Urusei Yatsura Great Research

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

Chief Director Mamoru Oshii is 31 years old, series compositor Kazunori Ito is 28 years old, animation director Asami Endo is 20+ years old. Even though anime staff are getting younger, Urusei Yatsura is the only work with such a young core staff. What is so fresh about the creative sense of the young staff who are the driving force behind this program with high audience ratings that even surpass Egawa's appearance in the "Giants vs. Chunichi" game? ^[1] We thoroughly analyzed each section.

Comment from Asami Endo:

Even though I'm the animation director, my role is mainly to correct the characters, so I don't really know whose key drawings are most amazing. Ochi and Yamashita's key drawings are certainly interesting, but I remember being a little surprised when I first saw them because I couldn't understand what was drawn (laughs).

Comment from Kazuhiro Ochi:

In this episode, I was in charge of the part from when Shinobu throws the desk to the end of the committee chairman election. The schedule was tight, so I stayed at Pierrot for about a week to work. I'm a fan of the original work, so I tried to draw the illustrations as close to the original as possible, but unfortunately they were changed to the characters in the anime.

It was aired as a one-hour special. It's an episode that takes place during the school trip to Tomobiki High School. But what's interesting about this story is the way the conversations and the timing are handled well. There are many stories in Urusei Yatsura that show off the voice actors' performances.

Pitter-Patter Christmas Eve Part 1 & Part 2 (Episode 10)
This is a particularly outstanding piece among the first half of the "Pitter-Patter Christmas Eve" story, which is popular among fans, but has a lot of inconsistent animation. Christmas Eve, what is the plan that Megane and friends plan to bring down the hammer of justice on Ataru, who neglects Lum-chan? In this episode, Megane was working hard. His words and actions were entertaining from start to finish. This episode established his position.

Girl's Day! Ran-chan's Arrival (Episode 18-1)
Finally appears! Lum-chan's childhood friend. The story is completely different from the original, so it can already be called original. On Girls' Day, Ataru is guided by a strange doll and meets Ran-chan in a forest of cherry blossoms in full bloom. This story was a one-man show for Inoue-san, who plays Ran-chan. Inoue-san wins.

Space Matchmaking Mission (Episode 22)
The third installment illustrated by Yamashita Masahito The story is about Ataru and Ten heading to Lum's home planet to ruin Lum's matchmaking. Among the characters that appear in this 46th story, the one who stands out is the "Prince of the Underground." Is his digging technique something to behold? "Prince! Skill!"

Ten-chan's Love (Episode 26)
A story in which Ten-chan is the main character. On Children's Day, Ten is going on a date with Sakura. The script and storyboards are amazing, and the kiss scene between Ten-chan and Sakura-san at the end is very moving. Ataru-kun also put in a lot of effort.

Comment from Kazunori Itō:

The scripts for Urusei Yatsura are written in a metaphorical way. For example, the episode "Red Phantom" is in the style of Edogawa Ranpo, and the episode "Amefurashi" is a mystery-like episode, while the episode "Hanawa-sensei" is a parody of a youth story. I create the core of the story and then expand on the original. As expected, it's easier to write episodes where Ataru is actively moving around.

The Beautiful Maiden Comes With the Rain (Episode 30)
A story about a family that is haunted by the monster "Amefurashi". A beautiful woman, Tsuyuko Amemori, transfers to the school. Ataru starts dating her, hoping to become more than just friends, but she gradually becomes emaciated due to the "Amefurashi". What will be Ataru's fate? Tsuyuko's father has killed another character. I'm sure there are quite a few people who have become fans of this father.

Give Me Back My Horn! (Episode 31)
Some have called "Give me back my horns!" a "masterpiece." The script, direction, storyboards, and animation are all of a high level, and there's nothing to complain about. The portrayal of Ran's state of mind is cleverly done, with tanks and planes running in the background. The exchanges between Ten and Ataru were also good.

Teacher Hanawa's Arrival! Such is Youth! (Episode 33)
A major youth drama that unfolds with new teacher Mr. Hanawa and new student Ram. The highlight is, above all, Mr. Hanawa's words and actions. Let's give a round of applause to Mr. Hanawa, who embodies the slogan "It's youth! Sweat and tears," which is now considered "cheesy."

