I did not start out as a hardcore anime fan. For many years I would casually rent some anime at video store or get the occasional fan-sub tape from Chinatown. But it was not until I really got into Ranma 1/2 in college that I invested myself in fandom at the next level. I began to actively research anime and stated to look into Rumiko Takahashi in specific. I found that much of the inspiration for Ranma 1/2 came from her earlier series Urusei Yatsura and the character of Ryuunosuke Fujinami. But while there were informative fans sites about the series the anime was hard to find beyond the second movie. But when Animeigo started releasing the series on DVD is became much easier for me to buy and watch. I had watched Beautiful Dreamer several times but I was hungry for the other movies. When Animeigo released the movies in a box set (minus Beautiful Dreamer which was still a Central Park Media release) I preordered them to finally see what I had been missing. The first movie I saw was very different from Beautiful Dreamer but equally special.
In conjunction with Beautiful Dreamer (Urusei Yatsura movie 2), Only You was my introduction to this massive franchise a great many years ago. And while looking at it now I surely didn’t know the details, I still fell in love with the oddball cast and their hilarious antics. And luckily since Urusei Yatsura proper doesn’t exactly have a deep and intricate plot, these movies are just another crazy enjoyable ride.
Hisui’s picks:
Reverse Thieves 