Lum Invader - Relationship With Ataru

Relationship With Ataru

Lum has fallen completely in love with Ataru, and refers to him only as "Darling" (ダーリン?). (In the Spanish anime, her name for Ataru is "Tesoro" (literally "Treasure"), and in the Spanish manga, she calls him "Querido" ("Beloved").) Since she considers him to be her husband, she violently electrocutes him whenever he looks at or flirts with another girl (or if he insults her or does something to make her unhappy), but always forgives him in the end (she electrocutes him less frequently as the series progresses). Though Lum knows that Ataru cares deeply for her on the inside, she wishes that he would show it more often than he does. Many of the gadgets she keeps in her UFO and her bikini top are designed to meet this end by making him more faithful to her.

In the beginning of the series, she constantly hugs and kisses Ataru whether he wants it or not, often infuriating Shinobu (who still has feelings for Ataru) and the rest of the class. But by the end, Lum has calmed down considerably and simply holds onto his arm whenever they are walking somewhere. She is usually together with Ataru and does almost everything with him, be it eating lunch, going to and from school, or going to a festival. She even enrolled herself in Tomobiki High to spend more time with him, which initially caused her Darling to faint from the shock. Because of this, Lum has come to consider and treat his room as her home, though Ataru insists she sleep in the closet. Takahashi's reason for this is that she believes two high school students shouldn't be sleeping together. Lum did try to get Ataru to sleep with her in early manga chapters and anime episodes (and also spread a rumor that she and Ataru were sleeping together and that she was pregnant with his child, which was designed to make Shinobu angry at Ataru), but Ataru flatly refused. In one episode, she does share Ataru's bed, but only after fitting him in a bulky insulated suit to protect him from accidental electric shocks in her sleep.

Lum is considered the embodiment of the struggle facing modern Japanese women: how to be independent and still fulfill the traditional role of loving wife and mother. While she is very independent minded, she continues to be supportive and loving of Ataru no matter what happens throughout the entire series.