Lamu: Un rêve sans fin

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.

Urusei Yatsura 2, the second in a line of six films that follow the television series of the same name, takes a bit more serious, philosophical approach to the plot than the average television episode.

For those who haven't seen the television show, it's a comedy about Ataru, at his high school. When aliens come down to Earth, threatening destruction, the only way to stop them is if Ataru can defeat the alien princess, Lum, in a game of tag. Due to a mix up, after Ataru wins, Lum believes she is also destined to be his wife.

Anyway, with that back story out of the way, the rest of the movie can be easily understood by anyone not familiar with the series. The plot is very funny and thoughtful at the same time. It may take a couple of viewings to get the whole picture and all of its little nuances, but all in all, it's a wonderful little film and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys a dose of philosophy with their slapstick.

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.

For the record, I saw the dubbed version of this movie. The American voices are pretty good, but I still like the Japanese ones better.

Ataru and Lum's voices are in the spirit of their JP counterparts, but Lum just sounds a bit off. The NA voice, while still very good, just doesn't have that super sweet, cuteness her JP voice has. Atuaru's voice suits him, but doesn't quite give off that air of lechery his JP voice does. The other voice are all well done, with Sakura, Perm, Ten and Mendou being especially good. Mendou's VA really captures his arrogance.

As for the story, the only thing I can really compare it to is "Dark City." I know UY and Dark City are about as far apart as you can get, but both movies really convey the whole "What is a dream? What is real?" idea. While I was disappointed that this movie didn't have the wild physical antics we see on the show, I found myself enjoying the intelligent and philosophical script.

Overall, this film has a few flaws but I enjoyed it a lot. "Beautiful Dreamer" should be in the library of any anime fan.