Review of Urusei Yatsura Ovas Complete (Box Set)

Introduction

Like many before me I`d vaguely heard of Uresei Yatsura, but thought they were an enigmatically named Glaswegian band (now defunct) - which indeed they are. What I didn`t know was that they had taken their name from one of Japan`s most loved animated TV shows, which has knocked up some 200 episodes since its original airing in 1981.

In fact, the show has proved so popular and habit-forming that the demand for more seems almost insatiable, and several feature films have been produced as well as a number of `straight to video` OVA`s, such as the 11 collected in this pack.

I had very few pre-conceptions then when I fired up the first disc which I watched with my `almost a teen` daughter. The scene was pretty firmly set with the title song which, though sung in Japanese, translated as: "Let`s put weird and weird together and make it even weirder! Weird, weird, space is super weird!". What followed was a journey into an entrancing alternative reality where everything seemed almost like real life, only a bit different. A world where anything was possible, and the only constraints were those imposed by limited imagination. This was the craziest, wickedest and most surreal cartoon show I had ever seen. But damned funny too, and despite trying to keep up with the rapid-fire dialogue by reading the yellow sub-titles, both daughter and father found much to be enjoyed.

The real magic here is in the characterisation and the characters relationships with each other. It`s a kind of a space aged `Friends` on acid - if that makes sense. Every episode collected here seems like a cross between a soap and `Alice in Wonderland`, moving in moments from suburbia to sub-space or to an alternative time-line without ever pausing for breath.

The real star of the show is the tiger-skin bikini clad `Lum`, an alien princess who is obsessed with Ataru, her hapless male co-star who constantly has a roving eye on every other female in the programme which precipitates Lum`s jealousy. Her familiar cry of `Daahling!` as she flies around after him is really infectious. She`s actually the daughter of a mighty space warlord, who is the leader of a race called the `Oni`. In Japanese mythology, the `Oni` were evil demons often depicted with horns and tiger-skin clothing. Well, that explains the bikini!
Apart from her obvious ability to fly she can inflict fire-bolts of electric energy on others, and she`s constantly zapping Ataru to bring him back into line.

Apart from the lecherous Ataru, other key regulars include `the girl next door` of the piece, Shinobu who was once Ataru`s girlfriend, until Lum muscled in on the scene. She, on the other hand, has a soft spot for multi-millionaire and heart throb, Mendou, who is the anti-thesis of Ataru. He`s handsome, suave, sophisticated, caring and rich. And Ataru hates him!

Also adding fun to proceedings is the miniature ball of trouble, `Ten` who is Lum`s bratty little cousin, who clearly dislikes Ataru.

The OVA`s here see the gang in all sorts of surreal and fun adventures that include flying into sub-space with a boy who appears to be half-rabbit and then chasing around a sea of meteor `doors` that lead to different versions of their own futures. Or a visit to Neptune where the locals have sherbert ice-cream cones for noses which the gang decide to market back home on earth - much to the annoyance of the Neptunians.

OVA`s included here are as follows: Inaba The Dreammaker, Raging Sherbet, I Howl At The Moon, Catch The Heart, Goat And Cheese, Date With A Spirit, Terror Of Girly Measles, Nagisa`s Fiance, The Electric Household Guard, Ryoko`s September Tea Party and Memorial Album.

Video

It`s difficult to determine when these episodes were produced but I`d hazard a guess that they`re at least a decade old. There`s something very `video`-like about the image, which is occasionally washed out, low in contrast and a bit soft around the edges. The sub-titles are an unpleasant yellow in a very pixelated `video generated` font - and there`s no way to lose them either. Having said that, if this sort of cartoon is your bag then you`re probably used to this sort of quality by now. Acceptable - but not great.

Audio

Again, there`s nothing stand-out about the audio. Like many Japanese TV shows, there is a tendency to err on the toppy side of things, so little bass to excite the sub-woofers here. It`s a frenetic noisy soundtrack entirely in keeping with the frenetic madcap antics on screen. Very Japanese!

Features

There are no extra features on the three DVD`s here, though the set does contain a CD-Rom. This contains a very unimpressive web-based resume about the anime and its leading characters. Mainly text-based, this amounts to nothing more than being able to see a website without being on-line. The file size totals less than 5MB, so the bulk of the capacity of the disc remains empty, so all in all, not much to get excited about.

Conclusion

Rumiko Takahashi`s `Urusei Yatsura` remains one of Japan`s best loved mangas, comprising some 34 volumes which is an extraordinary body of work by anyone`s standards. The animated version first hit the TV screens of Japan in 1981 and quickly became one of the most popular sci-fi comedy cartoons of all time. It`s purportedly influenced by madcap live action comedy `Bewitched` and it`s fair to say that some of the zaniness of that series is clearly reflected in this. But it`s also true that there is much that is unique about UY, and it`s easy to see how its popularity has grown with every subsequent edition. The characters are really well-developed and their relationships with each other are consistently amusing. It`s like a demented, surreal `Happy Days` or `Friends`.

This compilation of all 11 OVA`s is a great introduction to the series, and despite being presented in original Japanese with subtitles, is both funny and extremely addictive. By the end of Disc 3 you`ll be rattling the box with frustration to see where the next episode is.