Lum was originally meant to be a one off character so that the first chapter could end on a humorous predicament that would be hand waved for the series episodic nature. The main story of the series was meant to be about Shinobu and Ataru and how they manage their relationship in the face of Ataru's almost otherworldly bad luck. However fan response to Lum was so great that Takahashi brought her back after an absence of only one chapter and she reworked the entire concept into Lum, a smitten girl fallen head over heels in love for a philandering boy, Ataru who too harbors a deep love for her which he refuses to admit.
According to this theory the Urusei Yatsura we got was the one that the fans asked for.
Yeah true, you don't become the richest female mangaka by not pandering. Though I don't think Lum was supposed to be a completely one off character but I don't know. You also didn't give a source though
The English title should have been Alien Obnoxions
Parker Russell
its pretty clear that was how it happened. If Lum came back she was probably going to be a reoccurring antagonist like Kuwara. The next chapter she appears even parodies the fan demand with the stormtroopers. Not like anything is wrong with a creator changing gears and it clearly worked here.
Nathaniel Parker
That's so bad, Shinobu had more character to write.
Dylan Barnes
She served as more of a comedic foil in the form of a wet blanket but in the early chapters you get a sense of her dedication to Ataru and her chides are often proven right. But you drop Lum into the picture and the foil becomes divine retribution in the form of electric shock and the girl next door has to compete with the bikini bombshell. Once Lum came back Shinobu was outclassed. She served as a good addition to the harem backdrop but not much else.
Alexander Gomez
What do people think of the movies?
To me Only You was like a long, big budget TV episode. I think Beautiful dreamer is a goddamn masterpiece. Remember my love had its moments but was kind of forgettable. Lum the forever was completely bonkers and incoherent but had a beautiful train wreck element to it and some stunning visuals. The final chapter rounded out the characters pretty well. But I did not yet see the final chapter. I was told to avoid it.
Isaac Torres
Does anyone remember who it was Takahashi broke up with in the 80's that caused a bit of a fallout?
Elijah Morgan
No one user it was a dream
Angel Rodriguez
The entire series title is a pun about aliens
Benjamin Myers
If she's been in any relationships it was probably with a female. I think she's staying in the closet.
Takahashi is still butthurt for Lum. That's why she was very careful with Ranma and established Akane as the heroine before introducing Shampoo.
Anthony James
Sauce plz.
Logan Cox
Having watched the whole TV series and read the manga, I only found about 25% of it to be good. Beautiful Dreamer came out of nowhere and was one of the best movies I ever saw. It doesn't feel attached to Urusei Yatsura at all. And that's a good thing. I understand that's why a lot of fans and Takahashi don't like it. But it's why I think it's the best thing in the series.
Wyatt Martin
Go to bed Rumiko.
Ryan Miller
Shampoo feels more like a parody of Lum if anything, she was fantastic but also a spiteful, yandere cunt who kept abusing the one guy who actually wanted to put up with her.
Jose Rodriguez
That was the idea. Also Akane felt like Shinobu, the Mary Sue edition. Best part is that it worked this time because Takahashi shifted the audience from horny preteen boys to fangirls and chicks love Ranma/Akane
Hunter Sanchez
She said it straight out in the 35th anniversary interview that Lum was first intended to appear only once. The part about her being bitter over it is specious.
>Yeah true, you don't become the richest female mangaka by not pandering. WAIT, Uresei yatsura's creator is a woman? But what about all the male fanservice the manga had?
Was she a Lesbian?
Benjamin Torres
>implying women are not the best when it comes to creating male fanservice.
>Was she a Lesbian? No, creators have to put fanservice for EVERYONE , that's how it works
Nathaniel Bailey
Lum is super vindictive and crazy in the early chapters. Sure later on she zaps Ataru when he gets out of line but in the first bits of the manga she fights against Shinobu like a snarling beast and even celebrates when she shows up looking almost dead.
Samuel Jones
She started out more oni, but so what, it was cute.
The problem is that around episode 20 or so, she suddenly goes from a cunning chaotic neutral with a compassionate side to a dumb airhead who's jealous on occasion. When she's even able to notice anything going on. Half the time Ataru will insult her straight to her face or flirt with women and she's just stand there like an idiot, not noticing.
I don't really like angry, vindictive Lum, but ignorant, boring Lum is just as bad. This is why I tend to like Shinobu, because she actually reacts to things and has consistency in character. She's not the greatest character ever, but she at least HAS a character.
