Lamù: Beautiful Dreamer

I went into this film knowing almost nothing about "Urusei Yatsura" - literally just recognized Lum and Ataru from pop culture. For some reason, I decided to jump straight into the second movie without any background. I had seen people on Twitter calling it "a film that flopped on release but later became a cult classic," and that intrigued me enough to check it out.

The verdict? It was absolutely fantastic! I think my lack of familiarity with the source material actually helped me enjoy it more, allowing me to experience Mamoru Oshii's vision without any preconceptions. In fact, I'd argue newcomers might appreciate this film more than hardcore fans of the series.

What surprised me most was how horror-influenced it felt. The scene with the carnival performers wandering through the empty town was genuinely creepy, and the hibernation pod awakening sequence gave me serious chills. The blurring between dreams and reality reminded me a lot of "A Nightmare on Elm Street," with a similar unsettling atmosphere I wasn't expecting.

It's mind-blowing that this came out in 1984 - nine years before "Groundhog Day" popularized the time loop concept in Western cinema! The ending sequence where dreams keep repeating also reminded me of the "Infinity Train" arc in "Demon Slayer." This film's influence on later works must be enormous.

The visuals are absolutely stunning. The empty night school, Lum floating before the massive water tank - the film creates this dreamlike, ethereal beauty that completely captivated me. I loved Oshii's philosophical questioning throughout (the nature of dreams vs. Reality). The concept that an "unchanging daily life" seems appealing but actually prevents growth is pretty profound.

One line that really struck me was when Ataru says: "To keep loving someone, I need to remain free from them." That resonated far beyond just romance - it speaks to all relationships. The idea that maintaining some independence is crucial to truly loving someone... I found that incredibly relatable.

Seeing Lum in a school uniform instead of her usual tiger bikini was also a refreshing change (even with my limited knowledge, I knew about her iconic outfit, lol). She looked cute in the uniform too!

I can totally understand why hardcore fans might have been upset - "This isn't Urusei Yatsura!" - but as a newcomer, I appreciated Oshii using these characters to express his unique artistic vision. It felt like watching an experimental arthouse film that happened to feature familiar characters.

After it ended, I felt this lingering sense of "Wait, is the reality I'm in right now actually real?" It's incredible that an anime from 40+ years ago doesn't feel dated at all - if anything, it feels fresh and thought-provoking even by today's standards.

For my Twitter follow-up, I'm planning to write: "I get why it flopped initially, but I totally understand why it later became considered a masterpiece." I'd recommend this to anyone, even without knowledge of the original series. A genuine classic of animation that deserves more attention in the West!

its a prelude through the whole thing. this movie contains the core characters of urusei yatsura, involving an old japanese legend of dreams. when you dream, the demon, mujacki, visits you. he makes you ride a turtle to dragon palace. there, you play in your dream till you wake up. this has the updated animation, as well, which is, better. the dubbed and subtitled is so different from one another in dialogue. one problem i can see most people having is that this particular title might confuse people throughout the movie. in the end, it kind of makes sense. to those who have seen this, but didn't understand that race with lum, that was from the first episode.

It's hard to describe the effect that first seeing this movie had on me the first time I saw it five years ago, but it's something that's stuck with me at the very least.

This was the first bit of UY I ever saw, and I quickly became addicted to the series because of it. The animation is wonderful, the characters are all nifty, and the mysteries that abound in the story are all intriguing. I sometimes find myself just randomly whistling the music from this movie as it's so... so simply wonderful. The film is just beautiful in every chord, like a concerto or a painting. It's art.

This is one of my favorite movies ever. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Rating: 10/10 - Perfect.

This is widely held to be one of the finest of the Urusei Yatsura movies, although rumor has it that creator Takahashi Rumiko was not overly fond of how it turned out. Along with the slapstick romantic comedy that is the UY hallmark, "Beautiful Dreamer" features a deeper, more philosophical note. Those who have seen some of television episodes and rejected it as being too simple or childish owe it to themselves to reserve final judgement until they have seen this movie.

In a nutshell, the story begins much like any other UY storyline. It's the day before the school cultural fair, with all of the craziness which that entails, and the usual gang of idiots is getting their cafe ready. But some strange things are going on - a tank which was destroyed yesterday is whole again this morning. And wasn't YESTERDAY the day before the fair? And why do all roads return to Tomobiki High School? The only two people who seem to be aware of the problem, moreover, are school nurse Sakura and every student's nemesis Onsen-Mark.

This sets up an exploration into the meaning of reality and dream, and the place of love within each. With lots of Takahashi's visual references and sight-gags, this is a film that NEEDS to be watched more than once - it's just not possible to catch everything the first time!

Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer features a few mild curses and comic-book violence, but has nothing that would be offensive to most people. The storyline, however, because of its frequent blurring of fantasy and reality might prove a bit hard to understand to some younger viewers.

I have tried writing much for it, but it is difficult to find a way to properly describe the charm of this film. There is the discordant atmosphere that feels almost unsettling, a surprisingly thoughtful handling of a more difficult material, a fantastic score that gives life to energetic and wonderfully animated sequences, and a powerful ending that acknowledges the fourth wall in a clever, unique way. As to not ruin one's enjoyment of this film, I will give simple guidelines that a viewer may find useful as opposed to an extensive review.

For those who have watched/read and loved Urusei Yatsura, Beautiful Dreamer is a film first and Urusei Yatsura second. While it has very much the same characters and they aren't understood particularly badly, the plot distances itself from the general atmosphere of the series quite a lot. If you enjoyed the more quirky story arcs with time travel and alternate universes, this is a film version of such arcs with improved depth and exploration of the themes.

For the fans of Oshii Mamoru and those who've watched Ghost in the Shell, the fact that they've been directed by the same director really shows. While a very early work in his career, many of the posthumanist themes discussed in his later films are apparent in Beautiful Dreamer. In contrast, it lacks the political tone of his future works, as well as missing the more esoteric and avantgarde style that he would adapt later. If you found his films difficult to watch but was interested in some of the ideas he developed, it's a good film to start with.

For those who are just looking for a good movie to watch, give it a go. While not a film for everyone, it by no means is difficult or esoteric. That could perhaps be the largest difference between this film and others that explore similar themes, and often to more depth; at the end of the day, Beautiful Dreamer is a bit of unserious entertainment that has a powerful spark of creativity. It's a little inexperienced, inconsistent and experimental, and that's maybe why we like it so much.