Urusei Yatsura Movie 1: Only You

Lum doesn't need much assistance going ballistic when everyone in Tomobiki gets an invitation to Ataru's wedding -- and she's not listed as the bride! It seems that some 11 years ago, Ataru played "Shadow Tag" with a young girl named Elle and won. Unfortunately, Elle was yet another Alien Princess; and on her planet, if a boy steps on a girl's shadow, they have to marry.
When Elle's emissary comes to make arrangements, Lum redefines the term "the atmosphere was electric," but to no avail: a force-field now protects Ataru from her high voltage love-zaps. Lum's friend Benten suggests a pre-emptive wedding, and they proceed to abduct Ataru and all of the wedding guests, and the stage is set for the shotgun wedding of all time!

(Source: AniDB)

Lum Main

Hirano, Fumi Japanese

Moroboshi, Ataru Main

Furukawa, Toshio Japanese

Mendou, Shuutarou Main

Kamiya, Akira Japanese

de Rosenbach, Elle Main

Sakakibara, Yoshiko Japanese

Ran Supporting

Inoue, You Japanese

Sakura Supporting

Washio, Machiko Japanese

Sakuranbou Supporting

Nagai, Ichiro Japanese

Miyake, Shinobu Supporting

Shimazu, Saeko Japanese

Satoshi Supporting

Chiba, Shigeru Japanese

Ten Supporting

Sugiyama, Kazuko Japanese

Oshii, Mamoru Director, Storyboard

Nanke, Kouji Episode Director, Key Animation

Annou, Takashi Episode Director

Ito, Kazunori Script

Reviews

Dec 2, 2012

AnnoKano

Recommended

During the first half of the nineteen eighties, Urusei Yatsura was the most popular anime series in Japan. The story of a beautiful alien who falls in love with a womanising teenager, it's credited with bringing the Otaku culture out from basements of Japan and into the public consciousness. Spawning a long-running TV series that ran between 1981 and 1986, as well as a series of films, the series remains popular in Japan to this very day.

Several years afterward, the series found a new audience when it was brought over to the United States during the nineties. Despite retaining its popularity in Japan, in ... the West it has faded into relative obscurity, with only a small cult following comprised largely of the original Western fanbase, topped up by the few among the younger generation of fans willing to venture into classic anime.

The first in a series of six films produced for the franchise, "Only You" is often neglected by contemporary critics, particularly in the West. Overshadowed by the sequel "Beautiful Dreamer" -which is an altogether more ambitious title than the other films in the franchise. But while ‘Beautiful Dreamer’ may be the superior title, it fails to capture the original ‘essence’ of Urusei Yatsura. While it’s not as distinctive, nor as ambitious as its younger sister, "Only You” deserves far more recognition than it gets, because it manages to summarise exactly what made Urusei Yatsura great in the space of a single film. World-class comedy driven b y one of the greatest casts in anime history.

One of the main reasons that 'Only You' so closely resembles the Television series is that they share the same basic plot: Ataru Moroboshi meets an alien girl, whom he accidentally proposes to due to a lack of familiarity with the marriage customs of an alien race. Such blatant recycling of the plot might lead one to think "Only You" is actually an adaption of the TV series –and arguably it would have been better if it was- but it’s not.

The film takes place within the same universe as the TV series... which if you've been following it, makes this the third occasion that this premise has been used. While it’s a not very original (and some would say, lazy) to use the same idea three times, it’s worth taking into account Urusei Yatsura’s strength was never in its storyline.

The plot could also do with some improvement; the film was Mamoru Oshii's big screen debut, and his inexperience shows; the film lacks a clear 'Beginning - Middle - End' structure, which results in it feeling overly long, despite its fairly average runtime of just 100 minutes.

Even so, there are a few hints of the genius about to blossom; most notably one of the films few sad moments; a particularly powerful scene featuring a beautiful musical interlude that strikes an emotional chord similar to the 'Boat Scene' in Oshii’s later work “Ghost in the Shell”.

Urusei Yatsura's strong suit has always been its great cast of characters and 'Only You' features many familiar faces from the TV series; almost all of them, in fact. And thankfully, they’re on top form here.

