Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Urusei Yatsura Movie 2: Beautiful Dreamer Blu-ray Movie Review

Urusei Yatsura: Beautiful Dreamer – Movie 2 is the second theatrical film in the beloved anime film franchise. Created by Rumiko Takahashi, Urusei Yatsura: Beautiful Dreamer – Movie 2 is produced by Kitty Films (Maison Ikkoku, Ranma ½), Pierrot (Fushigi Yugi, Yu Yu Hakusho), and TOHO (Akira, Lupin III: Dead or Alive). Executive produced by Hidenori Taga (Maison Ikkoku, Urusei Yatsura: Lum The Forever), Urusei Yatsura: Beautiful Dreamer – Movie 2 is an entertaining follow up to the first feature-film, Urusei Yatsura: Only You.

The second film was released in Japanese cinemas on February 11^th, 1984. Urusei Yatsura: Beautiful Dreamer – Movie 2 includes elements of horror-fantasy and is a bit of a unique departure from the first theatrical adventure. Urusei Yatsura: Beautiful Dreamer – Movie 2 features a voice-cast including Toshio Furukawa, Fumi Hirano, Issei Futamata, Kazuko Sugiyama, Machiko Washio, Mayumi Tanaka, Michihiro Ikemizu, Shigeru Chiba, Shinji Nomura, and Takuya Fujioka.

The school year has begun and things are getting started on a new note. Tomobiki High students are determined to prepare for the big school festival. There’s an abundance of work left to be done by students of Tomobiki High and the students won’t rest until things are ready to shine. Ataru (Toshio Furukawa), Lum (Fumi Hirano) Shuutarou Mendou (Akira Kamiya), Shinobu Miyake (Saeko Shimazu), and the rest of the gang are working together to try and prep things.

The grand opening is happening around the corner and there is no sleep for the weary. Yet a strange thing occurs – something no one expected – when the entire city is dead silent the following morning. Instead of laughter and happiness at the festivities, the town builds are entirely vacant and the town has a ghost-like quality. Is everyone in Tomobiki High dreaming or is something sinister and eerie at play? Fantasy and reality intermingle and the stakes become grander than ever before.

The second film continues to be a great showcase for the ensemble cast of characters. The characters add a lot of charm to the filmmaking with their quirky mannerisms. The offbeat comedy is something channeled through the characters and this is a huge part of the charm. Lum and Ataru are especially important to the film and their unique charms as characters makes the film all the more fun for the audience.

The character designs by Akemi Takada (Kimagure Orange Road, Patlabor: The Movie) add a lot to the production, too. The designs are creative and stylish. The characters all have great style – showcasing their personalities in spades. Takada did a fantastic job with the film while staying true to the vision of the original manga.

The animation is superb and has an array of fantastic layers. The animation features art direction by Shichirō Kobayashi (Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro, Kimagure Orange Road). The animation direction was handled by Kazuo Yamazaki (Urusei Yatsura, Mobile Suit Gundam) and Yuji Moriyama (Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone, Project A- ko). The animation team did incredible work. The entire team of animators brought their A-game to the production and the sense of creativity on display brings an abundance of charm to the filmmaking. The background animation is especially creative and it makes the filmmaking have a more exciting undercurrent – one that sometimes delves into a realm of more mysterious fantasy and horror elements that aren’t present in the first theatrical feature-film. The animators did something compelling here and the results impress in spades.

The cinematography by Akio Wakana (Urusei Yatsura: Remember My Love, Sherlock Hound) is one of the most visually rewarding elements of the film. Wakana has a keen visual sensibility and the style of the cinematography stays true to the vision of the anime series while bringing out the best of the film’s imaginative animation. Exquisite art through-and-through – there is so much to appreciate here.

The score composed by Katsu Hoshi (Urusei Yatsura, Ping Pong Club) is a beautiful highlight and one of the most rewarding parts of the film. Hoshi is a talented composer and someone with a knack for the blend of action and comedy required in the film. The score has such a breezy sense of energy that it envelops one with charm in spades.

Written and directed by Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell, Patlabor: The Movie), Urusei Yatsura: Beautiful Dreamer – Movie 2 is even more ambitious than the first theatrical-feature in the film franchise. The filmmaking is top-notch. Oshii is one of the most talented of all anime directors. Exploring the world of this quirky tale, Oshii has a blast as a visual storyteller and provides compelling comedic gags and scenes of action-packed mayhem alongside some spooky and otherworldly elements, too. Outstanding filmmaking and the film arguably bests the first film in the franchise. A must-see.

Urusei Yatsura Movie 2: Beautiful Dreamer Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Discotek Media, Urusei Yatsura: Beautiful Dreamer – Movie 2 is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in a theatrical aspect ratio of 1.74:1 widescreen. The presentation on the release is reasonably impressive with a naturally filmic image. The scan has showcased the cinematography of the print with natural film grain and detail left intact. Color reproduction is somewhat mixed as the scan looks a little dated and colors are not quite as robust looking as during the television series or the first theatrical film. The release seems to come from an older high-definition source. The animation still looks beautiful but one can't help but wish for an even better 4K remaster (down the road). Nonetheless, the best the film has looked on home media to date.

Urusei Yatsura Movie 2: Beautiful Dreamer Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: Japanese uncompressed PCM 2.0 Mono (restored version) (with English subtitles), Japanese uncompressed PCM 2.0 Mono (unrestored version) (with English Subtitles), Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound (with English audio), and English uncompressed PCM 2.0 Mono. The release impresses with a nice variety of audio options. The surround sound Japanese language track provides an immersive audio experience. The surrounds are actively engaged and the use of sound effects alongside the score provides a more engaging thrill ride. Showcasing the sound direction by Shigeharu Shiba (Future Boy Conan, Ranma ½), Urusei Yatsura: Beautiful Dreamer – Movie 2 sounds great and has excellent encoding by Discotek Media.

Urusei Yatsura Movie 2: Beautiful Dreamer Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Feature Commentary with Director Mamoru Oshii

Japanese Theatrical Trailer (HD, 2:02)

English Trailer (SD, 1:32)

Liner Notes includes 10 click-through slides.

Vintage English Credits (SD, 4:25)

Urusei Yatsura Movie 2: Beautiful Dreamer Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Urusei Yatsura: Beautiful Dreamer – Movie 2 is an outstanding film and a wonderful follow-up to the first film in the beloved anime franchise. The film brings back director Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell) and the filmmaker has a blast exploring these characters again – with a film that is even more inventive and creative than the first. The filmmaking even blends some nice spooky elements, too.

The Blu-ray release provides a solid high-definition presentation (though a brand new 4K remaster would be most welcome) and excellent lossless audio. The release also comes with a nice assortment of supplements, providing an audio commentary with director Mamoru Oshii alongside a selection of liner notes on the film. Highly recommended.