Hello everyone this is scififantasyanimeman. Wow, lately I’ve been getting a whole lot of people looking at my blogs and I’d like to say too all those people, thank you so very much for taking time to take a look. Your views of my work honor and humble me. Now to the matter at hand.
This time I’m going to review the series Tenchi Muyo OVA. Or as some would call it…the original Tenchi series. First off let me say I’d like to thank Amazon.com for helping me find this series so I can review it.
The premise of the series is a 15-year-old boy named Tenchi Masaki is spending the summer working at his Grandfather’s shrine in a mountainous region of Japan. Tenchi who’s always been rather curious has been trying for some time to get a mysterious key his Grandfather Katsuhito Masaki holds but never quite able to get it. He’s also been fascinated with a mysterious warded cave on the grounds of his Grandfather’s temple. As far back as he can remember Tenchi has learned the story of an ancestor of his named Yosho, a powerful samurai who came from the sky and defeated a powerful demon from the sky who was terrorizing Japan at the time named Ryoko or Devil walker.
Things take an interesting turn when Tenchi manages to finally swipe the key by the skin of his teeth (or rather by his teeth and mouth). Disregarding his grandfather’s warning about curiosity and the cat. Tenchi opens the cave and after some slipping and sliding comes face to face with the skeletal remains of the demon which suddenly springs to life and scares the pants out of Tenchi. The young man manages to flee and seals up the passage promising himself to do as many chores as his grandfather tells him. Things take an interesting turn when the mysterious and seemingly mystical tree that has been on the Masaki shrine grounds for many generations starts to glow with a strange power and sends of what sounds like a distress signal up into the night’s sky.
Things stay quiet until after summer when Tenchi is back in school. First he ends up taking a nap on his High school’s playground. When he awakens he finds he’s missed all his classes. Then he finds what at first he thinks is a cat only to have it disappear. instead he finds himself face to face with a stormcloud grey haired, golden eyed, youngish woman in a long green dress. It turns up the woman introduces herself as Ryoko, and Tenchi relaizes to his horror that this is in fact the demon he found in the cave, and she’s come back hankering of a healthy heap of payback. Tenchi tries to explain that he’s not Yosho but Ryoko doesn’t care as she’s more interested in vengeance. After a crazy romp around the school, one that results in it being set on fire, wrecking a huge chunk of the outside, and Tenchi having the key he swiped from his grandfather coming to life and eager to dish out some hurt of its own on Ryoko, the battle ends with Tenchi chopping off a hand. Ryoko surprises him by regenerating the lost hand and then disappearing. Things get crazy when after Tenchi gets home he finds…Ryokosleeping in his bed! Tired but happy Ryoko awakens to greet Tenchi who is less than thrilled by the sudden surprise.
The next character in this equation enters in the next episode. Meet Princess Ayeka (Pronounced Aye-yay-kah), the first princess of the royal family of planet Jurai. She was originally betrothed to her half-brother Yosho (Kind of creepy in my opinion) and was awakened from her suspended animation when her ship Ryo-Oo receives a signal from Yosho’s tree. Missing her beloved Yosho she goes to Earth to investigate the signal. ANd discovers that Ryoko is awake and about. Unfortunately the warrant for her arrest choses that moment to expire. Deciding to take matters into her own hand Aeyeka descends to capture Ryoko and find her half-brother.
Meanwhile Ryoko explains to Tenchi that someone from her past is coming to pay her disrespects and that she needs a jewel like the ones in the sword hilt Tenchi holds in order to be able to get them out of this jam. As this is going on Tenchi’s father Noba Yuki discovers Tenchi has a girl in his room. Even before he became a widower Noba Yuki was always something of a pervert decides to record what he thinks will be Tenchi’s first…experience with a girl for posterity.
However things go completely insane when Ayeka’s ship shows up it scares the daylights out of Tenchi and his father. Ryoko summons her ship, Ryo-Ohki from the depths of the lake on Katsuhito Masaki’s property. Taking Tenchi and teleporting aboard her ship Ryoko and she attempt to flee. Poor Tenchi is horrified when he sees his house and the property it’s on have been folded up like a piece of origami, and Tenchi’s father with it. However Ayeka manages to capture Ryoko and has her and Tenchi brough aboard courtesy of her guardians, strange machine-like creature made of wood, Osaka, and Kamadaki.
Tenchi awakens to find himself in a cage made of living branches. And when he tries to squeeze out they put the squeeze on him literally. But then with surprising help from his sword Tenchi breaks free and then meets up with Princess Sasami, Princess Ayeka’s little sister. Aeyeka attempts to interrogate Ryoko and finds at first that her torture techniques are only tickling Ryoko. Then she uses a sword like the one Tenchi has and starts to get the intended pain effect. However her efforts still prove to no avail, and she reminded to get her beauty rest by her guardians.
