Urusei Yatsura

[LumRanmaYasha]

It came to my attention that Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer is thirty years old as of today. If that isn't occasion enough to make a thread for the series, I don't know what is.

I can go on and on about this series, but for the moment I'll keep it brief. Urusei Yatsura is possibly the most influential comedy series for modern anime and manga. I've heard others describe it as like the japanese The Simpsons for anime in terms of it's influence, and while I wouldn't put it on that level, I can agree with the assertion that it played a pivotal role in the development of their comedy series in any demographic. in The genesis of several tropes and characteristics one can find in nearly any current comedy series has roots in it's elements. Tsunderes with unrealistic strength, perverted guys,  eccentrically jealous characters, having a rich character...the list can goes on. It even essentially created the harem genre, which is ironic considering it reads more like a subversion of them.

Despite creating all the tropes and conventions existing in current anime/manga comedies, Urusei Yatsura manages to put a large chunk of it's imitators to shame. Why? Well, it's because it's a genuinely well-written ad funny series of course, with characters that, despite what you would think, actually evolve and change over time. The character dynamics in the series is one of it's greatest strengths. There are several sub-groups of characters who interact with each other, some crossing over into others. They are grounded and connected together by the two central leads - Lum and Ataru, and through them a large ensemble cast is perfected and used to great capacity. Beyond that, the series is incredibly creative. Aliens, monsters, ghosts, and a variety of varying situations. Ranma 1/2, as much as I love it, repeats itself in some ideas in it's run. But Urusei Yatsura is so full of endless possibilities that it really feels like it could do anything, and it pretty much does, without ever feeling repetitive. It arguably becomes a better and better series as it goes on, a rare feat for any long-running series.

Right now, though, I want to address the anime specifically. While I love it, I can admit it has a bit more lows compared to the manga. There are many reasons for this. The first 21 episodes have a vastly different and simplified art-style and formatting, episodes being two 11-minute segments unlike full 22-minute ones as they are later on. Secondly, the anime adapted things out of order, which messes up the chronology of some of the character development, specifically Ataru's. It also sometimes stretched the stories of the manga too much or too thin. Episode 22, for instance, was based on a long-ish arc in the manga yet is only one episode, feeling a bit rushed, while other episodes are based on only one chapter stories. What's more, Takahashi's signature wacky humor is toned down in favor of "quieter" jokes. Despite having the same characters and core plots, the experience of the anime compared to the manga is very, very different, and this effects the effectiveness of some of the wilder stories as well.

I'm not going to lie, I have misgivings about some of these changes, but, and this is a big but, the anime generally manages to make it all work. A lot of it is because it's not afraid to be it's own thing and do different things with the characters that Takahashi's manga wouldn't. Episode 75, one of my all-time favorites, is a serious horror story until the very, very end. It had a sense of dark humor that I actually did think worked with the characters and felt tonally similar to Takahashi's own horror stories like "The Laughing Target." This is just one example. The series sprinkles in all sort of various concepts with various degrees of seriousness and silliness, yet it always feels right with the way the setting and the characters work. And It makes for an unpredictable, and  mostly very enjoyable, experience.

195 episodes and 13 OVAs is a lot of content, and some of the stories aren't as good as their manga counterparts, but overall this anime is still something I admire. I can see it's influence in almost every anime/manga comedy I've seen made past the '80's, but few are as unlimitedly creative and filled with such an eclectic and memorable ensemble cast as this one. It's well-directed, really well animated, and at it's best, uproariously funny. It's well-worth watching, especially after reading the manga because the differences in the anime's treatment of the subject matter. It might not be a series everyone here would get into (though I totally recommend the manga for everyone), but if you're at least interested in watching a series that played a significant part in anime history, give it a shot sometime.

I will say, though, that despite some reservations I may have about the series, I LOVE the movies. All 5 of them (there is no sixth wut are yu talking abut lol). They are all incredibly unique and use the characters in a way that explores them without interfering with the development in the anime and manga. The first two movies were also directed by Mamoru Oishii, and were his first big directorial projects, and honestly, my favorite works that I have seen from him (yeah I'm biased but...). They are, by far, the best shonen anime/manga based film franchise I've ever sat through, and all are worth watching multiple times.

