Urusei Yatsura Movie 1: Only You Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

Urusei Yatsura Movie 1: Only You Blu-ray Movie Review

Urusei Yatsura: Only You – Movie 1 is a comedy-fantasy film with a sense of adventure. Created by Rumiko Takahashi, Urusei Yatsura: Only You – Movie 1 is executive produced by Hidenori Taga (Maison Ikkoku, Urusei Yatsura: Lum The Forever). Produced by Kitty Films (Maison Ikkoku, Ranma ½) and Pierrot (Fushigi Yugi, Yu Yu Hakusho), Urusei Yatsura: Only You – Movie 1 was distributed in Japan by TOHO.

Urusei Yatsura: Only You – Movie 1 was released in Japanese cinemas on March 11^th, 1983. Urusei Yatsura: Only You – Movie 1 features a theme song performed by Izumi Kobayashi. Featuring a voice-cast that includes Yoshiko Sakakibara, Toshio Furukawa, Akira Kamiya, Hiroko Maruyama, Ichirō Nagai, Issei Futamata, Kazuko Sugiyama, Machiko Washio, Naoko Kyooda, Saeko Shimazu, Shigeru Chiba, Shinji Nomura, Yoshiko Sakakibara, You Inoue, and Yūko Mita, Urusei Yatsura: Only You – Movie 1 is a fun and engaging action-comedy for fans of the series and newcomers alike.

Elle du Rosenbach (Yoshiko Sakakibara) and Moroboshi Ataru (Toshio Furukawa) are set to get married soon. The unexpected wedding causes a stir of gossip and rumors across the entire city. Ataru is even surprised! The thing is – it all goes back to Ataru accidentally stepping on a shadow when he was younger. The shadow of a girl. A strange ceremony. Is that how wedding bells normally strike?

Yet the wedding might not go down exactly as originally planned with the arrival of alien girl Lum (Fumi Hirano). Lum has a way of getting in the way of things. Ataru now might become wed to Lum and have to go forth on a mission to save the love of Elle before it is too late – traveling to another planet in the process. Can Ataru be the hero and find love at the same time?

The characters are a huge part of the fun. The comedic elements at play between Lum and Ataru make the film all the more engaging. These characters certainly explore the comedic side, providing some nice laugh-out-loud moments. The character designs by Akemi Takada (Kimagure Orange Road, Patlabor: The Movie), Magoichi Takazawa (Be Forever Yamato, Folktales from Japan), and Shinya Takahashi (Aesop's World, Kurogane Communication) are great fun and true to the anime designs for the television series. The results are impressive and work well for the feature-film.

The animation for Urusei Yatsura: Only You – Movie 1 is exquisite and invigorating. The animation features art direction by Torao Arai (Ranma ½: Nihao My Concubine, Urusei Yatsura: Lum The Forever) and animation direction by Katsumi Aoshima (Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z), Magoichi Takazawa (Armitage III: Poly-Matrix, Lupin III: Seven Days Rhapsody), and Yuichi Endo (Urusei Yatsura, The Twelve Kingdoms). The art style is one of the best things about the film. The animation provides a sense of magic to the film.

The cinematography by Akio Wakana (Urusei Yatsura: Remember My Love, Sherlock Hound) is one of the most charming aspects. Wakana is a talented cinematographer and someone who has an understanding of the medium. The cinematographer certainly does a good job providing a nice and memorable aesthetic that makes the animation stand out all the more. A cinematographic style that capably highlights all the best elements of the production.

The original score composed by Fumitaka Anzai (Urusei Yatsura, Legend of Basara), Izumi Kobayashi, Kōji Nishimura (Urusei Yatsura, Urusei Yatsura OVA), and Masamichi Amano (Battle Royale, Battle Royale II: Requiem) is engaging and exciting. The score provides a nice sense of action-packed fun to the sci-fi mayhem. The comedic elements are enhanced by the music, too. The score brings some extra life – vitality – and depth to the production.

Written by Tomoko Konparu (Urusei Yatsura: Remember My Love, Urusei Yatsura: Always My Darling), Urusei Yatsura: Only You – Movie 1 is a great first feature in the theatrical film series. The film does recall elements of the television series but in a refreshing way. The filmmaking is excellent and adventurous. The script does a good job of exploring these characters through a fun lens.

Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell, Patlabor: The Movie) brings the film to life as the director of Urusei Yatsura: Only You. Oshii is one of the most talented of all anime filmmakers. Urusei Yatsura: Only You – Movie 1 is the theatrical- film debut of Oshii (who would become well-renowned over the years for his cutting-edge filmmaking in the anime industry). Oshii handled the storyboards for Urusei Yatsura: Only You – Movie 1 and brought a fun cinematic style to the filmmaking. Urusei Yatsura: Only You – Movie 1 provides an entertaining science-fiction adventure with plenty of style and fans of the franchise or of Oshii as a filmmaker should consider it an essential part of the canon of Urusei Yatsura.

Urusei Yatsura Movie 1: Only You Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Discotek Media, Urusei Yatsura: Only You – Movie 1 is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high- definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 widescreen. The Blu-ray provides a generally pleasing and satisfying presentation of the feature-film. The color reproduction appears excellent on the release. The colors appear robust and engaging during the transfer. The naturally filmic scan looks great and there is a healthy amount of film grain. The print does have occasional specks of dirt and debris and the scan is not as pristine or crisp as a 4K remaster might provide but the source-transfer looks excellent nonetheless. A quality encode by Discotek Media.

Urusei Yatsura Movie 1: Only You Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release provides a selection of lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles). The lossless audio sounds crisp and engaging on the release. Dialogue is clear and easy to understand. The score is well emphasized and benefits a great deal from the lossless encoding on the release. The sound direction by Shigeharu Shiba (Future Boy Conan, Ranma ½) is brought to life by the encoding as well and the film is all the more fun, engaging, and charming as a result. Discotek Media did a great job with the audio.

Urusei Yatsura Movie 1: Only You Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Theatrical Teaser (HD, 00:32)

Theatrical Trailer (HD, 2:04)

Theatrical Preview 1 (HD, 8:59)

Theatrical Preview 2 (HD, 6:50)

Urusei Yatsura Movie 1: Only You Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Urusei Yatsura: Only You – Movie 1 is an enormously entertaining and charming feature-film. The film has plenty of style and charm. The feature-film directorial debut of the great Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell, Patlabor: The Movie), Urusei Yatsura: Only You – Movie 1 is a must-see for both series fans and for die-hard Oshii fans too. The animation is exquisite and the hand- drawn animation provides a sense of wonder throughout the production. The Blu-ray release by Discotek Media provides a quality video and audio presentation. Highly recommended.