Not really. She always seems to come up with the answer to solve the problem of the episode. Given, that sometimes comes in the form of some technobabble alien machine but she is reliable. She also has been known to outsmart Ataru and the storm troopers. Remember the one where Ataru is supposed to go on a date that's meant to destroy their relationship and she takes the girls' place?
John Robinson
Oh, you think that's bad? I read a manga that started the first chapter with the main couple actually fucking, and the guy even took her virginity. Then the entire rest of the series is them STRUGGLING to even hold hands anymore. It was a real fucking bait and switch.
Ryan Wilson
All women are bisexual to some degree. One of the current reigning theories for this is so that women can look at other women, tell what looks nice, and then copy that to attract men. Another theory, much less popular, is that it's because men from long ago would have multiple wives/harems, and this was a trait developed to help them cope with that life style.
Nathaniel Gonzalez
Most of the episodes don't ever get resolved. They end with an abstract ending like everyone stuck in a hole or back in time. There are occasions when she does something smart. But it's very inconsistent. And this is why her character is inconsistent. One episode she sets up an elaborate plan using Japanese culture and school rules against Ataru and teach him a life lesson. The next episode she's an airhead who doesn't even understand the basics of Japanese culture, despite living in Ataru's house for years. And creates a huge problem with some spirit demon by insulting Japanese tradition.
Basically, this is just plot convenience. And every character has this cycle to a degree. But Lum has far more examples of doing stupid things. But they also just have her miss tons of obvious insults and actions. She will be insulted by Ataru rubbing up against a woman in one episode, then in another episode, she sees it and doesn't even care. It's not consistent. You can chalk this up to "well its just a comedy show" but other characters like Sakura and Shinobu ARE consistent in reacting to it. Lum isn't. And I theorize its because, as the show went on, they wanted her to become softer and more fun and less angry to appeal to her fanbase, who doesn't want to see any character flaws in their idealized alien waifu.
You missed the dozens of "lol feudal Japan" episodes? And then the dozens of other random shinto beings who appear in the modern setting?
Ian Russell
>187053549 >be a female mangaka >Come up with a girl in a small bikini >Have her lose her top Hmmm
Benjamin Rogers
Girls can find that funny, also japanese autism
Leo Moore
It's long been rumored that Rumiko is a lesbian, yes.
I mean if you think about it, Ranma 1/2 is the ultimate "in the closet" fantasy. Up front, Ranma and Akane have a perfectly normal, respectable relationship. But in the bedroom? Akane gets to dyke out to her heart's content.
Daniel Jackson
>Girls think losing their bikinis is funny
Camden Ross
When I was in high school, the girls I hung out with all loved Takahashi series and they did think it was hilarious. This was before political correctness and identity politics ruined the west. Girls actually liked men and liked teasing them with their bodies.
Gavin Howard
Why'd you have to go full /pol/fag?
Girls still like men and are way more aggressive about courting them now. Get off the Internet and interact with 3D.
Cooper Cruz
Holy shit I remember Midnight Pulp. CC certainly was ahead of it's time.
Brandon Johnson
You know I always wondered what do girls think when they are watching an anime series they like and they see those scenes when girls are caught naked and go KYAAAAAH.
They must think it's tremendously stupid
Bentley Perry
Girls daydream about being in the same situation with the guy they like. It's not stupid if it gets them the result they want.
Jonathan Young
Am girl, I'm usually embarrassed for them. If it's something I ship I'm maybe a little happy about it depending on what it is and how it was done. Also, unironically I think it got me into exhibitionism. Fuck.
Angel Myers
>hurr it rapes the original series so it's good I don't even care much about UY but that's completely retarded thinking, Angel's Egg did everything Beautiful Dreamer wanted to do but better and without shitting a romcom franchise.
Henry Peterson
That's now what I said, dumbass. I said that I found 75% of the original show to not be that good. So I would most likely end up enjoying something that went in a different direction. And I did.
I even pointed out that I understand core UY fans wouldn't like it because of this. But acknowledging something and admitting it isn't for me is not good enough for extremists like you.
Luis Ross
Anime is decaying the morals of our young girls.
Don't care though.
I hope that equal toplessness rights will be granted one day. That way you can be the exhibitionist without getting in trouble and I can see more titties in my life.
