Customer Reviews

Urusei Yatsura - Movie 5 - The Final Chapter

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As the title of the movie suggests, this is the finale of one of the most beloved series of all time. The movie is an extremely faithful adaption of the final 11 manga chapers that Rumiko Takahashi herself wrote, so fans can expect a true and blue send-off that's extremely fitting to the show.

This being the conclusion of the series, obviously you should only watch this film if you've seen or read enough of the material to know and love the characters. I guarantee you that any UY fan worth their salt will find themselves with at least a twinkle in their eyes after all is said and done. I know I almost lost it.

The visuals are pretty sharp and clean; even my brother, of whom enjoys criticizing old anime, found the movie transfer to be quite clear. AnimEigo did a superb job here.

Onto the sound, the movie runs on standard Dolby Digital, so everything sounds crisp and clean. The original UY cast of seiyuu all sound like their trademark selves, and the track have barely deteriorated even after so many years. The English language dubbing is superb; this is my first taste of AnimEigo's effort (and the second time I've seen UY dubbed) -- and I'm impressed. The voices are similar to the ones casted for "Beautiful Dreamer", with some improvements here and there. Ataru Moroboshi was great to hear, and Lum finally sounded exactly like how I've always imagined her to. Shinobu and Sakura were nearly identical to their dub voices in "Beautiful Dreamer", and Cherry is ALMOST perfect, barring the weird accent. The only character that I had a slight problem with was Mendou; there were a couple of scenes where his voice was a little off and too high-pitched for my taste, but that's due to personal preference since I'm used to the calm, suave delivery that Vinnie Penna brought to the character in "Beautiful Dreamer". A different fan might find Robert Rogan's approach to be perfect, and in retrospect, he does bring in a different dimension to the character.

For the extras, there's the original Japanese trailer which I've never had a chance to see before, some program notes with info on the various gags and gizmos found in the movie, and finally, an interview with Jerry Winsett, Jamie Phelps, and Robert Rogan, three of the cast of English voice actors. Personally, I did find the interview to be particularly intriguing, and some of the voice actors were genuinely funny. Worth at least a one viewing.

Lastly, we have the plot. In its most basic form, "The Final Chapter" is a standard love story, with standard plot elements and standard plot devices. BUT, we all know UY is anything but basic. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep the audience captivated, and by the time the "real" plot rears in, you'll find yourself set and cheering on the characters like the bystanders in the race. As mentioned earlier, this movie is adapted directly from the manga chapters that the creator wrote, and thus almost every little thing is kept exactly the way it should be -- the visual gags, the infamous Takahashi slapstick humor; even most of the dialogue were ripped straight from the manga. If you're a Takahashi purist and have been unsatisfied with how the UY anime have turned out, then this movie will sure to make you very, very happy.

I remember watching this movie when I was a child. There are so many different Urusei Yatsura movies, but I found the right one!

Listen, when I first saw this movie it was a very great movie! Here is the plot: Ataru is up to no good. Lum and Ataru meet Rupa, a man arranged to be married to Lum. He'll destroy the earth if Ataru does not say heloves Lum, or does not win a repeat of the game of tag. Only Lum doesn't go easy on him because he is meaner to Lum then all the times before this. The last words of the movie were: "Say you love me!"
"Yeah! On my death bed!" Pretty unconcluding, huh?

This includes the story of Lum's and Ataru's fight to love and each other more or less (or so I believe; I haven't actually read the comic that far). The story is complex (for UY), the jokes are witty (still no sign of meta-humour, though) and it's although more fast-paced and action packed than any preceeding UY-film. As usual this adaption of the comic series puts more emphasis on romance and relationship than the original, making the characters seem rather stern.

Alright, this movies great, and it was a perfect send off to the classic Urusei Yatsura series. This was actually the first piece of the Urusei Yatsura anime I've ever seen. I've been a huge fan of the manga and have read around a third of the chapters (including the final 11) and I liked the finale so much I just had to see it animated.
I felt the animation quality was pretty good. There were some things I didn't like about the movie, such as how when Lum and Ataru are playing tag they keep thinking emotional things but the running around sort of proves as a distraction. Also, there were a few jokes they took out from the manga (although that's pretty good for Kitty).
My least favorite part about the movie was the English dub. It was horrible! I didn't agree with Lum or Ataru's voice, and I didn't really like any of the other voices too. However, the worst voice by far is the english voice of Cherry! A major purist, I absolutely dispise when American anime companies give characters accents. Also, in the Japanese version Rupa's great-grandfather says "po" after every sentence. Not only didn't they put this in the dub, but they didn't put it in the subtitled version! Subtitled versions are supposed to translate everything the characters say perfectly, regardless of whether or not it fits the mouths! AnimEigo can't even get their subs straight!
Overall, I'd say good movie, but a horrible dub. I had to switch language options after about a scene and a half.