Line #8 TearJerker/UruseiYatsura


1	Despite being a comedy series, some of the most memorable moments in ''Manga/UruseiYatsura'' are these tearjerkers.
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3	* The setup for the series in both the manga and the anime is really quite tragic, [[FridgeSadness when you stop and think about it]]: Ataru never even wanted to be engaged to Lum, but she [[AccidentalEngagement misunderstood something he said as a proposal]], and then basically ''blackmailed'' him into accepting her as his fiancee in exchange for her paying off an alien taxi cartel that would otherwise have stolen Earth's entire supply of oil -- something the world was blaming Ataru for despite it being ''Lum's stormtroopers'' who summoned the taxi drivers in the first place. This causes Ataru's long-time girlfriend Shinobu to give up on him, and Lum is constantly punishing Ataru for being unfaithful to her with [[ShockAndAwe painful electrical jolts]]. When she's not doing that, either she or her bratty baby cousin Jariten is causing trouble with their misused alien technology. All the while, people are either jealous over Ataru's unwanted engagement to Lum, or denouncing him as a loser and a pervert, with even his own ''parents'' [[AbusiveParents saying they wish they'd had a daughter or never had a child at all rather than have him]]. In many ways, his behavior feels almost like [[ThenLetMeBeEvil Ataru choosing to live down to their low opinions]].
4	* Ataru's class is raising caterpillars and, despite an overly large and ugly one eating all of the food, Ataru spends the entire episode working with Lum to keep the rest of the class from hurting it, believing it will become a beautiful butterfly. At the end, it turns out to be a fairy whose first words to Lum and Ataru are, "Mama! Papa! Thank you for believing in me."
5	* In one story (chapter 162/episode 77), Ataru mistakenly eats some food that Ran made for Rei that increased exponentially in size once inside the stomach, thus making him get incredibly sick. Lum enters an Alice in Wonderland-style realm to look for Ran to get an antidote, but Ataru's monitor flatlines before she does and Lum breaks down sobbing, thinking it's too late. Especially in the anime, where unlike the manga, we are not immediately shown what exactly happened, in the Ataru house. [[spoiler:The monitor was simply unplugged, and Ataru felt better]].
6	** The fact, that there was only one episode betwen anime version of this story and the very dark "And Then There Were None" episode, where all the Tomobiki gang, including Lum, put Ataru on the verge of a heart attack as a result of an overly elaborate prank (he got better, of course), makes it the more heartbreaking: if we don't give the [[ResetButton reset button]] trope the serious consideration it deserves, probably Lum has to cope with the fear of fatally losing her Darling twice in a very short period of time. For a comedy series, this feels very tough.
7	* Also from the "And Then There Were None" episode, Aturu is absolutely shattered at Lum’s fake death, finding her body in the bathtub, screaming for her to come back. This was his emotional breaking point for the rest of the episode and just one more example of how deeply he loves Lum and can’t bear the thought of life without her.
8	-->'''Ataru''': Gimme back my Lum!!
9	** The morning after finding Lum’s “corpse”, he’s placed her in a bed and fell asleep next to her the night before while holding her hand.
10	* The episode Japanese viewers voted the best one features Ataru breaking down in tears in the middle of a dingy alley, clutching a small doll that Lum left behind when she suddenly left town. She merely had to return to her home planet to renew her passport so she could continue living on Earth. But, it's the first time Ataru shows he truly loves Lum by just how much he misses her. Also, Lum bugged the doll so she was able to hear every word he said.
11	** The 2022/2023 remake makes this scene hit even harder. As the other classmates speculate that Lum finally got fed up with Ataru and left Earth, Ataru himself breaks into denial and goes running off. He visits every location of significance related to his dynamics with Lum (the sports field where he caught her in their game of tag, the cafe where she saved him from the fake date, and the grassy field where he first realized how lovely she was), flashing back to their time together. Eventually, he ends up at the sidewalk where she earlier asked him about autumn leaves, and pulls out the doll she left him. With no sign of her anywhere, he's left to wonder if she really ''did'' leave him...and from the stricken look on his face, this hits him ''hard.''
12	--->'''Ataru:''' Please, Lum... (''Shuts his eyes tightly and slumps against the wall'') ...[[PleaseDontLeaveMe Don't leave me]]...
