Urusei Yatsura

Urusei Yatsura (うる星やつら) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi and serialized in Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday from 1978 to 1987. Its 374 individual chapters were published in 34 tankōbon volumes. It tells the story of Ataru Moroboshi, and the alien Lum, who believes she is Ataru's wife after he accidentally proposes to her. The series makes heavy use of Japanese mythology, culture and puns. It was adapted into an anime television series produced by Kitty Films and broadcast on Fuji Television affiliates from 1981 to 1986 with 195 episodes. Twelve OVAs and six theatrical films followed, and the series was released on VHS, Laserdisc, DVD, and Blu-ray Disc in Japan. The manga series was republished in different formats in Japan. Viz Media released the series in North America in the 1990s under the names Lum and The Return of Lum, but dropped it after nine volumes. They re-licensed the manga and began releasing an omnibus edition under its original title with new translations in 2019. The television series, OVAs, and five of the films were released in North America with English subtitles, as well as a dub for the films by AnimEigo. They provided extensive notes on the series to allow people to understand the many cultural references and jokes in the series that would not normally be understood by non-Japanese. The remaining film, Beautiful Dreamer, was released bilingually by Central Park Media. Five of the films, as well as the OVAs, are available from MVM Films in the United Kingdom. The series was released on television in Southeast Asia as Lamu the Invader Girl. Urusei Yatsura launched Takahashi's career and received positive reception in and out of Japan from fans and critics alike. In 1980, the series received the Shogakukan Manga Award. The television series is credited with introducing the format of using pop songs as opening and closing themes in anime. In 2008, the first new animation in 17 years was shown at the Rumiko Takahashi exhibition It's a Rumic World.