Urusei Yatsura is one of the seminal series in manga history. If you’ve watched enough anime or read enough manga, chances are you’ve caught a reference (or two…or three) in some of those works. You’ve also likely read or watched works inspired by Lum, Ataru, and the rest of the crew. That’s why there’s a lot of people looking forward to the release of Rumiko Takahashi’s wild sci-fi comedy later this month.
I recently was able to send some questions over regarding the design of volume 1 of Urusei Yatsura, which will be released as a deluxe edition. Yukiko Whitley, who worked on the look of it, went over the choices made for it:
TheOASG: For general knowledge, can you get in-depth about the release of the Urusei Yatsura VIZ Signature Edition?
Yukiko Whitley: Our Urusei Yatsura is larger than the original Japanese release, with all-new cover images, a 5.75 x 8.25 in. trim size and 400+ pages. Our release also includes a glossary and “Data File” section that includes details about characters and setting.
From start to finish, how long did it take to work on the design for the first volume?
Mmmmmm, I don’t remember how long it exactly took, but it was long. We had to submit all volumes’ rough cover designs to Japan to get the “go” sign before moving forward.
What did you have to consider the most as you were working on the design?
The most important thing was making the Urusei Yatsura fans happy.
Did you consider other images of Lum for the first volume cover, or was the current one decided already?
Yes, I did. We had several options, but we picked the strongest image of Lum-chan for volume 1.
What were the challenges of working on this first cover for Urusei Yatsura?
I grew up with Lum-chan and it was like a dream come true to work on the Urusei Yatsura cover. So my challenge was to overcome pure pressure not to screw up the project.
Can you share what fonts and programs were used to work on this cover?
I used Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and several different fonts to create the look and feel of Urusei Yatsura.
Did the age of the work (since this series started in the late 70’s-80’s) play a role in how you designed the cover?
No, not really… But some of the images are unavailable in high-res, so we had to try different approaches to work around that.
As you’ll be working on future volumes of the manga, what will be your overall philosophy as you continue to the design the covers?
I want not just for the long-time fans, but also the new fans to enjoy the books. So I picked the best of the best Lum-chan artwork for each cover.
Finally, for long-time fans of Rumiko Takahashi and Urusei Yatsura, what should they be looking forward to from this release?
For me personally, it’s like reliving a good old memory. Imagine your first love suddenly showing up at your doorstep and giving you a big hug.