Urusei Yatsura

Episode 32

This episode marks the end of the Multiple Futures arc. You could consider this the longest-running skit or story arc in the entire reboot since it spans over two episodes worth of content, and because of that, I had relatively high expectations. It had a strong start and a muddy middle, but does it stick the landing in the end? I think so, and I have to give it props for resolving things in a surprisingly wholesome way.

I thought the main emotional crux of this episode was going to revolve around Shinobu, and while she does get… something by the end, I am happy the show kept the focus primarily on Ataru and Lum. They are desperate to find their ideal futures, with Lum thinking that hers is marrying Ataru while Ataru wants a harem. Introducing the concept of creating a future by fastening a personal door knob to one of the transdimensional doors was a cute idea. I wanted to see Lum's potential future, but it's nice to know that her ideal future was already out there, and it's a future that Ataru doesn't seem to be completely against. There are a lot of subtle character moments for Ataru throughout this season that I think do a better job of characterizing how he feels about Lum. Ataru is a horny teenager, and all he wants to do is pick up girls. It's implied that he grows out of that once he eventually settles down with somebody, and that makes sense, but I like the idea that his ideal future of having a harem is seemingly only possible when Lum isn't in it. He can only sustain that lifestyle by throwing her under the bus, which he hates.

There's a surprising amount of guilt swirling around Ataru throughout this episode. There's a moment where he's complaining to himself about how it's seemingly Lum's fault for falling in love with him despite her also knowing that he's kind of shitty. I might be reading too much into it, but I can't help but take that as a sign that he thinks Lum would be better off without him. It's her fault that she's unhappy because she keeps pursuing someone even though that person doesn't think it is worth it. It's surprisingly self-deprecating, but that characterization makes moments where he's trying to preserve the relationship even better. I get the feeling that he wasn't trying to save that door from being destroyed because it just made him happy; he did it because he saw how happy Lum was, and she recognized that. Do I think this will amount to much in next week's episode? Probably not, but it keeps the character consistent while also showing glimpses into how multi-layered they can be, which is much more than I expected from this comedy gag series.

The show also tries to give Shinobu what she wants out of the future. Her resolution is acceptable, but it feels like she is resolving an arc she didn't need to go through. Ataru and Lum's arcs are about pursuing a dedicated future, while Shinobu doesn't know what she wants out of the future, and that's a good contrast. It's cute that her ideal future mirrors what she already goes through every day and that she doesn't want things to change. That's very relatable and would've been stronger if we hadn't also set up this romance with Inaba. He seems like an okay guy, but it's hard to feel bad for him when almost everything in this episode is arguably his fault. The episode was trying to vilify his coworkers as they were chasing after them. Still, they had every right to be pissed because Inaba was constantly making the situation more complicated. I didn't even feel bad when he made his noble sacrifice at the end of the episode because I knew the minute the scene cut, he would be fine, and I was right.

It would be nice to see dedicated episodes of Shinobu and Inaba outside of all of this alternate-reality stuff. It's probably impossible because of his job. If the whole idea is that the day-to-day life of Shinobu is a lot more fun and valuable than she initially gave credit for, then actually being a part of it would probably go a long way in making me buy their relationship prospects a lot better. Assuming that Shinobu will get more significant development for the rest of the series, and given how large the cast is, there's a good chance that arc is supposed to be it. But I've been wrong before!

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Urusei Yatsura is currently streaming on HIDIVE.