Season
overview:
These are some of the best episodes of the entire series, as Urusei Yatsura truly goes out on a high-note. As one would expect of a non-stop production like this, the staff was really beginning to get tired by the end of this, the last season. It truly does not show, but this is definately the main reason the show ended here.
You can see samples of each of the animation directors works on our article about the animation directors of Urusei Yatsura.
Many of the episode notes below are from Animeigo, the original English language license-holder for Urusei Yatsura.
Episode 167: 宇宙からの侵略者! あやうしラムの唇!!
Uchuu kara no shinryukusha! Ayaushi Lum no Kuchibiru (Invader From Space! He's After Lum's Lips!)
A space centaur comes to Earth where he takes the guise of Ataru and tries to kiss every girl in school, but fails. He does manage to kiss Mendo though and then he tries to kiss Lum.
"And now... in 198X, their invasion of Earth has at last commenced!" - Using dates with an X in them conveys the feeling of an uncertain date in the near future.
"Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled rice." - The literal translations of the Captain's tongue twisters are: "The guest next door eats lots of persimmons" and "Tokyo Patent Registration Office."
While the Captain is on the roof, three cats are watching his performance. The cat in the middle is Michael, the main character in the anime and manga What's Michael? Michael is often described as the Japanese Garfield.
"All I have to do is to suck some part of the Earth man and pour brainwashing agent Pipopota A." - Pipopota A is a play on the energy and vitamin drink Lipovitan. Appearing on the market in 1962, Lipovitan was the first such drink marketed in Japan. Daily sales average around two million bottles.
Episode 168: スペースサバイバル! 食うのは奴らだ
Supessu sabaibaru! Kuu no wa yatsura da (Space Survival! They are the Eaters)
On a spaceship near Earth, an alien is cleaning a special food bowl and drops it. It arrives at Tomobiki High School and we soon find out it can magically present any food spoken to it.
"A swallows nest from Thailand. Mankanzenseki from China." - Swallows' nests are commonly used to make birds nest soup. The nests are an expensive delicacy because of the danger in acquiring them from steep cliffs. The swallows build their nests of seaweed and cement it with their saliva. Yum!
"A swallows nest from Thailand. Mankanzenseki from China." - Mankanzenseki is a type of Chinese cuisine which involves cooking and preparing unusual, if not just plain weird, foods. Dishes such as elephant trunk, fried snake, tiger penis and bear paws are examples of introductory mankanzenseki. Double yum!
"Today's Set A menu." - Japanese restaurants offer their patrons set menus to streamline ordering and to control their menu without having to stock lots of different foods. The restaurants offer a few set menus (Set A menu, Set B menu, etc.) with fixed appetizer, main course and side item.
"Bingo! This rice was harvested in the Shonai plain then aged 3 years until perfection." - The Shonai plain in the Yamagata prefecture is well-known as a grain-producing region.
"Oh! This fresh smell! This must be natural natto..." - Natto is fermented soybeans and has been a traditional Japanese staple for more than 1,000 years. It's funny that Ataru remarks on the "fresh smell" of the natto since this dish is known for its powerful, overwhelming odor. Natto looks and smells as if it's been in the bottom of the garbage for a week, during the peak of summer.
"And this fu is sliced so thin that it qualifies for a Guinness World Record." - Fu is a breadlike food made with wheat gluten. It is often added to soups and stews.
"Oh... Could this conundrum be an unfathomable Gordian knot?!" - According to Greek legend, an oracle informed the people of Phrygia that their future king would come to town riding in a wagon. Soon, a peasant named Gordius arrived with his wife in the public square of Phrygia in an oxcart. Seeing Gordius, the people made him their king. With appreciation for his new status, Gordius dedicated his wagon to Zeus, tying it to the altar with a highly complex knot-- the Gordian knot. An oracle foretold that the person who released the knot would rule all of Asia.
"Oh... Could this conundrum be an unfathomable Gordian knot?!" - The obstacle of untying the Gordian knot defied all solutions until 333 B.C., when Alexander the Great cut through it with his sword. Today when someone uses the phrase of the Gordian knot, they are referring to a problem that has a very difficult solution, if it has one at all.
"I feel like okonomiyaki..." - Okonomiyaki literally means "cook what you like." It is prepared like a pancake and served sliced like pizza. This dish has a base of eggs and shredded cabbage, a middle of meats and vegetable, and is topped with sauces and spices.
Episode 169: 刺激的だっちゃ! 恐怖の頭上クーラー!!ト
Shigekiteki daccha! Kyoufu no zujou kurraa (It's a Thrill! The Terrible Overhead Cooler)
It is a hot summer day, and the heat is bothering everyone except Lum. She has a chunk of ice floating over her head keeping her cool. and she offers some to everyone. However, if one does not keep a cool head, the ice conks one on the head.
"Excuse me, May I ask you (a) special favor?" - While Onsen is the teacher of the class, this doesn't mean that he's an English language expert. We helped Onsen by inserting the article "a" for him.
The lady that appears at the end of the episode in the Principal's ice cooler resembles the artwork of Takehisa Yumeji. Takehisa was a modern poet and painter that lived from 1994 to 1934. He is famous for his paintings of feminine beauty; mainly somewhat frail women with slightly sad faces.
Episode 170: 愛の襲撃! ロマンチックがとまらない!!
Ai no shuugeki! Romanchikku ga tomaranai!! (Love Attacks! The Romance Never Stops!!)
