Home Is Where You Find It / Marine Garbage Disposal
Episode 7 of Urusei Yatsura begins with some fish-like monster noticing Ataru heading toward him. He’s bewildered by Ataru’s prescience since he’s never had someone visit him in a long time. Sometime earlier, Ataru arrives at Mendo’s family hotel’s pool area and can’t wait to converse with some ladies. He chats with Mendo and Cherry, who appear as vegetables in Ataru’s mind since he doesn’t want to see half-naked men. Lum and Shinobu arrive in their swimsuits, and Mendo compliments Lum on her attire. Shinobu threatens to hurt Mendo for not complimenting her, so he does so. Meanwhile, Sakura belittles the gang for their childish behavior. Ataru attempts to grab Sakura, but she knocks him into the pool. Lum glares at the water. She wonders if Sakura punched him too hard because he hasn’t returned for air. In the present, the water creature begs Ataru to stay and makes him some tea. Lum dives into the pool to rescue Ataru. The creature turns around and mistakes Lum for Ataru. Meanwhile, everyone is astounded by how many drinks Sakura had. Ataru returns to the surface and asks Sakura to exorcise a creature in the pool as he believes it’s a demon. Meanwhile, the monster prepares to get some snacks for Lum to eat. However, he learns he’s run out and promises to grab some more at the store up top. The monster reaches the surface and startles everyone. Meanwhile, Ataru and his friends head to exorcise the creature but discover it has departed. We receive banter between the characters as the fish monster heads toward them with more snacks. The monster can’t believe so many people are at his home. Eventually, they all spot the monster, and Mendo demands it to leave his family’s pool at once. The monster asks why, but Mendo can’t say because he needs some air. Mendo heads up top with the creature in his hand. More people see it and flee out of fear. Lum and Ataru feel terrible for the monster, but Mendo demands it leave. Mendo puts his foot down, resulting in the monster packing his belongings. Lum asks what it plans to do now, and the monster suggests he’ll search for a new peaceful home. Lum and Ataru wave goodbye to the monster and head home. Before Ataru showers, he spots the creature in his tub. This set piece concludes with the creature greeting him and saying he can’t wait to become neighbors. The next segment starts with Lum and Ataru preparing to head for the beach. Ataru’s mother stops them and asks Ataru to dispose of the monster when he gets there. It turns out it’s been staying in their bathtub for a month. Ataru proposes leaving him somewhere else, but his mother doesn’t want it causing panic in Tomobiki Town. Ataru’s mother promises to ship the creature’s belongings to him when he finds a new home. At the beach, the monster greets Mendo and Shinobu. Ataru and the creature depart from the group to find the monster a new home. Meanwhile, Sakura and a boy named Tsubame are conversing at a beach house nearby. A waiter stops by with a mountain of spaghetti. Tsubame promises Sakura can have it for free if she finishes it all. Sakura surprises everyone by completing it all and even asks for seconds. At the same time, Ataru and the monster head toward a rocky area on the beach. The monster waves goodbye to Ataru, and thanks him for helping him find a new home. The creature can’t help but feel lonely until he hears Tsubame and Sakura heading toward him. As the monster stares at them from afar, Sakura reveals that she can’t wait to get engaged to Tsubame. Before the creature could greet them, Ataru stops him. Ataru promises to show the monster how to greet humans properly. At the same time, Tsubame reflects on how it’s been challenging to reunite with Sakura because of her work and nosy uncle. Eventually, Lum, Shinobu, and Mendo arrive without Sakura and Tsubame’s knowledge and spy on them. Meanwhile, a straw hat-wearing boy with a box notices Ataru and the monster. The boy’s jealous that Ataru has a pet to hang out with instead of him. The boy says he’s upset that he must abandon his pet Pochi because of his mother’s wishes. He hopes that by leaving his pet on the beach, maybe someone else can take him in. Before Sakura and Tsubame kiss, she stops because she feels like someone’s watching them. Tsubame tells her not to worry about it as they proceed. The creature heads toward them, causing Ataru to grab the monster and ask for them to proceed to kiss. Meanwhile, Pochi’s owner stumbles upon two kids ridiculing a small turtle. He continues looking for a better spot to place Pochi as Ataru, Lum, and the monster pass by. The boy notices them and wishes he didn’t have to get rid of Pochi. The gang meets and has a final meal together with the monster. Mendo wonders if the monster’s trying to guilt-trip them to keep him around. At the same time, the boy leaves Pochi near Ataru and his friends and hopes they can give Pochi a loving home. Ataru suggests the monster hop inside a box. The boy turns around and sees Ataru holding a box. He assumes Ataru has decided to adopt Pochi. As he walks away, he recounts all his fond memories with Pochi while shedding tears. The kid runs back and swipes the box from Ataru’s grasp. Shinobu notices Pochi’s box and tells the others to have a look. Upon looking inside, they spot Cherry eating something. They’re all shocked. At home, Ataru receives a postcard from his mother. It’s from the monster who seems to be having the time of his life with the boy. The episode concludes and reveals the monster’s taken the new title Pochi.
The Episode Review
As I figured, Urusei Yatsura is another series with a pool-themed episode. These chapters often feature excessive fan service and focus more on lighthearted humor. Surprisingly, Urusei Yatsura handles these aspects with care and paints an endearing narrative with a heartwarming conclusion. While this chapter doesn’t offer any intricate material, it offers some wholesome and satisfying moments. For instance, Ataru showcases more wholesome qualities that are frequently overshadowed by his raunchy and delinquent habits. While it does feel a tad out of character for him, it was a nice change of pace seeing Ataru feel bad for another being. At the same time, many fans may not have loved how Mendo handled the situation. On that note, the second segment felt the best in theme and relatability. While the Cherry reveal might make people upset, seeing the boy cry over being forced to abandon his beloved Pochi will make anyone teary-eyed. I couldn’t help but feel sympathetic toward the kid as no one wants to get rid of something they hold close to their heart. Although revealing Pochi to be Cherry sours that tension, it brought a smile to my face seeing the boy playing with the monster. Overall, this chapter carries mixed baggage. It doesn’t provide much in the grand scheme of things and feels like a throw-away episode. While its first half doesn’t offer much entertainment value, the second set piece features one that will hit close to home with many folks. Let’s hope the next episode can help Urusei Yatsura get back on track and focus more on developing our cast.
