うる星やつら episode 156 (TV anime)
Urusei Yatsura Ep. 156 review

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

Lum, Ataru, Megane, Perm, and Chibi ditch class to drop by a newly opened cafe. Megane loves the classic and antique British items found in the shop. Onsen-sensei learns of the cafe visit and with other teachers, files a protest with the principle.  Onsen-sensei unveils his Secret Perfect Squad, who’s members are Shuutaro and Shinobu along with Kotatsu-neko. Onsen-sensei’s plan is to shut down all cafes and this is discovered by Ataru and company. They return to the British cafe to plan while Onsen-sensei and other teachers enter the same cafe to make their own plans. Further, Shuutaro, Shinobu, and Kotatsu-neko also arrive.  When the daughter of the cafe, Izumi, asks if the plan is to shut down the cafe, Shuutaro says he won’t allow it.

Shuutaro hitting on Izumi in the same way that Ataru had done earlier catches the attention of both Ataru and Onsen-sensei.  Ataru decides to put an end to this and irritates Shuutaro.  Shuutaro decides he won’t sell his soul to the teachers and a fight breaks out.  After causing a lot of damage, it is decided to take things outside but as Izumi quickly discovers, not only did their customers trash the place, they didn’t pay for their coffee.  Her father isn’t worried but after the cafe has been cleaned up, Izumi does the books and discovers they had one green tea sale for ¥300 — not enough to make it as a business.

The next day, Izumi is distressed since no one cut class and thus they had no customers and a large debt to pay off.  The Principle orders to cups of green tea for delivery which Izumi delivers. Onsen-sensei is not happy with this.  The following day, the cafe owner delivers Ataru’s class coffee which the principle says Onsen-sensei will pay for. The owner of the shop is distressed when the class considers him old but that doesn’t stop Ataru and company from coming by the cafe again. A fight again breaks out when the teachers are discovered hiding out, causing major damage to the cafe and driving out other customers.  This causes the cafe owner plan for the destruction of the high school.

Expecting Ataru and company to come by again the next day, the shop owner has a barrel full of bugs.  Instead of Ataru and company, it is a couple of cops and they get all the bugs. The shop owner closes his business and before he and Izumi can leave, they are visited by Ataru and company who express regret at their departure.  The shop owner says that the fault was his for being a poor manager and he and Izumi leave for the train station.  Back at school, the teachers discuss the cafe’s closure when a host of delivery people arrive with food and drink.  Turns out, the shop owner is getting his revenge by placing massive numbers of delivery orders for the high school.

Thoughts/Review:

This episode seemed to have potential but didn’t really go anywhere.  Onsen-sensei’s plan to have all cafe’s in town closed made no sense (and thus wasn’t funny), especially when they visited a cafe.  Ataru’s flirting with Izumi and subsequent punishment by Lum didn’t make me laugh, nor did the fights that would break out between students and teachers even though they were set up to be humorous.  The shop owner fretting about youth and being considered an old man wasn’t funny either.  I’m not sure where the failing was exactly, but the entire episode just never really clicked for me.  It wasn’t a bad episode per se, but it just had nothing for me in it.

So, I guess I’ll move along.