Lum buys a plant that grows a little cupid. She then gets the cupit to try hitting Ataru with an arrow. But as usual, things never turn out quite as well as they could. Shinobu, Mendo, Ryunosuke and even her dad all get involved as well as many others.
"It's a special product of Planet Aphros. It bears a nut that will get your lover to tie the knot." - The word "aphros" (Greek for "foam") is closely associated with the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite. One of the legends of Aphrodite's birth involves her emerging from the foam of the ocean. The Roman mythological equivalent to Aphrodite is Venus, after whom the second planet in our solar system was named.
"Hongyaah!" - In Japanese, Hongyaah is the sound of a baby crying.
"So this carpenter's wife caught him cheating! Talk about getting nailed!" - Here, the original Japanese pun loosely translates into "I heard the carpenter chief next door likes Beethoven's 9th Symphony." This pun centers on the Japanese word "daiku," which has two meanings: carpenter and nine. Trust us, it's exactly as funny in Japanese as our version is in English.
Episode 171: ひさびさ登場! 火消しの母に悩みあり!!
Hisabisa toujou! Hikeshi no haha ni nayami ari!! (Rare Form! Worries for Mother the Firefighter!!)
Ten's mother visits and Jariten wants to give her a bouquet of carnations to show his love for her. However, one by one, he either loses or gives away the flowers and ends up missing her. At night, he manages to find her and gives her the last flower.
Ten's mom is holding a matoi with the characer meaning "space" written on it. The matoi is a traditional banner used by fire departments back in the days when the bucket bridage method was employed. This banner would help to stake claim on which department was involved, provide a target for extinguishing the fire, and to show which direction the wind was blowing.
Episode 172: 幸福押し売り! ピントはずれの青い鳥!!
Koufuku oshiure! Pinto hazure no aoitori!! (Hardselling Happiness! Out of Focus Bluebird!!)
An escaped alien convict, a bluebird, come to Tomobiki and begins to grant people's wishes. This causes some of the most outrageous results.
"You're forgetting this..." - When Chiru Chiru's wife sparks flint over his back, she is doing it in hopes of bringing him good luck.
The concept of the infamous blue bird character from this episode is loosely based around the 1908 French play L'Oiseau Bleu (The Bluebird by Maurice Maeterlinck (1862-1949). In it, two poor children, Tyltyl and Mytyl, are sent out by a fairy to find the blue bird of happiness. After exploring a magical world, their long journey ends when they return home to find that the blue bird has been in their birdcage all along. The moral of the story is that happiness was always at home. The names of the two intergalatic detectives, Michiru and Chiru Chiru, are the Japanese versions of Tyltyl and Mytyl.
"I want some taiyaki." - The boy is craving taiyaki, a fish-shaped waffle with sweet-bean paste filling. The bird misunderstands the boy's wish and instead grants him a tire tree ("Taya" - tire + "ki" = tree).
"I wanted a bicycle... Why did I get this?" - Again the blue bird has confused someone's request. Perm wanted a bicycle ("jitensha"), but the blue bird understood him to say he wanted a dictionary on wheels ("jiten" - dictionary + "sha" = wheel).
"Hey, do you want to have anmitsu on the way home? I know a good place for that." - Anmitsu is a traditional Japanese dessert made of small cubes of kanten (gelatin made of seaweed) and topped with a sweet-bean paste.
"Am I pretty?" - Cherry's effeminate antics toward Ataru is a riff on the infamous Japanese urban legend of the kuchisake-onna (mouth-ripped-woman). During the sumemr of 1979 a tale began to spread across Japan about a young woman who wore a flu mask and approached children asking, "Am I pretty?" The lady then removed her mask to reveal her mouth, slit from ear-to-ear, and again asked, "Am I pretty?" The horrific image of the woman became national news throughout the country and particularly frightened children.
Episode 173: 大波乱! 竜之介が初めて水着を着る時!!
Oonamiran! Ryunosuke ga hajimete mizugi wo kiru toki!! (Great Uproar! Ryunosuke's First Time Wearing a Swimsuit!!)
Ryunosuke has a final showdown with her father. If she wins, she gets to wear her mother's bathing suit. A number of faces from the past are in the crowd; and eventually Ryunosuke finds some letters that cause her to be happy with her father.
"The father-child death duel at Ganryu Island will begin in 30 minutes." - This is a reference to Miyamoto Musashi, a great swordsman and artist who lived in the 17th century. He fought and was victorious in 60 duels by age 29. Miyamoto's last and most legendary duel took place on Ganryu Island in 1612, and his "book of Five Rings" is considered one of the classic manuals of strategy.
Episode 174: 花嫁がほしい!! キツネの恋の大冒険!!き
Hanayome ga hoshii!! Kitsune no ai no daibouken!! (I Want a Bride! The Little Fox's Love Adventure!)
Kitsune comes to Tomobiki High School during a costume festival to see Shinobu.
"Manyoshu." - Manyoshu ("Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves") is the oldest and most highly regarded collection of Japanese poetry. Most of the nearly 4500 poems comprising Manyoshu stem from the seventh and eight centuries.
"But poor as he was, his bride-to-be was even poorer... as poor as Saturn." "The ring doubles the size of the planet! SO you see... double-poor!" - The old lady's phrase, "dosei bimbo" literally translates to "Saturn poor." We don't realize how poor he is or how funny the pun is until she says "wa o kaketa bimbo" in the next sentence. "Wa o kaketa" has two meanings; one is "extremely" and the other is "ring around it." The old lady makes a little joke since Saturn has rings and this play on words would make the man extremely poor.
