Urusei Yatsura Release Date, Characters, And Plot - What We Know So Far
At some point, everybody has had a day where nothing seems to go right. Maybe their car gets towed, maybe they lose their job, or maybe, just maybe, they get roped into playing a game of tag that decides the fate of the world and ends in their accidental engagement to a cute alien princess. If that last one has never happened to you, then you're not alone. But Ataru Moroboshi, the protagonist of the classic manga "Urusei Yatsura," is not so lucky. In fact, he might be the only person in the universe who ends up the unwitting victim of this exact scenario.
Thankfully, it's not all bad for Ataru. After all, his "unfortunate" tale is once again receiving its own anime adaptation. We say "once again," because this isn't the first time Rumiko Takahashi's 1978 manga has been adapted. It already received a show that ran from 1981 to 1986 and resulted in a variety of spinoff OVAs and movies with great success.
The powers that be have decided that the franchise deserves some revitalization in the form of a brand new adaptation, this time animated by none other than David Production (those same funky cats responsible for adapting "Jojo's Bizarre Adventure"). So, with that being said, let's discuss what we know so far about the release date, characters, and plot of "Urusei Yatsura."
What is the release date for Urusei Yatsura?
According to Anime News Network, news on the new adaptation of "Urusei Yatsura" broke recently in the January 1 edition of the Sankei Shimbun paper. At the time, the announcement consisted merely of a simple promotional image, along with some basic information about how the upcoming series will air on Japanese TV and when the series' official site would launch. When the site launched later that night, it did so with a teaser trailer in tow. Now available for all to see on YouTube, the teaser trailer revealed that the series would debut sometime in 2022.
Unfortunately, neither the trailer nor the original announcement in Sankei Shimbun stated when exactly in 2022 the show is set to be released. In all likelihood, fans won't get to see "Urusei Yatsura" until the summer or fall. Nevertheless, it is cause to get excited for longtime fans of the series. As for the show's syndication at the international level, no streaming platform has officially announced if it will host "Urusei Yatsura." However, it is safe to assume that either Crunchyroll or Funimation (or both) will feature it on their respective sites for fans outside of Japan.
Who are the characters in Urusei Yatsura?
So far, we've only mentioned one of the characters from "Urusei Yatsura," Ataru Moroboshi, and there is much more to the hero of this story than meets the eye. Aside from being your average high schooler, Ataru also happens to be one of the most lecherous men in the world. Regardless, his alien bride-to-be doesn't seem overly concerned with his perverted nature, and loves him anyway. According to a separate article from Anime News Network, Ataru will be voiced by Hiroshi Kamiya.
Speaking of Ataru's interstellar fiancée, the blue-haired Lum is the other half of this quirky romance anime's dynamic duo. While she is a bright and cheery individual, her lack of knowledge regarding human customs causes trouble for her, as she misinterprets Ataru's post-tag victory cheers as a proposal. She accepts his accidental proposal and is now in it for the long run. She will be voiced by actress Sumire Uesaka.
What is the plot of Urusei Yatsura?
While we can't speak much on the later events of "Urusei Yatsura," we can provide a summary of its setup. As mentioned previously, the show focuses on Ataru's adventures following his accidental proposal to Lum, an alien princess from outer space. Prior to that proposal, however, Ataru is just a pervy high schooler trying to reach third base with his girlfriend (via ANN).
When Lum's race of aliens visits and declares its intent to conquer Earth by winning a game, Ataru is chosen as the person to represent humanity in the aliens' traditional game of tag. His opponent, of course, is Lum. In order to motivate Ataru, his girlfriend promises to marry, and therefore sleep with him, after winning.
Ataru eventually defeats Lum in their game of tag, and excitedly expresses his enjoyment at the thought of getting married. Lum, however, takes this declaration as a proposal, and promptly agrees. Now stuck with an alien for a fiancée, Ataru finds himself involved in all manner of supernatural situations involving ghosts, aliens, and other such creatures.