But among them, movie 2, Beautiful Dreamer, the reason I even created this thread today, is the one in particular that I love on a whole other level. It is a fascinating, completely untraditional film for a manga-based, especially shonen-manga based property, but at the same time it fits in with the series' tone because it focuses, albeit a little subtly, on the anxieties of particular characters. Mamorou Oishii may have made it so different because he was disappointed in the more "traditional" first movie, but all the same he clearly had respect and a great understanding of these characters because they are all used well and meaningfully. He even creates a scene that is HUGE foreshadowing for a later story arc in the manga, and a pivotal part understanding of one of the main characters' relationship with another, and despite it being such a small scene, it manages to be one of the most effective ever because of the respect that's been given to the characters, story, and setting through the whole film and the audience's previous investment with the characters as well. In this way this movie is on a completely other level than ANY other franchise anime/manga-series based movie, especially ones based on shonen properties. When I express my disappointment in other franchise anime movies, it's because they tell filler stories. They lack meaning, they just go through the motions without doing or saying anything new. Even the fun ones, like One Piece: Strong World, lack a more intimate connection to it's source material beyond just a few characters and ideas that were introduced in the manga or anime. Beautiful Dreamer accomplished something that, for me, gave me a whole new insight and appreciation for the series and it's characters. And it did it effortlessly, all while still telling a interesting and coherent story (I feel nearly as strongly about this with movie 4, Lum the Forever, except for the "coherent" part, which weakens it a bit, unfortunately).

I absolutely adore this movie, and it is not only my favorite anime film, but it's my second favorite overall animated film and ranks within my top 10 all time favorite films as well. Yes, a lot of that does come from my already existing love for the UY manga, but I can assure you that the quality of this movie is not to be understated. It is critically acclaimed, and if you remember that "AniMetaCrtic" thread that I made a while back that lists what anime bloggers consider the greatest anime, you can see it ranks within the TOP 20, and this is an old movie based on a property not that many U.S. anime/manga fans even know about! While I wouldn't advise one to watch it without watching at least some of the series first, it's a work of beauty, and something that deserves the acclaim it's been given over the years, much like Urusei Yatsura itself.

Also,

"There is a movie that was instrumental in my decision to enter the anime industry, and that is Beautiful Dreamer, the second theatrical movie for Urusei Yatsura (from director Mamoru Oshii). I was astounded when I saw that movie. It was made very freely, but it was also a beautiful movie. It really opened by eyes to the limitless possibilities of Japanese animation and made me decide to enter the anime industry."

- Shinichiro Watanabe

That's right, Cowboy Bebop would never have been made if it weren't for Urusei Yatsura and Beautiful Dreamer.

I think that thought speaks for itself.

Anyways, I created this thread to celebrate the 30th birthday of one of my favorite films of all time based on one of my favorite manga of all time created by one of my favorite mangaka of all time. And I've done just that. Now, if you would excuse me, I'm gonna go off and binge watch some of my favorite episodes, and watch Beautiful Dreamer again for the...how many times has it been? Doesn't matter. I can never get tired of UY.

[LumRanmaYasha]

I had no clue Lum was being used as a mascot for some energy drink, a la Flinstones characters for Fruity Pebbles. The actress cosplaying as her pulls off a live-action Lum a lot better than I'd expect, honestly.

And yes, I know this was a random thing to bump a thread for. 

[LumRanmaYasha]

Beautiful Dreamer is finally getting a blu-ray release in Japan!

...which just serves to remind me how we'll never get one for it, or any of the series for that matter, in the U.S. 

[goody2shoes]

I really should get to this series at some point. Is the show safe to drop after episode 106? Someone else recommended this, it's the end of Oshii's run.

[LumRanmaYasha]

I think the whole series is worth watching, myself. I know that there are some people who prefer Oshii's half, but I've actually seen just as many that prefer Yamazaki's. Towards the end of his run Oshii produced a lot of awesome experimental episodes, which is why I think some people might like his half more, but Yamazaki's half was much more consistent than Oshii's, and a lot of the episodes in his run are the funniest episodes in the series. So you'd be missing out on some great episodes if you dropped the show just after watching Oshii's half.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I'll start this as my first entry into Takahashi's body of work, but I'm confused as to what to watch first. I would start with the anime but then you suggested that the manga was better, so I'm not surre what version to choose. I honestly doubt that I'll have time for both right now, so I'll just have to pick the one that better suits me.

[LumRanmaYasha]

The manga would arguably be less time-consuming, I'd suppose. I think reading the manga first and then going into the anime would allow you to appreciate the differences of both better. That's also just my experience with the series, of course, since I read the manga first before watching the anime, and got a lot out of seeing the anime-only content that wasn't in the manga, which made it a very worthwhile experience for me since the anime wasn't the same thing as the manga and a lot of the stories from it were changed/expanded. So, that's the way I'd suggest you go with it, especially I do think the manga is the most "consistent" version of the two, overall.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Well, as for the manga, while it would be less time consuming to actually read, I probably won't get to it for at least about a year considering my backlog and how little time I really have for either manga or anime in the first place, but I'll start with that version then, even if it'll take me quite a while to work my way around to it.