Daniel Wilson
Go to bed Ataru
Austin Ross
The point is that on its own merits its not that good either and you only like it because you're one of those "wow this is so weird xD" retards.
Asher Ramirez
It's my birthday and I can do whatever I want.
It's my birthday and none of you remembered.
Noah Mitchell
Assumptions: The Post. Using your logic, I might as well accuse you of only liking ecchi moe anime. I mean, you didn't say you didn't so it must be true!
Michael Baker
Nobody says ecchi moe is the best anime ever, you absolute retard.
Grayson Garcia
Make it an April 13th they'll never forget again, Ataru.
How does liking a movie mean you know exactly what my tastes are?
>damn you are retarded.
Jack Mitchell
Only as naked as guys. It's not just about me being a pervert. It's about equality.
Evan Phillips
"I think women should walk around topless. I'm a feminist like that." Forgot what TV show that was from. But I remember it.
Carson Lee
>I Am a girl, I'm usually embarrassed for them. > If it's something I ship I'm maybe a little happy about it depending on what it is > Also, unironically I think it got me into exhibitionism. Fuck. Seems legit and not contradictory at all
Gabriel Clark
Because if Beautiful Dreamer is the best movie you've seen your tastes are clearly fucking shit m8
Daniel Sanders
It legitimizes them because they both get sort of serious about it. They're reaffirming these rules they just implicitly have with eachother and still not saying anything about them.
So you admit you're just making rabid assumptions based on your personal taste. At least you finally admit it. Which harks back to one of my previous posts where I can just make assumptions about you.
Nathan Taylor
>not even Ataru's parents remembered Ataru's birthday Ataru is an ass but, is it an egg and chicken situation?
Robert Wilson
What's so contradictory about it?
Noah Myers
wow
Cooper Morgan
>Feels embarrased for the girls caught naked >gets an exhibitionism fetish Exhibitionist don't feel shame
Zachary Jenkins
She never married.
Luis Jones
Yes they do.
Carter Murphy
What I like about Shinobu is that her personality resembles that of a real girl more than any other character in the show
Evan Howard
Can I get a list of all the good relationship episodes?
#066 "Happy Birthday My Darling" #082 "Full of Sunshine - Full of Amours" #089 "Lum and Ataru – A Night only for Two"
Season 3
#105 "Scramble! Recapture Lum!!" #106 "Deathmatch! Ataru VS Mendo Brigade!!" #107 "Different Dimension Switch - Where is Darling!?" #117 "Lum-chan's Becoming a Cow?"
Season 4
#155 "First Love Again!? A Return to the Past for Lum and Rei!!" #157 "I Love Darling's Kindness..." #192 "Hurry Come Darling! Lum's Dangerous Marriage Story"
Andrew Price
What would it take for Rumiko (or whoever is in charge) to make a reboot of the series? Is UY even popular in Japan?
Ryuunosuke has a good depiction as a girl forced to be a boy. Not quite rose of Versailles tier but very believable all the same. Also Ran is the perfect depiction of a psycho bitch from hell.
Benjamin Harris
>tfw RoV will never get a new anime adaptation or even an official English release of the manga
The early double bill episodes and also the first volume of the manga treat Lum like she's just another of Ataru's curses. You have to get past this very rocky start before Lum actually works as a character. These episodes do her justice but again you have to look past the early depictions.
Hudson King
Always France!
Aaron Bell
I think if anyone tried to re-adopt RoV they would get stuck up their own ass trying to recapture an artistic masterpiece. The original series still stands up pretty strongly so I don't think anyone could 'do it right' this time around. We have the original RoV archived for posterity. Let's leave it at that.
I heard there was one rumored to be in the making but that turned into a pachinko machine. I believe if they get atleast a decent studio that are fans like dp with Jojo they could atleast come close to the original but for the most part RoV is in the same vein as berserk when it comes to adaptations, there's only one good one and everything else is shit and unwatchable.
It's a mixed bag- shame and embarrassment, but also the thrill of getting caught.
Jayden Murphy
Why would you want that? UY was fucking massive back in the day and legendary still today, but I don't see any reason to pick it back up again.
James Garcia
I'd like to watch it with better animation, Lum looks different in many episodes, I'd like to see more consistency and maybe even see her multicolored chrome hair color as it was intended, we now posses the technology to achieve such task
