It’s time to put weird together, and make it even weirder! 

It’s not just my imagination filling me with anticipation, because we’re talking about none other than Rumiko Takahashi’s planet-rocking hit manga Urusei Yatsura! And we have plenty of cause to celebrate, because we have passed the first year anniversary of the manga’s republication by Viz Media! 

This is an exciting time to be a Urusei Yatsura fan, and no better time to officially cover it on the show! Long-time listeners may remember that I previously recorded a spin-off podcast called #LumSquad last year where I and my friend AC discussed the first volume of Viz’s new omnibus edition and explored some of the series’ history there. But we always intended to cover Urusei Yatsura on Manga Mavericks as well, and we’ve got a great balance of first-time readers and long-time fans on today to talk about it; our good friend and frequent guest Vix, and first-time guest Dawn from the Anime Nostalgia Podcast! 

Together we discuss how we got into the series, mine and Dawn’s thoughts revisiting the early parts of the series, and Vix and Colton’s impressions as first-time readers. We also explore the differences between Viz’s original 90’s releases of the manga and the new editions, and Dawn shares anecdotes about AnimEigo’s release of the anime and being a UY fan in the early 90s! Plus, we rant about a certain inexplicable name change, gush over the possibilities of a modern UY anime, and share our favorite chapters from these early volumes! All in all, we spend over two hours celebrating the wonderful and wacky world of Rumiko Takahashi’s magnum opus!

But wait, there’s more! If you’re looking for more thoughts on the Urusei Yatsura anime, check out the second episode of #LumSquad! AC and I explore the anime’s production history, how the show changes over its run, the incredible production staff and vocal talent on the show, and tons more! Just like this show, we spend over two and a half hours discussing the series, and we’ve barely even scratched the surface of what we wanted to talk about! Urusei Yatsura is a treasure trove offering a wealth of topics to explore, and I’m really excited to talk more about the series and everything I love about it in future episodes of #LumSquad! 

PODCAST BREAKDOWN:

00:22 – Intro & Updates on #LumSquad and Manga Mavericks @ Movies

06:10 – Urusei Yatsura Discussion!

06:32 – Introducing our Guests & Show Plan
09:39 – Dawn’s History with Urusei Yatsura & Rumiko Takahashi
16:46 – Tape-Trading, Fansubs, and Anime on VHS and TV Back in the 90’s
20:43 – LumRanmaYasha’s History with Urusei Yatsura
22:34 – The History of Urusei Yatsura’s North American Publication
26:30 – The Struggles of Buying Comics in the 90’s
31:30 – How Manga Pricing Has Changed Over the Years
35:35 – Thoughts on the New UY Editions & the Missing “My Lum” Tributes
38:00 – Vix’s Experiences with Rumiko Takahashi & Urusei Yatsura
41:40 – Maison Ikkoku’s Troubled Release History in North America
42:34 – Thoughts on the Casting Changes in the Maison Ikkoku & Ranma ½ Dubs
45:29 – “Being a Fan of Anime Before Americans Realized Japan Existed Sounds Like Suffering”
47:52 – Awareness of Urusei Yatsura in North America vs. Japan
49:34 – The Growing Mainstream Visibility of Anime in North America
51:11 – Colton’s History with Rumiko Takahashi & First-Time Experience Reading Urusei Yatsura
57:21 – What Makes Lum an Iconic Character
1:07:54 – How Urusei Yatsura Changes Over Time
1:11:49 – Our Favorite Chapters & Moments From The Early Volumes
1:21:31 – Japanese Folklore Influences in Urusei Yatsura
1:23:35 – Thoughts on the Translation & Cultural Challenges in Adaptation
1:31:39 – The “Hot Springs Emblem” Rant & The Character Profiles
1:44:31 – It’s a Good Time to Be a Rumiko Takahshi Fan
1:47:38 – Cameos in Urusei Yatsura
1:50:09 – One-off Characters in Urusei Yatsura
1:51:16 – Ten and Takahashi’s Cute Child & Animal Mascot Characters
1:52:16 –  Urusei Yatsura’s Popularity & The History of AnimeEigo’s Release of the Anime
1:58:57 – Ataru Moroboshi Character Analysis
2:02:13 – Fanservice vs. Raunchy Humor in Urusei Yatsura
2:04:51 – Sakura is So Good
2:09:00 – Ran Did Nothing Wrong
2:11:30 – What Would We Think of a Modern Urusei Yatsura Reboot Anime?
2:20:13 – Likelihood of the Anime Being Relicensed
2:23:05 – The Funny Story of How the Urusei Yatsura Movie Rights Got Split Up
2:24:54 – Urusei Yatsura in the Context of Rumiko Takahashi’s Oeuvre
2:27:50 – Vix Gushes About the Journey to the West Chapter
2:29:10 – Guest Plugs

2:32:24 – Community Shout -Outs

2:36:38 – Wrap-Up 

Enjoy the show, and follow us on twitter at @manga_mavericks, on tumblr at mangamavericks.tumblr.com, and on Youtube! You can also follow the hosts on Twitter at @sniperking323 and @lumranmayasha. If you’d like to help support the show financially you can pledge to our Patreon and receive some awesome rewards like our Patreon-exclusive Bonus pods! If one-time donations are more your speed you can donate to Colton’s Ko-fi here and LumRanmaYasha’s Ko-fi here, and if you want to support LumRanmaYasha’s art and other projects you can donate to their personal Patreon. Don’t forget to also like and subscribe to us on Youtube and iTunes and leave us reviews to help us curate the show and create better content!

Music Featured:

“Open Invitation” by Cindy
“Uchuu wa Taihen Da!” by Akira Itou & Izumi Kobayashi

LINKS:

About The Author Siddharth Gupta

Siddharth Gupta is an illustrator, animator, and writer based in Minnesota. They graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Animation from the School of Visual Arts, and have worked on projects for the University of Minnesota and the Shreya R. Dixit Foundation. An avid animation and comics fan since childhood, they've turned their passion towards being both a creator and a critic. They credit their love for both mediums to Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball, which has also defined their artistic and comedic sensibilities. A frequent visitor to their local comic book shop, they are an avid reader and collector, particularly fond of manga. Their favorite comics include The Adventures of Tintin by Herge, Bloom County by Berkeley Breathed, and pretty much anything and everything by Rumiko Takahashi.

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