Home Is Where You Find It / Marine Garbage Disposal
The fish-like monster begins to follow Ataru, and soon enough it is upon him. It’s curious by his prescience, but Ataru is confused by the creature’s behavior. He doesn’t know what to make of it.
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.
Sakura scoffs at the gang for their childish behavior. Lum glares at the water. Sakura 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.
Sakura and Ataru are walking through the forest when they come across a creature. Lum mistakes it for an Ataru, and they run away in fear. The creature follows them, and when they get to a pool, the creature mistakes Lum for a demon. Sakura tells the creature that she is not a demon, but it doesn’t believe her. The creature prepares to eat Lum, but he learns he’s out of snacks and promises to get more at the store up top.
The monster reaches the surface and startsle 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.
Mendo asks the monster why it’s running away, but it can’t say because it needs some air. Mendo leads the creature up top with him, 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 creature packing its belongings. Lum asks what it plans to do now, and the creature 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.
A month ago, a strange creature was found in a bathtub in Tomobiki Town. The creature’s mother, who lives in the town, came to pick it up and take it to her home. However, the creature’s father (Ataru) wants to keep the creature and find a new home for him. His mother agrees to ship the creature’s belongings to Ataru when he finds a new place for him. The group of friends at the beach meet up with Ataru and the creature and they all go on an adventure to find a new home for the monster. ..
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.
“I’m sorry,” Ataru says, “but I can’t let you two get married. I don’t want to be a monster.”
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 is 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. ..
Ataru, Lum, and the monster approach a group of people. The creature heads towards 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 is trying to guilt trip them into keeping 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. ..
Pochi’s owner Ataru walks away with tears in his eyes recounting all the good times he’s had with the dog. The little boy runs back and grabs 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 that says she is moving to another city. ..
It’s been a while since we’ve seen the monster have such a good time with the boy. In this episode, we learn that the monster has taken on the new name of Pochi.
The Episode Review
This chapter of Urusei Yatsura is another pool-themed episode. It features excessive fan service and focuses more on lighthearted humor. Surprisingly, the series 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. ..
In the first segment, Ataru showcased 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. However, 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.
This chapter has a lot of mixed feelings. It doesn’t provide much in the way of entertainment value and feels like a throw-away episode. However, the second set piece features one that will hit close to home with many people. We hope that the next episode can help Urusei Yatsura get back on track and focus more on developing our cast.
