My favorite martian
Posted: Sun Nov 12, 2006 10:47 pm
AnimEigo's had the last set of Lum DVD's out since early in the year, and of course I watched them as a death row inmate enjoys his final meal. I couldn't bring myself to discuss it before, but I feel like I am finally beginning to recover from this loss enough to reflect. (Spoilers ensue.)
To my intense relief, there's no conclusion of any kind, either in the TV series or the Final Chapter movie. Lum and Ataru don't even kiss (not in the movie, anyway, and there's no real build-up to the kiss in the final TV episode). This, of course is as it should be, because a conclusion would utterly betray everything the series is about. Even though I can no longer bear witness, it is essential to my emotional well-being to know that somewhere, in some fictitious alternate universe, where it is still 1984, high madness of all manner is still transpiring in the embattled town of Tomobiki, and it's going to be that way until the end of time itself (and just maybe beyond that).
About the closest thing we get to any kind of a closure is that Tsubame finally gives Sakura a ring, so now they're officially engaged (I had already assumed they were, myself). The big kicker for me is that we finally learn Megane's real name (Satoshi). I also noticed on the Japanese wikipedia that names are given for the other three stormtroopers: Chibi is Akira and Kakugari is Hiroyuki while Perm, interestingly, is Kosuke. I never read much of the original manga, but apparently Kosuke is a regular character who usually has his roles filled in the anime by Perm. This is the first evidence I've seen that they're meant to be the same character. I wonder where the information comes from?
I'd heard that the fifth movie was supposed to be all that, but I didn't care for it myself. It's essentially a rehash of the first movie except not nearly as good. I know that storyline didn't happen in the manga (which the fifth movie is based on), but I don't even think it was well-directed. I think the Inaba TV special would've made a much better final movie if it didn't focus so heavily on Shinobu (even the animation is better).
I did, however, like the fourth movie, which is meant to suck. In fact, I liked it alot. Yamazaki is a talented director even standing in Oshii's shadow, and all I wanted was to see him take off on his own tangent the way Oshii did in Beautiful Dreamer (with stunning results). And that's exactly what happened and I loved it. It does lose focus toward the end and the climax makes no sense at all (I'm talking, like, Kojima Metal Gear nonsensical), but the whole thing is so 80's anime sci-fi weird it doesn't really matter. It's the sort of thing you would've expected to see on the Sci-fi Saturday Anime. It's no Beautiful Dreamer and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone except Lum fans, but if you consider yourself among these ranks, it's essential viewing. Supposedly Yamazaki later admitted in an interview that at the time, he was exhausted and disgusted with the fan base so he basically destroyed the entire UY universe as a wake-up call. Evidently he didn't think about the fact that, based on the series track record, viewers would have no reason at all not to assume that the rubble of Tomobiki would have returned to its original state in the next episode with no further explanations required. You're my boy, Kazuo, I don't care what anybody says.
Anyway, having viewed the series in its entirety at least twice (some of my favorite episodes I've seen many more times than that), I've tried to select a single episode as my personal favorite. Which I can't. UY has become such an emotional security blanket for me that I've found I adore even the episodes that aren't very good for no good reasons. I don't want to call it my favorite, but if there's any one episode that sticks in my head as a perfect example of the series in general, it's the Ryoko Christmas tree episode. That's vintage Lum running on all cylinders all the way through.
And then there are the girls. Many long hours have I considered this. Benten, I think, is the the hottest (and, coincidentally, shows tit more often than any other character) and special mention must go to Ryoko, whose criminally sadistic hobbies have comprised many of my very favorite episodes. But at the end of the day, my woman is definitely Oyuki. You just don't mess with the snow lady. She's beautiful and sophisticated and doesn't hesitate to encase her transgressors in ice without so much as furrowing a brow. Truly a woman of action, not words, who commands the respect of all around her (except Ataru, of course, but I noticed even he tends to be a bit reticent when clinging to her).
Is there anyone else here who understands? Zeta? Kishi? I can't handle this alone.
Also, while we're on the subject, look at this: http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/ikkokukan/
I thought that was just a rumor, but it looks like they're really doing it. They're still announcing the actors, so I guess production hasn't started yet. So far only Kyoko and Godai have been announced... I assume that's them at the bottom of the page. I am satisfied with both - Godai looks like he's already in costume, there - but any two-bit schnooks with a few years of drama lessons could play Kyoko and Godai. Casting the other tenants is going to be the real challenge.
