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Rating: "But is it possible that in every one of your oddities we also have to be involved?" (Shutaro Mendo)
After the stratospheric success of the manga and simultaneously the television series, in 1983 director Mamoru Oshii created the first animated feature film based on the adventures of the cheerful band from Tomobiki High School. The script comes from the author and creator Rumiko Takahashi, and surely "Only You" is the film that best captures the spirit of the work; the others, except "Boy Meets Girl", start from an initial premise for exploring different, often complex and articulated themes such as dreams ("Beautiful Dreamer"), Eastern philosophy, and ecology ("The Forever").
This film is a small great gem of animated cinema, a pleasure for the eyes thanks to the beautiful settings and backgrounds created for the occasion, the comedic rhythms and the balance they find with more reflective moments make "Only You" a prelude to the evolution of the work. In fact, it’s the film with the most references to the cosmos, with large parts set in space, between battles of star chases that reference "Star Wars" and the beautiful homage scene to Spielberg's "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". The plot is simple: a princess, Elle, arrives on Earth to claim Ataru's hand; this claim arises from a pact the two made as children based on an old folk belief, if a child steps on the shadow of a peer, the two must marry. Logically, Ataru has no recollection of making the agreement, but the opportunity to meet a new young lady intrigues him greatly. Lum is not very happy and decides to make a counter marriage proposal, but things will get a bit complicated..
Rumiko Takahashi creates for the occasion the character of Elle, princess of the namesake planet, dedicated to a very particular hobby that I won't reveal to you. "Only You" is a film that nearly twenty-seven years later still amazes for the quality of the plot supported by a commendable work in animation and especially in sound, compact and well-calibrated sounds combined with an excellent, really, soundtrack that reprises the typical synth sounds of the animated series, blending them with a classical symphony of broader scope. All the beloved characters are there, from the great and knowledgeable Mendo to the fun club group of Lum: Megane, Kibi, Perma, and Kakugari (interestingly, these figures are only detailed in the anime; in the manga, they are little-developed caricatures) up to the trio of Lum's friends, Benten, Oyuki, and Ran, who are always present when their friend needs them.
The director Oshii, who is the same as the animated series, the following year would bring to life "Beautiful Dreamer" which, together with "Only You", is considered a fundamental film in the history of animation.
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