33 renowned manga artists celebrated Urusei Yatsura’s 45th anniversary by publishing a colorful cast sketch of the series.
On August 30, 1978, Rumiko Takahashi’s beloved science fiction comedy premiered on the pages of Weekly Shonen Sunday. As detailed on Anime News Network, a variety of popular manga artists across Japan decided to celebrate the event by redrawing beloved manga characters in their own style. Participating artists include Hideaki Sorachi (Gintama), Eiichiro Oda (One Piece), Gosho Aoyama (Detective Conan), Paru Itagaki (BEASTARS), Tomohito Oda (Komi Can’t Communication) and Kotoyama (Call of the Night) ), and many others. The artists’ illustrations were featured in the recent issue of Weekly Shonen Sunday.
Urusei Yatsura is Rumiko Takahashi’s debut series, following its success with other iconic classics such as Ranma 1/2, Maison Ikkoku, and Inuyasha. The story revolves around a lewd high school boy named Ataru Moroboshi who wishes to marry his childhood sweetheart, Shinobu Miyake. However, their lives are turned upside down when alien invaders land on Earth and threaten to take over. In a strange twist of fate, Ataru is randomly selected to protect the planet by defeating the aliens in their favorite sport (tag.) Here’s how he met Lum, the outer princess seductive planet, who fell in love with him after misinterpreting his victory slogan as a marriage proposal. From this point on, Lum begins his tireless journey to win Ataru’s heart, much to Shinobu’s disappointment. The series has won numerous awards and honors, including the 26th Shogakukan Manga Award in 1980.
Due to the popularity of Urusei Yatsura, Kitty Films, Studio DEEN and Pierrot adapted the series into a 195-episode anime series from October 1981 to March 1986. Directed by Kazuo Yamazaki and Mamoru Oshii. , which garnered six accompanying films and a sequel to the OVA series. David Productions released a reboot of the series in 2022, retelling the story of Ataru and Lum by adapting select parts of the manga.
While the second season of Urusei Yatsura (2022) ended earlier this year, David Productions recently revealed that the third and fourth seasons will premiere in January 2024. Before continuing the series, who Takahashi fans will be able to get their hands on a giant movie. A collectible art book titled Rumiko Takahashi Colors 1978-2023, compiling the manga cover and main panel from Urusei Yatsura, Inuyasha and other popular Takahashi manga. The book is expected to go on sale before the end of the year.
David Productions’ 2022 Urusei Yatsura anime series is available on HIDIVE. Rumiko Takahashi’s manga, including Urusei Yatsura, are available in English on VIZ Media.
Source: Anime News Network