Urusei Yatsura 2:
Beautiful Dreamer

Liner Notes :

Since no liner notes were ever released for UY2, I have taken it upon myself to log some of the more important (and obvious) points about this movie. As I am by no means an expert, if you have any corrections or additions for this list, please mail me at sak@sandwich.net. If your information checks out, I will add it to this file ASAP and you will be credited for your work. --J.M. Steadman

Collector's Note
Though the film was released during the third season, it may be viewed as early as UYTV volumes 17-18. This avoids confusion by giving all the characters time to be introduced.

All Right, Already!
When the North American releases of the UY movies were being negotiated, the translation and distribution rights for movies 1,3,4,5 and 6 went to AnimEigo, but U.S. Manga Corps acquired the rights for movie 2 after AnimEigo did the original translation and subtitling. The reasoning behind this is somewhat vague, but mostly stems from the fact that unlike the other films, Beautiful Dreamer was a joint production between Toho Co. and Kitty Films. This is the reason why one cannot purchase a copy of UY2 from AnimEigo, and also why it had no liners.

One Good Dream Deserves Another
This movie was originally inspired by UYTV Epsiode 21, Story 42: "Wake up to a Nightmare", in which Baku and Mujaki were first introduced. It also featured a harem dream sequence which was elaborated for the movie. Naturally, everything was upgraded for the motion picture, but I would still advise reviewing this story to enhance the experience.

Midnight Melody
The special-sale band that Ataru and Mendo encounter is a "tindon-ya", a street band often employed by businesses for the purpose of advertisement. The joke is that they wouldn't normally work at night, and certainly not for such a small audience.

About the Antagonists
The name "Mujaki" is a multilayered pun. Literally translated, it means "guileless" or "innocent". However, when written with the proper kanji, it takes on an entirely different meaning: "The Demon that Interferes with Dreams". It the second meaning that Sakura is refering to when she says "As the name says, you are an evil demon who delights in manipulating dreams, and planting the seeds of evil in people." And indeed, from his performance in this movie, Mujaki has lost a lot of the innocence he displayed in his first appearance.

Baku, meanwhile, is based upon an mythical, nightmare-eating monster. That's all, really.

A Night at the Palace
The legend of Urashima Taro is an old, well-known story that is roughly similar to that of Rip Van Winkle. It goes something like this.

One fine day, Urashima Taro was walking along the beach when he encountered a sea turtle that was being tormented by some cruel children. He rescued the turtle, and in return, it invited him to the undersea castle of Ryuujuugo, or the Dragon Palace. There, he was wined, dined, and generally partied into the ground by the Princess of the Palace over a period of several days. When he decided to leave, the Princess gave him a box as a going-away present, warning him never to open it. Upon his return to the mainland, he found that over a century had passed in his home village, even though it was only a few days for him. His home was vastly different, and all his friends had aged and died. In the end, he finally opened the box, and the gas that was contained within released the magic that had prevented his aging, turning him into an extremely old man.

Keeping all that in mind, some aspects of the movie's plot become considerably easier to understand: why Tomobiki is flying around on a turtle's back, why Mujaki's dream realm is underwater, the endless debates about the nature of time, etc., etc., etc.

Cameos
As is the case with most Takahashi anime, UY2 is rich with brief guest appearances by characters both within and without UY. Hordes of extras (Ultraman, Captain Harlock, members of the production staff) roam the halls of Tomobiki High school, women from everywhen in the series (Kurama, Misuzu, Elle) dance in Ataru's harem, and the occasional strays (Torajima) pop up randomly throughout the story. Look for them.

"If we can't get out of town..."
Like many megolopoli around the globe, Tokyo is a huge city divided into subdistricts, each with its own local government. Many of these districts, particularly the smaller ones, are closely intertwined (as is the case with the fictional suburbs of Tomobiki and Butsumetsu). This is the reason why, when Tomobiki is cut off from the outside world, so many of the cast are left with no place to go.

Pancakes and the Fate of the World
Okonomiyaki is a special type of Japanese pancake, often prepared with fried noodles and other treats mixed in the batter. When served in restaurants, the customers sometimes prepare their own servings by mixing in what they will before pouring the batter on the table, which doubles as a hot plate. For more details (and the first appearance of Mach Speed Noodles), see Ep. 46, Story 69, "Lunchtime Eat-Out'ers, Gather Around!"

Apocalypse Now, Let's Party
Many of the activities our cast indulges itself in after the end of the world are dreams indeed. Due to Japan's high population, lack of natural resources, and the resulting economics, many of the cast's indulgences are difficult to experience. Take movies, for example. During the summer movie season, everyone is interested in seeing the new films. Because of this, admission fees are high, and one can expect to be waiting in line for two hours or more. (On a side note, video collection is a tricky business as well -- most videocassettes cost over a hundred bucks each! As you may imagine, the rental business is huge.) Of course, with everyone else in Tomobiki gone who-knows-where, these factors no longer count.

Miscellaneous
The symbol displayed on the banner in the Principal's office is the kanji 'tomo', the first character in "Tomobiki".

The "2-4" inscription on Shinobu's teapot is for Year 2, Class 4, the schoolgroup that Lum & Co. belong to.

The Ending Song
Click here for lyrics to the ending music of Beautiful Dreamer "Ai wa Boomerang"

The Beautiful Dreamer UnOfficial Liner Notes

Assembled by J.M. Steadman, with contributions and assistance from AnimEigo Inc., Barry Chin, Atsushi Nashimoto, Mason Proulx, and Ariel Weinberg.

v2.1m5/18/98.