#70s manga

Can I be real with y'all for a second?

So as y'all know I’ve been reading Urusei Yatsura lately and I’ve been slowly becoming endeared to the main character Ataru and the reason for why is stuff like this:

Like Ataru doesn’t know this monster, and he has every right to stay out of the situation of Mendo kicking this little monster out of his family’s hotel’s pool. But instead he sticks up for this monster and speaks up for him trying to plead for him in a way. And this isn’t the only time he’s done something like this in the series I’ve noticed.

There was also the time when he’d adopted a caterpillar in the earlier parts of the series and he took care of it and feed it and gave it love. And when the caterpillar had started trouble the whole class turned against it and wanted to literally kill it. And what does Ataru do?

He says no and sticks up for this smaller creature. Like he literally fights his entire classroom just for this one caterpillar and is downright horrified in a way when they want to kill it.

It’s little stuff like this that makes Ataru so endearing and charming to me. Like he doesn’t have to do this stuff yet he does without thinking too much about the consequences. Ataru Moroboshi can be a major pervert and an asshat at times, but it’s moments like this that show us that underneath those things is actually a somewhat kind guy who’ll fight for those who in a way can’t fight for themselves.

And I find that trait of his very admirable. And it’s this trait that most likely makes Lum love him the way she does.

So volume eight of Urusei Yatsura has been making me lowkey irritated because its cover looked so fucking familiar to me and for the past few days it’d been bugging me until I remembered where I’d seen it from. Presenting the cover of volume eight of Urusei Yatsura-

And now presenting the cover of volume one of Inuyasha-

I see what you did there Viz Media you thought I wouldn’t figure it out jokes on you bitches I win-!!!!

So I’d just gotten to the chapter Darling in Danger! In the Urusei Yatsura manga and like this chapter-

Seeing Lum so desperately trying to find Ran because Ataru’s life is on the line and literally running around this huge forest just to save his life-

Only to get that flatline from her machine telling her that she failed (even though she didn’t really) just……

Her face says it all. Lum is devastated by the possibility of Ataru’s death. Like she just stops functioning entirely as soon as she processes what she’s looking at. Like this chapter really nailed it in for me that Lum’s feelings for Ataru are 110% real. This isn’t a crush she’s got, no she’s head over heels in love with him and the thought of him no longer being there in her life is something she can’t imagine.

Just holy shit Rumiko Takahashi really nailed it and this chapter surprisingly hurt even though it’s a comedy. Well done holy fuck.

Edit:

RUMIKO TAKAHASHI WHY DID YOU MAKE ME CRY AND HURT ME IN THIS WAY?????

THE RELIEF ON HER FACE AND THE WAY SHE LIKE SHAKES FROM ALL THE EMOTIONS THAT HIT HER AT ONCE. AND THE WAY ATARU LET’S HER HUG HIM BECAUSE HE HAS NO IDEA WHAT’S GOING ON BUT HE KNOWS SOMETHING’S WRONG BECAUSE SHE’S LIKE A FUCKING WRECK AND OMFG MRS. TAKAHASHI YOU HAD NO RIGHT TO MAKE ME GET SO EMOTIONAL OVER THESE TWO I HAVEN’T BEEN THIS EMOTIONAL OVER A COUPLE LIKE THIS SINCE KAGOME AND INUYASHA FUCK ME DUDE-