In 1977, Rumiko Takahashi created the short story "Those Selfish Aliens" that was nominated for Shogakukan's "Best New Comic Artist" award. This would serve as the basis for creating "Urusei Yatsura" which was first published a year later when Takahashi was 21 years old. The series was her first major work, having previously only published short stories and is a combination of romantic comedy, science fiction, suburban life, and Japanese folktales. The title of the series roughly translates to "Those Obnoxious Aliens". The title is written using specific kanji instead of hiragana to create a Japanese pun.