13	* Kitsune-ko hears a fairy tale of a fox who defeats an Oni to rescue a girl trapped inside of a picture. When Kitsune next visits Tomobiki, one of the first things he finds is a photo of Shinobu. Having never seen a photo before, Kitsune believes she's trapped in the picture and his reaction is just heartbreaking.
14	* One chapter/episode has Lum's horns growing larger after [[BizarreAlienBiology a cow bite]], leading her to believe she's turning into a cow and avoiding Ataru as a result. Once he finds out, he breaks down and promises to keep her around even if she is a cow. We later see him building a cow shed in the backyard, still crying in grief. Of course, it turns out she's not turning into a cow at all; it's just a side effect of how Oni antibodies react to uncommon viruses.
15	* In episode 51, [[MegaNeko Kotatsu-neko]] is outside in the cold when Ten drops by and offers him shelter at Ataru's house. After he occupies the staircase with Ataru's kotatsu and won't leave, even with Cherry and Sakura's expertise, it's eventually revealed why. He was an ordinary stray cat whose attempts to warm himself up in any home's kotatsu invariably led to rejection. For example, [[KickTheDog a drunk couple tossed him aside and shooed him out]] ([[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals the wife even caused the poor guy to]] ''[[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals bleed]]''). [[HopeSpot He eventually found a female cat he admired in the home of a seemingly nice old lady allowing her to keep warm]]... only to turn out just as mean as everyone else and complain about how disheveled he is. [[FromBadToWorse Even worse, the female cat rejected him]]. From then on, [[ThenLetMeBeEvil he vowed to be a vengeful spirit haunting those who denied him warmth]].
16	* While still slapstick comedy, Mrs. Moroboshi's [[ADayInTheLimelight day in limelight]] episode 78 provides a surprisingly thought-provoking criticism of [[{{Housewife}} the traditional role assigned to Japanese women]]:
17	** The everyday morning starts with you getting out of bed before the rest of the family to prepare the breakfast. The only things that wake up before you are the household devices, from which you are not so different. Your husband can afford the luxury of turning off the alarm for a little more sleep, you can't.
18	** Once your husband is off to work and your kids are off for school, you're left with the unending task of keeping the house a proper living quarter, which is both physically and mentally demanding. Even if you do your best, someone is still unsastified. You become an uncouth person if your reject their demand, because what they see as a nice little bit of indulgence, only you know its detrimental consequence to the whole family's well-being.
19	** You only has a little break for yourself at the end of the day when you dunk yourself in the ''leftover'' [[FuroScene bathwater]], knowing that the routine will repeat tomorrow, and the day after that, and days after that, until your kids have their own family and your husband retires. ''Maybe'' then you will be able to rest. You go to bed after all others but not before checking for wrinkles in the mirror, wondering whether you have grown old.
20	** Your identity is "[Your husband]'s wife" and [Your kid]'s mom". After an unknown point, you can't even recognize your younger self.
21	** The first dream. What is certain that you ''will'' grow old, and it's likely that you will outlive your spouse[[note]]In Japan, women [[https://www.nippon.com/en/features/h00250/life-expectancy-for-japanese-men-and-women-at-new-record-high.html tends to live longer than men]] and [[http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/handbook/pdf/2014all.pdf marry older men]][[/note]]. At that time, your mind fails to tell your grandson from your son. It is implied that Mrs. Moroboshi is still not relieved from the housewife's duty even then, either because the family still depends on her or because it has been ingrained too deep in her mind.
22	** The second dream. You will be replaced by a younger housewife - your son's wife. Even if it means your burden is lessen a bit, you can't help but feel scared of being supplanted from the role you have got too accustomed to.
23	** The third dream shows what Mrs. Moroboshi would do if she had the superpower to do whatever she wants. They are [[IJustWantToBeSpecial ridiculously crazy and self-indulgent]], but basically just an exaggerated version of [[IJustWantToBeYou what other characters in the show does every episode]].
24	** The final dream reveals her deepest desire which is heartbreakingly normal: to live as herself and get [[DudeWheresMyRespect a bit of thank from others]].
25	* ''Ten-chan's Strange Love Story''. Ten falls in love with a CuteGhostGirl. First we're shown a flashback to her death from an undisclosed illness, ''complete with her parents breaking down at her bedside''. Then we learn that she has the UnfinishedBusiness of hugging a neighbor's dog's puppies, but as an incorporeal ghost, can no longer do so. But she says that after accomplishing this, she'll be able to play with Ten. So Ten allows her to possess his body. Then, after hugging the puppies [[spoiler:the girl discovers she has to "move on", and actually can't play, thus breaking Ten's heart (as well as ours).]] Even Cherry (who narrates the beginning and end of the story) seems choked up at the end. [[spoiler:She sends him an apology note at the end of the episode, though, and at the end of the last TV anime episode, we briefly see them flying together.]]
