A classic romantic comedy with plenty of innuendo and hijinks, Urusei Yatsura (US title often listed as Those Obnoxious Aliens or simply Lum) is a fun romp through insanity lasting nearly 200 television episodes, six movies, and an OVA series. It’s probably the best known of the creations by Rumiko Takahashi, who also created other favorites of mine, including Ranma 1/2 and Maison Ikkoku.
(Updated from a 2003 post with more anime titles.)
Story Intro
An unlucky high-school lecher named Ataru is chosen at random to participate in a race to save Earth from invasion by a group of alien Oni (demons). Initially he refuses, but when he sees the opponent, a bikini-clad curvaceous oni-girl named Lum, he accepts. After all, the game is tag, and in order to win Earth’s safety he needs to grab her small horns — figuring he’d need to grab her body first. Unfortunately, no-one happened to mention that Lum could fly.
On the last day of the race, nearing sure defeat, Ataru’s girlfriend Shinobu promises to marry him if he can win the game. Spurred on by this (after all, we all know how marriage is consummated), he resolves to win by any means necessary, including a trick only a lecher would try. When that trick works, and Ataru wins the game, he declares that he can finally be married. Unfortunately, Lum misunderstands the declaration as a proposal and accepts; and she has a shocking method of retribution if her new fiancé even looks at another woman.
What’s a high-school lecher to do?
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One part Charlie’s Angels, one part Terminator, and one part Blade Runner, there have been two incarnations of the lovely-yet-deadly Knight Sabers: Bubblegum Crisis, an 8-episode OVA series (30-50 minutes each, and its sequel set of three OVAs Bubblegum Crash) taking place in 2030s Neo-Tokyo, and Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040, a retelling of the story in a half-hour TV format. The original series also released a pair of music video collections with some new animation (and a couple live concert clips) called “Hurricane Live!”, named after the first episode’s theme song, “Konya wa Hurricane (There’s a Hurricane Tonight)”.
(Updated from an earlier 2003 version with recent anime titles.)
Story Intro
The nightly grind for our heroines-in-armour — Sylia, Priss, Linna, and Nene — includes chasing down rogue robots called “boomers” and hiding their identities from the AD Police (who now have their own anime spinoff series) and the press. One developing plot point, expecially in the second series, is the relationship between Sylia, her father (the creator of boomer technology), and her younger brother, Mackie. Another is the nature of the suits themselves, quite the “using fire to fight fire” approach.
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Lupin the Third, a master thief, has enjoyed more than 40 years of action and gadgets galore, spanning a long series of books by Kazuhiko Kato writing under the pen-name Monkey Punch, TV appearances, videos, movies, and games. Most of the movies and feature-length specials also feature opening sequences similar to the James Bond franchise, some with more obvious references. The names Lupin the 3rd and Lupin III are also common variations even in the Japanese originals.
Story Intro
Always out to snag the latest mystery treasure, Lupin and his allies (or enemies, depending on the take) are tracked by the ever-vigilant Interpol detective Zenigata. Along the way they inevitably find true villains to defeat and innocents to defend, relying on their charm, weapons and gadget skills, or just sheer blind luck.
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Faithfully following the art (if not the full story) in the original books by Kosuke Fujishima, the short video series Aa! Megami-sama (translated as both Ah! My Goddess and Oh My Goddess! here in the US), follows the romance and comedy involved when three goddesses become involved with an ordinary mortal and a college motor club — similar to an animated Bewitched mixed with a bit of Tenchi Muyo!. Fujishima also created two other favorites, both involving fast cars and pretty girls, You’re Under Arrest and eX-Driver.
(Updated from an earlier April 2003 version with recent anime titles.)
Story Intro
When dialing for take-out food, Keiichi misdialed and got himself a visit from a goddess to grant him any one wish he desired. Thinking this was all a joke put on by his college dorm-mates, he decided to call the goddess’s “bluff” and made his wish: for a girlfriend exactly like her.
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