Protagonist Ataru Moroboshi stands out as the best character in the film; a perpetual womaniser, he continues to chase women despite being 'engaged' to Lum (though he denies this). In 'Only You', he discovers that he proposed to another alien girl when he was a child, years before meeting Lum -when friends and family start receiving invitations to their wedding. After being told that his young bride has grown into a beautiful woman, he agrees to travel to her home planet and meet her. Of course, Lum tries her best to intervene, and make Ataru realise that she is the one he really loves.

Despite his questionable behaviour, Ataru is actually quite a likable character; While Ataru has a sleazy side to him, he also has a silly, funny side to him. And as the film progresses his character even shows a fragile, human side seldom seen in the series. Ataru’s character has been a major influence for male leads, especially in harems- but Ataru manages to stand apart from these characters Much of it can be attributed to the work of his excellent seiyuu, Toshio Furukawa, who’s excellent range and distinctive nasally tone really set Ataru apart from the many imitators of that have cropped up over the years

Although Ataru is the lead, Urusei Yatsura's most famous character is the lightning powered alien girl, Lum Invader. The image of Lum dressed in her trademark tiger-stripe bikini is so well known, it’s often used to symbolise the anime of the nineteen eighties; or even anime in general.

She is also an archetype, and like Ataru has been a major influence on many modern anime characters, displaying hints of some popular character traits today. Her fiery relationship with Ataru has led some to claim she is the original tsundere. However, to refer to Lum as a simple stereotype would be a great injustice to her character; unlike many of her contemporaries, Lum's personality feels entirely natural, and not like something included simply appeasing a certain section of the fan base.

However, in "Only You" Lum's character doesn't show much development, changing very little over the course of the fikm. While her commitment to Ataru is admirable in its own way, she never seems to doubt his feelings for her. Nor do her feelings for him ever falter, something that feels a bit unrealistic at times. Even so it's hard not to feel a bit moved by it sometimes.In those few, precious moments where Urusei Yatsura is not an outrageous wacky comedy, but instead a tender romance- the sweet innocence of Lum’s character is always at the centre of it.

The antagonist of the film is a female Alien named Elle, an entirely new character created solely for "Only You". Despite being the key to most of the developments in the film, her presence in it is rather limited, leaving her character seems a bit unremarkable, though by the end she proves to be a pretty interesting match for Ataru.

The supporting cast of Urusei Yatsura is almost as good as its lead characters, with some of its many members even managing to surpass them. Characters like Ataru's former girlfriend Shinobu and her new boyfriend Mendou Shutaro make as large a contribution to the film as Ataru and Lum do. Even minor characters with only brief appearances -such as Ataru's Mother- never fail to produce a quick laugh.

Casts as good as this are few and far between, and the lengthy run of the TV series is testimony to that. With a run of almost 200 episodes despite having no set story, it's long run is a feat that can be attributed solely to the strength of its cast and its outstanding comedy.

While the animation in the Urusei Yatsura TV was never that good, it wasn't that bad either. Character designs were kept simple and animation sequences were rather plain, but it never felt choppy or poorly made; it was cost effective, rather than low budget.

"Only You" continues this standard, but with the welcome addition of some extra detail. Everything is better drawn; characters, vehicles, backgrounds - the lot. The animation remains plain for the most part, but a few scenes do stand out- the title sequence for example features some interesting perspectives and animation.

On the whole, the artwork in "Only You" is 'the same, but different'. The same can be said of the soundtrack.

The film’s opening theme is the same as one of the ending themes from the TV series, albeit with a different beat, while it's ending theme is identical to another ending theme form the TV series. Much of the backing music and sound effects are also recycled from the TV series, leaving only "Lum no Ballad" as the only noteworthy new song.


Which makes it all the more fortunate that the Urusei Yatsura soundtrack is so good; sci-fi tinged Eighties pop music with plenty of hooks and catchy lyrics that will have you singing along -broken English intact. The backing tracks are of similar quality, and although they can be a bit limited with instrumentation, they are used effectively, and manage to set the mood perfectly. Even sound effects like Lum's "take off" noise, which sounds like it was lifted from a 50s B-Movie fits right into place.

So, who exactly should watch "Only You"?

It goes without saying that fans of the television series should check it out; it's as close as you'll get to see the TV series in true movie form. Similarly, if you're interested in the TV series but are feeling squeamish about its high episode count, "Only You" makes for an excellent taster. The first twenty or so episodes of the TV series are quite slow paced and can be something of a chore to sit through. This film is much like the shows later episodes, making it a good indicator for whether or not Urusei Yatsura will appeal to you.