Ataru attends the costume contest as the popular monster, Mothra. Mothra first appeared in Ishiro Honda's 1961 film, Mothra (Mosura), and later showed up in over a dozen others, including Godzilla vs. Mothra (1964), Godzilla's Revenge (1969), and most recently Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (2003).
"Moroboshi! Y...You bastard!" - Mendo is wearing the traditional garb of a kabuki theater actor. He even goes so far as to give a traditional Kabuki performance when, near the end of the episode, he grabs his wig and angrily, yet slowly, yells at Ataru.
The guy in the ear costume is carrying a giant mimikaki (ear scoop). These hygienic ear-cleaning devices are made of bamboo and have a tiny scoop on one end. In Japan, couples traditionally use mimikakis, as a form of intimacy, to clean each others ears.
Onsen is dressed as one of the many incarnations of the Hindu lord of death, Yama. Known as Enma in Japan, this mythological being judges the souls of the dead as they enter the underworld.
"I prepared a different costume for just this kind of situation!" - Lum is dressed a Vampirella, the famous comic book heroine from planet Drakulon. Debuting in 1969, Vampirella successfully combined science fiction and horror and influenced countless comic book creators. A not-so successful film version was made in 1996.
"What are you doing here? And why are you wearing a montsuki hakama?" - Montsuki hakama is a man's formal kimono. Montsuki is a half-length coat emblazoned with a family crest. Hakama are pleated culottes that extend to the ankle.
Episode 175: しつこいっちゃ! 三人娘の動物大作戦!!
Shitsukoiccha! Sannin musume no doubutsu taisaku ikusa!! (How Persistent! The Three Daughters' Great Animal Plan!)
Sugar, Ginger, and Pepper try to use various animals to humiliate Benten, Oyuki, and Lum during a day the class goes on a field trip to the zoo.
The episode title, "Animal Plan" is likely a reference to the 1973 film Terrifying Girls' High School: Animal Courage (恐怖女子高校 アニマル同級生/Kyofu Joshi Koko: Animaru Dokyusei) which deals with girl gangs at a rough high school.
When the eel is caught in the net, the spice girls find a red face staring back at them. This red face is made with Hiragana characters, which together have no real meaning other than to form the image of a face. This is called a "Heno Heno Moheji" face based on the characters used to create it.
Episode 176: お魚つかみどり! 浜茶屋のイケナイ商売
Outsu kamidori! Hamachaya ikenai shoubai (Fast Money in Fast Fighting! Hamachaya's Forbidden Business)
The Fujinamis are camping out on the beach as a form of training and disciphline, or at least Ryunosuke is. The next day, Mr. Fujinami sets up a fish garden in a swimming pool and charges a mere 500 yen for entry, but it turns out this fish garden is full of sharks, electric eels, and other dangerous sea animals.
"Jab, jab! Your left jab will rule the world, remember?" - This segment parodies Ashita no Joe, a classic boxing manga and television series. This franchise was so wildly popular that a character's death in the story prompted a real-life public funeral, with hundreds of mourners gathered outside the comic publisher's offices.
"Oh, that's Mr. Waikiki, an old friend of mind." - Mr. Fujinami has named his fishy friends after coastal cities. The Japanese coastal cities that he refers to are Katsuura, Tateyama, Choushi, Kujukuri, and Miura.
"BAGOON" - Bagoon is onomatopoeia for "ban" or "boom."
No new episode of Urusei Yatsura airs the following week.
Episode 177: 星に願いを! あたる一家は欲望パニック
Hoshi ni negai wo! Ataru ikka wa yokubo panikku (Wish Upon a Star! The Winning Family's Consumer Panic)
A wishing star crashes in the Moroboshi house and offers to grant three wishes which are to be written on paper which it will eat. Mr. Moroboshi dreams of a perfect wife and daughter, while Ataru dreams of having a harem of women.
"100 yen?!" "Yeah, so?" - This exchange between Mr. and Mrs. Moroboshi reinforces the traditional role of the wife as mistress of the household finances.
"Three shumai per person, got that?!" - Shumai are Chinese dumplings filled with minced meat, seafood, and/or vegetables.
"I'm a 'Tanabata Wishing Star!'" - Tanabata is the festival that takes place on July 7. The origin of Tanabata is as follows: The god of the sky had a daughter named Orihime, whos duty was to weave clothes for the gods. Orihime's father worried that she was a workaholic and introduced her to another hard worker name Kengyu, a cow herder. It was love at first sight for these two, and soon their jobs feel to the wayside. Orihime's father was terribly angry at the irresponsibility of the couple and forbade them to see each other except for July 7.
"I'm a 'Tanabata Wishing Star!'" - On that day, Orihime and Kengyu cross the Milky Way to be with each other. People celebrating this event will write wishes on paper and attach them to a bamboo tree. Traditionally people wished for a clear sky to facilitate the reunion of the lovers, but today's wishes are for money, fixing one's home, passing exams and other matters of celestial importance.
Mrs. Moroboshi uses an amida-kuji ("network lottery") to determine whose wish will be granted by the Wishing Star. An amida-kuji randomly matches one group of items to the other and is commonly used for choosing prizes and such in Japan.