Yearning for the Sad Monster (Episode 34)
A yokai who lived at the bottom of the pool at "Mendo Hotel" is chased out of the pool and finds a new home. Lum looked great in her swimsuit. The seashell accessory on her left ankle shows the attention to detail in the animation. The way the yokai circle around the rocks and the way the running boy's back is intentionally made to have full light passing through it shows the enthusiasm of the young staff of "Urusei Yatsura".

Darling in Desperate Situation (Episode 35)
Ran-chan has declared war on her darling (Ataru) in earnest. Part A is just a folk tale. Part B is about Ran-chan's plan to steal her darling at Tomobiki High School. The episode in "Desperate Situation" in Part A is particularly memorable. The sadness of that Terrible Monster (scientific name unknown) seeped into our hearts.

8/14 Dubbing Visit Comments



The cast usually overflows outside the studio, but on this day, as the story is about Ataru's family being hit by a typhoon, there were anunusually few people, but as usual, there was a lot of intense ad-lib, and sound director Shiba (Shigeharu) was busy changing the lines. Chief Director Mamoru Oshii, who always shows up at dubbing, was also laughing out loud at the richness of the voice actors' imagination.

Voice Cast Comments:

Fumi Hirano: Of course, Ataru really likes Lum. I'm a little nervous about stories like "Summer Dates,' but I really like them.

Toshio Furukawa: Ataru is a cheating guy, but I think he can chase girls with confidence because his relationship with Lum is the foundation.

Saeko Shimazu: Shinobu really likes Ataru. But Mendo-san too... Anyway, I'm acting without losing Shinobu's cuteness.

Kenichi Ogata: I really sympathize with the father who yells "Loan!" I've stopped trying to buy a house since I first began this show...

Natsumi Sakuma: I think Ataru is a good son. She never really meant the line "I shouldn't have had you."

Kazuko Sugiyama: Ten must really like Sakura-neechan. It'd be nice to have a pet like that.

Akira Kamiya: I think Mendo likes Lum-chan. The difference between the second and third episodes is interesting. I think he's similar to me.

Yō Inoue: This role requires a lot of stamina, as it seems like I'm playing several roles. I'm not good with the cutesy Ran.

Ichirô Nagai: I think Cherry would be more interesting if he appeared without any reason. I still feel like he's overly reasonable.

Shigeru Chiba: Many of my favorite characters have deep anger and hatred inside. This clashes with my true feelings and becomes the source of ad-libs.

Issei Futamata: I've appeared in about 80% of this series so far, but I feel like I'm not young enough to keep up with the original work anymore.

TARAKO: Shigeru Chiba is just so funny. He just comes out with ad-libs one after another.

Bin Shimada: I've played a variety of roles, but I think the role of talking to a cute girl is the best.



Character setting and series composition The way guest characters were introduced also had a flavor that was not in the original work.

Comment from Akemi Takada: ^[2]

The style of Rumiko Takahashi's drawing in the original work was not too far from mine, so character setting was not that difficult. However, that meant that I ended up drawing in my own way. When I create characters, I create them with the image of the picture in mind, so I only look at the original work as a reference. The only difference with Lum is her tiger striped pants and hair, and even then, I just rearranged the lines. Favorite characters? Hmm, for men, it's Mendo, and for women, it's Ran-chan, I think. Mendo's actions are so obvious that he's cute, and Ran-chan's difference between her inner and outer self is interesting.

Comment from Kazunori Itō: ^[3] In the case of Urusei Yatsura, we hold a composition meeting for each season of the series composition and select episodes from the original work. As a standard at that time, I try to follow the changes in each character's psychological state to some extent. So, there are some interesting episodes that can no longer be used because they no longer fit the image of the characters currently being produced. What I would like to try in the future is to include an original script in the series.

