Urusei Yatsura: Beautiful Dreamer is the second Non-Serial Movie in the continuity of the 1981 Animated Adaptation of Urusei Yatsura, and one of director Mamoru Oshii‘s most acclaimed anime films. It was released on February 11, 1984, in between episodes 99 and 100.
Strange things begin happening in the build-up to a school festival at Tomobiki High School. Trying to find out what is happening leads to Ataru Moroboshi and his family, Lum, Ten, Shinobu Miyake, Shutaro Mendo, Sakura, Ryunosuke Fujinami and her dad, and Lum's stormtroopers being trapped in a weird, post-apocalyptic version of Tomobiki. As their numbers slowly dwindle, Ataru, Mendo and Sakura eventually discover the culprit: a dream spirit named Mujaki, having fallen in love with Lum, has trapped them all in a dream-world he has created to bring Lum eternal happiness. Refusing to be his plaything, Ataru must find a way to break the dream-world and return to reality.
This film contains examples of:
- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Ataru refuses to live in his dream-harem unless Lum is in it. The nightmare that most seriously affects Ataru is one in which Lum dies whilst he survives. When Mujaki finally expels them all into the real world, Ataru almost kisses Lum until he realizes they have an audience and he chickens out.
- Bait-and-Switch Sentiment: A variant; when Ataru seems about to betray his friends for Mujaki's dream-crafted harem, he stops and instead demands to know why Lum is absent from it. When an incredulous Mujaki points out that Ataru always shuns Lum's affections, Ataru explains that it's only because Lum refuses to accept he loves more than one girl, before insisting that a harem is meaningless to him without her in it. Mujaki's refusal to add her to the harem is what pushes Ataru to seriously resist him.
- The Bus Came Back: Mujaki first appeared as a one-shot side-character in the second half of episode 21, which was itself the Animated Adaptation of the only manga story where he appeared. He returns here as the Big Bad of the film.
- Dream Weaver: Mujaki and Baku are dream-spirits who act in tandem; Mujaki creates dreams and Baku destroys them.
- I'll Never Tell You What I'm Telling You!: Mujaki unthinkingly blurts out that the horn he dropped, and which Ataru just picked up, can be used to summon Baku to devour his dream-world and return them to reality.
- Just Between You and Me: After being exposed by Mendo, Sakura and Ataru, Mujaki happily blabs his entire backstory and plan to them. Of course, it turns out he has a reason to be so candid with them.
- Kaiju: Multiple giant monsters from the Godzilla and Ultra Series universes are seen in the film. During their time in the wasteland version of Tomobiki, the characters are even shown briefly watching Godzilla (1954).
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Mujaki's entire reason for trapping them all in his dream world was because Lum was nice to him when he stumbled into her dream.
- Not-So-Harmless Villain: Mujaki initially seems kind of pitiful. Then, after sharing his whole villainous plan with Sakura and Mendo, he instantly traps them in their own personal dream-worlds — Ataru only escapes because he fell off the balcony whilst Mujaki was distracted. He also torments Ataru with a series of horrible dreams in an effort to break his will.
- Retired Monster: When they first confront Mujaki, Sakura claims he is responsible for an incredible array of crimes, that includes driving Emperor Nero mad so he burned down Rome, manipulating Judas and Brutus into betraying Jesus and Julius Caesar, tempting Eve with the forbidden fruit, inspiring Adolf Hitler to attempt world domination, and tempting Gautama Buddha away from the tree of knowledge. Mujaki indignantly protests that he had nothing to do with any of that and insists that being blamed for such things is why he considered retiring.
- Ridiculously Cute Critter: Baku looks kind of like a cartoony pig with oversized ears ala Dumbo, and is adorable.
