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(W) & (A): Rumiko Takahashi
If I had to choose between aliens taking over the world or a game of tag, I would probably choose the latter. While this seems completely random, it’s the first thing that helps describe this story. Urusei Yatsura seems like another harem manga on the outside. However, it’s important to note Rumiko Takahashi changes it up on the inside. Please note, this manga contains nudity and is not suited for young audiences.
Urusei Yatsura is about Ataru, a happy-go-lucky boy who seems to attract bad luck thanks to his “unlucky facial features”. One day, an alien named Lum invades Earth and Ataru was selected to battle her. However, Ataru has to beat her in a game of tag or else Earth is doomed. While the main plot focuses on Ataru’s relationship with Lum, the aftermath of everything is the key to this story.
So far, I like Lum as she is brazen and is definitive on what she likes and dislikes. Her outgoing personality is something you don’t often find in people. While she is a yandere, she doesn’t hold the torch for every woman after Ataru. Her main focus is on the love interests who reciprocate Ataru’s feelings. She also knows when to stand up to Ataru as his attention can go in multiple directions when it comes to women. On the other hand, we have Shinobu, an ordinary girl who pines for Ataru’s heart half of the time. I understand that she can see behind Ataru’s attitude, but her wishy-washy devotion leaves me feeling dried out. It needs to be understood that Takahashi’s characters are very simplistic. You won’t get a lot out of them. However, you will have enough personality to keep the story moving.
The plot is fairly decent, but it relies on a certain amount of randomness to keep it moving. Without spoiling the entire story, Ataru gets caught up in stickier situations. However, the situations rely on supernatural events outside Ataru’s doing. No matter what, it comes down to the randomness of event, and not the characters themselves. The randomness Takahashi used is a reminder of how they are a brilliant storyteller. With an unpredictable story, readers have no choice but to sit on the edge.
The art style is really good at maintaining the older style. In this case, Takahashi tends to focus on the characters’ expressions rather than backgrounds. However, Takahashi makes up for this by showing wide panels of backgrounds in needed situations. Takahashi even does a great job balancing sexuality and character design. This is a rare aspect as most manga tend to exaggerate female sexuality at times.
Overall, this manga will satisfy harem fans. There is enough female sexuality to hold a person’s attention, but not kill the plot. The characters aren’t memorable, but they have enough personality to keep me somewhat engaged. This comic is for the person who wants their meat half-cooked. For more information about the comic, please click here for further details.