26	* Shinobu's romantic luck, or lack thereof. She starts the series with Ataru at his best, only for Lum to butt in and ruin their relationship ''and'' Ataru (who wasn't anywhere as bad as a pervert early on). Before she breaks up with Ataru she briefly gets a crush on Rei out of his good looks, except she knows he only has those and that Lum would die rather than getting back with him. Then she falls for Mendo, who seems to be like Ataru but better, only for him to quickly turn out even ''worse'' once you strip the money and good looks. Kitsune-ko is nice and kind, but is literally a fox kit and she doesn't even notice he's in love with him... And then there's Soban, [[{{Gonk}} so ugly he doesn't even look human]] and even stupider than that. It goes so far that in the All Stars anime she asks Sakura to be ''exorcised'', because all that ''has'' to be the result of a curse... But Sakura verifies it's not a curse, just her fate. No wonder that she was so enthusiast when she had the chance to [[ScrewDestiny wreck the Fate Production Bureau]]...
27	* The BadFuture shown early on when Lum and Ataru accidentally traveled ten years in the future, and explored in more detail in the Fate Production Bureau arc:
28	** Ataru and Lum have long broken up. It's clear they still have feelings for each other, but they can't act on them.
29	** Ataru was so devastated his once formidable organization skills have gone to hell, and he's mocked by his old classmates even worse than he used to. He also works for Mendo... Who has decided to fire him.
30	** The only good part of Ataru's future is that he married Shinobu and had a child with her... But their son is incredibly stupid, ''and'' in the present Ataru's attention made her think she was literally cursed.
31	** As for Lum, she ended up marrying ''Rei''. Not only she got back with her stalker, but Ran now has ruined her own life in the hope to drag Lum and Rei down with her.
32	** Mendo, in the meantime, has lost every semblance of friendship he had lost and left Tomobiki, only returning because he and Ataru went back for so long he felt he should fire him in person.
33	** The All Stars anime adds a mention of Ryunosuke missing the class reunion because she's with her father to Mount Fuji trying to open a beachside cafe there, unable to get the madman out of her life.
34	** Sakura and Tsubame have at least married and have a normal life... But they're still facing the RunningGag of people barging on them every time they try and get intimate.
35	** Also, all the other potential futures explored in the arc (before the Bureau destroys them all). Made worse for two of them because they were made by Ataru, Shinobu, and Lum:
36	*** In the first shown, Lum has married Mendo and Ataru works as their rickshaw driver, and Shinobu is a spinster still persecuted by Soban. There's at least two others that are identical except for minor differences (one has Mendo with a moustache, and the other has Lum wearing black and Soban wearing an afro wig).
37	*** The second is a post-apocalyptic world similar to ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'', with Ataru as a gang leader, Shinobu as his woman, and Lum desperately trying to save the last rice seeds in the world. The only good thing here is ''Mendo'', as he has become this world's saviour.
38	*** The third, made by Ataru, is the one where he has a harem in a one-room apartment... But in the process he became such a jerk he drove Lum off ''and'' isolated her from her childhood friends (who are in fact ''happy'' because now there's more space). [[EveryoneHasStandards Ataru proceeds to clobber his future self once he finds out why Lum has left]].
39	*** The fourth, made by Shinobu, is basically the present where she's persecuted by weirdoes trying to woo her, only now they're adults.
40	*** A fifth has Lum marrying Ataru. It's happy... But it's seen only briefly right after the Bureau decided to destroy all futures and create new ones, and Ataru fails to save it.
41	* In the final story, Ataru tells Lum that he won't say "I love you" to her because if he does, she'll never be able to stop wondering if it's just a lie that he said to win, never be able to doubt if their relationship is real. This highlights some of the unpleasant truths about their relationship, which was, after all, [[AccidentalMarriage born of a misunderstanding]] and [[ClingyJealousGirl forced by Lum]]. But it veers back into Heartwarming, because it shows that whilst Ataru is ''aware'' of this, he no longer cares -- even if he can't admit it to himself, he genuinely loves Lum by this point, and he doesn't want to hurt her that way.

Context TearJerker / UruseiYatsura