However, keep in mind that the film was intended for people who are already familiar with the TV series, and some characters are given little introduction. This can be a little disorientating given the size of the cast, but most of the characters aren’t essential for understanding the film and the film itself shouldn't be too hard to follow.

Lastly, the film may be of some interest to fans of its Director, Mamoru Oshii. As his big-screen debut, it’s an important title in Oshii’s history by default. However, fans expecting the serious tone or mature themes of his later works are in for a disappointment. Unlike most of Oshii’s productions, in “Only You” he was not given complete creative control; the result is a film far more mainstream than his later works.

Ultimately, if you are seeking something thought provoking, it’s probably not the film you’re looking forl but that’s not to say you should discount it completely. Because while ‘Only You’ may not absorb you in the way that ‘Beautiful Dreamer’ might do, but it will capture your heart the way that Urusei Yatsura does- and that’s something that deserves to be remembered.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Jul 24, 2020

stmwg01

Recommended

Quick take: “Only You,” is one of the most important turning points in Lum and Ataru’s relationship. The story is very well written and is worth a watch. I do suggest you watch this as part of the series, not as a stand alone as it expects you to have a working knowledge of the characters and premise. If you’ve been waiting for some Lum and Ataru romance, you’ll find a bit of it here. Rewatch value: extremely high.

Score relative to the series.
My Original series score: 10

“Only You,” is a fun story that is key in the relationship between Ataru and Lum. It was well ... written and easy to follow. There are quite a few gags and classic UY bat-shit insanity that will make this a favorite if you enjoyed the original series. The references to pop-culture are plenty and unmistakable. There are two ways you can look at the movie and get the same level of enjoyment. Like I did on my first watch, you can take the story at face value and find it incredibly entertaining, or you can think about the points it conveys underneath the surface in relation to Ataru.

Art is on par with the series and sound would be slightly worse, mostly due to the music which is just okay for this movie when compared to the rest of the series. Voice acting is on par.

Characters remain high as they are all well thought out and acted, including the new characters. This movie, although seemingly lighthearted, is an important development point for Ataru. To me, this movie marks the turn in where the tension in Lum and Ataru's relationship stems from.

I found this movie highly enjoyable and is a must watch for anyone looking to complete the UY storyline. I would also suggest this be watched in release order.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Jul 15, 2021

Neimaj

Mixed Feelings

I made the horrible decision to watch and review all of the Urusei Yatsura movies. Hopefully these next reviews that I write don't become dull and monotonous. Lord give me strength. I'm going to spoil this movie, by the way. Eleven years prior, a young boy and a young girl meet each other in a playground and play a game of tag with each other. Everything is fine until the young boy steps on the young girl's shadow. The young girl tells the boy that on her home planet, if a boy steps on a girl's shadow then the two must marry someday. The young ... boy agrees to marry the girl someday, not even aware of the concept of marriage. The girl leaves and they never meet again, until eleven years later in present day, present time ha ha ha! The young boy's name was Ataru Moroboshi and grew up to be quite the unpleasant person. I've watched a large chunk of Urusei Yatsura up until this point, and I can safely say with absolute confidence that I really hate Ataru. Without going into too much detail, because let's be real, if you're reading this review you've seen or at least watched some of Urusei Yatsura, Ataru has the tendency to cheat on Lum. He's a complete scumbag because he cheats on her right in her face, begs for forgiveness after realizing how much he misses her, they make up, and then a week later he's cheating on her again. The dude is oblivious of how lucky he really is and takes advantage of Lum's kindness. Which leads to the plot of this film.

Anyone with a connection to Ataru in any way is given a letter of invitation to Ataru and Elle's wedding. The young girl that Ataru played with all those years ago, her name is Elle, and she is the queen of her own planet. Everyone almost instantly finds out about the wedding, including Lum, and no one is happy about it. Except for Ataru. He's ecstatic for the wedding; which is concerning because he has no memory of the promise he made eleven years prior. When meeting with the aliens who work for Elle, Ataru easily accepts his fate to marry Elle while knowing jack diddly shit about her. Lum is understandably pissed about the whole situation, but quickly falls into a depression. The first-third of this film is pretty slow with not much going on. That is until Lum meets Benten, an old friend who convinces Lum to fight and take back Ataru. They even planned a wedding for Ataru and Lum inviting most of the cast from the show. Well, not invite, more like forcefully brought along.