"Tomobiki-cho, Tomobiki-cho." - The suffix -cho means town in Japanese.
No new episode of Urusei Yatsura aired the following week.
Episode 178: くちづけ宅急便! ダーリン初めてのヤキモチ!
Kuchi duke takyuubin! Darrin hajimete no yakimochi! (Special Delivery Kiss! Darling's First Jealousy!)
A parcel from space arrives at Tomobiki High for Lum. Inside the package is a frog. He says he was once a prince but was turned into a frog and a kiss will restore him. He even has a picture of his former self as proof of his honesty.
At the beginning of this episode, a familiar satellite passes into view. This is the Mendo family satellite and it looks very similar to the SID (Space Intruder Detector) from the British TV show UFO.
"Yes, the sudden sight of Namahage,'s face is enough to make anyone faint." - Some sections of Japan continue to celebrate the Namahage festival. During this festival people wearing the demon masks, Namahage, visit every house in the community. These demons forcibly walk through each house searching for children who are lazy or crying.
Episode 179: お酒はコワイ! サクラのおはらい大失敗
Osake wa kowai! Sakura no oharai daishippai (Scary Sake! Sakura's Possession a Big Failure)
Sakura's drinking sake invokes a powerful serpent demon which starts causing troble for Lum, Ataru, Shinobu, and Mendo at Mendo's residence. Cherry shows up to try and set things right. But invokes a frog and a snail demon who side with the snake.
"Rock, scissors, paper! Which do you choose?!" - Hanaichi Monme is a traditional children's song that is sung during an ancient Japanese children's game of the same name. The game is an odd mixture of rock, paper, scissors and red-rover.
"Mother, all I'll need this morning is some pickles." - Contrary to what you may think about Sakura's appetite, pickles are an extremely popular food in Japan and eaten at all times of the day (sometimes at every meal!). A typical "Japanese breakfast" may include rice, miso soup, fish, and sliced pickles.
"I'm not playing house! This is an outdoor tea ceremony!" - The Japanese tea ceremony is a centuries-old tradition that involves preparing, serving, and drinking tea in a ritualized way, much in the same transcendent manner in which Mendo and his friends slurp down their instant noodles. The traditional setting for such ceremonies usually take place in a thatched hut, surrounded by a landscaped garden--rather than on a blanket surrounded by three large animals.
The polic tank in the street is from the popular manga Dominion: Tank Police by Masamune Shirow. The comic features an anti-terrorist group called the Tank Police who battle crime in the apocalypic world of 2010 Japan. Many of the stories center around Leona, a female officer, and her inseparable, trusty tank, Bonaparte.
"Here's a liquor manju my grandma in the country made." - Manju is a snack-like pastry with sweet-bean paste filling.
"That was Johnnie Walker, right?" Opening for business in 1820 in Kilmarnock, Scotland, Johnnie Walker is known as the most popular brand of blended scotch whisky in the world. Their four flavors, red label, black label, gold label, and blue label, are all award-winning blends.
"This must be... Cutty Sark." - Created in 1923 and named after the last sailing clipper in existence, Cutty Sark, another award-winning blended scotch, is one of the top selling brands in the world and pride themselves on being "the first light colored whisky of exceptional quality."
"I think it's called an uwabami. Yuck!" - Uwabami is Japanese slang for boa constictors, pythons and other large snakes.
"Hmm... If I banish the slug, the snake will attack. If I banish the snake, the frog will attack. And if I banish the frog, the slug will attack." - In Japan, these three animals represent a variation of the game, janken (rock, paper, scisssors). These animals are also a traditional example of the balance of powers with regard to warfare, whereas each animal has equal power and thus keeps each other at a stalemate.
Weekly Read! Magazine - Ataru's magazine is a parody of the popular magazine where the Urusei Yatsura manga first appeared, Weekly Shonen Sunday.
"The tummy that sticks out gets beaten up!" This is a pun on the adage "Deru kugi wa utareru" which means "The nail that sticks up gets pounded down." Instead, Ataru finds time to be funny while flying through the air by saying, "Deru hara (tummy) wa utareru."
"First, Sakura, make the phytoplankton pose!" "Mendo, make the zooplankton pose!" "Lum, you'll make the sardine pose!" "You make the bonito pose!" "You lastly, the human pose." - Apparently Cherry didn't flunk Biology. As he orders the individual poses, he works his way up the food chain.
"Miss Lum! Miss Lum!" - Mendo banging on the chapel window is a parody of the 1967 film The Graduate, directed by Mike Nichols.
A nearly month-long hiatus falls between this episode and the next.
Episode 181: さらば温泉先生!? 涙の送別マラソン大会
Saraba Onsen sensei!? Namida no soubetsu marason taikai (Goodbye Onsen-Sensei!? Tearful Good-bye Marathon Banquet!)
Onsen-Mark spends some time out in nature for health reasons. He returns for a school marathon and plans to have a final duel with Ataru.
"Now the guest of honor will change his costume." - This sequence of events is a parody of a traditional Japanese wedding- Urusei Yatsura style. Typically the bride and groom have different sets of formal clothing for the ceremony and the reception, so changing clothes is not uncommon. However, when Onsen arrives from backstage he is wearing the traditional bride costume, complete with the "Uchikake" (white kimono) and "Tsuno Kakushi" (white hood)--his makeup was optional. Also, letters or telegrams from friends and relatives may be read during the procession, obviously none as poetically strange as Lum's.