I know I'm setting myself up for disappointment, but I'm excited. Giddy even. I hope they preserve the era and don't try to make it like a "Maison Ikkoku in the 2000's".
To my intense relief, there's no conclusion of any kind, either in the TV series or the Final Chapter movie. Lum and Ataru don't even kiss (not in the movie, anyway, and there's no real build-up to the kiss in the final TV episode). This, of course is as it should be, because a conclusion would utterly betray everything the series is about. Even though I can no longer bear witness, it is essential to my emotional well-being to know that somewhere, in some fictitious alternate universe, where it is still 1984, high madness of all manner is still transpiring in the embattled town of Tomobiki, and it's going to be that way until the end of time itself (and just maybe beyond that).
About the closest thing we get to any kind of a closure is that Tsubame finally gives Sakura a ring, so now they're officially engaged (I had already assumed they were, myself). The big kicker for me is that we finally learn Megane's real name (Satoshi). I also noticed on the Japanese wikipedia that names are given for the other three stormtroopers: Chibi is Akira and Kakugari is Hiroyuki while Perm, interestingly, is Kosuke. I never read much of the original manga, but apparently Kosuke is a regular character who usually has his roles filled in the anime by Perm. This is the first evidence I've seen that they're meant to be the same character. I wonder where the information comes from?
I'd heard that the fifth movie was supposed to be all that, but I didn't care for it myself. It's essentially a rehash of the first movie except not nearly as good. I know that storyline didn't happen in the manga (which the fifth movie is based on), but I don't even think it was well-directed. I think the Inaba TV special would've made a much better final movie if it didn't focus so heavily on Shinobu (even the animation is better).
I did, however, like the fourth movie, which is meant to suck. In fact, I liked it alot. Yamazaki is a talented director even standing in Oshii's shadow, and all I wanted was to see him take off on his own tangent the way Oshii did in Beautiful Dreamer (with stunning results). And that's exactly what happened and I loved it. It does lose focus toward the end and the climax makes no sense at all (I'm talking, like, Kojima Metal Gear nonsensical), but the whole thing is so 80's anime sci-fi weird it doesn't really matter. It's the sort of thing you would've expected to see on the Sci-fi Saturday Anime. It's no Beautiful Dreamer and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone except Lum fans, but if you consider yourself among these ranks, it's essential viewing. Supposedly Yamazaki later admitted in an interview that at the time, he was exhausted and disgusted with the fan base so he basically destroyed the entire UY universe as a wake-up call. Evidently he didn't think about the fact that, based on the series track record, viewers would have no reason at all not to assume that the rubble of Tomobiki would have returned to its original state in the next episode with no further explanations required. You're my boy, Kazuo, I don't care what anybody says.
Anyway, having viewed the series in its entirety at least twice (some of my favorite episodes I've seen many more times than that), I've tried to select a single episode as my personal favorite. Which I can't. UY has become such an emotional security blanket for me that I've found I adore even the episodes that aren't very good for no good reasons. I don't want to call it my favorite, but if there's any one episode that sticks in my head as a perfect example of the series in general, it's the Ryoko Christmas tree episode. That's vintage Lum running on all cylinders all the way through.
And then there are the girls. Many long hours have I considered this. Benten, I think, is the the hottest (and, coincidentally, shows tit more often than any other character) and special mention must go to Ryoko, whose criminally sadistic hobbies have comprised many of my very favorite episodes. But at the end of the day, my woman is definitely Oyuki. You just don't mess with the snow lady. She's beautiful and sophisticated and doesn't hesitate to encase her transgressors in ice without so much as furrowing a brow. Truly a woman of action, not words, who commands the respect of all around her (except Ataru, of course, but I noticed even he tends to be a bit reticent when clinging to her).
Is there anyone else here who understands? Zeta? Kishi? I can't handle this alone.
Also, while we're on the subject, look at this: http://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/ikkokukan/
I thought that was just a rumor, but it looks like they're really doing it. They're still announcing the actors, so I guess production hasn't started yet. So far only Kyoko and Godai have been announced... I assume that's them at the bottom of the page. I am satisfied with both - Godai looks like he's already in costume, there - but any two-bit schnooks with a few years of drama lessons could play Kyoko and Godai. Casting the other tenants is going to be the real challenge.
I know I'm setting myself up for disappointment, but I'm excited. Giddy even. I hope they preserve the era and don't try to make it like a "Maison Ikkoku in the 2000's".
