REVIEW: ‘Urusei Yatsura,’ Episode 10 – “Since Your Parting”

In Urusei Yatsura Episode 10, it is parents’ day at Ataru and Lum’s school. Ataru’s mother does not look forward to meeting with her son’s teachers and hopes his lazy, buffoonish behavior does not cause her too much embarrassment. Suddenly, a new alien spaceship appears in the sky. At first, people assume the earth is being invaded again. Luckily, the ship belongs to Lum’s mother, who has also come for parents’ day. Unfortunately, a language barrier may turn this parents’ meeting into pure mania.

Urusei Yatsura is produced by David Production and directed by Hideya Takahashi and Yasuhiro Kimura, with scripts written by Yūko Kakihara and character design and illustration by Naoyuki Asano. Takahiro Komei serves as series director, and Masaru Yokoyama composes the music. The leading voice cast consists of Summer Uesaka as Invader Lum, Hiroshi Kamiya as Ataru Moroboshi, Maaya Uchida as Shinobu, and Mamoru Miyano as Shutaro Mendo.

The storytelling in Urursei Yatura Episode 10 feels special compared to the others we have seen so far. The first half of the episode starts similarly to most by introducing a new character; in this case, Lum’s mother. This portion of the episode is kept light and funny by showing the hilarious antics and misunderstandings between Lum’s mother and the other parents because of her alien language barrier.

The second half of Episode 10 takes a slightly more severe tone regarding Lum and Ataru’s complicated relationship. The shift in tone is an excellent change of pace for Urusei Yatsura because it gives the story and character relationships deeper significance. We rarely get to see certain aspects, such as character relationships, seriously explored beyond the surface level in romantic comedies like this anime.

For example, Ataru’s disdain for Lum has been used for comedy throughout the series, but Episode 10 finally shows a deeper side of Ataru we do not often see. In this episode, Ataru is distraught and weeps over the thought that Lum may be gone forever. This moment forces Ataru to acknowledge his true feelings toward Lum, something we do not get to see often. Usually, Ataru claims he does not love Lum and does not want her in his life.

However, whether Ataru is ready to admit it or not, this episode confirms he does possess some affection for Lum. As a viewer and lover of romantic comedies, Ataru’s admission of his feelings is very satisfying because it shows that Lum’s love is not one-sided. Urusei Yatsura is a romance after all and I am rooting for the main characters to find love together in the end. Episode 10 also shows there is a good chance for the series to continue to explore the more affectionate side of Ataru and his feelings for Lum.

Directors Hideya Takahashi and Yasuhiro Kimura and the team at David Production did a phenomenal job of capturing the contrasting tones in Urusei Yatsura Episode 10. The writing and animation feel like the team took things up a notch to convey more serious tones in the second half of the episode.

The animation of the characters seems sharper and in a higher definition than in other episodes. I especially love how the first part of the episode does not give anything to the second half. Viewers will be pleasantly surprised and appreciative of the added value in the animation of this episode.

The plot point in the latter half of Urusei Yatsura Episode 10 feels like a special moment in the series as a whole, not just for Ataru and Lum’s unsteady relationship. Urusei Yatsura is a romantic comedy anime through and through and typically focuses heavily on the comedy. I felt the decision to make the latter half of Episode 10 less comedic and more serious shows that romantic comedies like Urusei Yatsura can be dynamic and can tell more than just light-hearted or comedic stories.

Overall, Urusei Yatsura Episode 10 is a phenomenal episode and well worth the watch. In addition to stellar storytelling, the animation is also taken to a new level. While the first half of the episode is comedic and light-hearted, the second half takes a slightly deeper tone. Episode 10 also goes beyond the surface level of Lum and Ataru’s relationship to confirm it is not a one-sided romance after all. As a viewer, this episode gives me hope that Urusei Yatsura is a dynamic anime and has the potential to push the boundaries of its romantic comedy genre label.

Urusei Yatsura streams weekly exclusively on HIDIVE.