Episode 182: 純愛サクラ! 別れのつるつるセッケン!?
Junai Sakura! Wagari no tsurutsuru sekken!? (Pure Love Sakura! The Slippery Soap of Seperation?)
Sakura and Tsubame's relationship is having problems. They only get worse after a game of tennis. Sakura accidentally uses Lum's soap which causes Sakura to become very slippery to the touch.
Tsubame's exorcism sequence at the beginning is a parody of the 1973 film The Exorcist directed by William Friedkin. On a side note, Tsubame's exorcism went a little smoother than the one in the film.
In case you blinked... - During the tennis sequence, Cherry, in his infantile wisdom, peeks up Sakura's skirt and a pair of pink panties appear beside her head.
"Hi ho!" - When Sakura lands on the tree behind Tsubame, she yells "doskoi," which is the sound sumo wrestlers make when they grapple.
A not-so demonic version of the "Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man" from the 1984 film, Ghostbusters, makes an appearance in Tomobiki's shopping district.
"It's the superglue of love." - In this pun, Lum amuses herself by using the similar sounding words "torimochi" (old-fashioned glue) and "torimotsu" (match-making) to describe her weapon.
Episode 183: 飛鳥VSお兄様! ある愛の闘いだっちゃ!
Hichou vs Oniisan! Aru ai no tatakaidaccha! (Asuka vs. Older Brother! Battle for Certain Love!)
Lum introduces two new items to try and help Tobimaro and Asuka's relationship. A seed that when placed on Tobimaro's head, sprots into a sunflower that gives him super-strength in sunlight. The other is a seed that sprouts into many vines that the wearer can control for Asuka.
"And now, a no-holds-barred, no-time-limit showdown!" - To precede the brother/sister battle royale, one of Asuka's guards builds the suspense by using typical pro-wrestling banter. Antonio Inoki would be proud.
"Indeed, 'after the rain, the ground is more solid.'" - Ataru's poetic discourse is a Japanese proverb associated with relationships; rain represents a quarrel or fight and the ground represents how strong the relationship becomes after the fight.
Episode 184: ダーリン大凶! 恐怖の四次元おみくじ!!
Darrin daikyou! Kyofu no Shijigen omikuji!! (Darling's Ill Omen! The Dreaded Shijimoto Oracle!!)
Lum and Ataru are at a Shijimoto festival and visit serval stalls to discover their forturnes. Lum takes Ataru to a strange one through a magic gateway and Ataru recevies the shock of his life.
Omikuji - Derived from ancient Chinese fortunes, omikuji are fortunes offered at shrines throughout Japan. Seeking enlightenment from omikuji is a popular activity, as many people flock to shrines looking for advice (or help) in subjects as diverse as love, marriage, money, study, travel and business decisions. The actual custom of receivingan omikuji differs from shrine to shrine. For example, Ataru's and Lum's particular visit involves several steps that ends with drawing their fortune out of a box. Other shrines have a custom that allows the visitor to shake a container full of bamboo sticks until one slides out of a small opening at the top of the container. The stick, which usually has a symbol or number on it, is then matched to the corresponding drawer containing the fortune. Whatever the custom of the shrine, the traditional final step always involves tying the fotune to a tree. But even this act has different connotations, whereas many people believe this will help their good fotunes come true and flourish, Ataru and Lum tie theirs on the tree in hopes of squashing their bad luck.
"We're still high school students." "Still, you need to honor your parents." - The word "kokosei" carries two meanings in Japan. As a moun, it means "high school student" and as a verb it means "honoring or taking care of one's parents."
"Please bring out those young temple maidens, too." - The young temple maidens, or miko, are women who serve temples or give assistance during ceremonies. These days this kind of job is mainly part-time and favored by college-aged girls who want to make extra money.
"The doll walks out and gives you the omikuji, right?" - The robotic-like doll is a "karakuri ningyo" (loosely translates to "mechanical puppet of surprise"). Originating in China, there ar several different types of karakuri dolls in Japan, the most common of which are used in small (very small), kabuki-like productions of old Japanese plays. Designing and building the dolls is extremely time-consuming and considered an art, as each doll contains intricate gears and wears ornate clothing and can encompass a multitude of programmed movements. On a side note, the fortune-telling doll in the episode is special because karakuri dolls don't talk, nor are they associated with omikujis. It should be noted that much of the popularity of robots in Japanese culture stems from these ancient dolls.
"You're making me foot an outrageous bill!" - Ataru's pun is derived from a saying that dates back over two-hundred years. During the Edo period, a kind of taxi service was provided using a "kago" (sedan chair). Some of the men who ran these businesses were notorious for looking at travelers feet to determine their fare. Presumably if someone had rough, tired-looking feet, the kago-carriers would charge them more than usual, knowing the weary travelers would pay. The angry customers referred to it as, "ashimoto o miru" (you're looking at my feet).
As next week would be January 1st in Japan, no new episode of Urusei Yatsura aired.
Episode 185: 新春パニック! 面堂家人間すごろく大会
Shinshun panikku! Mendo-ke ningen sugoroku taikai (New Years Panic! The Mendo Family's Human Parcheesi Tournament!)
Lum, Ataru, Shinobu, Mendo, and Jariten are invited to Mendo's grandfather's special house which is set up with all kinds of traps. Meanwhile, the rest of the Mendo family makes a game of the others attempts to get through the house.