The midsection of the film starts to pick up by having a long, intense action scene where spies working for Elle kidnap Ataru. There's a brief scene of Ataru talking shit about Lum and how she's annoying and persistent all the time, and everyone hears it. What an absolute fuckface. Lum can be annoying at times, but she always means well and has the best intentions. Pretty sad how she fell in love with Fuckface Mcgee and he doesn't care half the time. There's a scene where Lum is chasing down the spy to rescue Ataru and she didn't realize that the ship she was using was going to explode. When it does, Ataru sees this and he's immediately concerned. I appreciate this scene because the writing in the series loves to show how terrible of a person Ataru is, but this scene in particular proves that he isn't heartless. I like that. Lum is unharmed and it leads to a sweet yet somber song about Ataru and Lum's relationship. It was really beautiful and it was a touching moment. And now, we finally meet Elle and honestly, she's not as cute as I thought she would be. She mistook Mendo, the rich asshole character, as Ataru and that got a laugh out of me. Elle portrays herself to be a sweet, prim and proper queen. She keeps her Moet et Chandon in her pretty cabinet. "Let them eat cake," she says, just like Marie Antoinette. She seems pleasant, but there's a twist. Mendo and Elle split off alone because Elle finds Mendo more attractive than Ataru. She then reveals to Mendo that she has a harem of one hundred thousand handsome men. She keeps them all in a large freezer so she can have an eternal harem. This may come off as nitpicky, but this brings up an issue. If she was a young girl only eleven years ago, how did she have the time to manipulate and capture one hundred thousand men. That's physically impossible. She would have to manipulate and capture nine thousand ninety one men a year. And yes, I did the math.

9,091 × 11 = 100,001

I mean, I'm a tad bit off, but whatever. The rest of the gang overhear this information and are quickly thrown into prison. From this point forward the movie becomes a "We have to stop the wedding" story, and right before Ataru and Elle are officially married, Lum interrupts the wedding and somehow the harem of one hundred thousand men are released. Shit gets wack after this point. The last twenty minutes of the film is insane and it definitely reminds you of an Urusei Yatsura episode, which is something I'll get into later.

The coolest scene in this entire film was also the shortest. The warp scene! Lum and Benten invade the wedding and try to leave by warping back to Earth. It's the only scene I found pretty to look at. Great animation, vivid and bright color choices, and the background looks like an acid trip. In fact, the whole sequence looks like an acid trip. The characters are thrown eleven years in the past do to the warp machine not functioning properly. That makes no sense, but whatever. They soon realize that Ataru never stepped on Elle's shadow and fibbed about the whole thing. What a massive fibber. I'm not entirely sure why, but Elle is devastated to see the truth. At the very end of the film, the characters make their way back to planet Elle and they're banished forever. When they make it back to Earth, a new wedding is prepared for Ataru and Lum, and of course, Ataru rejects it. That's how the film ends.

This was an okay film. My biggest complaint with it is that it felt like a twenty minute episode of the show stretched out to be a one hundred minute feature length film. The production quality of the movie doesn't look any better than the actual show. Maybe just slightly higher. The background art looks better and it's more detailed, other than that, it looks like an episode of the show. Most of the soundtrack is just music from the show, with the exception of a few new emotional tracks that sound great. The animation, like I said, is just like the show. Things do get a bit crazy near the end, especially with that mob of handsome men. I like this movie, but not all that much. If you like Urusei Yatsura, then just watch it. When I say it's just like an episode of the show, it really is just that, exactly. It's nothing all that special and the stakes are not that high, because stuff like this happens all the time in the show. Rumiko Takahashi's writing is peculiar. I'll give this film a 6 out of 10.

Story: 6/10
Art: 6/10
Sound: 8/10
Characters: 6/10
Enjoyment: 5/10
Overall: 6/10

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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	Poll: Urusei Yatsura Movie 1: Only You Episode 1 Discussion Farabeuf - Nov 26, 2012	15 replies	by PUHPUHPUHPOWER »» Jul 20, 2023 5:19 AM
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