Fan gathering announcement

●Date and time: Saturday, September 18th, doors open at 4pm, performance starts at 5pm (just over 2 hours net)
●Venue: Chiyoda Public Hall, Tokyo (3 minutes from Kudanshita Station on the Tozai subway line)
●Contents:
① Announcement of the theatrical film production (announcement of the main voice actor for the theme song)
② Advance screening of the TV version of "Urusei Yatsura" (scheduled to be broadcast on September 22nd)
③ Introduction of voice actors
④ Guest corner, author, Rumiko Takahashi
⑤ Character costume show
⑥ Raffle, camera (provided by Fujifilm), cel drawings, author and voice actor shikishi, and many more.
●Participation fee: 800 yen for general public, 500 yen for fan club members (must bring on the day).
★How to apply:
Submit your application by postcard to
Urusei Yatsura AM Events,
Box 29, Shibuya Post Office, Tokyo 150.
Members must include their membership number. Deadline is September 11th (postmark valid on that day), so hurry to your post office!! If there are many applications, a lottery will be held.

Roundtable:



Keiji Hayakawa, Tamiko Kojima, Mamoru Oshii. ^[4] This trio in their 30s (sorry!) have been in charge of directing the series since its inception. As directors, they are still young, but as seniors to the other staff, we asked them about the young creators who gather for Urusei Yatsura and the sense of humor that can only be depicted by young people. Among them, chief director Oshii talked about the fun of making this work, which could be called a one-man show.

"Because it's a work that allows for a wide range of expression, we were able to use young staff to create an energetic story."

Animage: I think Urusei Yatsura has the appeal of being made by young staff, as well as the fun that comes with animation. Today, I'd like to hear from the director about its appeal. First of all, please tell us your thoughts on the key animators Kazuhiro Ochi and Masahito Yamashita, who attracted the attention of fans with "Mendo Arrives With Trouble!." ^[5]

Oshii: I think it was last winter when those two came. They couldn't finish up their drawings in time, so they brought cup ramen and stayed at Pierrot for about a week, so I remember it very vividly (laughs). At first, they came to show us the key animations of Tetsujin 28 and Godmars, and they were very unique. I was interested in what kind of flavor they would have if they drew humans. But I was worried until the key animations were ready.

Hayakawa: The acting is different from normal. Frankly, I can't imagine the original drawings that will come out. I have an image in mind when I draw the storyboard, but the drawings are like... they come at me. The biggest problem is how to incorporate that into the work.

Oshii: In other words, it's completely different from the image I had when I drew the storyboard. So, if you leave a little leeway in the flow of the story and let them float around to a certain extent, and then finish the whole thing, it will have a unique flavor. If you don't do that, the parts they did will stand out.

AM: Kojima-san was with us in the episode "Beware of Earmuffs."

Kojima: I have the same impression as you two, but when I first saw the original drawings, there were some parts that honestly left me scratching my head. The cuts are nothing special, for example, just turning around or a surprised pose, but it's completely different from what I had calculated...

Oshii: How do you respond when a completely different image comes out? If this were a different series, I think there would have been a problem. But in Urusei Yatsura, it's quite acceptable. It's a work that has that kind of breadth to begin with. And we're also amused by that side of them (laughs). That's why we were able to depict that sense of speed and unique timing in the "Mendo" episode. I think we have to acknowledge that their strengths are their vitality. They're not satisfied with just running action. They're not satisfied unless they put something into it, and they only draw with the assumption that they'll put something in. I think that's something to be appreciated. The whole series was definitely influenced in part by these two.

AM: When you started this series, did you intend to create a work with a wide range from the beginning?

Oshii: There are many different types of stories in this series. There's melodrama, slapstick, and suspense. From the beginning, we had the idea that it would be okay for the direction and drawing style to change to a certain extent to match that. There are a lot of rules that should never be changed, such as the uniformity of the drawing style and the width of the camera angle, but I thought it was okay to be free in that respect. Also, the producer said that it would be fine to use young staff and create something energetic, so I took on this series. "Ataru's favorite girl changes depending on the situation. It's natural that you don't know how much is serious and how much is cheating."



AM: Speaking of the staff, animation director Asami Endo and series composer Kazunori Ito are both in their 20s. Was the hiring of these two in Oshii's mind from the beginning?