US TV shows have Christmas episodes; Japanese ones have episodes centered around the Japanese New Year, which takes place from around December 28 until around January 4. The holiday is a week long celebration and the dates change each year according to the weekends.
The Mendo's are playing a game called "Sugoroku" which is very similar to Monopoly. However, real people are only used as game pieces during episodes of Urusei Yatsura--do not try this at home.
"The dream you will see on the night of January 1 will tell your fortune." - The traditional "first dream" of the new year is considered important in Japanese culture. In general, dreaming of Mt. Fuji is said to symbolize beauty, a hawk is said to bring courage, and an eggplant is a symbol of a bountiful harvest. Dreaming about any of these is considered good luck on their own, with special luck given to someone who dreams of all three in the respective order.
Episode 186: 夢みるテンちゃん! 虹のはてに大冒険!!
Yume miru Ten-chan! Niji no hate ni daibouken!! (Dreaming Ten-chan! The Great Adventure at the End of the Rainbow!)
Jariten meets a magical little man in a puddle reflection who has lost his magical umbrella, and if Ten can return it, the man will let him visit a dreamland. But finding and returning the umbrella proves to be difficult.
Ten's hand-puppet at the beginning of the episode is Rodan from the Godzilla series. The radioactive/fire-breathing pterodactyl later shows up in Ten's dream. Ataru, of course, has the Godzilla puppet.
"Hey, "flying turtle," how's it going?" - In Japan, calling someone a turtle is considered an insult as the animal has connotations with being dumb and slow.
"Ten, that was great. You're a super-delicious kid!" - Instead of using Superman or Spider-man to describe Ten's heroic powers, Hydel references the infamous Urusei Yatsura superhero, Super Delicious Planet Golden Special Reserve Gorgeous Aftercare Kit #28. See episode 128 for more details.
Episode 187: デートがしたい! あたるのテスト大作戦
Detto ga shitai! Ataru no tesuto daisakusen (I Want to Date! Ataru's Test Program!)
It's test time at school. Ataru asks everyone for help, but the only one to help is Lum. She uses a weird machine to copy Mendo's notes but ends up getting Ataru and the notes intermixed. The next day at school, Ataru is copying everyone's actions. After recovery, Ataru get a little luck token from his mother that produces a small sprite who tries to help Ataru during the test.
"Hey, did you watch "Hit Studio" last night?" - Among the many music shows that have flourished in Japan, Fuji TV's Yoru no Hit Studio is one of the most popular. The show, which has gone through several incarnations and lasted for over one-thousand episodes, featured special-guest appearances by popular Japanese and international performers of the day.
The buttons on Lum's copy machine are modern mahjong pieces.
"He's a human ditto machine." - Here, Megane is actually comparing Ataru to kintaro-ame candy. Originating in the 18th century, kintaro-ame is a long, cylinder-shaped candy that traditionally features the face of Kintaro in the cross-section of the sweet. The fun lies in the fact that wherever the candy is cut, you will see Kintaro's face. Over the years, variations have been made to the hand-made candy and now feature a variety of faces and designs.
Recently, kintaro-ame has even become a popular wedding gift, as the faces of the bride and groom can be printed in the candy. Kintaro-ame also carries symbolic meaning in Japan. For example, a person that is "like kintaro-ame" is a person with no personality; likewise, a group of political candidates that are "like kintaro-ame" are all the same.
"Dazai-fu Shrine is dedicated to Michizane Sugawara." - Dazai-fu Tenmangu, the popular shrine built in honor of Michizane Sugawara, lies on over 3,000 acres of land in the town of Fukuoka, in the Kyushu province of Japan. Michizane Sugawara, who Ataru's mom refers to as the patron saint of study, is known in Shinto as the god of literature or calligraphy; he is also known throughout Japan as Tenman-Tenjin (the deified spirit of Michizane). A poet, scholar and advisor to the emperor in the late 9th century, Michizane fell out of favor with the government and was unfairly exiled to Dazai-fu where he continued his studies. He died there at age 59 and the now-popular shrine was built over his grave. Every year on January 2nd, students flock to his shrine to ask for help with entrance exams or to present their calligraphy.
Episode 188: ダーリンがうちを好きだと 言ったっちゃ
Darrin ga uchi wo suki dato ittaccha (Darling Told Me He Loved Me)
Sakura makes a special candy for Shinobu and Lum that causes one to be very kind, honest, and noble. Lum tricks Ataru into eating this and Ataru's manner is not exactly a change for the better.
"I never knew... I never knew... that I was... that I was... a Kaguya Princess!" - Ataru's strange revelation regarding his parents is based on the Kaguya Hime fairy tale. In it, an old man is walking through a bamboo forest one day when he discovers a bright shining stalk, which he chops it in half and finds a tiny girl inside. The old man and his wife, who never had children, decide to raise the girl and name her Kaguya Hime. Following that day, every time the old man went to the forest, he foun money inside of bamboo and he and his wife became rich. Everyone was happy until, one day, Kaguya Hime told her father that she was from the moon and must reutn there on November 15. Sadly, she left on that day and never returned.
