Technology has advanced quite a bit since the first Urusei Yatsura aired in 1981, but fans are having a little fun and respecting the time period that the anime takes place in by watching it with time-appropriate technology.
As reported by SoraNews24, some viewers are going old-school to watch the new episodes of the 2022 Urusei Yatsura. Since many anime airs in late-night time slots, most people are asleep and have to record the episodes to watch at a later time. Urusei Yatsura fans are going back in time and watching and recording the show with time-worn equipment like bulky TVs, Betamax VCRs, VHS and even cassette tapes to record the opening theme song. One fan managed to fix up their Victor HR-7650 just before the episode aired.
The original Urusei Yatsura aired from October 1981 to March 1986, with Pierrot (Tokyo Ghoul and Yu Yu Hakusho) producing the first 106 episodes while Studio Deen (Sasaki and Miyano and 2001 Fruits Basket) produced the remaining 88 episodes. With the story set in the 1970s and ’80s, Urusei Yatsura acts as a time capsule into what life was like at the time through fashion, style and technology. Characters used a single landline rotary phone to call each other and protagonist Ataru Moroboshi has a boom box with two cassette boxes.
Urusei Yatsura received a reboot in 2022, produced by David Production (Cells at Work! and Fire Force). Directed by Hideya Takahashi (assistant production manager of Fullmetal Alchemist and episode director of Sword Art Online), Urusei Yatsura will run for four cours, with the first two cours running without any breaks. The reboot will still carry the same nostalgic feel from the ’70s and ’80s but produced at a higher quality. The 2022 adaptation will adapt select stories from the series.
Urusei Yatsura Received Acclaim for Its Cultural Impact
Created by Rumiko Takahashi, Urusei Yatsura follows the lecherous high schooler Ataru who participates in a competition against an alien race. His objective is to touch the horns of his opponent Princess Lum which proves to be a challenge until he manages to do so on the last day using an unorthodox strategy. Ataru was supposed to marry his girlfriend, Shinobu Miyake but accidentally proposes to Lum when he declares his victory. Lum happily accepts, and thus begins Ataru’s newly-wed life with an alien princess, much to his dismay. Lauded for its references to Japanese pop culture and folklore and its cultural impact, Princess Lum was recreated in a life-size bronze statue at the Ōizumi-gakuen Station in Tokyo in 2015.
Urusei Yatsura is airing on HIDIVE and Bilibili.
Source: Twitter, via SoraNews24
