Nanking string balls" to which the preschool teacher refers are known as "Sudare." Sudare is a kind of meshwork, made using bamboo. It is usually used to roll sushi or futomaki (thick sushi). At many festivals, there are dealers/magicians who demonstrate the sudare by dancing with them, often doing some 'magic' tricks by folding, spreading, and twisting the sudare into many different shapes. This has been going on for many generations.
"Issun-hooshi" is the Japanese version of Tom Thumb. Only one inch tall, he nevertheless possessed tremendous strength, and eventually beat up lots of Oni.
About the string of insults Ten hurls at Kintaro near the end of this episode: "Kappa-danuki" is not an animal. Kappa is a legendary amphibian monster, which is sort of like a frog-man, with a sharp beak, and a bald spot on top of its head that holds water. Many centuries ago, people used to cut kids' hair to shoulder-length, and shave the top off. This was customary, and was called the "Kappa" hairstyle. The water allows a Kappa to come out to the land for a short time, just enough to feed on the blood of their victims. "Tanuki" literally means raccoon. In Japanese fairy tales, raccoons are often portrayed as blatant liars. So, when someone calls someone else a "tanuki," s/he means a 'liar.' By putting these two words together, you get 'bald-headed liar.' "Manjuu-hage" is similar. Manjuu is a round 'cake.' The word "Manjuu" is sometimes used in conjunction with something else, like an umbrella. Manjuu-gasa (Manjuu-umbrella) is a hemispheric umbrella, so named because Manjuu looks hemispherical when it's cut. Hage simply means bald-headed.
Lum cleaning Ataru's ears is a customary thing for a woman to do to a man she is intimately involved with, whether it be husband and wife, boyfriend/girlfriend, geisha and sponsor, etc.
At the end of this story, when the preschoolers are watching the news reports about Kintaro, they comment that Kintaro is trying to tell them that life is more about money than rank or prestige. The joke is that the kanji "Kin" on Kintaro's garment, which is "Kin" of Kintaro, also means gold and money. So his name is "Money-boy," and money is what he lives for.
Episode 5-1: 謎のお色気美女サクラ
Nazono iroke bijo Sakura (The Mysterious Seductive Beauty Sakura)
Sakura, the Shinto maiden, arrives. Ataru can no longer endure Lum, so he has gone undercover. Unfortunately, at a restaurant, the appearance of Lum, Ataru parents, Shinobu, and Cherry blows his cover; and a mob chases after him. He manages to duck them and bumps into Sakura, who takes him home for exorcising.
Ataru's mask: Japanese people wear such masks to protect against dust and pollen in the air, as well as to stop the spread of diseases--both giving and receiving. Sometimes, famous people may wear them as well to conceal their identities, much like Westerners might wear sunglasses. But one thing you can't do normally when wearing one of those masks is eat through one -- unless, of course, you're Ataru Moroboshi!
Going Wide: In Japan, missing-person shows often appear on early-morning or mid-afternoon programs called "Wideshows," which are aimed primarily at housewives. If the missing person is important, then it would be major news, worthy of headlines and real news broadcasts, but shows such as these are typically of the tearjerker variety, meant more to evoke sympathy than any real help in finding anyone. This is not meant to trivialize the very real problems of the people involved, however. But shows such as these are more likely to give air time to the average person than the bigger, more serious news programs, because they are constantly looking for any little thing they can make a feature out of.
Manjuu are little cakes made of a sort of pancake-like batter, or sometimes with a rice-cake outside, and filled with bean-jam paste. Sooshiki manjuu (Funeral bean-jam cakes) are differentiated mainly by their black-and-white color. By contrast, red-and-white manjuu represent a happy occasion, such as a wedding. The joke here is that, normally, one tries to entice a missing loved one to come home by promising something special to that person. But sooshiki manjuu are not that big a deal.
Sakura is Cherry's niece. There is also a relationship between their names: Sakura means "cherry blossom," and Sakuramboo means "cherry" (the fruit). Note also that Cherry is a Buddhist monk, and Sakura is a Shinto priestess.
Episode 5-2: 悩めるウイルス
Nayameru wairusu (Tormenting Virus)
Arriving at school one morning, Ataru is greeted by all boys in the school who are waiting for the new nurse, Sakura, arriving at school today. Ataru appears to be sick, but in reality he is possessed; and Sakura performs the exorcism.
Hakama are large, baggy pants, typically worn over kimono. They are also primarily worn by men. For women to wear them typically requires that the woman be in a profession like Sakura's, or be participating in a graduation ceremony. Female students during the Meiji and Taishoo eras wore them as well.
Episode 6-1: 恋の三角ブラックホール
Koi no sankaku burakku horu (Love Triangle Black Hole)
Ataru is phoning Shinobu in order to make plans for a date, when Lum interrupts and gets Shinobu mad at Ataru. Ataru throws Lum out and constantly focuses on getting in touch with Shinobu instead. However, Lum is persistent and uses a ray to jam the phone lines; this ray also has the side affect of making a plane and a helicopter vanish.
Stupidity Personified: When Ataru's Mother calls him "the personification of the word 'stupid,'" the word she actually uses, "ikizukuri," refers to a method of serving sashimi. The method involves taking a live fish out of a tank in the restaurant, cutting off its meat while it is still alive, and laying the cuts of meat on the still-twitching head-bones-tail of said fish. Thus, Ataru's Mother means that he is both demonstrating and decorating the very concept of stupidity.
A Yen to Chat: When Ataru says he'll fight Lum as long as his 10 coins hold out, he could well mean to put up an extended fight, because for local calls, 10 coins used to last three minutes apiece in Japanese telephones. For 100, he could stay on the line for thirty minutes, or make ten separate three-minute calls.
Futagoyama is a one-time yokozuna (the top rank in sumo), who retired and became a sumo stablemaster. He is also the uncle of current talented sumo wrestler (and teen-idol) Takanohana, who, as of this writing, may be in line to become the newest yokozuna. Often, he serves as a commentator at sumo contests, much like retired football players and coaches do in the US. Mitsugoyama is a pun on Futagoyama's name (meaning, roughly, "three mountains" rather than "two mountains"). It goes without saying that he's not a scientist, nor does he have any knowledge of Lum and Ataru, so he is the last person one would expect to make a significant comment on the situation.
Episode 6-2: ホレホレ 小悪魔だっきゃ!
Hore hore koakuma dakkya! (Hey, Hey It's a Little Demon)
Walking home from school, Ataru is assaulted by a group of black cats and gets a nasty bump on the head. At midnight, he is using two mirrors to look at the bump, when a little demon pops out of the mirror. The demon proves to be too much for Ataru and Mr. Moroboshi, so they get Cherry to exorcise it.
"This is a pen..." is the classic English phrase that all Japanese seem to learn first thing in public-school English classes. Soon followed by "This is a pencil." These phrases have become such a clich that they're often used in anime and manga to reflect a person's lack of English knowledge. School kids have been known to accost innocent foreigners and utter this dreaded phrase.
Episode 7-1: 電撃ショックがこわい!
Denki shokku ga kowai! (The Scary Electric Shock!)
Cherry gives Ataru some yellow ribbons which when tied to her horns, negate Lum's powers. In order to coax Lum into wearing them, Ataru has to put on a big charade of really loving her.
This episode marks one of the highest audience viewership rating of the entire series. For more information please see our article "Urusei Yatsura Top 10 Highest Rated Episodes".
It is hard to imagine there ever being criticism of Toshio Furukawa's performance as Ataru Moroboshi, however in a 2022 interview with jazz bassist Ryu Kawamura (川村竜 aka Meat Takeshi/ミートたけし), Furukawa discusses the negative feedback he got in the beginning of Urusei Yatsura. "I received quite a few letters and the director said to me, 'we're getting a lot of stuff like this, can you change your performance, or your voice, or the style of your acting?' I was really in shock at the time. I was so depressed that I thought I should listen, the general public's evaluation of your work can be pretty heavy." Kawamura comments on the strangeness of being sent a letter filled with criticism and Furukawa laughs that at least a telegram would only be a single line, but letters "could be seven or eight pages of nothing but swear words." They discuss comments on Twitter being similar, but Furukawa wonders if its better to be criticized rather than to be ignored completely.
Later in the same interview with Ryu Kawamura the two discuss the frustration of auditioning for acting roles and musical performances and being asked to perform like other actors or musicians with Furukawa saying "they should hire the person they want me to sound like then." He adds that he is often mistakenly cast for parts meant for Toru Furuya (Tobimaro Mizunokoji in Urusei Yatsura and Amuro Ray in Mobile Suit Gundam) because of their similar sounding names. He states that Toru Furuya has reported the same and is often asked to read lines "in the way you do when you're on Do! Sports" to which Furuya angrily replies, "that's not me, that's Furukawa!"
There's more than one way to shed your skin: When Cherry says he'll try to "skin that cat," what he actually says in the original is "hito hada nugu," which literally means "I'll shed a layer of skin." The idiomatic meaning is "I'll make an effort on your behalf," though Cherry manages to combine both literal and figurative images in this scene.
Episode 7-2: 念力ウラミのあやつり人形
Nenriki urami no ayatsuri ningyou (The Doll of Ill Will)
After an odd loss of control of his body after dinner, Ataru finds out Lum has some clay for making voodoo dolls. Ataru takes full advantage of the situation until Lum make a doll of Shinobu, and Ataru tries to get it away from Lum.
