It has been a while since I have picked up writing a blog post. Earlier this year I moved out into a different city with my boyfriend, which involved hard work such as joining our manga collections. I simultaneously got a new job and I needed a few months to settle in.
Japanese music and anime are two things I never stopped caring about, even during those busier times. Back in May I decided to start watching Urusei Yatsura (うる星やつら). A reboot of the 80's classic anime had just been announced and even though I had just finished a long series, I was ready to jump into another one. I am now left with only 18 episodes to finish the main series, and will be ready to start the new anime as soon as it begins airing on October 14th.
There are many things I love about Urusei Yatsura: the 80's idol references (of course), the aesthetics, the social criticism, and even though it can be repetitive, it was interesting enough that it always kept me going. It is comfortable to come back home after a day of work and knowing there is an episode of Urusei Yatsura waiting for me with its characters and their specific type of jokes.
My favorite character in the anime is Lum, which is an uninteresting choice, I guess, but I do feel like she is the most interesting character in the series. I have not watched all the movies yet, but I believe they will only reinforce that opinion. I like seeing her all relaxed while chaos ensues (until her Darling starts girl-hunting again).
Lum's voice is lovely, courtesy of Fumi Hirano (平野文). In this post I am showcasing the insert song Fushigi Kirei (ふしぎ・きれい) that shows up in some of the later episodes. It is a simple, relaxing synth-pop piece where Hirano alias Lum exposes the unpredictability and beauty of the human (Earthling) heart. Lyrics are by Tokuhisa Kobashi (小橋徳久, not sure about the reading since he does not have any other credits), arrangement by Bun Itakura (板倉文). The composer is actually Yuko Matsutani (松谷祐子), better known for borrowing her vocals to the classic opening theme Lum no Love Song.
I finish with this amazing video of a TV show aired in 2019, featuring several works by mangaka Rumiko Takahashi, where the voice actors for Lum and Ataru reunite to enact some lines of their characters. It is unbelievable how similar their voices are after almost 40 years.
Hello, Joana and good to hear from you again. I hope that you and your boyfriend have been able to settle in nicely in your new community. "Fushigi Kirei" is a very nostalgic sounding synthpop piece for me, remembering all of those synths from the 1980s. Indeed, Lum is most likely one of the iconic characters from manga and anime. I'm pretty sure that there is at least one Lum walking through a Comicon along with a Sailor Moon or two.
ReplyDeleteThanks very much for the article.