Urusei Yatsura Movie 2: Beautiful Dreamer (1984)
Animation Production: Kitty Films/Toho
Running Time: 90 minutes
Released by: U.S. Manga Corps
By Master P

Introduction

Urusei Yatsura Movie 2: Beautiful Dreamer was released theatrically in 1984, and it is widely regarded as the best of all the UY movies. Though this movie isn’t very indicative of the nature of the TV series, or even a very good introduction to it for that matter, it stands the test of time as one of the best anime films of the 1980's. It’s hilarious, zany, puzzling, mysterious, thought-provoking, and the story will keep you guessing until the very end. Simply put- it’s fantastic in more ways than one.

Story

Tomobiki High School has become even more of a circus than usual as the students and teachers all work double-overtime to prepare for the School Festival! Efforts to complete their class’ “Third Reich Decadent Coffee Shop” are hampered by the usual antics of jealous alien Princess Lum, her lecherous love Ataru Moroboshi, the rich yet militaristic and unbalanced Shuutaro Mendou, and a cast of many other crazy and unique characters, including Shinto priestess and school nurse Miss Sakura, Lum-worshipper Megane and his friends, and the superhumanly strong and foul-tempered Shinobu.

But it doesn’t take long for them to realize that something’s rotten in the town of Tomobiki... for one, they seem to be repeating the same day, the day before the school festival, over and over again continuously! Things spiral downward from there as reality itself falls apart around the students, and they come to be a part of a bizarre fantasy world- a twisted, barren version of the town that can’t possibly be real. The town is empty and devastated, yet they have an endless food supply as well as fresh water and electricity, and even daily newspaper delivery service! All seems well in this post-apocalyptic paradise until some people start disappearing... can they uncover the source of this illusion before it’s too late?

Review

Man, is this a fun movie to watch! There are really two sides to this film: the comedic side, brought on by the wacky cast of Urusei Yatsura as they continually antagonize one another, and the darker, more illusory side... the bizarre dream world that Tomobiki has become behind the scenes and under the noses of the main characters. The world itself is a main focus of the story and almost develops a personality of its own, so unique that it fits in perfectly with the zany cast of human (and alien) characters that populate it.

Oh yes, this movie is very, very funny. Everyone is at their peak here, because it seems to have been made at the height of UY’s popularity before the show’s concepts became somewhat redundant due to its incredibly long run. The gang’s all here: Ataru is perverted and lazy, but he’s clever like a fox and even borders on being heroic when he’s motivated enough. We see just how much he does in fact care about Lum in this film, although he’ll never admit it. As for Lum, she is starry-eyed and innocent, and crazy about Ataru to the point where she’ll use her electric powers to zap him into submission whenever he so much as looks at other girls (which happens often). The tank-driving, katana-carrying Mendou is a personal favorite character of mine, and he’s great in this movie, because we get to see him at his absolute wit’s end. The part where he dances around Ataru and screams “You really don’t know!? Because I KNOW!” and laughs insanely is a fantastic scene. Onsen Mark is like so many of the teachers I had in school, it’s not even funny. Sakura and Shinobu are probably the only two people even close to being level headed, although the latter isn’t featured very prominently. It’s great to see how each of the characters deals with and adapts to being in the strange, dreamlike world that Tomobiki has become. We see how it has different effects on different people. This movie is also interesting because it chooses to showcase some characters who aren’t considered “core” characters in the UY universe such as Megane and his friends, while others like Shinobu, Cherry, Ryunosuke, and even Ten have fairly minor roles. But there is an actual reason for this in the story, and I won’t spoil it for you.

In my mind, what really stands out in this film is the directing by Mamoru Oshii of “Ghost in the Shell” fame. He uses a lot of innovative camera angles and animated sequences, all of which are visually stunning. This movie excels at creating clever and brilliant illusions as the students explore the transformed world of Tomobiki. Oshii’s directing creates a creepy, otherworldly atmosphere that makes the town look and feel so unreal. Like I said before, it makes Tomobiki Town into a character in its own right, just as crazy as any of the regular cast. Lots and lots of strange things happen in this movie, and we experience it along with the characters. One scene in particular that stands out is when the school gets transformed into a sort of living Escher puzzle, and Ataru and the gang run around upside down, on the walls, and on endlessly repeating hallways as they desperately try to escape. The music that plays during this scene makes it even better. Of course, we can’t forget the “turtle” scene either... that was really creepy to watch. The animation is triumphant, especially since it was done without CGI or computer effects like today’s anime. You have to appreciate what this movie pulled off without the use of computers, which is another reason why I love 80's anime in general.

All comedy aside, this film touches on a lot of intiguing themes, like the difference between reality and dreams, if there is one at all. It is based heavily on the mythology of Urashima Taro, a Japanese fairy tale similar to Rip Van Winkle. (The TV series often used Japanese mythology as a context to tell stories about aliens and what not, as evidenced by Lum’s “Oni” alien heritage.) The movie is extremely surreal and often existentialist. It really makes the viewer think. The TV series was more focused on humor and never quite reached the level of thought-provoking storytelling as this movie did. Whenever I watch this movie, I always wonder, “Would it really be so bad to be stuck in a never-ending paradise with the people you care about most? Why go back to reality if the dream world is perfect?” The story of this movie will keep you guessing until the end, although the pace of the film slows down towards the middle of the story. While it slows, it never gets boring.

The audio on the DVD is crystal clear and has some surround sound effects at times. The colors are bright lively, so much better than my old VHS copy of the film. It’s great to see 80's anime in near perfect digital quality. One thing that’s odd about this disc is that it was released by Central Park Media, while the TV series, OVA’s, and ever other movie was released by AnimEigo. Strangely enough, AnimEigo did the translation for this movie, they just didn’t release it. That doesn’t stop it from being top quality, however. The soundtrack music is beautifully orchestrated, and it has a kind of sad, nostalgic feel to it. I love the song that plays at the end when the Baku is flying around.

Conclusion

Watch Urusei Yatsura! It’s the original sci-fi anime romantic comedy, and you won’t be disappointed. If you can watch just one movie from the series, then this is the one to see. It’s probably not the best entry point in the series, but the story is fairly self-contained, so if you don’t know who the characters are you will still know what’s going on. Knowing who they are will only help you appreciate the film more. If you’re going into this movie with no knowledge of UY at all, it wouldn’t help to research it on the net a little and get acquainted with some of the cast members, or even watch it with a buddy who knows what’s going on.

All in all, this is a stunning achievement that every anime fan should see. It’s not just a good Urusei Yatsura movie, it’s a good movie in its own right. It’s one of the finest anime films I’ve ever seen and certainly the best UY movie in my opinion. It’s worth a purchase, and will stick with you for a while. This is not a forgettable movie- you’ll remember it for years and years to come. Highly recommended!

“Don’t you understand that I do things without thinking of the consequences?” -Ataru

Master P