3-3-7 cadence is used normally for closing ceremonies at a job or a party. Everyone on hand will usually clap together in that cadence: three times, another three times, and then seven times. A variation calls for just one large clap.
Muchi laughs: Ten has fun with homonyms on the word "muchi," which has the usual meaning of "ignorance." He starts off with this conventional meaning by saying that Ataru is ignorant, and that he who is ignorant of his stupidity is also ignorant of his shame. But then he says "Muchi muchi pudding ga suki de," which means "You like muchi muchi pudding." Here, he uses a different meaning of "muchi," or rather, "muchi muchi," to wit, kind of roly-poly, like custard. Then he returns to his previous usage of "muchi" to finish up with "You're the great king of ignorance."
Preview Pun: The yokokuhen (preview) for the next episode (as well as the story itself) contains a take-off on the opening line from Yukiguni, a book by Kawabata Yasunari (1899-1972--suicide), winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. The line in the original work is, "Tunnel o nukeru to, soko wa yukiguni datta" (At the end of the tunnel was Snow Country). The take-off line is, "Oshiire no nagai tunnel o nukeru to, soko wa yukiguni datcha!" (At the end of a long tunnel in the closet is Snow Country!)
Episode 8-1: おし入れの向うは海王星
Oshiire no mukou wa Kaiosei (Neptune Beyond the Closet)
Megane and friends visit while Shinobu is nursing Ataru, who has a cold; and they discover a gate to Neptune in Ataru closet and soon they meet the Queen of Nepture, the chilly Oyuki. After travelling through the gate they discover that Oyuki and Lum are old friends.
Script writer Yuji Amemiya also worked on Maya the Bee an early 1980s anime that was broadcast on Nickleodeon in the United States. He also worked on the anime adaptation for Kazuo Umezu's Cat-Eyed Boy.
Kappa are mythical Japanese water-dwelling vampires, made famous in a novel of the same name by Akutagawa Ryunosuke.
The name "Oyuki" means, appropriately enough, "Honorable Snow."
Yukionna (literally, "Snow woman"): A mythical fairy of the snow. She appears where there is an abundant snowfall, dressed all in white, very pale, and kills people.
The Eyes Have It: Me no iro ga kawaru (literally, "the color of his eyes have changed"), generally means that one is excited, angry, or worked up about something. In this case, Shinobu means that Ataru is hot for Oyuki, and his eyes have, in effect, given him away.
Episode 8-2: ハチャメチャ恐竜時代
Hachamecha kyouryuu jidai (The Confusing Dinosaur Age)
While Ataru is flying an ultra-light, with Lum and Jariten tagging along, Kintaro crashes into him. With the help of Lum's electric shock, the crash send them all back in time to the dinosaur age.
Episode 9-1: 眠れる美女クラマ姫
Nemureru bijo Kurama-hime (Sleeping Beauty Princess Kurama)
On a field trip, Ataru and friends accidentally meet a karasu-tengu who takes Ataru to marry Kurama, their princess. Kurama then tries to reform Ataru to be her perfect husband.
Kurama, the name of the new major character introduced in this episode, is the first of many references to Minamoto Yoshitsune, brother of Minamoto Yoritomo, who founded the first military government in Japan, at Kamakura, in 1192. "Kurama" is most likely derived from Kuramayama (Mt. Kurama), which is where Yoshitsune, under the name of Ushiwaka Maru (which he took in his youth, in a ceremony called "genpuku," or coming-of-age; see ep. 12, story 24), is supposed to have received training in swordsmanship from the Tengu, legendary goblin spirits. Tengu are also referred to as "Karasutengu," or "Crow goblins," because they resemble crows in appearance. The Tengu who reside on Mt. Kurama are additionally called, appropriately enough, "Kuramatengu," which is what Princess Kurama is--with an extraterrestrial twist.
The Karasutengu dress in the garb of "yamabushi" (山伏), mountain ascetics that belong to a spiritual movement called "shugendo" (修験道). You can read more about shugendo in the cultural notes section.
Up Close and Personal: When Ataru leans over Kurama's sleeping form and says "Gotaimen," it is a reference to "Punch De Date," a TV matchmaking program which was popular at about the same time as Urusei Yatsura. A given couple would come on-stage, their identities kept secret from one another by a curtain. They would talk to one another to find out if there was any mutual interest. If there was, then the MC would say "Gotaimen!" (first face-to-face meeting), the barrier would be raised, and the couple would meet face-to-face for the first time.
First Impression: Kurama's first impression of Shinobu is not at all flattering. Kurama calls Shinobu "Zashiki warashi," (座敷童子) which are household guardian spirits in the Toohoku ("Northeast") region of Japan, which is the area of Honshuu (the largest of the four main islands of Japan) north of Kantoo, and is known for being cold and covered in snow a lot of the time. These spirits typically have the appearance of a plain, immature, round-faced, rosy-cheeked girl with a bob haircut, which happens to describe Shinobu very nicely at this point in the series. Rumiko Takahashi would later write a short story about a zashiki warashi entitled Extra-Large Size Happiness in 1990.
Anima/Animus: The "Anima Ray" that Kurama uses on Ataru to try to change his personality is a reference to a major theme of Jungian psychology: that everyone has elements of both sexes in them. Jung refers to these elements as "Anima" (female) and "Animus" (male). In oversimplified form, the degree to which these traits manifest in a given person determines that person's sexual persona.
Episode 9-2: アスレチック女地獄!
Asurechikku onna jikoku (Athletic Woman Hell)
Kurama uses a weird dimensional door to try and cure Ataru of his lechery. Inside the door, Ataru faces hostile versions of the girls he loves.
And on top of this, tons of homework: Depending on the school, students often have the responsibility of cleaning up their classrooms after school. Students may be divided into groups in a given classroom, and those groups rotate their responsibilities. High schools in particular don't hire custodians as a general rule, so the students have to clean up instead!
Old Baldy: Ataru calling the giant-size Shinobu "Dainyudo" is a reference to a type of "Yokai," or evil spirit, typified by its baldness. The reason Ataru can apply the term to Shinobu is partly due to her size, and also because her haircut looks like the silken artificial "hair caps" that monks would wear atop their shaven heads. Taira no Kiyomori, a leader of the Heike Clan (again, see ep. 12, story 24) was called Dainyuudo because he was monstrously successful in making his clan powerful.
Episode 10: ときめきの聖夜（前編）&（後編）
Tokimeki no seiya (zenpen) & (kohen) (Pitter-Patter Christmas Eve Part 1 & Part 2)
Megane and Lum's Stormtroopers set up a plot to embarrass Ataru and get Lum to leave him at the same time. They set up a date who will make a fool of Ataru, but Lum finds out and twists things around.
This episode marks one of the highest audience viewership rating of the entire series. For more information please see our article "Urusei Yatsura Top 10 Highest Rated Episodes".
Shades of "Ima Trapp": The name of the girl Megane and the gang create is, no surprise, a pun. "Kumino Otoko" literally means "Men of the Class," but Ataru is so blinded by lust that he doesn't notice this obvious hint.
No Time to Write: Normally, a Japanese letter is supposed to begin with greetings appropriate to the season. However, to simplify matters, "zenryaku," which means "the beginning of a letter," is often used.
Cafe Pigmon: This may or may not be a reference to the creature Pigmon from Ultraman. (Given the other references to Tsuburaya Productions that appear in both the manga and the anime, it seems unlikely that this would be coincidence.)
Toshio Furukawa, Ataru's voice actor, stated that this was his favorite episode. Fumi Hirano (the voice of Lum) responded to his comment adding, "Tokimeki no seiya" has a scene where I was very conscious of Lum. She thinks, "I like the kindness of darling" and Lum makes the discovery of the kindness of darling from Lum's perspective. I love darling's way of saying "What are you saying, idiot" at the last."
Due to New Years no new episode was aired the following week.
Episode 11: あたる源氏平安京にゆく（前編）&（後編）
Ataru Genji Heiankyoune yuku (zenpen) & (kohen) (Ataru Genji Visits Heian-kyo Part 1 & Part 2)
Mendo tells a tale about ancient Japan featuring the normal cast in a slightly different alien invasion story. The aliens this time, all look like a bunch odd barbarians, except for a pretty girl and her young boy cousin.
Kadomatsu: The "New Year's Pine" is made of bamboo stems and pine leaves, used for decorating entrances of houses on the New Year, to invite the god of that particular year into that house.
Poetic Cards: The card game Ataru, Shinobu, Lum, Sakura and Cherry are playing at the beginning of this episode is based on a volume of poems, the Hyakuninisshu (100-Poets' Collection), compiled by Fujiwara no Teika, who collected one great poem from the works of each of 100 greatest Japanese poets. The game is a popular New Year's pastime, wherein one person reads the first part of a poem from that collection and the players try to be the first to find the card containing that poem. Ataru, however, is playing to lose. The full versions of the two poems Cherry quotes are as follows:
"Tago no ura ni uchiirete mireba shirotae no Fuji no takane ni yuki wa furitsutsu" --Yamabe no Akahito (dates unknown)
"From the seashore of Tago, if you ride a boat on the ocean, you will see the beautiful white snow falling atop Mt. Fuji."
"Haru sugite natsu kinikerashi shirotae no koromo hosuchoo ama no Kaguyama" --Jito Tenno (Empress (later Emperor) Jito, AD. 645-702)
"Spring has gone, it seems to be Summer already, because I see white cloth being hung out to dry on Kagu Mountain."