[LumRanmaYasha]

The japanese blu-ray Movie and OVA collection sets have been unveiled:




Oh, how I'd kill for a state-side release of these...

...But I know it's never gonna happen. Sigh....Why can't somebody just re-license UY already?

[LumRanmaYasha]

I've been re-watching and re-reading a lot of Urusei Yatsura these last few months, and my love for the series only grows stronger the more I do. This has got me thinking about how to best introduce people into the series, considering it's length and mostly episodic nature. I've said it before, but starting with the manga is the best avenue in terms of getting a consistent experience and seeing the characters and series develop more linearly, and I still believe that. But the anime is an equally great and important experience in it's own right, and if watching anime is more your thing there's no real reason not to jump right into it. That said, I feel the problem with starting with the anime is that it's initial phase (the first 21 episodes), reorders the stories and messes with chronology in a way that affects the consistency in which characters behave, and because the anime writers didn't understand the depth to the characters that well early on, the quirks and qualities of many, namely Ataru, Ten, and Lum, where highly exaggerated and in the case of the former two consequently present them in a less than likable manner compared to how they were in the manga. The first phase of the series is also not like the remainder in execution, featuring more simplified character designs and a two-segment format, as opposed to the single story format used after episode 21. While there are some strong episodes in the first phase, I would recommend people who only want to watch the anime or start with the anime to just skip to episode 22 after watching the first and tenth episodes, and maybe other key character introduction episodes, and come back to the earlier part of the series once you know it's something you want to watch the entirety of.

However, UY is a series that evolves so much over it's run that I feel that it would be nice for most people to have a good snapshot of what kind of series it is, it's characters, and some of it's best qualities before diving into it properly. So, I have compiled a list of ten episodes that I feel best represent the series and give a sense of it's diversity and it's growth over the course of it's run. You can think of this list as a recommended episodes list of episodes to try out and get a good taste of the wonderfully weird world of Urusei Yatsura.



Episode #10: "Pitter Patter Christmas Eve"

Starting off with a very early episode here, but one that's widely regarded as one of the show's finest. This episode marks a big step forward early on for the series. Whereas previous episode were comprised of two segments, this is the first half-hour episode, which the show wouldn't adopt for good until episode 22. It's also the first to be a relatively serious episode, placing emphasis on Lum's feelings for Ataru in a genuinely emotional way. It also marks the beginning of Ataru starting to develop affections for Lum, as opposed to actively refusing them up until this point, a development that ultimately matures the character as the series goes forward. All in all, it's an extremely well-done episode that does well to establish the dynamic of Lum and Ataru's relationship while portraying the characters in understandable manner (on Lum's part sympathetic as well), shows off the anime-exclusive characters of Lum's Stormtroopers (especially Megane) in an active and entertaining manner, with strong humor and heart to tie it all together. It's easily the best episode from the early phase of the series, and makes a fair introduction to it's main characters for the uninitiated.



Episode #22: "The Great Space Match-Making Operation"

After working out some of the kinks with the series and understanding it better, the staff retooled it into a one story per half-hour format, a change that was ultimately for better. And what better episode to start this off with but with an adaption of one of the manga's longest story arcs at this point (4 chapters!) into a single episode? The result is a fast paced and funny episode that never loses steam. It's also a strong episode for showing off the world of Urusei Yatsura, showing Lum's family, crazy and oddly designed alien creatures, and bizarre eccentric one-shot characters such as the great Prince of the Underground, who posses the awesome power of digging holes! It's also a step up for the series visually, with great animation and new character designs and more sophisticated color work, and the directing and boarding becomes stronger thanks to Mamoru Oshii becoming more directly involved with it. And on a character level, it's another step forward for Ataru and Lum's relationship as the former tries to stop her from getting hitched to another fella! A pivotal episode of the anime as a turning point for it's quality, and for the series as a whole for it's most ambitious story yet with memorable one-shot characters and notable character development.



Episode #36: "Rei Returns! The Great Study Hall Panic!!"

