Dr. Slump vs Urusei Yatsura: A Comparison of Nonsense Gags

Translated by: Dylan Acres
Thanks to Mitchell for scans and transcriptions.

Every week, Urusei Yatsura and Dr. Slump Arale-chan provide fresh laughs on the TV screen. ^[1] Both are anime adaptations of manga written by Rumiko Takahashi and Akira Toriyama, two of the greatest gag makers of the time, but let's compare their modern nonsense sense. ^[2] In a word, it's the outrageous gags of Dr. Slump versus the absurd gags of Urusei Yatsura. In the case of Dr. Slump, they eat spaceships, get excited with scary beasts, and even fly in the sky in a cool way. In other words, they are unconventional or fearless, and there is an atmosphere in Penguin Village where anything and everything happens as if it were a given. This is the very essence of outrageousness itself, but this idea can also be considered surprisingly childish. In other words, what adults think is "impossible" is something that children can easily imagine. The sun talks, Mr. Tanuki is a classmate, and it creates a real happy mood. The secret behind the outrageous gags of Dr. Slump is that it completely removes the taint of common sense that adults have acquired. On the other hand, Urusei Yatsura is characterized by strange people appearing around the main character and doing the most absurd things possible. Ataru is a rather ordinary person, and in comparison, eccentrics such as Lum, Ten, and Princess Kurama, who are not at all ordinary, sow the seeds of trouble. This absurdity, and the fact that the eccentrics do not realize that it is absurd, lead to a gag in which terrible results are produced. Although each of these nonsense gags is slightly different, the hidden power in them is exactly the same.

The Power of the Supporting Characters

The supporting characters surrounding the main character are indispensable in gag anime. In the case of Dr. Slump, the main characters are of course Arale and Senbei, but the star of the show is Penguin Village itself. In other words, the entertainment value of Dr. Slump is the everyday life of Penguin Village itself, and is not created by one or two strange people. It is a kind of group drama depicted by the people(?) of Penguin Village. Therefore, if you ask "Who is the main character in Dr. Slump?", you can say that all the supporting characters are the main characters, from Usa-san, Tanuki-san, and Elephant-san to King Nikochan, Suppaman, and Ultraman's Cicada. In the case of Urusei Yatsura, the comedy power of the supporting characters far exceeds that of the regulars such as Ataru and Lum. Princess Kurama, Sakura, and Oyuki-chan are all individuals who are enough to be the main characters. In terms of the power of each supporting character, Urusei Yatsura is higher, but in terms of the overall power of the supporting characters, both can be said to be of the main character level. ^[2]

Comparing the Setting of the Comedy

The key point when comparing the comedy of both works is the setting. In the case of Urusei Yatsura, it can be said that it is an abnormal story set in a normal society. Even the Moroboshi family would be a very normal family (even if they have some flaws) without Lum, and it is only when Lum, an abnormal presence, is present that they become a comedy. On the other hand, Dr. Slump is the complete opposite, a normal story set in an abnormal society. Penguin Village is far from normal, but the events that occur there, even though they may seem abnormal to us, are normal in Penguin Village. Rather, people who have the common sense of our society become abnormal people in Penguin Village. People who don't think it's normal to have a tanuki in the classroom are abnormal in Penguin Village. In this way, Urusei Yatsura and Dr. Slump have completely opposite settings, but in the case of Dr. Slump, because it is a heartwarming comedy, there is a danger that it will lose its power as you become accustomed to it. On the other hand, since Urusei Yatsura is set in the background of real, normal society, if Ataru's uniqueness is lost, the show will lose half of its appeal. ^[3] Rather, I look forward to seeing both works come together in the future.

Episode Summaries

What a Dracula! (episode 27)

In a room in the basement of an old Western-style mansion, a servant bat tells his master Dracula good news. A cute girl has been found. Dracula is immediately guided by the bat to Ataru's house, where the cute girl turns out to be none other than Lum.

Lum's Educational Therapy for Little Boys (episode 28)

Lum is lonely because she has a baby but he doesn't pay her any attention. Then, on the TV, a voice says, "Tame Java Sparrows don't get used to you unless you raise them from when they're chicks. Lum has an idea and travels back in time in her time machine to go to Ataru's house when he's still a chick. Now, Lum has arrived ten years ago and just as she's walking home from school, she spots him...

From Speechless With Love (episode 29)

Ten follows Ataru around and calls him "big brother" for the first time. When asked if he is up to something, he learns that he wants money to buy flowers to impress the florist's daughter. Ataru goes to the florist with Ten and, of course, is excited to impress him, and buys a pot of gardenia flowers.

The Beautiful Maiden Comes With the Rain (episode 30)

A mysterious girl appears at Tomobiki High School. A beautiful girl named Amemori Tsuyuko arrives with rain clouds and rain. Naturally, Ataru and Mendou immediately start fighting over the girl, but there is something sinister about her.

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Footnotes

• [1] Dr. Slump and Urusei Yatsura aired back to back on Fuji TV at 7 pm and 7:30 pm. While the name of the manga by Akira Toriyama is Dr. Slump the anime's full title is Dr. Slump Arale-chan (Dr.スランプ・アラレちゃん).
• [2] Akira Toriyama and Rumiko Takahashi actually met in 1986 to discuss their series. You can read our translation here.
• [3] The "real, normal society" described in Urusei Yatsura has been mentioned before and termed as "City Sci-Fi" as early as November 1981 in Animage. That article can be found here.

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