Author, Author: It's not certain, but Murasaki Shikibu, author of Genji Monogatari (The Tale of Genji) is believed to have lived between AD. 978-1014 or 1016. She wrote Genji Monogatari in the beginning of the 11th Century. She married once, to one Fujiwara Nobutaka, and had a daughter. But Fujiwara's death left her a widow. After his death, she worked for Shooshi, the daughter of Fujiwara no Michinaga, and also the luckier of the Emperor's two wives, Teishi being the name of the other. Shooshi's charmed existence seems to have rubbed off favorably on Murasaki, because she started writing Genji Monogatari to entertain the Empress Shooshi, and the more the Empress asked what would happen next, the longer the story got, until eventually the masterpiece resulted. The end of this episode says that Murasaki Shikibu never married, but that's just taking license for the sake of humor.
Genji Monogatari, commonly considered to be the world's first true novel, depicts life in the Heian Imperial Court in the 10th Century, roughly 100 years before the story was actually written. It is also considered the single greatest work of Japanese literature.
The Heian Era began in AD. 794 and ended in AD. 1192, with the establishment of the first military government at Kamakura. The Heian capital was established at Kyoto, and the Emperor resided there until the beginning of the Meiji Era (AD. 1868), when the Imperial Residence moved to Tokyo.
The Awa Odori is a type of dancing that originated in Tokushima Prefecture (Southwest Honshuu), and may not have anything to do with Kyoto at all.
Take-out: We translated "Daihanten" as "Chinese restaurant," but its original Chinese meaning seems to be "hotel." However, it seems to have been misinterpreted in Japan, and the literal reading of the Kanji (Chinese characters) was used to get the meaning of this word in Japanese.
Take-offs: Hikaru Genji, the title character of Genji Monogatari, was the son of the Emperor by a favored concubine who died soon after his birth. However, a fortuneteller told him that remaining the Emperor's son would be unlucky for him, so he changed his name to Genji, that of a servant, and lowered his status as well. One of his sons, by his mother-in-law, Fujitsubo, would eventually become Emperor, though most people believed that this child was the son of the Emperor himself. This should give the viewer an idea of why Ataru was cast as Genji, though the literary figure had much more class, and was much more successful with the ladies.
To no Chujo was Genji's best friend, sharing a similar rank, and every bit the playboy that Genji was. They shared numerous escapades together, but eventually they would become rivals. Therefore, it seems fitting that Mendo Shutaro should be cast as To no Chujo.
"Tsubo," as in Genji's mother-in-law, Fujitsubo, means a woman of high rank. "Tsubone" designates a lady-in-waiting, a servant, to a tsubo or other person of high status. Hence the name, "Shinobu no Tsubone."
The legend of Momotaro ("Peach Boy") says that an old childless couple, Ojiisan and Obaasan, found a large peach drifting down a stream one day, when Obaasan went to do her laundry. When they opened it, out sprang Momotaro When he grew up, he went to hunt the Oni, who had stolen all the wealth of the people years before. Along the way, he met a dog, a monkey, and a pheasant, all of whom joined him when he gave them one of his "Nippon-ichi no kibidango" (Steamed shiratamako flour with white sugar on top; they taste like rice-cakes.) When they reached Oni-ga-shima ("Oni Island") in the Inland Sea, a great battle took place, and Momotaro took all the treasures back to the people from whom they had been stolen. He also ensured that Ojiichan and Obaachan would be well taken care of.
All the Oni have navels that stick out, known as "debeso" in Japanese. Calling someone "debeso" in Japanese is roughly akin to saying "Your mother wears Army boots" in English.
Double Takes: "Kakuheiki" means "nuclear weapons." But Momotaro, not knowing of such things, mistakes the "kaku" in "kakuheiki," which means "nuclear," for a different "kaku," which means "angle." With "maru" meaning "circle," and hence "maruheiki" meaning "circular weapons," we get the pun on "kakuheiki/ maruheiki:" Momotaro was actually saying "angular weapons" and "circular weapons," misunderstanding Ten's meaning entirely.
Ol' Four Eyes: Grading in Japanese schools is done all on bell curves, as opposed to the straight percentage method often used in the US. The difference is that, whereas the latter scoring method is an absolute, the former is a relative measurement, all students against each other, so that the top scorer, regardless of his actual score on a given test, is considered the A student, and everyone else is measured against him. A score of 50 on this deviation is considered average, and the 75 that Momotaro gets is very high, though it only means that he is doing better than the other students. It doesn't show how well he's learned a given subject.
Behavior reports are made by teachers. They make evaluations of the personalities of students, which seem to be little more than whether they are "good" boys and girls or not. They follow a student to the high school or college to which he applies, so students have to be careful that their teachers have a good opinion of them. These reports are kept secret from the students, and recently there have been several court cases in which students and parents have managed, after much resistance, to see them.
Koshien is where the Summer High School Baseball Tournament is held. Productivity in Japan plummets when the "Boys of Summer" go to Koshien.
The Naoki Sanjuugo Sho and the Akutagawa Ryunosuke Sho are literary awards named for two well-known Japanese writers. The Akutagawa Sho is primarily for "serious" writing, and the Naoki Sho is aimed at more "entertainment" novels. Getting these awards confers a high status, and is often a ticket to a career in writing.
The FNS Record Contest is roughly to the Japan Music Awards as the American Music Awards are to the Grammies.
The bronze statue is a mark of glory hunting, much like some people will make a donation for the ego-boost of being recognized as having made that donation, rather than for any good that their donation will do.
First Steps: "Oni-san kochira. Te no naru hoo e. Anyoo wa joozu korobu wa heta," (Over here, Mr. Oni! To the sound of the hands! Your walk is good, falling is bad...) is a chant sometimes used by parents to encourage their children to walk. It is also sometimes used in Onigokko (the Japanese name for Tag, a.k.a. "The Game of the Oni.")
Kirk to Enterprise: "Ryusei-go, otoseyo" (Come in, Ryuusei) is from a popular anime series of the late 1960s called "Super Jetter." Many Japanese series have "in-joke" references to Japanese and American series (especially "Star Trek"), and recently, "Star Trek: The Next Generation" has been returning the favor.
Military Intelligence: "Heian Booeigun" (Heian Defense Force) is probably a joke at "Chikyuu Booeigun" (Terran Defense Force) from such series as "Ultra Seven" and "Uchuu Senkan Yamato" ("Space Battleship Yamato," also known as "Star Blazers." in the US.)
She'll stick it to you: The Naginata is a sort of Japanese pole arm, originally intended for use by infantry against cavalry. Later, it came into common use by monks and women, the latter especially during World War II.
Episode 12-1: 恋のバトルロイヤル
Koi no Batoru roiyaru (Love Battle Royale)
Sakura invites Ataru, Lum, Shinobu, Megane, Perm, Chibi, and Kakugari to a disco. Things later go haywire as Tsubame, Sakura's boyfriend who has some magic abilities, starts casting spells and all sorts of weird creatures appear, including Rei.
When Ataru's Father says "I'M the one who always gets stuck with the bills for HIS girl chasing," the original Japanese is "Aho wa onnazuki, ore wa loanzuke da!" This is a better joke in Japanese than it is English (as so many of these are). "Onnazuki" means "hot for women," and "loanzuke" means "stuck with loans/mortgages." So a more literal translation would be "He's hot for women, and I'm stuck with the mortgages!"
What's in a Name (a regular feature of these notes!): The name Ozuno Tsubame itself contains a couple of jokes. First is his family name, Ozuno, which seems to be derived from "Oz no Mahootsukai," which is the title of the Japanese translation of The Wizard of Oz. "Oz no" (or "Ozu no," as it would be pronounced in Japanese) becomes "Ozuno." It might also reflect his having gone to the West to study. Tsubame, his given name, which literally means (the bird) "swallow" (see Ep. 2, Story 4, "Mrs. Swallow and Mrs. Penguin"), is also slang for "himo," which in this case means a man who lives off of a woman, something typically considered degrading in Japan.
Go West, Young Man: Tsubame's going to the West to study (Seiogaeri) is part of an old tradition, dating back to the early days of Japan's first push toward modernization, in the Meiji Era (1868-1912). In order to try and catch up with advanced Western countries, Japanese would travel to those countries to study things not known in Japan, and bring back what they had learned to Japan (they still do, but not nearly as much as they used to, now that Japan is an industrial leader in its own right). In Tsubame's case, he went West to study magic, because magic is supposedly more advanced there than it is in Japan. His use of the word "Seiogaeri" to describe his studies in the West is a nod to the old-fashionedness of this particular journey, reflecting the superior attitude of Japanese who made such trips in earlier times.
Cherry Green: When Megane says, "Hey, with Cherry around, you can get run down crossing the street on a green light!," he is punning on a saying that was popular in the last decade or so: "Akashingoo minna de watareba kowakunai." This phrase literally means, "You can get away with crossing at a red light if you do it with a lot of people." The underlying meaning is that if you get a lot of people together to help you break the law, you can get away with it. It's a way of justifying things one isn't supposed to do. However, what Megane means is that, if you do something with Cherry, no matter how legal and innocuous it may be--like crossing at a green light--you'll end up in a pile of hurt. Language Note: "Aoshingoo" literally means "blue light," though it is usually translated as "green light." This is because some shades of what are referred to as "green" in the West are considered "blue" in Japan, especially with regard to traffic lights and greenery. There are references in old Chinese literature to calling green plants blue, which may have had an influence in this area.
