Group Introduction Urusei Yatsura

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

"It doesn't add up, but..." (Comments from Mamoru Oshii)^[1]

"The stories are complete, but they don't end in the same way as the story begins or ends. In short, there's no story that makes sense. Therefore, if you look at Urusei Yatsura with normal eyes and senses, you'll find it strange. This was the first time for us to make such a unique piece of animation, and we were willing to take on the challenge, but when we saw the finished product, it was quite interesting, which gave us even more confidence. The content of the show is as rich as possible, so we reduced it from 30-minute episodes to 15-minute episodes."

Digest - I'm Lum the Notorious! (episode 1, 9/14)^[2]

Ataru was on his way home from school when he was taken away by a group of people in a black Rolls Royce, but he is soon returned home. When he returns home, he finds that the town is in an uproar as the Self Defense Force has been mobilized and aliens are threatening to attack. Soon, a huge spaceship appears in the sky above the town, and Lum-chan, an alien, descends from it.

It's Raining Oil in Our Town (episode 2)^[3]

Some of Ataru's classmates, who have fallen completely under the spell of Lum-chan, get together and form a "Bring Lum-chan Back to Earth" group. They ask Ataru to show them his exam answer sheets and introduce them to a cute girl, but....

"Energy that is bursting at the seams and seasoned with cuteness and sex appeal. The power of the gag is vital." (Comments from Shigekazu Ochiai)^[4]

"This project started with the idea of "I want to do anime because of this series," rather than "What should we do an anime based on? The entire staff is very passionate about the idea that we can do many more things with animation, and that we would like to take a chance on the "expansiveness" of animation. The basis of this work is energy. It's the kind of energy that starts at home, in an ordinary place, and spreads to the whole town in the blink of an eye, involving the entire planet, and even flying between planets. That is why the gags are so powerful. It has to be cute and funny. How far can we go in expressing ourselves on TV, passing through all kinds of restrictions? That'll be our adventure."

"Warp thinking animation! Enjoy the power of science fiction and super gag manga!" (Comments from Tadashi Oka)^[5]

"I've always said, 'This is interesting.' I dare to call it "warp thinking," that is, the moment-to-moment fun of having interesting frames jump out without any context. In terms of the completeness of the gags, I think this work is second-to-none. In terms of rhythm and speed, I want to create a new kind of animation. If the previous animations were four-beats, I want to make Urusei eight-beats. This work is perfect for that. I think there are some inflections in this work. The women are lovely, but there is also a brutal depiction of girlish nastiness. By comparison, Ataru is a fool, but I feel sorry for him. I want to draw Ataru more handsome, and I want to make the girls who are looking at him say "Poor Ataru!" Oh, there is one more reason why we are talking about Urusei now; in this day and age, women are the top priority, that's for sure!"

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Footnotes

• [1] 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.
• [2] This article states that the first episode would debut on September 14th, for the sake of an accurate translation we have left this error in. The first episode actually debuted on October 14, 1981.
• [3] Again, this article lists this as episode 2, and for the sake of an accurate translation we have left this in, but this is actually what is officially known as episode 1-2, the second part of the first episode.
• [4] Shigekazu Ochiai (落合茂一) was a producer for Kitty Animation, who got his start as an assistant to Kazuo Koike (小池 一夫) and helped manage Gekiga Sonjuku, the training school run by Koike that Rumiko Takahashi attended prior to her debut. Eventually Ochiai left Koike and found himself working for Kitty Music as they transitioned into the anime business. Because of his connection with Takahashi prior to her debut he was able to use those connections to bring her on board with Kitty Animation. This proved to be a very fortuitious partnership as Kitty went on to produce Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku and Ranma 1/2. A later interview with Ochiai can be found archived here on the site.
• [5] Tadashi Oka (岡正) is credited as a producer on Urusei Yatsura and would go on to the role of "planner" on Maison Ikkoku, along with many other Shogakukan related anime works such as Hiatari Ryoko (陽あたり良好!), Touch (タッチ) and its film adaptations, Gu-Gu Ganmo (Ｇｕ－Ｇｕガンモ), and Dash Kappei (ダッシュ勝平) as well as Fist of the North Star (Hokuto no Ken/北斗の拳) and Stop! Hibari-kun (ストップ！！ひばりくん).

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