You know what made UY as beloved as it was, besides the great concepts, anything-goes-world, and iconic characters? It's funny as hell. Why is it funny as hell? Because Rumiko Takahashi knew how to get the most mileage out her characters quirks and personalities and have 'em play off of each other in an ever growing ball of insanity until it explodes in a glorious chaotic frenzy. That's why group-based episodes in the series tend to be the most hilarious, especially those involving the entire gang conveniently centered in Tomobiki High, where both the teachers and students and crazy and the Principal is ever eager to fuel fires for fun. Admittedly, the latter plays no part in this episode (neither does the teacher, really, though this IS Onsen-Mark's first appearance in the anime), but the point's still proven for this episode. What starts out as an amusing but not unordinary study hall becomes a panic of epic proportions when Lum's ex-fiance, the sometimes pretty bishonen but mostly monstrous tiger-cow creature Rei comes to Class 2-C to pay a visit and just starts wrecking shit up to most everyone's displeasure. Great gags, strong and multifarious character interactions, and tons of insanity piling on top of each other makes for a fine episode to represent school-based UY episodes as well as the style of humor that made the series, and Rumiko Takahashi, a household name.



Episode #44: "After You've Gone"

This is the most iconic episode of the entire series. At the end of the UY anime's run, they polled which episodes were fans' most favorite, and this was voted #1, and if the poll were run again today it would still probably be #1. The story and images of this episode are perhaps the most well-known of any in UY, only rivaled by three other stories in the series. It is perhaps THE UY episode, in terms of it's popularity, influence, and how much it's come to represent the series and it's legacy. It is also perhaps one it's most emotional. When Ataru comes home to find Lum not there with only a small doll in her image left behind, he is faced with the possibility Lum has left earth, and him, forever. But try as he might, he can't brush it off and his life can't return to how it was before she came. This is the episode where Ataru finally understands how much Lum means to him, and that realization comes with heartbreak as he writes in despair in a stunning visual sequence with fantastic images set to the series second ED - "Kokoroboisona", and ending with a genuinely sweet and touching twist. A powerful episode that touches the hearts of even the series' detractors, this episode might not necessarily be the best in the series, maybe not even the best Ataru-Lum relationship episode, but it is by far the most essential, and unquestionably one of the most important.



Episode #75: "And Then There Were None"

As the UY anime continued, Mamoru Oshii started to put emphasis on more of his style of storytelling over Rumiko Takahashi's, making some stories more serious than they originally were and changing others entirely. In this way he developed a lot of stylistic traits and themes that would later be labeled as Oshii-esque when he branched out into his original work. But in the context of UY, the biggest showcase for his mark as a director and the differences between his aesthetic and the original manga can be found in the few anime-original episodes penned during his tenure. Many of these were great episodes that took a lot of risks with the original source material, the most successful of which doing something novel while still staying true to the series and it's characters. I consider "And Then There Were None" as the most most successful of these episodes. Not just because it is the most popular anime-original episode in the series (it was voted the #2 fan-favorite episode of the series in the same poll that voted "After You're Gone" as the #1), but it's also a great showcase of the innovations Mamoru Oshii brought to the anime as a director (before he became a bit too self-indulgent with them), displaying both the serious and experimental sides of UY, and overall just being an engaging and utterly disturbing horror-mystery episode.



Episode #107: "Parallel Worlds! Where's Darling?!"

This is the first episode after Kazuo Yamazaki took over as the director, a change that was ultimately for the better. Towards the end of his tenure Oshii had become too interested in doing his own thing instead of properly adapting the series, which led to several episodes that honestly failed to live up to their manga counterparts (the most egregious example being the anime's version of the series' iconic "Miss Tomobiki High Contest" arc). Not to mention the amount of work put into production on the second movie, Beautiful Dreamer, detracted from the anime's quality in terms of animation and visual quality, as well as resulting in three clipshow episodes coming out in short span of one another. Oshii's heart was clearly not into the series at this point, and it was time for him to move on to other things that more suited his interests and style of storytelling. The influences he left on the anime, however, was continued by Yamazaki, but retooled in a way that best served making a quality adaption that stayed true to the original manga source material, and sometimes embellishing and improving it. The first episode of Yamazaki's run is an original episode, but one that could have very well come from the manga and it feels like the best of both worlds - innovative and creative ideas and gags in the style of Takahashi, and philosophical musings and visual polish in the style of Oshii. It's the best of both worlds (pun intended), and is especially exemplary of the visual prowess of the anime, which looks so damn good that it honestly makes a lot of modern look like shit in comparison. But the biggest selling point of this episode for me are the two moments that close it off; the first where Lum meets what should be her ideal Ataru, to which her reaction says so much without any words needing to be spoken, and the second when she finally returns to her original dimension and meets up with the real Ataru again. Powerful, thoughtful scenes highlighting an all-around ace episode.



Episode #113: "Great Horrors! Oyuki is Finally Angered!"