Bring out the Vote: Tsubame shouting "Ozuno Tsubame ni kiyoki ippyo" is a take-off on a slogan commonly used by politicians campaigning for election. It literally means "Give your one pure vote to Ozuno Tsubame (in his campaign to marry Sakura)!"
Y'all come back now, heah: When Tsubame makes his summonings, he finishes them up with the phrase, Come on out, y'all!" The original, "Oidemasse!" comes from an advertising slogan for Yamaguchi Prefecture (in the Chuugoku region of Honshuu, near the Southern end of the island): "Oidemasse Yamaguchi e," or "Come on out to Yamaguchi, y'all!" which was famous at the time this episode originally aired (around Dec., 1981-Jan., 1982). The Yamaguchi accent is, roughly, to Japanese what the Southern accent is to American English, which is why we chose this particular translation.
A Story that Bears Repeating: When he first fails to summon Satan (because Japanese spirits don't understand anything but Japanese), Tsubame tries again, calling out "Akuma!" which can be translated variously as "demon," "devil," or (as in this case) "Satan." But he screws up again, turning Ataru into a bear, or "kuma," which is the Japanese word for same. Then the pun is completed when the onlookers start saying, "Aa! Kuma! (Ah! It's a bear!)" which can be (and is) confused with "Akuma."
Flying the Friendly Skies: The disc jockey calling Lum "a high-flying woman" ("Tonderu onna") comes from "Tobu no ga Kowai," the Japanese translation of Erica Jong's "Fear of Flying." This phrase became popular for referring to a woman who does her own thing, and succeeds in doing so; an independent, challenging woman, characteristics which seem to describe Lum rather well. So this phrase is both literal and figurative.
His Face is His Fortune: Tsubame saying "My face!" in the subtitles when Ataru trips him up is a shorthand way of trying to explain an idea that can be expressed in just one word in Japanese, but is not nearly so simple in English. His actual line is "Nimaime ga!" The term "Nimaime" might best be translated as "matinee idol." It usually refers to a really good-looking actor, along the lines of Robert Redford, Clark Gable, or James Dean. What Tsubame means is that his good looks have been messed up by Ataru, and they are what he is most concerned about at the moment. A related word, "Sammaime," refers to comic actors. Both terms have their origins in Kabuki.
Episode 12-2: 父よあなたは強かった
Chichi yo anata wa tsyokatta (Father, You Were Strong)
Kurama takes Ataru back in time to help her father who appears to be afraid of women. Later Ataru and Kurama's father have to get past a guard on a bridge.
The title of this episode comes from the title of a song, "Chichi yo, Anata wa Tsuyokatta," which was popular in Japan during World War II. It was a propaganda song used by the Government to keep up the people's morale.
Sometimes, translating is easy: When the Karasutengu says he can "stretch [his] feathers," the original Japanese phrase, "Hane o nobasu," means just that, literally. But it also has a more common, idiomatic meaning of "stretch out, take it easy," which means that the Karasutengu is speaking both literally and figuratively.
And then again, sometimes it isn't: Lum's conversation with that same Karasutengu, shortly thereafter, leads to the following exchange:
Karasutengu: To become a disciple of a certain man...
Lum: ...a disciple of a monkey?
Karasutengu: No, Her Highness's ideal man. She's going to train him like a monkey...
The joke in the original Japanese is a pun on the word "saru," which can have the meaning of "a certain..." as in the phrase "saru otoko (a certain man)," and which is the meaning the Karasutengu intended. But Lum misunderstands, thinking the Karasutengu used another meaning of "saru," which is "monkey" or "ape." Hence the confusion, and yet another example of maddening puns!
And on this one, we just gave up: When Ushiwaka Maru first sees Lum, his reaction prompts Ataru to pound him in the head. However, instead of saying "Sukiari!" (a traditional kendo term meaning that one's opponent's defenses are down, i.e., he is wide open), Ataru says "Sukimono!" (someone who likes sex) at the crucial moment. Ataru is punning on how the sight of a nearly-naked woman has caused Ushiwaka Maru to let down his guard.
And you thought learning American History was tough: The great rival of the Genji Clan (a real-life clan not to be confused with the fictional Genji of the previous episode) was the Heike Clan. The Heike Clan came to power in the late Heian Era and grew arrogant as a result of their prosperity. But they rested on their laurels, and fell into decline. Finally, they were destroyed by the Genji Clan, the final battle between the two taking place in Dannoura, in 1185, which is now Shimonoseki in Yamaguchi Prefecture. Minamoto no Yoshitsune was commander for the Genji ("Minamoto" being the "kun," or Japanese, reading of the kanji "Gen" in "Genji," of which "Gen" is the "on," or Chinese, reading), and led them to decisive victory. But after his brother, Minamoto no Yoritomo, established the first military government at Kamakura, in 1192, he began trying to kill Yoshitsune, because Yoshitsune promoted himself without Yoritomo's permission, and this caused a rift that made it impossible for them to live together. So Yoshitsune fled, eventually traversing a large portion of Japan. It is generally believed that Yoshitsune committed suicide, but there are legends that maintain that he went to China and became Genghis Khan.
Ushiwaka Maru was the name used by Minamoto no Yoshitsune in his youth.
The full name of Benkei the monk is Musashibo Benkei. He was fighting many warriors on a bridge (Gojo no Hashi, in Kyoto), and taking their swords, as it was his intention to collect 1000 swords, and it was Ushiwaka Maru (later Minamoto no Yoshitsune) who defeated him. As a result, Benkei decided to serve Ushiwaka Maru, and remained faithful to him the rest of his life. When, as Yoshitsune, he ran from his brother Yoritomo's assassination attempts, Benkei went with him as well.
Often, a samurai would change his name and hairstyle upon officially entering the ranks of the samurai, to signify his coming of age, and becoming a real samurai. This ceremony was called "gempuku," and it is with this ceremony that Ushiwaka Maru confers full samurai status on Ataru, in his Karasutengu identity, by giving him the new name of "Crow Yoshitsune" (a take-off on the name that Ushiwaka Maru himself would eventually take).
Episode 13-1: ハワイアン水着ドロボウ
Hawaian mizugi dorobou (Hawaiian Swimsuit Thief)
Ataru, Lum, Shinobu, Sakura, Megane, Cherry, and others are staying at a beachside resort. During the day, an octopus is stealing peoples swimsuits, but it appears to look like Cherry is doing it. At the end, they find the octopus and beat him up.
Cold winter nights: The "heaters" Ataru refers to are "kotatsu." A Kotatsu is essentially a short square table with a heater underneath it, over which one puts a blanket, and then another table-top. In older houses, there is often a square pit in the center of the room (normally covered by a tatami mat) where the heater can be placed. In winter, people sit around kotatsu with their legs underneath it to keep warm. Another thick blanket is often put on the floor underneath the kotatsu to keep warmth inside the room as well.
Here's mud in your eye: In the final scene, when everyone is fighting the octopus in the dark cave, it squirts ink in both Ataru and Sakura's faces. Sakura's response is to pick it up bodily and shout, "On top of everything else, you throw mud in my face?" The original expression, "Kono ue, mada watashi no kao ni doro o nuroo to iu no desu ka?" has both a literal and a figurative meaning, leading to a pun (no surprise). The idiomatic meaning of this particular line is that "your actions have caused me to lose face," which the octopus (which everyone thinks is Cherry) has done.
Episode 13-2: 地獄のフルコース
Jigoku no furukoosu (Full Course From Hell)
Still at the resort, the group meets some maniac who is having an all-you-can-eat contest. Sakura reveals the secret of her figure to be a diet pill called "Beauty Foods." But we really know the real reason is Sakura can just plain eat like a whale, and we see her do so as she beats Ataru and Cherry in the contest and clean the maniac of all his food.
The drink Sakura orders at the beginning of this story, which reads "lemon soda" in the subtitles, is actually called "Lemon Squash" in the original. "Lemon Squash" is essentially carbonated lemonade, and, to the best of this writer's knowledge, does not exist under that name outside of Japan.
One important note about the foods that were served: they are a deliberate mix of everyday fast-food and fancy dishes -- the all-you-can-eat restaurant is sort of a combination of a 4-star restaurant and a burger stand.
The 300-gram steak mentioned in the restaurant scene is huge for a steak in Japan. The average size for a steak in a Japanese steakhouse (for example, the Victoria Station in Shibuya, where many AnimEigo meetings have taken place) is around 150 grams, because beef is very expensive in Japan (2-3 times more than chicken or pork, and even more for grades of beef high enough in quality to be used as steak).
Cherry saying, "I haven't had steak in years!" and Sakura retorting, "Be honest. It's the first time in your life," are continuations of the above reference to how expensive beef, and especially beef steak, is in Japan. We think they are exaggerating.
The "fermented beans" that came on rice is actually called "natto." If you don't know what natto is, consider yourself extremely lucky. Foreigners either swear by natto, or swear at it -- usually the latter.
The "onion" in "liver and onion" is actually a vegetable called "nira." It's green, with a long stalk, often served in Chinese restaurants.
The "extra-large box lunch" is "Tokudai Hinomaru Bentoo". "Hinomaru Bentoo" is so-called because the main dish (which is usually the only dish) is a circle of umeboshi (pickled plums) surrounded by rice, which makes up the shape of the Japanese flag, Hinomaru. It was usually eaten when people couldn't afford anything else.
