Lum-chan:
By Dave Baranyi on Monday, July 5, 1999 - 06:52: I went over the 30 Pony Canyon laser discs that cover the 117 episodes of the Urusei Yatsura TV shows which continue on after Animeigo's tape #20, in an attempt to pick my 10 favorite shows. I couldn't make ten; so the following list is my favorite 12. I could have easily added another 10 shows and most of the remaining 99 shows are also quite enjoyable. For instance, the shows with Sugar, Pepper and Ginger would have made a top 20 list. Only the shows with "Kitsune" the fox and the Ryuunosuke episodes really irritated me.
I've attempted to translate the titles off of the laser discs. I've left the translations rather literal. Those of you who are better than me at Japanese can correct me from the romaji transcription that I've also put down. I am also using the numbering off of the laser discs where, for the early shows, each quarter hour episode is counted as a separate show.
This list is in chronological order. I would be hard pressed to rank these shows because each one is exemplary.
LD#23 - Episode 112 - "Rumu to ataru - futari dake no yoru", "Lum and Ataru - Together embrace at night". A "must see" show in which Ataru and Lum are left alone for a weekend and Lum intends to play "wife" to the "full extent". This is the show in which Ataru realizes that there might be some "advantages" to giving in to Lum for once, but as usual, Ataru's luck doesn't let him take advantage of the situation. This show has some great comedy and lines.
LD#28 - Episode 130 - "I jikan kuukan darlin wa doko dacha?", "Strange Dimension Space - Where is Darling?". A poignant and bittersweet episode not based upon a manga story. Lum gets separated from Ataru at Hanami time and wanders through alternate dimensions looking for the "right Darling". A great episode for everyone who has wondered "what if" about Urusei Yatsura ( or even their own lives ).
LD#30 - the "Perfect" laser disc. This is the one disc ( or tape ) that has four great shows on it. These are the 4 shows to use to introduce someone to UY.
Episode 138 - "Makyou supasharu! Mendou yashiki no zaihou sagase!" , "Haunts of wickedness special! Mendo mansion treasure hunt!" A great "shaggy dog" story with an unforgettable scene between the "king" of mendou octopii and Shinobu as the gang hunts for a lost Mendou mask.
Episode 139 - "Ai to toukan! Guroubu VS pantsu no kettou!!", "Love and fighting spirit! Glove VS pants duel". A good manga episode turned into a great TV episode. Ataru gets "attached to" a cursed bloxing glove that causes him to punch anyone whom he grabs in a clinch. The scenes where Ataru punches himself silly in order to not let the boxing glove punch Lum are great.
Episode 140 - "Rumu chan ushi ni naru?", "Is Lum becoming a cow?". A great take off on soap operas with all sorts of cliches being skewered. Lum's horns start to grow and she ( and Ataru ) start to worry that she is turning into a cow. Lum's melodramatic worries are really great to watch.
Episode 141 - "Dou-dou kansei! Kore ga Lum chan no seishun eiga.", Again the gang makes a movie, but this time the satire is much sharper. There is a lot of Fellini in this episode.
LD # 37 - Episode 166 - "Haru tokara ji. Sabishi gari ya no yasai monotori." , "Long time until Spring. The lonely fairy story". Another poignant and quiet story. A snow fairy ( yuki onna )takes an interest in Ataru, but not for the "historical" deadly reasons. The interaction between Lum, Ataru and the snow fairy is quite moving. In my opinion this is a good example of how the TV series really does a lot with characterization in a way that was lacking in the manga.
LD#39 - Episode 175 - "Ayatsushi Ran! Kotatsu Neko no hatsukoi oden?", "Control, Ran! Kotatsu Neko's first love oden?". This is the show that really shows off Ran at her best as she attempts first to avoid Kotatsu-Neko's advances, then she finally decides to "take action". Ran's images are striking and her reactions are fabulous. I really like Ran, despite her "minor character flaws", and this show is her best.
LD#40 - Episode 180 - "Darlin no yasashi sa ga suki dacha." , "The kind Darling that I love". Another quiet episode, about the ghost girl who just wanted to have a date with Ataru. This show is similar to but significantly superior to a later show about Ten. Again, the show tells us a lot more about the characters. A great episode to show to friends who like "shoujo" anime.
LD#45 - Episode 200 - "Hoshi ni negai o! Ataru - ie wa yokubou panikku" , "Wishing Star! Ataru household's desire panic". The only show that really gives us some insight into the character of Ataru's father as he grapples with his daily routine and the chance appearance of a "wishing star". Of course, this being the Moroboshi household, the wishes don't work out, but there is a feeling of some level of success on the part of Ataru's father at the end of the show. An interesting companion to the show on LD#20 about Ataru's Mother.
LD#47 - Episode 207 - "Darlin daikyou! Koufu no yon shikan omikuji!" , "Darling very bad luck! Terror of the 4th dimension omikuji" , Another good manga story turned into a very good TV show as Lum and Ataru wander around a festival at night. Neither Ataru no Lum appreciate the fortunes that they receive, even when Lum shifts Ataru into an alien dimension, but it is obvious that they are getting the fortunes that they deserve.
LD#50 - Episode 218 - "O-risuta - dai enkai! Uchira wa fumetsu dacha!" , "List for a big party! We are immortal!!" , the final episode, a fitting conclusion to the series. The episode starts out with the cast receiving a mysterious invitation to a party, at which even the "gods" show up. Everything ends the way it should. Ataru even willingly kisses Lum, but with the results that one would expect, given Ataru's luck.
Lum-chan:
By Freddie on Tuesday, July 6, 1999 - 21:18: Wow! quite a lot of fav episodes... I'm working on it, but I have to view my tapes again... Can't remember the correct episode numbers by heart
Lum-chan:
By Keith David Hallam (1967) on Sunday, September 5, 1999 - 21:32: OH WHAT I WOULDN'T GIVE FOR THE WHOLE UY COLLECTION ON TAPE. HELL I WOULD EVEN BUY A LASER DISC / DVD SYSTEM JUST TO WATCH IT. KINDA SAD HU. *L*
Lum-chan:
By Majin Mendou on Tuesday, September 7, 1999 - 02:01: I would do the same thing. Animeigo should kinda pick up the pace now that they got their license back. At the rate they're going, they'll probably translate it all by 2007 or maybe later.
Lum-chan:
By Dave Baranyi on Tuesday, September 14, 1999 - 03:00: The lack of action by AE in mid-97 is exactly why I bought a dual LD/DVD player! I then went out and hunted down the Pony Canyon LD re-releases of all the episodes that AE didn't release. Two years later, I can re-watch the UY shows whenever I want, and AE is just now advertising the release of tape #21.
Subsequently, I've been able to buy and watch all sorts of new and old anime on LD that I might never be able to see here if I depended upon "domestic" releases. BTW - I was in Tokyo in July and found to my surprise that all of the big anime stores still have lots of the UY LDs in stock! ( along with thousands of others - I would go broke really fast if I lived there for any amount of time )