I would be remiss to not include an episode that highlights Lum's exploits with her childhood gang from middle school. These are often my favorites in the series, as they allow Lum to be the (relative) straight man in a group for once and play off of fun characters in Ran, Benten, and Oyuki, who have even crazier personalities than her! You see, back in the day Lum and her friends, the iron-bikini clad biker girl Benten, the stoic ice-cold ice-queen Oyuki, and the dainty pushover Ran used to wreak havoc in their middle school as a Sukeban - aka a Girl Gang. But while the former three matured as they entered high school, the trauma Ran endured from being the butt of Lum's irresponsible actions, Benten's violent schemes, and Oyuki's selfish money-grubbing nature, screwed her up and turned her into a trigger-happy split-personality manic depressive that trusts no one and ain't afraid to knife a bitch, even if she happens to be an old friend. With the one exception of Oyuki, that is, who thanks to personal experience she knows better not to mess with. Unfortunately she fucks up and gets on her bad side, so she decides the only solution is to take out Oyuki before she can ice her! When she drags Benten and Lum into it and pisses the former off hard, it becomes a mad cat and mouse chase involving bazookas, chains, and lots and lots of bombs. And when they finally piss off Oyuki, rest assured someone is going to get seriously hurt (or, at least seriously scared straight). This episode is a fine episode showing off the dynamics between all four characters, with excellent animation, pacing, and a memorable payoff that changes the context of Oyuki's relationship to the rest of the characters in all her subsequent appearances.



Episode #157: "I Love Darling's Sincerity"

Ataru Moroboshi is best known for being a massive pervert. He loves to flirt with chicks and will gleefully cop a feel when he can. None of the characters in the series particularly appreciate this. Lum certainly doesn't. Beyond that, though, most of the characters don't seem to particularly like him either. Certainly, they don't think much of him, which is no surprise considering how he behaves and the bad luck he tends to bring. He's not handsome, he's flighty, and he's incredibly immature. So what, exactly, does Lum see in him? Everyone wonders this, but no one can figure it out. Sometimes, it seems like Lum doesn't seem sure herself. But there is A LOT more to Ataru than the front he puts up. And no episode demonstrates this better than this episode, which is perhaps the second most iconic in the entire series after "After You've Gone." On the surface, it seems like Ataru is behaving like he normally does, but pay attention to how differently he behaves when he's interacting with Nozomi, and what he does and doesn't do in the episode while on his date with her. The ending, as well as the payoff of the framing device with Nozomi's mother, says everything about the true merits of Ataru's character, a genuinely kind and well-meaning heart hidden underneath a loud and childish facade. There's a surprising amount of depth to Ataru, and this episode serves as a shining example, and in doing so cemented itself firmly as one of the most beloved and iconic episodes in the entire series.



Episode #173: "Great Uproar! Ryuunosuke's First Time Wearing a Swimsuit!!"

None of the episode I've highlighted so far are heavy on Ryuunosuke, who is a character that really is essential to understand as she is one of the most important characters in the entire series. Though introduced relatively late compared to the rest of the main cast (1/3rd of the way into the series in both versions), Ryuunosuke drives or is heavily featured in a lot of stories after she is introduced, to the point where it almost feels she's the main character of the series at certain points. Ryuunosuke as a character is important in a historical perspective, as her core gimmick (the gender-confusion and her signature "I AM A WOMAN!" line) would later be used as the inspiration for Ranma's character in Takahashi's subsequent manga, Ranma 1/2. But more importantly than that, she is one of the most dynamic characters in the series with one of the most interesting personal struggles in her attempts to get in touch with her femininity and fight against her twisted father's machinations and insistence that she is a man. During Oshii's tenure the anime writers didn't always seem tounderstand what her character arc was about, which led to a couple of her episodes in the anime to miss the point of the original manga stories. Even when Yamazaki took over as a director, some of her best moments in the manga were still left out of the anime or refocused in favor of other characters for one reason or another. However, she still has plenty of great episodes in the anime, and this one is a fine example. While not necessarily the best one she has in the series, it is the most representative, highlighting Ryuunosuke's relationships with the other characters in the series, her dynamic and conflict with her father, desire to know more about her mother, and her quest to finally, finally wear some ladies swimwear. Everything you need to know about Ryuunosuke is summed up here in one succinct and entertaining 25-minute package.



