Urusei Yatsura: Beautiful Dreamer

During the planning for the cultural festival at Tomobiki High School, some students notice odd repetitions in their days, hinting that time itself might be looping. To test the theory, they are sent home to sleep, but nothing goes as expected.

After being sent home, the students quickly realize they cannot escape the city limits and keep ending up back at the school. The sense of being trapped grows as the day repeats without progress.

They board a Harrier jump jet and ascend into space, leaving the city behind. From above, they discover that their entire city sits on the back of a giant turtle, drifting in the void.

Back at the school, the group investigates the building, convinced it might be the source of the strange happenings. They witness bizarre and seemingly impossible events that deepen the mystery.

Within the school, Ataru is chased by his own reflections in an infinity mirror, a surreal intrusion into reality. The eerie chase demonstrates that the normal rules no longer apply.

The world around them shifts to a post-apocalyptic landscape: buildings decay, electricity is rare, and only a handful of humans remain. Remarkably, Ataru's parents' house still functions with power and gas, and the corner store continues to provide food.

Tricking a dream demon into revealing himself, the group learns of a plan to create an endless dream that resists a nightmare-eating spirit. The demon explains his motive: to trap everyone in a perpetual dream while avoiding the other presence that would devour dreams.

To counter the dream world, Ataru summons the Nightmare Eater, hoping to purge the dream and regain control of his fate. His dream 'harem' no longer includes Lum, which motivates the demon and eater's involvement.

With the Nightmare Eater unleashed, the dream collapses as it feeds on dreams. Ataru is forced to wake up repeatedly from a succession of nightmares, each more surreal than the last.

Lum explains that waking from a nightmare requires naming the person you wish to see. After trying several other women, Ataru finally speaks Lum's name and begins to wake.

Ataru wakes in the school, surrounded by his classmates, and Lum is by his side. They briefly discuss the dream, and Lum hints at her own perspective on what happened.

Lum asks to kiss, but Ataru is embarrassed and resists. The moment underlines their complicated relationship even as the dream fades.

Unknown to the others, the dream demon and the Nightmare Eater are still at work, plotting to influence the upcoming school festival. They imply they will keep up their watch over Lum and Ataru, ensuring the strange events continue.