© Rumiko Takahashi・Shogakukan/Urusei Yatsura Anime Production Committee
Say what you want about the Urusei Yatsura reboot, but I think this is a strong contender for one of the most labored reboots I’ve seen in the past few years. There’s such dedication to any bit or setting that I genuinely found myself captivated by what was on screen, even when I had no idea what was going on. This episode is divided into two skits. The first part focuses on the random big cat we keep seeing in the background. I don’t remember anything notable about this cat other than relaxing in the kotatsu and drinking tea. Seeing him in a semi-active role is refreshing. The scene is about a kotatsu that lives afraid of being warm and there are a lot of details about the cat having pride in being a kotatsu expert, but I don’t understand the random twist that happens at the end of the skit when they just shake hands and build a sleigh like Santa Claus. That seems a bit disappointing, like the writer set up a funny story but couldn’t come up with a punchline.
The second play is more memorable because it is so dramatic but in a good way. This is a couple’s version of a conversation about “If I were a worm, would you still love me?” except as a cow. The episode highlights an issue I mentioned in a previous review, which is that more dramatic episodes sometimes don’t hit as hard because any character development that occurs needs to be self-contained due to the episodic nature of the series. You won’t see the lesson learned in one episode. But if the film is going to have a self-contained dramatic moment then it has to do everything in its power to make it stand out, and there are a lot of images here that will stick in my head.
The set-up is ridiculous, with the looming threat that Lum will become a cow because her horns grow overnight. I don’t know why Lum didn’t immediately ask his parents if that was normal, but they were both stupid teenagers. Part of me was genuinely surprised by Ataru’s investment in Lum’s happiness. Usually, he shows that he cares in a more passive-aggressive way, but here, he seemed very genuine and straightforward for most of the episode. Maybe it’s a joke? The setup is stupid, but everyone plays it straight and it’s incredibly well dramatized and well directed, incredibly well animated like something out of a Makoto movie Shinkai. I got caught up in its emotions. The stupid image of Ataru taking care of Lum like a cow made me feel something. It’s strange, but it’s a testament to the show’s quality that it can sell you something so ridiculous with its drama and comedy. While the cat play was a hit, the second play was a homerun.
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Urusei Yatsura is now streaming on HIDIVE.