"Bonito sashimi" is actually a dish called "katsuo no tataki," a specialty of Shikoku (the third of the four Japanese home islands). Katsuo, or bonito, meat is skinned, then grilled very lightly (a few seconds or so) so that only the surface gets cooked at all. Then it is dipped in cold water, sliced, and served with a cold soup of lemon, green onions, and soy sauce.
"Rice with miso soup" is actually "miso-shiru bukkakegohan." Typically, rice and miso soup are served separately, but some people seem to like having them mixed together, though it is usually considered vulgar to do so.
"Rice-fish casserole" is actually called "nekomamma," which literally translates as "cat food," though not the kind one finds in pet shops. It's a mix of scraps and leftovers, usually not served as a dish in restaurants, often consisting of bonito flakes, rice, other small fish, etc.
"Noodles with rice cakes" are actually known as "chikara udon," or "power noodles," because rice is believed to give strength.
When this episode was originally made, whale meat was more easily available commercially than it is now, hence the "whale steak" reference.
"Steamed sweetbuns," or "ampan," are a bun filled with sweet bean-jam paste. An animation character popular with small children is called Anpanman because he looks like one.
Mentioning that Ataru, Sakura, and Cherry are at "table number four" is also a joke, because four is a bad-luck number in Japanese.
The shot of Sakura with the fork in her teeth is reminiscent of Spanish flamenco dancers with roses in their teeth.
Episode 14-1: 面堂はトラブルとともに!
Mendo wa toraburu totomoni! (Mendo Arrives With Trouble!)
Mendo returns for a formal introduction on his first day at school. He and Ataru have a duel for presidency of the class which ends in a tie. They have a duel with cannons, which Ataru wins with help from Lum.
The opening of this story is a tribute to a popular, long-running historical-fiction series, or "jidaigeki," called "Mito Komon." Mito Komon was an actual Edo-period historical figure, whose real name was Mito no Mitsukuni, and he was a member of one of the three main Tokugawa families. The basic plot of each story is the same: Mitokomon travels the land, his true identity concealed, rooting out evil. The jokes in this scene are that Grandfather Mendo resembles Mito Komon in both dress and appearance, and the shot of Shutaro showing the cup with the family crest on it, the latter referring to Mito Komon showing his crest when he reveals his true identity, namely that he is a member of one of the families of Tokugawa. Also, the decoration of the room is in the style of rooms that the shogun would have, in the best traditional style.
Episodes of Mito Komon always have the following in common: The bad guys are rich, noble oppressors of the people, and, after the big "by the way, have you seen my family crest?" scene, the bad guys attack Mito Komon and his assistants, whereupon the body-count becomes astronomical. The bad guys are always offed in reverse order of their importance, and the top bad guy usually gets it while trying to run away. Surprisingly, none of the bad guys ever get the bright idea of attacking the good guys en-masse; they go to their graves one at a time.
Grandfather saying "Did you remember your handkerchief? And your tissues?" is the sort of thing a typical Japanese mother would say to her children-- if they were in kindergarten, that is.
At the time this story was made (Winter 1982), 5 trillion was worth about US$19.2 billion.
"Field Day" is actually called "Undookai" (Sports Meet, or Sports Day). It's a collection of various activities, ranging from track events to tug-o-war to "fill up the basket" (tamaire), about which see story 29, "The Great Spring War."
The pose Lum strikes when she zaps Mendo to protect Ataru is a pitching technique invented by Hoshi Hyuuma, star of the popular manga/anime series Kyojin no Hoshi (Star of the Giants), called "Dai-League Ball Nigoo" (Big League Pitch No. 2). The technique involves raising one's leg up in the air, thus kicking up lots of sand. When the ball is thrown through the sand, the sand creates a smoke screen effect which makes it disappear just before the batter is about to hit it.
To atone for his defeat, Shutaro prepares to commit seppuku, in truly traditional fashion.
Episode 14-2: 星座はめぐる
Seiza wa meguru (Constellation-Go-Round)
Lum's computer tells her that Mendo is really the best choice for her lover, so she brings a set of constellation scales to school and weigh Ataru versus Mendo in a series of test on the scales. At the end, the scales break and we see the class as constellations.
The computer Lum uses at the beginning of this story is a pachinko machine, a very popular form of gambling in Japan. The idea is to shoot balls up into the machine, and have them bounce off the pins and into scoring slots (which pay off with more balls). There are two basic types; "airplane" and "fever." In an airplane machine, getting balls in certain slots briefly open up "wings" that allow balls to go into a central area ; if a ball manages to go into the "V-zone" in the central area, the machine goes "uchi-dome," and the wings open repeatedly, making it easy to win several thousand balls. In a fever machine, getting balls into certain slots start a slot machine-like device working, and if the numbers line up, the machine goes "uchi-dome." Gambling is illegal in Japan, so pachinko parlors cannot give out money; players are supposed to trade in their balls for prizes like food and sundries. However, invariably, each parlor has some weird little prize like lighter flints or tiny bottles of toilet water that, purely by coincidence, can be sold at a tiny shop just around the corner for cash.
Episode 15-1: せつぶん大戦争
Setsubun daisensou (Great Setsubun War)
Lum takes Ataru to another planet to help in a battle against Benten's family during a Setsubun battle. The battle consists of catching stones in bowls on a giant set of scales. Ataru starts playing with Benten and ends up messing up the entire game.
Setsubun, or, "The Day Before Spring," comes on February 3rd, according to the old Japanese calendar. On that day, people throw roasted soybeans to ward off Oni, in a ceremony called "Mamemaki" (see Ep. 1, Story 1, for additional information).
The list of foods Ataru asks his mother to make in celebration of what he thinks is Cherry leaving them is an assortment of Japanese holiday foods in the original:
"sekihan," literally, "red rice," made from "mochigome," a type of rice used to make "mochi" (rice cakes) and azuki beans (which give it its red color). They're steamed, and given on special occasions such as births, passing the university entrance exams, graduations, weddings, etc.
"botamochi," made of mochigome and sweet bean paste, about the size of an egg. Unlike ampan, the bean paste is on the outside, and the rice on the inside. Given on the Equinoxes, primarily the Autumnal Equinox (Sept. 21).
"chitose-ame," A special candy given on Nov. 15, the "Shichi-Go-San" (Seven-Five-Three) Day, which celebrates children reaching those ages. It's a long stick-shaped candy, in white and pink colors.
The joke about this sequence is that none of these foods have anything to do with one another. Ataru just wants to use anything and everything he can think of to celebrate Cherry's leaving.
Sukiyaki is considered a special meal in middle-class Japanese households, because it contains beef. In addition to beef, it consists of "yakidofu," lightly grilled tofu, "shirataki," noodles made of konyaku, a kind of no-cal potato, that look like jello, "negi," green onions, "shimeji," champignon mushrooms, and "shungiku" and "hakusai," a pair of vegetables that have no apparent English equivalent. It's flavored with soy sauce, sugar and sake (or sometimes cooking wine instead of sake), cooked in a deep iron pan, and eaten right out of same. More ingredients are added as it's eaten as well, and one helps oneself out of the pan and into one's bowl. Sometimes people put a raw egg into their bowls, dip their sukiyaki into said egg, and eat it that way as well.
Shichifukujin (The Seven Gods of Luck) are Buddhist Guardian Spirits, gods of warfare and the household, often placed in the kitchen. They are generally regarded as representing good fortune in the same way Oni represent misfortune.
Daikokuten: Mahaakaala in Sanskrit. In Tantric (esoteric) Buddhism, an avatar of the Hindu god Shiva, of which Daijizaiten is another name in Japanese. Symbolized by the zukin (skullcap) on his head, the large bag on his left shoulder, and the uchide-no-kozuchi (mallet of luck) in his right hand, which, when shook, rains gold and other precious objects. Also has a bag of rice underfoot.
Ebisu: Originally Hirokonomikoto, Guardian Spirit of Nishinomiya Shrine in Hyogo Prefecture. God of the oceans, fishing, and business. Often wears a hat called "kazaorieboshi." Carries a fishing pole with a snapper on it.
Bishamonten: Vaisravana in Sanskrit. One of the Shitenno (Four Devas); also one of the Juuniten (Twelve Guardians). Guardian of the North Ward. Known as Tamonten when referring to the Shitenno.
Benten: Originally Bensaiten. Sarasvatii in Sanskrit. Goddess of music, oratory, luck, wisdom, longevity, and victory. Also called Myooonten and Byonten. Together with Kichijoten (Vishnu, or Srii-mahaaderii in Sanskrit), she was the most respected goddess in India. However, the two were mixed up in Japan, and came to be regarded as a giver of fortune, thus becoming one of the seven Gods of Luck.
Fukurokuju: In China, an avatar of Nankyokusei (the Southern Cross). Known for a short body, a long head, an abundant beard, and the prayer wheel he carries. Often followed by a flock of cranes.
Jurojin: An actual person believed to have lived during the Ganyu Period. An old man with a long head, prayer wheels, a fan, and followed by deer. Said to bestow long life.
Hotei: A Zen Buddhist in China during the Too Period (AD. 618-907). He lived on a mountain called Shimeisan. Has a huge body, exposes his belly, and slings a bag over his shoulder. Wanders in search of charity. Regarded as an avatar of Miroku (Maitreya). Known also for constantly happy expression.