Oshii: Regarding Ito, it was decided from the beginning that he would participate in the literary aspect. As for the series composition, it will be from the 3rd season. As for Endo, since there are many female characters in the work, we asked a young woman to be the animation director. When a man draws a female character, it's easy to get evil thoughts or excessive sexiness (laughs). A woman seen through a man's eyes...

Hayakawa: Desire comes in (laughs).

Oshii: There are some key drawings that are a bit off (laughs). When Endo-chan draws, the cleanliness and neatness that is unique to young girls comes out as it is, and in that sense I think Lum is successful.

AM: This may seem sudden, but I guess Ataru likes Lum the most.

Oshii: No , that's it (laughs). When doing a normal series, you have to fix the relationship for now, like this character likes this character, and it's the director's job to get closer to that. However, once the actual movement and voice are added, the image of the character takes on a life of its own. That was the most interesting time to work on it... Ataru is quite difficult to calculate, and it seems that the key drawings were very different depending on the person.

AM: Endo-san said that Ataru loves Lum after all.

Oshii: (laughs)That must be because she's a young girl.

Kojima: Shall I say older characters (laughs).

Hayakawa: Ah, come on (laughs).

AM: What do you think, Kojima-san?

Kojima: I don't think it's just Lum. I think Ataru has his own image of a woman, but I think it's fine for him to be frivolous and shallow.

Oshii: I think it's fine to have the vitality of a frivolous person. For example, Ataru is not a character that can be established by saying that he is this kind of person. He is a character who searches for things as he goes along, and rather than making a relationship chart and letting the drama unfold from there, he is a character who loses track of what is serious and what is cheating as he goes along. I think this is a characteristic of the characters in Urusei Yatsura. Ataru in particular is a character that is completely unclear.

Hayakawa: When I look at Oshii's storyboards, I think he is thinking about how to make the characters act differently depending on the situation. In my case, when I first drew the storyboards, I couldn't actually draw Ataru. I didn't know how to move him. But when I look at Oshii's storyboards, if he thinks "Ah, this person is pretty" in a certain situation, Ataru will go there right away. I understand that the problem is how to naturally incorporate that into the acting before and after. By doing so, I thought that I could expand and bring out the vacillation of a young person's heart.

Oshii: After all, when Ataru is cornered and starts to look pitiful, he probably thinks "Oh, she's cute after all," but I can't necessarily call that his true feelings. When a woman who loves him appears, that's the better option, and that's more natural for Ataru.

Kojima: Natural (laughs).

Oshii: Ataru is the type who doesn't go against the situation, nor does he go with the flow, but is actively absorbed into it.

AM: Do you both agree with Oshii's opinion?

Kojima: Yes. That's better for storyboarding, and if Ataru had feelings for Lum, it would change the image of Urusei Yatsura.

Oshii: For one thing, it's a world where once relationships are fully established, it ends there. There's a riff that often comes up that goes, "It's an ugly relationship," and that's half true. Human relationships are inherently a fickle thing. "What's interesting about Urusei Yatsura is how his true feelings and public image change so drastically.

AM: But living like Ataru must be tough if you don't have a lot of vitality.

Oshii: No, he does it all the time. He has his own ethics, or the idea that if he finds a beautiful woman, there's nothing wrong with rushing after her. He doesn't feel guilty about doing all sorts of things. Normal people have all sorts of feelings, like guilt, that's why they can't actually do what they do.

AM: That's what makes Ataru so appealing.

Oshii: Ataru isn't the kind of character that you want to make into a cell and put up on the wall (laughs). So I feel like he's able to honestly express the frivolous side of himself as a joke.

"I was originally thinking about creating a hot relationship between the animation and direction, but recently I've finally been able to do it."

AM: Speaking of Ataru, what about Lum?

Oshii: All the characters in Urusei Yatsura are egoistic. Lum is the only exception to this, and she is a being who is naturally above the situation since birth.

Hayakawa: Even if she is eating, it never becomes a family drama.

Oshii: It's like she never becomes a muddy mess. I feel like she is someone you can only see when she is at a distance from you. I don't think it would be good to have a girl like Lum by my side...

AM: Kojima is a rare female director in the anime world, and since the original author is a woman, I'm sure there are many aspects that make it easier for you to work with her.