"We saved the turtle from those kids... but..." "The relationship between the Ryugu and Earth quickly became even worse..." - Mendo's epic story is based around Urashima Taro fairy tale. In it, a young man named Urashima Taro saves a turtle from some bullies picking on it. As a reward, the turtle carries the man deep into the sea, taking him to a beautiful castle called Ryugu where he meets a lady named Oto Hime. Uruashima Taro lives in bliss with the turtle and the lady for many years, completely losing all track of time. However, one day he realizes that he hasn't seen his family in quite some time and decides he wants to go back home. Oto agrees to let him go, but before he leaves, he is given a box and told to never open it. Sadly, when he gets home his curiosity overtakes him and he opens the box and immediately ages into an old man; his happiness wanes and the realization comes that he had been away for hundreds of years.
"Nobody could have known that destiny was bearing down upon Mendo and Shinobu... who were being sheltered at Urayasu in Chiba." - Urayasu in the Chiba Prefecture is a popular beach resort and the location of Disneyland, Tokyo.
"Lum, I want to drink your miso soup!" - Mendo's statement is an old-fashioned way of proposing marriage. In modern day Japan it can also be a sly way of professing the urge to have sex with someone, kind of like saying "I want to have breakfast with you" in America.
"You say your name is Mendo Shutaro... But your real name is Mendo Shuuko!" - Adding the suffix -ko denotes a female name. A good western example would be using the -ty sound to make Chris into Christie.
"With only the shoe as my guide, I searched the entire country for you..." - This sequence is, of course, an homage of Cinderella.
Episode 189: 決死の家庭訪問! 教師稼業も命がけ!!
Kesshi no kateihoumon! Kyoushi kagyou mo inochi gake!! (Death-Defying House Call! A Teacher's Life is Dangerous Too)
Onsen-Mark visits the homes of Ryunosuke, Mendo, Shinobu and Ataru; in that order. But each visit only proves to be trouble, until Onsen-Mark visits Lum's house.
Hidden Caption: "Hanshin Tigers V1!" - The hidden caption during the Fujinami family fight is related to the Hanshin Tigers first Japanese World Series in 1985. The Hanshin Tigers are one of the most popular baseball teams in Japanese history and can best be described as the Boston Red Sox of Japan. Since the inception of baseball, the Tigers have been continually finishing behind their arch rivals, the Tokyo Giants (think of them as the Yankees). The Tigers are Rumiko Takahashi's favorite team and you can watch our video about the connection between Takahashi and the Tigers.
"Target Substitution Defense!" - Mr. Fujinami's off-screen tactic, "kawarimi no jutsu," is a defensive ninja technique where the person executing the move grabs a nearby item (or person) and quickly places it where they were once standing.
Episode 190: ハチャメチャ! ランちゃんの巨大人形!!
Hachamecha! Ran-chan no kyoudai ningyou!! (Total Chaos! Ran-chan's Double Doll)
As Ten arrives at school, he gets into a fight with the class. Ran's dolls show up, blow up; and Lum, Ran, Ataru, Shinobu, Ten, and Mendo end up staying after school. Ultimately they start fighting again until Kotatsuneko accidentally awakens a special doll of Ran's.
"Even a pig will try to climb a tree if you..." - Onsen's unfinished line is from an old Japanese proverb which fully says "buta mo odaretereba ki ni noboru" or "even a pig will climb a tree if you flatter it."
Episode 191: 恋ひとすじ! 命かけます純情キツネ!!
Koi hito tsuji! Inochi kakemasu shunjou Kitsune!! (Blind Love! You Bet Your Life, Honest Fox)
Kitsune hears a story about a woman who was trapped in a picture by a demon and saved by a hero. Finding a picture of Shinobu, Kitsune sets off to find a demon and defeat it.
"Yo' momma wears army boots!" - The fox's literal words, "omae no kaasan debeso," translates to "your momma's belly-button is an outie." Although this doesn't sound bad, along with calling someone "short-legged," it is a big insult in Japan.
When the fox bites into Lum's spicy food, Gamera appears in the montage. The giant, fire-breathing turtle first appeared in the 1965 film Daikaiju Gamera (The Giant Monster Gamera) where he awakes from his sleep to wreck havoc on the world. Several other films followed, mostly featuring Gamera and other giant monsters.
"A fox's wedding..." - Even though Shinobu uses the phrase "kitsune no yomeiri" for the snowfall, the original term is used for "rain on a sunny day." The origin of the term comes from the legend that foxes are considered sneaky, magical creatures and will get married on rainy days to fool everyone.
Episode 192: 早く来てダーリン! ラムの危険な結婚話
Hayaku kite Darrin! Lum no kiken na kekkon hanashi (Come Quickly, Darling! Lum's Dangerous Marriage Talk)
Shingo, who has been raised by television since he was lost in the electric jungle as a child, goes out to chivalrously find a girlfriend. He meets Lum and Lum asks Shingo to help her with a plan. By pretending to be kidnapped, Lum hopes to make Ataru jealous, but Lum's capture goes from pretend to real.
Shingo’s entire character is a reference to the Edgar Rice Burroughs character Tarzan. First appearing in the novel Tarzan of the Apes in 1912, the story tells of a shipwrecked child who is raised by apes and becomes a wild man who lives in the jungle amongst the animals. The story was famously immortalized in numerous films, comics and radio adaptations, with the character portrayed most famously by Johnny Weissmuller, who starred in a total of 12 Tarzan films throughout his career.
Atsuko Nakajima served as the animation director on this episode. She would later go on to become the character designer on Ranma 1/2 as well as draw a great deal of the early 1990s promotional material for Rumiko Takahashi anime.
"Paoooh! Paoooh!" - Here, Shingo is yelling the sound an elephant makes in Japanese, similar to saying "ruff ruf" or "bark bark" for a dog.
