© Rumiko Takahashi・Shogakukan/Urusei Yatsura Anime Production Committee
Urusei Yatsura made me laugh and get a little emotional at times, but this was probably the first episode in the entire series that made me truly curious. I’m talking about the second half, which has a tried and true story about the accidental invention of time travel. The first half of this episode was fine. Ataru using a child’s body to commit sexual harassment is not cool at all, but I was a little amused by his ungratefulness. Unlike every other character on the show, who is either clueless or in denial about being a terrible person, Ataru goes all out. He accepts that punishment is inevitable, so he might as well make the most of it. There are quick jokes like the cold, blank stares that Sakura, Lum, and Ataru give Ten when he’s trying to explain. Overall, the skit ends up pretty much exactly how you’d expect it to.
The second half caught me off guard in a few places. The reveal that this is a time travel story after having nothing about the build-up is quite surprising. The moment I saw all the adults in the room, my first instinct was, “Is the reward going to be Ataru marrying Lum?” But it turns out this is part one of a potential two-part movie. I’m glad the show is experimenting with longer storylines to break up the more episodic nature of some of the skits. It allows you to sit through a number of setups and explore potential outcomes. The moment Shinobu’s figure appeared, I knew it was her even though we hadn’t seen her in a few weeks. It’s not even revealed to our protagonist that the child’s mother is Shinobu. There’s a teaser at the end of the episode involving a white rabbit who also appears to be time traveling, and I’m assuming it’s the character we see in the opening traveling through the doors.
I’m curious what the outcome of this story will be. Our main characters are depressed because they don’t like what the future looks like, but there are still a lot of plot holes regarding how we get to that point. Ataru and Shinobu haven’t spent much time together since the start of the series, so the implication that they are married and have a child is shocking. I’m curious about not revealing adult Shinobu to Ataru or Lum since they’re sad for different reasons. I know that Ataru is probably more upset for superficial reasons, but I’m curious if part of him is hoping for something specific. Will this story end with a joke or an emotional or dramatic beat? For once, I’m excited about the possibilities presented here.
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Urusei Yatsura is now streaming on HIDIVE.