OVA #12: "The Obstacle Course Swim Meet"

My last pick for you guys also happens to last piece of Urusei Yatsura animation ever produced (until further notice), the 2008 OVA "The Obstacle Course Swim Race," produced for the 50th anniversary of Shonen Sunday and the series' own 30th anniversary, and was the first new animation for the series in over 17 years! This OVA is a brilliant love-letter to the series at it's finest, crammed with in-jokes and sight gags on top of an epic and awesomely animated chaotic melee with twists and turns that could only be done in UY. Nearly every significant character gets worked in here and gets their moment to shine, and the special moves fast from scene to scene, joke to joke, never losing steam right up to the end, making the whole shebang a hilarious treat from start to finish. It honestly kills me they will probably never make a remake series in the same style of this OVA, because 26+ more episodes like this would just be pure amazing. "The Obstacle Course Swim Race" simply captures the best qualities of UY in a nutshell, making for a fine celebratory send-off to the one of the most influential anime franchises ever made, as well as a good introduction into it for anyone interested in this timeless classic.

[LumRanmaYasha]

Welp, those are my suggestions and recommendations for episodes to try out before diving into the series. I attached links to the episodes I mentioned for everyone's convenience. Enjoy! 

But wait! I have more lists! You see, while I was re-watching the anime and re-reading the manga, it occurred to me to make a manga to anime comparison chart, showing which chapters of the manga were adapted into which episodes of the anime. The result is below, presented in the recommended chronological order for watching the series:

Anime - Manga Comparison Chart:

Episode 1 - Chapter 1 (first segment) & Chapter 3 (second segment)
Episode 2 - Chapter 63 (first segment) & Chapter 82 (second segment)
Episode 3 - Chapter 6 (first segment) & Chapter 7 (second segment)
Episode 4 - Chapter 80 (first segment) & Chapter 81 (second segment)
Episode 5 - Chapter 4 (first segment) & Chapter 37 (second segment)
Episode 6 - Chapter 5 (first segment) & Chapter 2 (second segment)
Episode 7 - Chapter 15 (first segment) & Chapter 13 (second segment)
Episode 8 - Chapter 10 (first segment) & Chapter 74 (second segment)
Episode 9 - Chapter 16 (first segment) & Chapter 17 (second segment)
Episode 10 - Chapter 26
Episode 11 - Chapters 75-77
Episode 12 - Chapter 19 (first segment) & Chapter 18 (second segment)
Episode 13 - Chapters 42-43 (first segment) & Chapter 45 (second segment)
Episode 14 - Chapter 23 (first segment) & Chapter 24 (second segment)
Episode 15 - Chapter 8 (first segment) & Chapter 67 (second segment)
Episode 16 - Anime Original (first segment) & Chapter 51 (second segment)
Episode 17 - Chapter 32 (first segment) & Chapter 35 (second segment)
Episode 18 - Chapter 55 (first segment) & Chapter 58 (Second segment)
Episode 19 - Chapter 28 (first segment) & Chapter 29 (second segment)
Episode 20 - Chapter 24 (first segment) & Chapter 71 (second segment)
Episode 21 - Chapter 20 (first segment) & Chapter 31 (second segment)
"It's Spring! Take Off" Special - Clip Show Episode (first segment) & Chapters 52-54 (second segment)
Episode 22 - Chapters 87-90
Episode 23 - Chapters 14 & 30
Episode 24 - Chapter 72
Episode 25 - Chapter 33
Episode 26 - Chapters 64-65
Episode 27 - Chapters 101-102
Episode 28 - Chapter 83
Episode 29 - Chapter 66
Episode 30 - Chapters 92-94
Episode 31 - Chapter 109
Episode 32 - Chapter 79
Episode 33 - Chapters 48-50
Episode 34 - Chapters 86 & 91
Episode 35 - Chapters 59-60
Episode 36 - Chapter 110
Episode 37 - Chapter 41
Episode 38 - Chapter 107
Episode 39 - Chapter 36
Episode 40 - Chapters 97 & 47
Episode 41 - Chapter 98
Episode 42 - Chapter 112
Episode 43 - Chapter 73
Episode 44 - Chapter 34
Episode 45 - Chapter 118
Episode 46 - Chapter 106
Episode 47 - Chapter 130
Episode 48 - Chapters 136-138
Episode 49 - Chapter 131
Episode 50 - Chapters 121-122
Episode 51 - Chapter 111
Episode 52 - Chapter 134
Episode 53 - Chapter 132
Episode 54 - Chapter 113
Episode 55 - Chapters 125-127
Episode 56 - Chapter 120
Urusei Yatsura: Only You - Anime Original
Episode 57 - Chapter 133
Episode 58 - Chapter 58
Episode 59 - Chapters 69-70
Episode 60 - Chapter 124
Episode 61 - Chapter 135
Episode 62 - Chapter 100
Episode 63 - Chapters 147-148
Episode 64 - Chapter 61
Episode 65 - Chapters 150-151
Episode 66 - Anime Original
Episode 67 - Chapters 142-143
Episode 68 - Chapters 155-157
Episode 69 - Chapters 139-140
Episode 70 - Chapters 40 & 141
Episode 71 - Anime Original
Episode 72 - Chapter 78
Episode 73 - Chapter 9
Episode 74 - Chapter 128
Episode 75 - Anime Original
Episode 76 - Chapters 160-161
Episode 77 - Chapter 162
Episode 78 - Anime Original
Episode 79 - Chapter 163
Episode 80 - Chapters 95-96
Episode 81 - Chapters 176-177
Episode 82 - Chapters 144-145
Episode 83 - Chapters 129 & 170
Episode 84 - Anime Original
Episode 85 - Chapter 180
Episode 86 - Chapters 178-179
Episode 87 - Chapter 158
Episode 88 - Chapter 166
Episode 89 - Chapter 183
Episode 90 - Chapter 152
Episode 91 - Chapter 186
Episode 92 - Chapter 181
Episode 93 - Clip Show Episode
Episode 94 - Chapter 109
Episode 95 - Anime Original
Episode 96 - Chapters 184-185
Episode 97 - Chapters 199-201
Episode 98 - Anime Original
Episode 99 - Anime Original
Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer - Chapter 31 (extremely loosely)
Episode 100 - Anime Original
Episode 101 - Anime Original
Episode 102 - Chapter 198
Episode 103 - Clip Show Episode
Episode 104 - Clip Show Episode
Episode 105 - Anime Original
Episode 106 - Anime Original
Episode 107 - Anime Original
Episode 108 - Chapters 210 & 84
Episode 109 - Chapter 171
Episode 110 - Chapter 172
Episode 111 - Chapter 175
Episode 112 - Anime Original
Episode 113 - Chapters 217-219
Episode 114 - Chapter 221
Episode 115 - Chapters 164 & 212
Episode 116 - Chapter 216
Episode 117 - Chapter 221
Episode 118 - Anime Original
Episode 119 - Chapters 174 & 159
Episode 120 - Chapter 85
Episode 121 - Chapters 207-208
Episode 122 - Chapter 209
Episode 123 - Chapters 193-194
Episode 124 - Chapter 123
Episode 125 - Chapters 197 & 191
Episode 126 - Anime Original
Episode 127 - Chapter 204
Episode 128 - Chapter 231
Episode 129 - Chapter 229
Episode 130 - Chapter 215
Episode 131 - Chapter 232
Episode 132 - Chapters 222-223
Episode 133 - Chapters 224-225
Episode 134 - Chapter 226
Episode 135 - Chapter 233
Episode 136 - Chapter 236
Episode 137 - Chapters 234-235
Episode 138 - Anime Original
Episode 139 - Chapter 173
Episode 140 - Chapters 202-203 & 213
Urusei Yatsura 3: Remember My Love - Anime Original
Episode 141 - Anime Original
Episode 142 - Chapter 228
Episode 143 - Anime Original
Episode 144 - Chapters 257-258
Episode 145 - Chapter 249
Episode 146 - Chapter 250
Episode 147 - Chapters 223 & 251
Episode 148 - Chapters 246 & 262
Episode 149 - Chapter 248
Episode 150 - Chapters 237-239
Episode 151 - Chapter 261
Episode 152 - Chapter 260
Episode 153 - Chapters 252-256
Episode 154 - Chapters 230 & 264
Episode 155 - Chapters 266-267
Episode 156 - Chapter 116
Episode 157 - Chapter 247
Episode 158 - Chapter 259
Episode 159 - Chapter 245
Episode 160 - Chapters 269-271
Episode 161 - Chapter 272
Episode 162 - Chapter 117
Episode 163 - Chapter 206
Episode 164 - Chapter 192
Episode 165 - Chapter 273
Episode 166 - Chapter 274
Episode 167 - Chapter 276
Episode 168 - Chapter 280
Episode 169 - Chapter 241
Episode 170 - Chapter 277
Episode 171 - Chapter 282
Episode 172 - Chapter 281
Episode 173 - Chapter 288
Episode 174 - Chapter 279
Episode 175 - Chapters 154 & 284
Episode 176 - Chapters 165 & 285
Episode 177 - Chapter 290
Episode 178 - Chapter 291
Episode 179 - Chapter 278
Episode 180 - Chapter 46
Episode 181 - Chapter 167
Episode 182 - Chapter 295
Episode 183 - Chapters 292-293
Episode 184 - Chapter 62
Episode 185 - Chapter 114
Episode 186 - Chapter 298
Episode 187 - Chapters 39 & 104
Episode 188 - Chapter 103
Episode 189 - Chapter 299
Episode 190 - Chapter 289
Episode 191 - Chapter 300
Urusei Yatsura 4: Lum the Forever - Anime Original
Episode 192 - Chapters 301-304
Episode 193 - Chapter 108
Episode 194 - Repeat of Episode 44
Episode 195 - Chapter 105
OVA 1 - Clip Show Episode
OVA 2 - Clip Show Episode
OVA 3 - Chapters 331-335
OVA 4 - Chapter 344
OVA 5 - Chapters 341-342
OVA 6 - Chapters 309-310
OVA 7 - Chapter 353
OVA 8 - Chapter 352
OVA 9 - Chapter 354
OVA 10 - Chapter 351
OVA 11 - Chapter 319
OVA 12 - Chapters 242-243 & Chapter 297
Urusei Yatsura: Always My Darling - Anime Original
Urusei Yatsura 5: The Final Chapter - Chapters 356-366