Kojima: For example, with Lum, there is a character called Lum that you can get absorbed in. When that happens, even when I'm drawing the storyboard, I just run ahead (laughs). I don't know if that's good or bad, but I can draw it without getting bored.

AM: By the way, was it a plan from the beginning to make the first two episodes 15 minutes long, and the third episode 30 minutes long?

Oshii: No, when I started, I said I wanted to go with a style of 15 minutes per episode, but various circumstances changed that. However, even now there are still two episodes per week, and in the past there were also episodes that were 30 minutes long.

AM: Has there been any change in direction?

Oshii: I don't know. I think the way the storyboards are cut has changed a little.

Hayakawa: That's right.

Oshii: One thing I can say is that when it was 15 minutes long, I had to have fun while following the story. But after it became 30 minutes, it became easier because I could separate the story and the "pure animation gone wild" parts. It's true that there is the problem of how to make it 30 minutes long when the original is only 8 pages long. In those cases, it's difficult for the writer, but it's also difficult for the director. At the storyboard stage, you can see where your skills can be shown. You have to think about where to expand and where to let the animation go wild. I've recently started to feel that kind of fun. So, on the other hand, if the story is too tight, it feels like the 30 minutes are just the story, and it's tiring. I wish there was a place to have fun somewhere.

Hayakawa: If you don't draw the work in yourself, it won't be 30 minutes. When it was 15 minutes, I could follow the original to a certain extent and add in some playfulness, and it would be 15 minutes...

Kojima: It felt like they had to do their best to tell the story in 15 minutes. For example, the more you move things around, the harder it is to draw, but it's also harder to direct. It just so happens that in the case of Urusei Yatsura, there are a lot of out-of-control animators...

AM: Out-of-control type, yeah (laughs).

Oshii: They forget about the number of frames, and even the timing change easily...

Hayakawa: For example, they might draw a two-second key animation for a six-second storyboard.

AM: So they just draw it.

Hayakawa: Exactly. So sometimes we have to scrape it down, but if the key animation is so well-made, we can't touch it.

Oshii: I think that the hot relationship between animation and direction that I had originally envisioned has finally come about recently. I've always wanted to create a sense of humor that can only be achieved in anime, or something where the animation is unrestrained, and the humor is a little dark. I feel like now is my chance. In the case of Urusei Yatsura, I think it was a good idea to make Ataru a character who can do anything.

AM: Finally, I'd like to ask about the movie that will be released in February. Are you all going to be working on it? ^[6]

Oshii: No. It's just me.

AM: It's Oshii's direction and storyboard.

Oshii: That's right.

AM: What's the story?

Oshii: It's a love story between Lum and Ataru. The basic world of Urusei Yatsura remains, but the image may be a little different from the original. I want to make a work that people who haven't seen the TV series can enjoy, and I'm going to do whatever I can't do in a 20-minute TV time slot.

After this special feature, the voices saying "Please do a special feature on Urusei Yatsura!!!" were shouted loudly by not only the fans but also the Animage part-timers. For various reasons, it hadn't been realized until now, but this time, it was a great joy to finally be able to put together a 20-page special feature. Now, the biggest benefit of this special feature was meeting the young production staff of Urusei Yatsura. The reporters in charge of this feature were a duo of 26 and 24 years old, so it looked really encouraging to see people of the same generation working on the production site. What surprised me was the healthy sensibility they have in creating this work. As Oshii-san says, there is a "unique sense of cleanliness." Whether it's animation director Endo-san or series composer Ito-kun, there is not the slightest sign of the familiarity or fatigue that comes with working on a TV series every week. If you read this feature, I think you will understand the secret. Now, all that remains is for Oshii-san to think more delicately than ever before about and express what he wants to do. And, through this series, I can only hope that he will create the strongest team of staff in the anime industry. (Taku)

About Oshii: "When I listen to meetings with him, I can see that he is good at conveying his own image. To translate something into words, you need to have a very clear image in your mind. So I think Oshii has a very strong sense of his own world. I would like to try making a live-action version of him. It would probably cost a lot of money, though." (Ito, series composition and scriptwriter) "He's someone who doesn't give up on his opinions. He's a retake fiend, and he makes me redraw it as many times as necessary until I'm satisfied with it" (Takada, character designer).