Later on that night Tenchi on a dare sneaks into Ayeka’s bedchamber trying to steal her headdress as per Sasami’s request. However things go awry as Tenchi being clumsy and scared beyond belief wakes up Aeyeka and ends up running like the wind from Aeyeka’s chamber much to Aeyeka surprise as chagrin. Grabbing Sasami Tenchi flees while Ayeka’s guardians pursue him. At Sasami’s instructions Tenchi heads for a secret passage in a tree and ends up sliding down to where Ryoko is being held. After Tenchi frees Ryoko Sasami gets a painful cheek pull after she calls Ryoko old lady. Then Ayeka shows up and chastises Sasami for her actions. Then Aeyeka’s heart is broken when Tenchi explains that he is a descendant of Yosho and that he’s long since dead. Ryoko and Tenchi manage to escape when Ryo-Ohki crashes the party literally and sends Ryo-Ooh earthward. The course of the crash smashes a bridge in the Tokyo area and eventually brings both ships to rest…right in the lake on the Masaki shrine property. The good thing is that the house was saved though now it’s located right next to the Masaki Shinto shrine.
As the story progresses more people join up with the house. The child of Ryo-Ohki is born and it turns up to be a shape shifting creature called a cabbit, a creature that in its living state looks like a cross between a rabbit and a cat. And this creature has an insatiable love for carrots. Ryoko discovers there’s more to Tenchi’s grandfather then meets the eye when she tries to slug him after he unintentionally gropes her…ample chest. Aeyeka learns that her brother Yosho is alive somewhere on Earth when she finds that the sacred tree of the Masaki shrine is in fact Yosho’s tree from his Juraian spaceship.
Things really get crazy when the Masaki family takes a trip to a local Inn with hot springs. Ryoko does her best to try and seduce Tenchi while antagonizing Ayeka. Things come to a head when the women start slapping each other. Okay when I saw a tamed down version of this scene when Tenchi was on Toonami years ago even then I thought, “Uh-oh two extremely beautiful and powerful women about to fight each other that can’t be good”. And indeed it proves to be disastrous when Ryoko tries to summon a powerful water demon but in her desire to smash Aeyeka she forgets that she needs a gem on her other wrist to control the creature. The out of control evil spirit/creature proceeds to start trashing the Inn and scaring the daylights out of the owner. The chaos generated by this creatures sets up a magnetic field that draws anything to it. It’s at this time that another character comes into the equation Officer Mihoshi of the Galaxy Police, a slender, tanned curavceous blonde girl who is my first winner of the Scififantasyanimeman face-palm award for being one of the unbelievably dumb charcters you coulkd ever meet, though i suspect her lack of intelligence is in a humorous way. Tenchi using his sword sends the creature and unfortunately Mihonsshi’s spaceship into a pocket dimension where they can’t hurt anyone. Tenchi then rescues Mihoshi right before making a hard landing in one of the hot springs. When Mihoshi comes around she discovers she stuck on Earth but the control jewel for her ship has been fixed…by Ryoko. This leads to a reason why Mihoshi deserves the face palm and award and a really funny scene in the series when Mihonshi asks Ryoko, “Are you a jeweler?” The absurdity of the question and Ryoko’s reaction made me howl with laughter whgen I saw it. That line came completely from out of left field and was absolutely classic! Mihoshi the discovers Ryo-Ohki in her cabbit form and summarily faints in fear after Ryo-Ohki literally takes a bite out of her gun. That night Sasami has bad dreams about a figure she calls Kagato coming and taking Tenchi away and then killing her. She awakens to find a spaceship hovering over the Inn a sign of terrible things to come.