"Here's Suke and Kaku, Momotaro and Heiji!" - Suke the alligator and Kaku the orangutan are named after characters from the drama Mito Komon (水戸黄門). The series ran from 1969 to 2011 and is likely something Shingo watching for many years, thinking it was his grandfather. Momotaro the anaconda is named for Onitaiji Momotaro from Momotaro Samurai (桃太郎侍) another long running drama from 1976 to 1981 and Heiji the lion is named for Heiji Zenigata from Heiji, the Detective (銭形平次) which ran from 1966 to 1984.
Episode 193: たまらないっちゃ! ランの意地悪大作戦
Tamaranaiccha! Ran no ijiwaru daisakusen (It's Unbearable! Ran's Mischief Campaign)
Ran and Lum are remembering childhood times and all Ran can recall are bad memories. Ran decides to send out a small spy of her's that can cause one to remember old grudges, and first it strikes Ryunosuke and then Ataru.
"Not just that! If we sell the prizes back to them at the secret shop..." - Since gambling is illegal in Japan, Pachinko parlors can't give out money, only merchandise prizes. However, it's easy to turn your winnings into money. First, the balls that are won during the game can legally be exchanged for various prizes or goods in the Pachinko gift shop... One of these prizes is always something very stupid and useless, like lighter flints. But at the exchange counter, there will be a map telling you the location of an "unaffiliated" hole-in-the-wall shop, just around the corner, that for some strange reason is willing to buy that particular brand of lighter flint at a very nice price. And for some reason, the police never put two and two together!
"What are you being so red and snooty about?!" - The pun of calling the personal controller red (akaunaru) can also mean "angry" in this context.
"Dear Lady. Will you permit me to sit next to you?" - The blonde-haired girl Ataru is trying to unsuccessfully pick up is Reika from the popular tennis anime Ace o Nerae (Aim for the Ace).
"Oh, well. Let's have some tea! I have some sweets, too!" - The sweets that Lum offers the personal assistant is Imoyokan. This fudge-like dessert is made out of sweet-potato paste and lots of sugar. It is a popular food to snack while sipping green tea.
Episode 194: お別れ直前スペシャル 輝け!! うる星大賞
Owakare chokuzen supesharu! Kettei kagayake! Urusei taishou! "Kimisarishigo" (Urusei Yatsura Pre-Departure Special! Shine!)
This episode lists the top ten favorite Urusei Yatsura stories in the introduction and reruns the most-favorite story.
Episode 195: オールスター大宴会! うちらは不滅だっちゃ!!
Orru sutaa daienkai! Uchira wa fumetsudaccha!! (All-Star Banquet! We Are Immortal!!)
In the oddest places, everyone is finding invitations to a festival. They gather to try and figure out who is responsible and decide to attend and see what happens. What happens is the sun goddess Amaterasu appears. At the end of the episode many many other familiar people from the series show up as well.
"Once a year... they say, all the Gods gather at Izumo and hold a great party." - This legend, which the episode follows (somewhat) is based around Amaterasu Omikami, the sun goddess and supreme Shinto deity who brought light and fertility to Japan. One day Amaterasu's brother, Susano-wo (the god of storms), trampled across Japan, ravaging crops and creating so much noise and destruction that Amaterasu retreated into a cave and blocked the entrance, thus throwing Japan into darkness. During this time, crops and animals died, evil spirits fourished, and many people began to lose their will to live... All the gods gathered to discuss the problem. Many ideas were proposed, one of which to hang a mirror just outside the cave; another idea was to place roosters outside the cave to crow. During this time, Uzume (the goddess of joy) stripped her clothes, covered herself with plants and began to dance. At once, all the gods began laughing, singing and celebrating; the roosters crowed and a great noise arose... Amatersu became curious at all the laughter and peered outside. Tajikarao (the god of force), who had been waiting for her emergence, quickly grabbed her and sealed the entrance of the cave. When Amaterasu saw herself in the mirror she became calm and confident by the clear light and was determined to carry on with her duties. She then ascended to heaven and vowed to never hide again. The Izumo Taisha shrine stands as the oldest and largest Shinto shrine in Japan and the traditional place where the gods celebrated. Every year, on July 17, Amaterasu is celebrated throughout Japan. The legend of her leaving the cave is celebrated during the winter solstice.
"Amatiramisu?!" - The pun here is that, instead of calling her Amaterasu Omikami, Ten says "Amadera no Ookami" which means "the wolf in the nun's temple."
When Kintaro smacks Ten with his axe, the caption in his mouth says, "Ouch." When he finally lands in Mako's arms (and realizes who caught him) the caption in his mouth says "Wow."
Here are just a few (notice we said a few) of the non-Urusei Yatsura faces that appear at the party.
Kei and Yuri of The Dirty Pair - Created by Haruka Takachiho (Crusher Joe) and first appearing in SF Magazine, the story follows two scantily-clad girls, Kei and Yuri who like to blow things up while investigating various interstellar cases.
Seijin Baltan - Ultraman's arch-enemy in the white, lobster suit.
Characters from Journey to the West - The story of a famous monk, Sanjo Genjo, and his band of sidekicks traveling to India became a best-selling manga and a long-running TV show.
Kyoko Otonashi - Kyoko (with broom) is the manager of the famous apartment building in Rumiko Takahashi's popular manga Maison Ikkoku.