War Games: "Tamaire" (Fill Up the Basket) is a very common event at "undokai" (Field Days). Two teams try to fill baskets with balls of a certain color, each team trying to put in more than the other.
Episode 15-2: 弁天軍団リターンマッチ
Benten gundan ritaanmacchi (The Benten Corps' Return)
Benten and her girl biker friends come to Earth for another round of fun. Ataru sides up with Benten again, and Lum recruits Jariten and some people dressed as demons.
When Shinobu says, "We're firing a shot for tomorrow!" it's yet another cultural-linguistic in-joke. The original, "Asu e mukatte ute!" (Face Tomorrow and Shoot!) is the Japanese title of "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid."
When Cherry says, "I forecast a new high of misfortune," it was an attempt to deal with still another culture-specific reference. The original phrase, "Akamaru jooshoochuu," means "red circle rising," and is used to refer to hot songs on the Japanese music charts, which are marked with a red circle.
When Ataru says, "Purr!" to Benten, it's almost literally what he said in the original. "Boronya!" is the onomatopoeic sound of a cat nuzzling up to someone.
Name Games: The names of the daughters of the Gods of Luck are themselves derivations of the names of the Gods themselves, though at least one of those derivations comes from a somewhat unexpected direction: "Kuro" is the Japanese reading of the kanji which is read "koku" in "Daikokuten." On the Japan Railways Tokyo Yamanote Line, Ebisu and Meguro Stations are right next to one another. The "Sha" in "Shala" is the same kanji "sha" in her father's name, "Bishamonten." "Roku" is derived from "Fukurokuju" the same way. "Kotobuki" is the Japanese reading of the kanji which is read "Ju" in "Juroojin." And "Tei" is taken directly from "Hotei."
Episode 16-1: あゝ個人教授
Aa kojinkyouja (Oh Lonely Teacher! First Appearance of Kuribayashi Sensei)
Ataru and Kuribayashi are enemies from the very start. Then Lum shows up and Kuribayashi falls in love. Finally Lum goes out with Kuribayashi in hopes on lightening his spirits.
This episode marks one of the highest audience viewership rating of the entire series. For more information please see our article "Urusei Yatsura Top 10 Highest Rated Episodes".
The new teacher, Sanjuro Kuribayashi, is a takeoff on the character of Sanjuro created by Toshiro Mifune in two classic films by Akira Kurosawa: Yojimbo and Sanjuro. Note particularly his entrance at the beginning of the episode.
The persistent references to someone or something being a "cancer" (gan) are because it was a very popular phrase at the time the episodes were produced (c. 1982).
Kuribayashi saying, "I can see her... No, I can't..." is a literal translation of the original: "Aeru... Aenai..." The reason we translated this line this way, and not as, "She loves me, she loves me not..." is because the original phrasing is not normal in Japanese either. Usually, in Japanese, one would say, "Suki, kirai..." which almost literally means, "She loves me, she loves me not..." (see Ep. 9, Story 17 for another example). But Kuribayashi uses a form that is variant even in the original, so we did the same thing here to connote that deliberate difference.
Episode 16-2: 戦りつの参観日
Ikusa ritsu no sankan hi (Terrible Inspection Day)
On a day when students' mothers come to school, Mrs. Mendo and Lum's mother get into a dispute and Mrs. Moroboshi acts as judge by setting up a roulette game.
When parents visit their children's school in Japan, there are typically three different events. One is "open class," where parents come and actually watch a (supposedly) typical class period, so that they can see how their children are doing. Another is a PTA meeting and discussion, covering various topics, including student entrance examinations and electing PTA officers. Also, for high-school juniors and seniors, there are meetings between parents, teachers, and students, about university prospects. The fancy dress that all the mothers are wearing is unusual because they only dress up to show off in front of all the other mothers; it becomes a competition, and no one wants to be left out. It's hardly a fancy-dress occasion, but they do it anyway. The kids don't help matters by keeping an eye out to see whether their mothers are looking nice.
No new episode was aired the following week.
Episode 17-1: 四次元カメラ
Shijigen kamera (Fourth Dimensional Camera)
Mendo bring an antique camera to school that sends Ataru off into other worlds. Lum manages to find him through a class room window that had been stuck for years.
Episode 17-2: 魔のランニング
Ma no ranningu (Demonic Jogging)
Every morning, Ataru goes jogging early to see girls. On the way to school, Ataru breaks the fall of an attempted suicide as he was grabbing for a 100-yen coin below her. Ataru and Mendo get into a dispute over who is more noble and end up playing a game of tennis.
Ataru's quotation of "A lion will exert himself to the utmost even when entering a tiger's den to throw baby rabbits off the cliff!" ( Lion wa tora no ana ni haitte usagi no ko o gake kara tsukiotosu no ni mo zenryoku o tsuksu to iu) is another example of his mangling of Japanese quotations and proverbs. The line is partially based on an old saying from China, "Koketsu ni irazumba koji o ezu," which literally means, "You can't get the tiger's cubs without entering the tiger's den," (eg: "No risk, no reward." ) Next, Ataru piles on a reference to the manner in which lions treat their young. Supposedly, because they are by nature independent, lions push their cubs off cliffs so as to foster independence, at least in the survivors. Finally, never content to leave well enough alone, Ataru (aka the Lion) attempts to use the above as a rationalization for crushing Mendo (aka the Rabbit). Despite the fact that a lion would not exert himself any more than was absolutely necessary to accomplish a task, Ataru intends to show no mercy, so he cooks up this half-baked excuse.
Episode 18-1: ひな祭り! ランちゃん登場
Hinamatsuri! Ran-chan toujyou (Girl's Day! Ran-chan's Arrival)
During a small celebration at the Moroboshi house, a little doll enchants Ataru to follow it to Ran. Ran, Lum's childhood friend and bitter rival, tries to kiss Ataru to drain his youth, but Lum shows up.
This episode marks one of the highest audience viewership rating of the entire series. For more information please see our article "Urusei Yatsura Top 10 Highest Rated Episodes".
Girl's Day, March 3, is celebrated with displays of dolls in traditional Japanese dress, usually arranged in seven levels representing the various tiers of feudal Japanese society, with the Lord and his Lady on top, and their various layers of servants below. These dolls are known as "Ohinasama." Of course, Lum has her own alien versions of these dolls.
Boy's Day, March 5, is also officially called Children's Day, which has its own set of dolls, decked out in armor. Unlike Girl's Day, Children's Day is a national holiday.
Episode 18-2: ランちゃんの御招待
Ran-chan no goshoutai (Ran-chan's Introduction)
Ran invites Lum, Ataru, and Ten over for cookies and tea, but her real plot is to suck Ataru's youth. Ran makes a double of Ataru and tries switching them, but she gets confused and loses the real Ataru.
Episode 19-1: 涙のあした日記
Namida no ashita nikki (Diary of Sorrowful Tomorrows)
Lum acquire's Ataru's diary that has written in events that will happen throughout the day. Ataru tries to use it to his advantage, but the records in the diary are not quite how they first read; making use of puns or ambiguous statements.
Ataru saying "The early bird gets the worm" is an idiomatic rendering of the Japanese original, "Hayaoki wa sammon no toku," which would literally translate as, "Waking up early is worth three mon," mon being an old standard unit of Japanese currency. The meaning is that, by getting up early, one can either find three mon lying around that nobody else has noticed yet, or else find an early bargain while shopping.
When the jogger says, "Take him to the Public Health Center!" or, "Hokenjo," she is referring to a facility that has no functional equivalent in the US. The Hokenjo encompasses a number of health-related services, available to the public for free, or at reduced prices, which is possible because of Japan's national health insurance system. The Hokenjo provides such services as immunizations, AIDS and other STD tests, sheltering stray cats and dogs, and other health services.
When reading Ataru's diary, Lum mentions that the day is "Butsumetsu," which is a direct tip-off to Japanese viewers that today isn't Ataru's day. The words "Senshoo," "Tomobiki," "Sembu," "Butsumetsu," "Taian," and "Shakkoo" are known as "Rokki," a kind of "Rekichu," or diary reference, in Buddhist reckoning. They refer to how "lucky" a given day will be. For details, see Ep. 10, Stories 19-20, "Pitter Patter Xmas Eve, Parts 1-2." For Ataru, it seems, every day is "Butsumetsu."
The ramen delivery-man saying, "Mountain!" and Ataru replying, "River!" are literal translations of the original: "Yama!" "Kawa!" Used this way, these words are a password/countersign combination so common as to be stereotypical in Japan.
Episode 19-2: この子はだあれ?
Kono ko wa daare? (Whose Child is This?)
Mendo finds an alien child in his locker and goes through great lengths to hide it from everyone. Later after everyone has found out, a whole mob of these alien children arrive, just for Mendo.
The "Tsurezuregusa," by Yoshida Kenko, is a collection of essays from the Kamakura Era, believed to have been written between AD. 1310-1331. It is most renowned for two essays in particular, "Sooheki" and "Makura no Sooshi," which are considered the greatest essays in the history of Japanese literature.
There is a brand of instant ramen called "U.F.O." in Japan. It's possible that Chibi's remark about the alien's spacecraft being "a 100 UFO" is a pun on this brand-name, as it apparently existed back when this story was made (early 1982), and would probably have cost about that much a serving.
