Urusei Yatsura (2022) – Season 1 Episode 13 Recap & Review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e50Mvp76Fuc

The Great-Off Campus Snack Battle / A Gift From Ten

Episode 13 of Urusei Yatsura begins with Ataru’s teacher (Mr. Onsen) holding a meeting between faculty. They plan to assault anyone who tries to break snacking rules established during the school’s lunch break sessions. Someone from Ataru’s class informs the others, and Ataru rallies his class to prepare for battle.

When the bell goes off, the students prepare to break the snack rules. However, Mendo has students capture them before they commit the act. He informs them that he’s formed a group called the Covert Civility Patrol to prevent students from breaking the rules. Ataru, Lum, and the others slip past them. Mendo notices them escaping and has his group track them down. Ataru and the others head for the Cat Diner to get some snacks.

Little do they know, Mr. Onsen set the place up as a trap for them. The Cat Diner waitress tries to give Ataru hints that Mr. Onsen has devised a scheme to capture him and the others. Unfortunately, Ataru interprets her gesture as expressing love for him. However, he looks at his palm and realizes she handed him a message telling him and the others to run. Mr. Onsen tries to grab them, but Ataru and the others flee. Shinobu and the other group tell Ataru that the other diners have been blocked off.

Mendo tries stopping them from the front, but Shinobu and the others girls coerce him into letting them go. He lets Lum through too. Ataru and his boys dress up like girls to slip past Mendo. Ataru and his friends head to another diner and spot Mr. Onsen capturing some students. Before he can get his hands on them, a detective and police officer catch him and interrogate him because they believe he’s a pervert because of his odd cat costume.

The officer escorts Mr. Onsen away. Suddenly, more students come rushing toward Ataru and the others, and they join them. While hiding, a shop owner tells Ataru and the others to hide in his shop. Ataru spots one of his teachers tied up as the shopowner confirms he performed the act. A waitress hands Ataru a drink, and he tries flirting with her. The cook finishes Lum’s spicy food, and she injects it into Ataru’s mouth. Ataru rushes out of the diner begging for water with Lum trailing him from behind.

The students and staff make one final stand against each other. This segment concludes with both factions calling it quits and planning to start another round tomorrow. The next set piece starts with the girls and Ten spending time at a diner. Ataru spies on them behind the window and wonders how Ten can grab the attention of so many women. The girls discuss Sakura’s fiance, Tsubame, and she shows them a picture of her and him together. She confirms that Tsubame dabbles in black magic and likes wearing capes.

Ten whips out his Galactic Online Shopping Center device, and we receive a commercial for a product called the Lovey-Dovey Crystal Ball. The product has the power to determine if you’re significant other is a perfect match for you or not. Sakura thinks it’s a garbage device, but Ten orders it anyways. Although Sakura doesn’t want it, Shinobu asks for it instead. Ten tells her to look into its eye and whoever she sees is the man she’s destined to marry.

Shinobu’s surprised by who she sees, enticing Lum to check for herself. She sees Rei and is flabbergasted. Ran checks the eye and sees Ataru. Sakura looks up and notices all three girls are devastated by who they saw. Lum and Ran don’t want to tell each other who they saw. Shinobu wants to leave because she saw Tsubami and feels they’re too far apart in age to date. This angers Sakura, who checks the ball for herself. She notices Ataru and Mendo in the ball and is completely stunned.

Meanwhile, Tsubami, Mendo, and Ataru hide under the table to spy on the girls. Sakura spots Mendo and Ataru under the table and tells them to hear her out. She refuses to believe that she’s destined to be with them because of their age differences. She tells them it’s a serious crime and that she doesn’t want to end up in prison. Lum starts yelling at Sakura but gets into a conflict with Ran because she saw Rei. Ten leaves the shop as he doesn’t want to start any more trouble.

Suddenly, a news broadcast appears on Ten’s device, alarming buyers that they shipped out the Trouble-Couple Crystal Ball instead of the real product. This ball shows people they should avoid marrying at all costs. The shopkeeper sends the real product to all his buyers. Ten receives the product but chooses to let the insanity ensue. The episode ends with Lum shocking the daylights out of Ataru and Ten wanting to buy a new fantasy gum product from the shop owner.

The Episode Review

Urusei Yatsura continues showering folks with more wholesome and goofy shenanigans. While it doesn’t offer anything significant to the overarching plot, it gives viewers some funny scenes worth giggling at.

On the other hand, the episode gives us more insight into Sakura’s fiance and shows that he has a devotion to spiritual activities like herself.

Besides that, it appears we’re simply stuck in an episodic bubble, which slightly worries me. The series is at its best when we’re focusing on Lum and Ataru’s progress as a couple. It’s been a while since the shows stayed on that trajectory and judging by how recent episodes have gone, it doesn’t feel like we’re leaning into that anymore.

Overall, this episode contained some enjoyable humor, charming moments, and great messages. We receive some insight into Sakura’s romantic development with her fiance and some wholesome segments with Ten. Unfortunately, the show seems to be teetering toward feeling more episodic.

It’s starting to lose sight of what many fans want most and that’s more drama and growth for Ataru and Lum and their relationship. Hopefully, future episodes can get the series back on track.