Episode Summary by Yuji Nunokawa ^[7]

October is a time of program restructuring, but thanks to you, this series will continue to be aired after October. Recently, due to the circumstances of the station, many special progLums have been scheduled, and many broadcasts have been missed. From October, we would like to further strengthen the progLum and enrich it. For the program from October, we have reexamined the original works that were left out, added the latest works, and created a rich variety of progLums. From the original work that was not broadcast, "Kimi Sarisago", which was overwhelmingly requested by fans, is scheduled to be aired in the first episode in October. Production is currently underway. Some fans have adapted the original work that has not yet been broadcast and sent it to us with a script. Many of them are quite interesting, and we have taken a lot of inspiration from them. Now, the Urusei Yatsura Fan Club has been launched. ^[8] It was formed to ask for further support for the film adaptation next spring. We hope that all readers of Animage will also join.

Highlights:

Episode 43 The Terror of Meow

It's the season for cats to fall in love. Cats can be heard everywhere. Ten, who is so noisy that he can't sleep, jumps out of the window with a headache. However, Ten is mercilessly beaten up by the cats. Ten starts crying as if he has been ignited, and a beautiful girl shining pale in the moonlight appears in front of him. Ten stops crying easily and looks down in front of Misuzu. But then this time I hit it...

---

Footnotes

• [1] Suguru Egawa (江川卓) is a legendary baseball pitcher for the Yomiuri Giants. Rumiko Takahashi actually chose Ataru's first name from Egawa's brother Ataru Egawa.
• [2] Akemi Takada (高田明美) is a prolific character designer for Studio Pierrot. Her collaboration with Mamoru Oshii and Kazunori Ito continued in Mobile Police Patlabor (). After episode 27 she handled the character designs for Rumiko Takahashi's follow-up anime, Maison Ikkoku. We have numerous interviews catalogued for her, the longest of which can be found here.
• [3] Kazunori Itō (伊藤和典) is also scriptwriter who also worked as a part of the group "Headgear" with Mamoru Oshii, Akemi Takada, Yutaka Izubuchi and Masami Yuki. In addition to his work on Urusei Yatsura Itō also oversaw scripts for Maison Ikkoku (めぞん一刻) and the entire .hack franchise.
• [4] Keiji Hayakawa (早川啓二) would go on to be chief director of Chikkun Takkun (チックンタックン) and would act as episode director for series like Touch (タッチ), and Dear Boys (ディア・ボーイズ). He passed away in 2008. Tamiko Kojima (小島 多美子) would work as a storyboard artist on Maison Ikkoku and Oishinbo (美味しんぼ). Mamoru Oshii (押井守) got his start as a director on Urusei Yatsura but would go on to direct numerous famous anime films and series. We have numerous interviews archived with him here at the website..
• [5] Masahito Yamashita (山下将仁) has had an illustrious career in the world of Japanese animation. He would continue to work as a key animator with Mamoru Oshii on works like Dallos (ダロス) and Innocence (イノセンス), as well as American/Japanese co-productions like Mighty Orbots and Silverhawks. Kazuhiro Ochi (越智一裕) worked as a key animator on Urusei Yatsura before making a name for himself on numerous super robot anime. An interview with Ochi can be found on Edition 88's website. Fore more information on all the animators mentioned in this article, we highly suggest reading The Kanada School's Collective Masterpiece: Urusei Yatsura on Animetudes.
• [6] As this issue was published in September of 1982 the first film, Urusei Yatsura: Only You was ultimately released on February 11, 1983.
• [7] Yuji Nunokawa (布川ゆうじ) is the founder of Studio Pierrot, and you can read a more in depth interview with him here.
• [8] "The Urusei Yatsura Fan Club" would go on to be re-named the "Kitty Animation Circle." Their bi-monthly newsletter eventually became the quarterly, then monthly, magazine Movement before renaming itself to We'll. For an in-depth look at Kitty Animation, please see our article.

---