A Contemptible Good-for-Nothing (憎みきれないろくでなし, Nikumi kirenai Roku de Nashi??) or "The Way to a Man's Heart" in the first Viz Translation, is the 7th chapter of the Urusei Yatsura manga.
Summary[]
Rei stubbornly continues his efforts to woo Lum back, which even Ataru won't stand for.
Plot Overview[]
Whilst wandering the streets of Tomobiki, Ataru and some friends stumble across a new beef bowl restaurant. Unfortunately, Rei is already inside, pigging out. Ataru shares Rei's story with the boys, and they try to leave, only to run into Lum, who was looking for Ataru. Rei tries once again to get Lum to return with him, and she mockingly promises to do so if he can give her an eloquent proposal. To their shock, he succeeds by reading from a "Japanese for Dummies" scroll. Fortunately for Lum, Ataru and the boys play ignorant about her promise, and Rei is too stupid to remind Lum in Japanese. An angry Rei tries to chase Lum down, causing her, Ataru and Ataru's friends to flee. Rei continually repeats his proposal, breaking up many couples, but the fleeing teens evade him by leading him past various food sources, which Rei stops to eat. It ultimately ends with Rei catching up to Lum and Ataru at the Moroboshi household, before they are besieged by angry merchants, smitten girls, and enraged ex-boyfriends.
Characters in Order of Appearance[]
Trivia[]
- The characters Menko and Tsuyuo would reappear in chapters 27 and 99. They would appear in several episodes of the second anime adaptation.
- Although Rei's attempting to propose to Lum by asking her to cook for him forever seems ludicrous to a Western reader, it is actually based on a real Japanese tradition. A traditional Japanese saying used by a man to propose to a woman is the question "Mainichi miso suupu o tsukutte kure" (毎日味噌スープを作ってくれ), which literally translates as "Will you make me miso soup everyday?"
- Whilst taunting Rei, Megane, Chibi and Kakugari can be seen performing the famous "three wise monkeys pose", which invokes the saying "see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil."
- This chapter takes its title from a song by Kenji Sawada.