Tetsu Dezaki
Lamù: Boy Meets Girl

Anyone who has seen the entire Lamù anime, and especially read the entire manga, will have noticed that in reality there is no ending. In fact, the TV series ended about a year before the comic, and to give it an end, the episode "Festa D'addio" was invented to bid farewell to all the anime characters, from Mendo to Rei, up to the little fox Kitsune. The television finale concluded with the long-awaited kiss between Ataru and Lamù, but the manga series continued with a series of very interesting episodes, from which some OAVs were later derived. Rumiko Takahashi had something else in mind to finally bid farewell to her first splendid creation. The last volume, number forty-eight, is a special edition that concludes the adventures of the beautiful demon, an extended volume titled "Boy Meets Girl".

In 1988, the film based on the final chapter was released in theaters. After the cryptic "Lamù The Forever", it returns to grounds more faithful to the work’s original spirit, but philosophical and social reflections, which had already distinguished many episodes of the TV series, are not lacking. The author creates an engaging and captivating story to rightfully satisfy those who have awaited the possible farewell between the foolish Ataru and the Oni in the tiger-striped bikini. It starts 120 years earlier when Lamù's grandfather, in dire straits, promises to marry off the first female of his lineage in exchange for his life to a shady figure of the dark universe. With the granddaughter now grown, the pact must be honored, but the girl and the family obviously do not agree. Once kidnapped and taken to the prospective groom's planet, it will be up to Ataru and Mendo, with the help of Benten, Oyuki, and Ran, to rescue her and bring her home; but Lamù will turn the situation to her advantage and endanger the earth to force her "sweetheart" to admit his love for her. 

"Boy Meets Girl" in the comic is truly a worthy finale for a historic series that, although initially making quiet strides, managed to capture audiences worldwide. All the elements that characterized the work are found, the biting and chaotic irony told with a poetic and light visual language. It was the '80s, but read today, it loses nothing and fits fully into current relevance; after all, not much has changed. The feature film is faithful to the illustrated story, with only a few extra scenes at the end. It's not right to reveal the conclusion, but I can assure you that it is the most logical and possible solution, a sweet and poetic ending with a hint of melancholy. For the Italian version, the only somewhat negative note is the usual dubbing; already in the series, various dubbing casts alternated, but in the end, the situation stabilized after a truly confused period. The films feature another cast, not the best possible one; it would have surely been better to use the one employed for the last episodes of the anime.