Episode 20-1: 春うらら居眠り教室
Haru urara inemuri koushitsu (Sleeping in Class on a Wonderful Spring Day)
During math class, Kuribayashi and all the students fall asleep, save for Ataru and Mendo. Lum arrives and finds out that a tiny old man and girl are responsible for this magic. The tiny girl, Shunmin, then uses some more magic to have a party with Lum, Ataru, and Mendo; until the principal arrives with some parents.
The name Shunmin, lit. "Spring Night's Sleep," comes from a Chinese saying: "Shunmin akatsuki o oboezu," which means that the Spring nights are so short and comfortable that one can easily awaken in the morning.
"Sleep! Sleep!" The original, "Nemure, nemure," are the lyrics to Schubert's Lullabye, set in Japanese.
"Acho" is a Japanese dig at Bruce Lee and other chop-socky films. It's essentially the sound made when a movie martial artist uses his art, be it karate, tai chi chuan, etc. She's basically being deliberately silly, copying and parodying Bruce Lee's moves and noises.
Manchinro and Heichinro are two famous Chinese restaurants in Yokohama Chinatown. They get used a lot as names of Chinese characters in Japan, when a writer is feeling too lazy to find anything else.
"Non-stop bullet-cloud!" The original, "Chotokkyu!" means "Super-Express," referring to the fastest of the Japan Railways (hereinafter JR) trains, better known to most English-speakers as the "Bullet Trains." Put together with the line preceding it, in the original, "Nikyuu yori tokkyuu ga kagiru de no," which means, "No second-class; only the best," this refers not just to the grade to which Shunmin gets promoted, but also to the classes of travel on JR trains: Second-class (Nikyuu), Express, or first-class (Tokkyuu), and Super-Express, or Extra-first-class (Chootokkyuu). However, these terms also refer to grades of sake, which Manchinro has been drinking, and so it is possible that he thinks that sake is what Shunmin is talking about, not her promotion.
Episode 20-2: 桃の花歌合戦
Momo no hanauta kassen (Peach Blossom Poetry Contest)
Lum, Mendo, Shinobu, Ran, Ten, Sakura, and Cherry all are in a cherry blossom orchard. Ataru is in the blossom orchard for a picnic. Cherry's chanting summons a female spirit, whom Ataru runs off and meets with a giant.
"Waka" literally means "Japanese song." But the kanji for "song," "uta," which is the "ka" in "Waka," can also mean "poem." This leads to Ataru and Mendo's confusing argument about whether "Waka" is poem or song, and then to the inevitable "Waka/Baka" (poem/idiot) joke.
Ataru saying, "A peach petal got in my nose," is nowhere near as funny as the Japanese original, because that line, "Momo no hana ga hana ni haitchatta," is a pun. The words for "flower" and "nose" are pronounced the same in Japanese: "hana."
Otomo no Yakamochi was a poet from the Nara Period (AD. 710-794). He is considered one of Japan's thirty-six greatest poets. More of his poems are included in the Manyooshuu (the oldest existing collection of Japanese poetry) than any other poet. He was also one of the editors of the Manyooshuu...
When the Peach Spirit shouts Ataru's name, it would appear to be in response to his persistent entreaties that she do so. But given the following situation, i.e., when Kasen hits Ataru and the ground Ataru is standing on, it takes on an added significance: "ataru" is normally an intransitive verb in Japanese, roughly meaning "to be hit." So the Peach Spirit shouting "Ataru!" is more a cry of, "You're going to get hit!" than Ataru's name. For further reference, see Ep. 1, Story 1, "I'm Lum the Notorious!" and the Inaba-kun TV Special (OVA 1).
When everyone says, "Absolutely! Ataru Moroboshi, number one!" it is a reference to a popular and extremely long-running series on NHK (Japan's public broadcasting network), NHK Nodojiman (NHK Singing Skill Contest). The show travels all over Japan, and in every city, town, and village, they find some twenty or thirty amateurs who are willing to attempt to sing on TV. If their performances are good, they get to sing all the way to the end of their chosen song. If not, they get gonged. A panel of commentators provide additional color. The joke is that, when these people get up on stage, they introduce themselves by saying what number they are (ichiban--number one, niban--number two, etc.), followed by their names, and sometimes what they are going to sing.
Kasen's line, "I'm the canary who forgot how to sing!" is originally from an old children's song, a sad lullabye that was popular in the pre-WWII Showa Era (c. 1925-1940).
The Peach Spirit saying, "Good-bye, good-bye!" is an in-joke. The original, "Sainara, sainara," is the trademark of Yodogawa Nagaharu, a famous movie critic. He ends each of his shows with that expression.
Episode 21-1: 決斗! あたるVSあたる
Ketsu! Ataru vs. Ataru (Duel! Ataru vs. Ataru)
Ataru eats a lollipop Lum gave him and gets a mouth burn. Running off, he finds Cherry and a weird melon, which Ataru eats to cool his mouth. The melon causes Ataru to split into two Atarus, one polite and the other casual. The two continue to fight all day.
There's an old wives' tale in Japan that certain foods, eaten together, are bad for digestion. This phenomenon is known as "tabeawase," and some examples are given in the episode itself; i.e., the mixture of eel and sour plum, or tempura and ice water. It's not entirely clear whether these notions have any basis in medical fact, though research is said to be in progress on the subject.
In the final fight scene, a horse can be seen in the background. This is a pun on the word "yajiuma," roughly equivalent to "rubbernecker" in English.
Episode 21-2: 目ざめれば悪夢
Mezamereba akumu (Waking to a Nightmare)
Sleeping in class, Ataru has weird dreams which he relates a little of as he occasionally talks in his sleep. Annoyed, his classmates wake him and a dream demon comes out from Ataru's sleep.
This story, which originally aired in 1982, was the inspiration for the 1984 Urusei Yatsura movie, "Beautiful Dreamer," featuring as it does the first appearances of Mujaki and Baku, as well as a harem dream sequence on which Oshii Mamoru would elaborate to a truly impressive degree.
The name "Mujaki" itself is a pun with a couple of layers. The conventional reading of this word means "innocent" or "guileless." But "Mujaki" as it refers to the name of this character is written with an entirely different set of kanji, which have a similar reading, but a different meaning: in this case, the kanji that make up the name "Mujaki" mean "Dream-interference Demon," or, more colloquially, "The Demon that Interferes with Dreams." And Mujaki is, literally, "mujaki" (innocent) by his own lights. He's just doing his job.
As for Baku, there is a Japanese myth that says that Baku is the name of a monster that feeds on nightmares.
Hanafuda, the card game Lum and Ataru stayed up all night playing the night before, is similar to Bridge. The cards feature pictures of flowers, scenery (i.e., Mt. Fuji), and birds, among others, rather than numbers.
Mah Jongg is a game that originated in China, using engraved tiles as playing pieces. It is designed for four players to play, each representing one of the four directions, or "winds." Starting with the East Wind, each player takes a turn as dealer, arranging the tiles and giving out thirteen to each player. The dealer changes counterclockwise whenever a dealer loses a hand. The dealer in a given hand also gets certain advantages with certain tiles that the other players do not. The basic object is to get a better arrangement of the tiles in one's own hand than one's opponents. When the robot says, "Now we'll have enough players!" the term he uses in Japanese, "mentsu ga sorou," means a complete group (of four), which is necessary for a proper game. Then, when he says, "You should at least join in a half-game!" the term he uses, "han-chan," means the first two Winds, or half of a normal four-Wind game.
When the tiger in this scene takes off his coat, revealing the ornate tattoos on his shoulder and back, it indicates that he is a yakuza, a member of one of Japan's organized-crime syndicates. His speech patterns are also very coarse for Japanese, another trait that marks his gangster background.
Okayu is rice boiled with enough extra water to make it very sticky, often eaten in a variety of ways, such as sha-ke (salted grilled tuna), pickled plums, and pickled vegetables. In China, it's a breakfast food, in addition to being good for people with stomach problems because of its easy digestibility (this last the author can attest to personally--the last time he had stomach flu, okayu was about the only thing his stomach could tolerate).
Fugu is blowfish. Fugu liver is considered a delicacy in certain Japanese culinary circles. There are restaurants dedicated to its preparation and serving. The reason is that this particular organ is normally lethally poisonous, but if prepared properly (and one needs special certification in order to work professionally as a fugu chef, in addition to specially-manufactured utensils), there is just the merest hint of the poison in the liver, enough to tingle the taste buds. Improper preparation, however--and even the best chefs are not 100% perfect--results in a quick death. A fugu victim's last words are usually "My, that was tasty... Urk!"
Tanuki-domburi is a bowl of rice with "tanuki" (in this case, tempura batter, not a raccoon) and a soy-based sauce. Combined with things like Beefbowl and Miso soup, all of which Ataru calls "richer" than okayu, the joke that results is that these foods are not gourmet cuisine, but rather, plain, cheap food for ordinary people, along the lines of a hamburger.
In the dream sequence, when Ataru and Mendo charge one another, the statues they draw are themselves noteworthy. The one Ataru draws is called "maneki-neko," or "The Beckoning Cat," and is traditionally placed outside of stores to invite customers and ensure that the business will flourish. The one that Mendo pulls out is a Shigaraki-yaki tanuki (a raccoon made of Shigaraki-yaki pottery, about which see below), which serves much the same purpose as a maneki-neko. It was invented during the Edo period. The straw hat, or amagasa, which it wears symbolizes protection against bad luck or hazardous events. The Tokkuri, or Sakeboro (sake jug), in its right hand means sufficient food and drink to live on. The moneybag he carries represents treasures. Its big round eyes are for kikubari, or being aware of people around oneself. Its big smiling face means aisooyoku, or having good relations with others. The big belly represents a bold, decisive nature. The overall point is that having these statues in one's home or business invites good luck and virtue and all that good stuff.