Unadapted Chapters: 11, 12, 20, 21, 25, 27, 38, 44, 56, 57, 99, 146, 149, 153, 168, 169, 182, 187-190 195, 196, 205, 214, 220, 240, 244, 263, 265, 268, 275, 283, 286, 287, 294, 296, 305, 306, 307, 308, 311, 312, 313, 314-315, 316, 317, 318, 320, 321, 322, 323-324, 325, 326, 327, 328, 334, 335, 336, 337, 338-340, 343, 345, 346-348, 349-350, 355

As you can see, the anime adapted things from all over the place in the beginning and towards the end, which accounts for some of the inconsistencies in the anime early on. In any case, use this as a handy reference guide if you ever want to compare the differences between the manga and anime! I didn't provide episode/chapter titles for space reasons, but if you want to cross-reference which episodes and chapters are which, you can use the handy manga chapter and anime episode summaries on the Urusei Yatsura fansite, Tomobiki-cho!

For those who want to know when specific characters first appear, here's a list of Key Character Introduction Episodes:

Episode 1 - Lum, Ataru, Mr & Mrs. Moroboshi, Mr. Invader, Shinobu, Cherry, & Lum's Stormtroopers (Megane, Perm, Chibi, & Kakugari)
Episode 2 - Jariten
Episode 3 - Rei
Episode 5 - Sakura
Episode 8 - Oyuki
Episode 9 - Kurama
Episode 12 - Tsubame
Episode 14 - Shutaro
Episode 15 - Benten
Episode 18 - Ran
Episode 33 - The Principal
Episode 36 - Onsen-Mark
Episode 43 - Torajima
Episode 50 - Ryoko
Episode 51 - Kotatsu-Neko
Episode 63 - Ryuunosuke & Mr. Fujinami
Episode 70 - Tobimaro
Episode 97 - The Spice Sukeban (Sugar, Ginger, & Pepper)
Episode 122 - Kitsune
Episode 132 - Asuka
Episode 192 - Shingo

These are just the most important and prominent characters. The series has so many minor recurring characters that doing them all would be like listing over a third of the series. 

Finally, here are some nice links:

Tomobiki-cho - The main Urusei Yatsura fansite. Has all the information you could possibly want on the history and inner workings of the series.

The Urusei Yatsura Viewing Project - A cool blog that's been going through the entirety of the Urusei Yatsura anime from the beginning, reviewing each episode and comparing it to their manga counterparts. The guy writes some thoughtful opinions and is especially good and picking out visual details and references I never noticed before, and it's always fun to read. He's just finished up Mamoru Oshii's half of the show (aka up to episode 106), and should have a write-up out for the next episode up any day now. 

That's all I got for the moment. I could go on and on talking about things about this series and probably will in the future, but for now I'm glad to finally write about some of this stuff I've been thinking of for a while in regards to it. 

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Holy shit, that's a great write-up!

For a while now, I haven't had and still don't really have the means to watch anime online (since I have no Internet access outside of my cell phone data plan) and don't have the funds to buy too much stuff since I've joined a tuition program and am focused on studying hard everyday until I pass my NAPLEX. Once that's done,  though, you have my promise that UY will be the first new series that I start.

[Foggle]

Damn dude, how have you been able to make long, grammatically correct posts with images in them on your cell phone? I'm impressed!

My phone takes about five minutes to load a page on here, and only allows me to actually post half the time.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

It's an acquired skill.

[gunswordfist]

I'm terrible on my phone.