When, at story's end, Mendo chases Baku for eating the great sword of his ancestors, he says, according to the subtitles, "You stupid Baku!" But in the original Japanese, he actually says, "Kono Bu-waku-mono!" This turns out to be a multilayered pun. The word is both a combination and a corruption of "Baku," "bakemono" (monster), and "bakamono" (stupid).
TV Special-Part 1: うる星やつらオールスター大進撃!
Urusei Yatsura ooru staa daishingeki (Urusei Yatsura All-Star Bash)
Mrs. Moroboshi narrates a recapping of the series up to this point.
This segment is the first part of a one-hour special that was broadcast out of the regular series continuity, and is not counted among the regular episode listing by Kitty Films, the series' producers. It is composed of out-takes from the preceding episodes, with dialogue recorded (and sometimes re-recorded) ad-lib, in the studio, and recaps the preceding first 21 weeks of the TV series. It was aired on a Friday instead of Urusei Yatsura's usual night of Wednesday.
TV Special-Part 2: 修学旅行! くの一よ走れ
Shuugaku ryokou kunoichi yo hashire (Grade School Excursion! Run For It!)
The first episode with Kaede, the ninja girl. On a school trip to a rustic village, Ataru finds a scroll dropped by a female ninja, Kaede. Her ninja master has her try to get it back by pretending to have a fondness for Ataru. But Lum shows up to protect her darling. So the master gets two more female ninjas and a clan of baby ninja's.
General Note: the places listed in this story are well-known tourist attractions in Nara, ancient capital of Japan. School excursions to these places, such as the one in this episode, are very common.
At the beginning of this story, when the tour-guide says, "Please enjoy your trip over the roads of the ancient capital of Nara, about which many praises have been sung," the word she uses in the original Japanese to refer to these roads, "Yamatoji," means, more literally, "the road to Yamato," which in this case is the ancient name of what is now Nara Prefecture.
Horyuji Temple in Nara is the oldest intact wooden structure in the world, having been built in AD. 607. It is reputed to have been built by a man named Shotooku Taishi, who is one of the most famous political figures in Japanese history. He established the first Constitution in Japan, as well as establishing missions to China, and building many temples to promote Buddhism. One story about his wisdom is that he supposedly once carried on seven different conversations, with seven different people, all at the same time. His face also used to be on the 10,000 bill, before being replaced by Fukuzawa Yukichi, founder of Keio University, and author of Gakumon no Susume (A Promotion of Study) in the Meiji Era, among other things. The joke is that, even though important people are officially credited with building structures such as Horyuji, the fact is that it was the carpenters of the day who actually did the work, and this is a fairly common one-liner in Japan.
Yumedono (Dream Palace) is the central building of Too-in (East Temple), built in AD. 739 in appeasement of Shootoku Taishi's spirit on the remains of his original home. It is octagonal in shape, and is representative of the architecture of the era.
Kaede, Yatsude, Mukade, Kumade: aside from all of these names ending in "-de," all of them are actual words, with the following meanings:
Kaede: maple tree, which explains the pattern on her kimono.
Yatsude: a type of evergreen shrub.
Mukade: a centipede.
Kumade: a rake.
When Ataru shouts, "Men! Do!" he is heaping a new layer of pun on Mendo's name. These two words, as used in this scene, are terms from kendo--Japanese fencing--referring to body locations. Men is hitting the face mask. Dou is hitting the abdominal armor.
Kaede's phone number, "007-009," is an homage to two classic fictional characters. 007 is James Bond, of course, and 009 is Cyborg 009, one of the many excellent works of Ishimori (now "Ishinomori") Shotaro. Additionally, this number was changed when the series was released on laserdisc. In producer Shigekazu Ochiai's book My Fledgling Producer's Diary (僕のプロデューサーかけだし日誌/Boku no Puroduusaa Kakedashi Nikki), he explains having to apologize because a real phone number had initially been used and viewers kept calling the number. Apparently it was changed even before the laserdisc release as some fans recall the December rebroadcast in the Kansai region already had a different number.
"Shigaraki-yaki" is a type of Japanese chinaware named for Shigaraki, the place where it originated. See Ep. 21, Story 42, "Wake Up to a Nightmare," for details.
When Lum says, "Playing with fire is the cause of bedwetting!" she is messing around with a serious statement, "Hiasobi wa kaji no moto," or "Playing with fire causes conflagration." But in this case, Lum is just trying to insult Kaede's fire trickery.
Kaede's "secret trick of hog-raising," or "yooton no jutsu," is a play on the way ninja attach the word "jutsu" (trick or technique) to almost everything that they do. It's deliberate nonsense, done for the sake of being ridiculous. (So what else is new?)
Normally, "smart" is synonymous with "intelligent" in English. Sometimes, depending on to what one is referring, it can take on a slang meaning of "sharp" or "stylish." It was this latter meaning that was assigned to this word when it was adopted into Japanese, and is what Mukade and Kumade mean when they use it just prior to their initial "attack" on Kaede.
The reason Kumade chews out the little ninja for using all their smoke, and making Ataru "disappear," is that ninja usually use smoke to make themselves disappear, not someone else. However, these little ninja have long been in the habit of using their smoke under any circumstances, and simply acted out of reflex.
Cherry's joke about "jumping from the stage of Kiyomizu" (Kiyomizu no butai kara tobioriru) is based on an idiom of the same wording, which means that one is doing something that is, in all probability, risky or dangerous in some sense to the person doing it. Such risk or danger does not have to be physical; any such personally challenging and hazardous act comes under this heading. Emotional or financial hazards are additional examples. The joke here is that, when Cherry says this line, he is standing on the real stage of Kiyomizu Temple (a very high place indeed), making the idiom a literal statement. As for Kiyomizu itself: one of Kyoto's most famous temples, Kiyomizu is the main temple of the Kyoto branch of the Hossoo sect of Buddhism, which, together with the Kegon, Sanron, Kusha, Joojitsu, and Ritsu sects, make up the six original sects of Nara-period Buddhism.
In this episode there is a scene where Kaede gives her phone number to Ataru Moroboshi, but because the phone number she gives is a real number, it caused a flood of prank calls. After that, producer Shigekazu Ochiai had to go and apologize. This scene was edited out in the rebroadcast.
This special episode was aired on a Friday instead of Urusei Yatsura's usual night of Wednesday.
Episode 22: スペースお見合い大作戦（前編）&（後編）
Supeesu omiai taisakusen (zenpen) & (kohen) (The Great Space Marriage Plan Part 1 & Part 2)
First appearance of Prim, the winged and horned lady; and the Prince of the Underground. Lum's dad has set up a party for suitors to Lum. When Ataru finds out; he, Jariten, and primu arm themselves to save Lum. But they arrive just in time to see Lum betrothed to a unicorn boy who is really in love with another girl. Ataru, Ten, Primu, the Prince, and the other girl all kidnap Lum and Uni and finally get all the couples straightened out. Lum-Ataru, Uni-girl, and Primu-Prince (against his wishes).
Ataru sneezes while Jariten and Lum's Father are talking about him behind his back. In Japan, the superstition goes that, if you sneeze, it means someone is doing just that.
To find out about the "Ventura" that Ataru suggests to the Gang of Four as a means to bring Lum back, see Ep. 1, Story 2, "It's Raining Oil in Our Town."
Ataru's first reaction, upon seeing Jariten's spaceship for the first time, is, in the subtitles, "Your potty?" This is because Jariten's spaceship resembles a Japanese toddler's porta-potty, or "Omaru," which is what Ataru actually says in the original Japanese.
In his book Interview with Masaki Tsuji: The Amazing Man of Screeplays and Mysteries (vol. 8) (僕らを育てたシナリオとミステリーのすごい人 辻真先インタビュー) screenwriter Masaki Tsuji talks about editing a character out of this episode in order to make it fit into the episode running time and his dicussion with Mamoru Oshii about this. He goes on to discuss Rumiko Takahashi and Tomoko Konparu's differing sensibilities from Oshii at the time (Konparu was working on Only You at the time).
@ehoba shared a comment from the book Beak Love Special 5 "Sukeban Deka" Study (ビークラブ・スペシャル5「スケバン刑事」研究/Beak Love Special 5 "Sukeban Deka" Kenkyu). In the book Tadashi Oka (岡正), the Fuji TV producer on Urusei Yatsura, discussed the urge to switch up the themes of the series, which was not something that had been done before in anime. "To me, Disney represents the whole animation. I was moved by Peter Pan in my childhood, so I intended to make something like that film in the OPs of Urusei Yatsura. Disney's films are musicals, so music is very important. That's why I focused on music in Urusei Yatsura. I used to think anime's music was outdated. That's because they were supposed to be kids shows. They tended to team up with the same musicians and record companies. Their theme songs were so stereotypical, like march, ondo, or something like that. I wanted to change anime by focusing on music. It was the first attempt to change OP/ ED and songs during seasons. I thought we didn't need to stick to the same song. We managed to do it thanks to Kitty Film. They have Hidenori Taga, a very musically-talented leader. Their skills had a big influence on the attempt."