Shortly after the Inn incident the family returns home…to some serious troubles. The dangerous intergalatic criminal Kagato arrives after detecting a powerful energy source and Ryoko after completely trouncing a galaxy police fleet. Kagato first atacks Tenchi and quickly throttles him but then he uses his power to brainwash Ryoko into being his servant. He throttles Aeyeka and fflicks Mihoshi aside like a fly. But then he comes face to face with Katsuhito Masaki and the two have a fantastic action packed duel. It’s during the course of the duel that Kasuhito takes down Ryoko by mentioning a good hot spring. Kagato also shock Aeyeka by revealing that…Katsuhito Masaki is Yosho. At the end of the battle The elder Masaki psyches out Kagato by tossing the sword hilt known as Tenchi into his tree. Kagato tries to take it and literally gets the shock of his life when he finds he can’t touch it. Kagato is forced to retreat and takes Ryoko with him. Ayeka is distraught over the complication in things. Yosho/Katsuhito jokes that they could get married then until he gets an elbow and angry words from Aeyeka who then starts trying to hook her up with Tenchi. Ryo-Ohki then transforms into her spaceship form for the first time and most of the group heads off into space. Sasami remains behind and is fearful for Tenchi’s safety goes to the Masaki tree and begs a mysterious someone named Tsunami for help before a strange door opens and swallows Sasami. Ryo-Ohki meanwhile flies into space however Kagato’s spaceship[ proves too much for Ryo-Ohki. Tenchi sacrifices himself to allow the others to escape freeing Ryoko from his control but leaving her bereft of emotion. Ryoko finds a handkerchief with Tenchi’s blood on it and lowers her head for a moment of silent mourning before telling Aeyeka and Mihoshi, “We’re going after Kagato!”. Meanwhile unawares to all involved Tenchi has been rescued by a powerful being known as Tsunami, who is in fact a legendary lost spaceship of Jurai and a possessor of some extraordinarily powerful energy. As the three ladies race through Kagato’s ship Mihoshi is seperated from the rest of the others and finds herself meeting up with a strange woman who is in fact Washu a lost scientist from thousands of years ago. Meanwhiile Kagato who has been playing the pipe organ on his ship ala Captain Nemo from Jules Verne’s 20.000 leagues under the sea finishes his little tune then turns to deal with the intruders. Despite Ryoko and Ayeka’s best efforts Kagato proves too powerful for them. But then Ryoko is spirited away to the other side and restored from the stone statue Kagato turned her into. Washu then reveals she’s the one who created Ryoko. The demon/notorious space pirate is less than pleased with things. but eventually is sent back to deal with Kagato. Meanwhile Tenchi is sent by Tsunami to do the same. The battle proves intense. While Mihoshi and Washu cheer them on Tenchi, Ryoko, and Aeyeka’s power still proves no match for Kagato, until he discovers Tsunami, who is fact a spaceship, the most powerful living spaceship in the Juraian fleet. All seems lost until Tenchi breaks free from Kagato’s power and summons for the first time the powerful light hawk wings. WIth this new power Tenchi is able to defeat the powerful criminal by cutting him in half. Ryoko tries to hug Tenchi but finds several people have beaten her to the punch including Washu. All out hilarity ensues until the ship breaks apart due to Tenchi using a little too much power. The group returns to earth where the usual day of chaotic silliness ensues.
The next episode in the series gets the Scififantasyanimeman award known as the barrel of laughs. I say this because The Night Before the Carnival has got to be one of the most insane and hysterical episodes of all. The story starts out with a spring day at Tenchi’s home. Tenchi gets the fright of his life when he finds a red-eyed Ryoko has been watching over him last night and is constantly stalking him even when he has to go to the bathroom. After a little fiasco with a powerful Juraian item Tenchi manages to change into some work clothes. Ayeka meantime has notices Ryoko clawing at the door to Tenchi’s bedroom like a cat. Tenchi opens the door and gives Ayeka the seed from Ryo-Oo that was given to him by Tsunami. It turns up the whole reason Kagato had Ryoko attack Jurai when she was still under his control all those ages ago before being defeated by Yosho was because he was searching for Tsunami. Ayeka is surprised and humbly joyful at Tenchi’s gift while Ryoko is left tearstricken. Ayeka pays a visit to the new laboratory of Washu. Ot’s during the course of their conversation that Washu tells Ayeka she won’t do anything for her “Unless you call me little Washuuuu!” After some more funny moments Washu gets to work on a special unit designed to allow Ryo-oo to regenerate that is similar enough to Jurai’s environs sop there will be no problems. Meanwhile Tenchi who’s been working in the garden is paid a visit by a very hungry Ryo-Ohki who attempts to dig up some carrots until Tenchi stops her and explains how they don’t grow that fast. Ryoko meanwhile is trying to come up with a plan to win Tenchi’s affections when she comes across the romantic mangas Mihoshi and Sasami are reading. After giving Sasami a bit of a scare she has the little girl explain them to her. Ryoko figures them as a way of learning how to win Tenchi and eagerly takes it as Sasami goes to fix breakfast. Washu being true to her word turns the unit Kagato created into a means to resurrect Ryo-Oo. Meanwhile Tenchi returns from planting carrots to find that Sasami who’s always been very good in the kitchen is almsot done making breakfast. Tenchi goes to get Washu. When the scientists mentions Ayeka might be off planting carrots Ryo-Ohki heads off to find her. But meanwhile Washu has plans for Tenchi. Ayeka finishes planting Ryo-Oo seed and returns to water it when she sees Ryo-Ohki trying to diog it up resulting in one of the funniest scenes in the series with Ayeka having a conniption fit and the little cabbit getting scared have to death before both give each other a death glare as Ayeka snaps, “This is not a carrot!” Washu’s analysis of Tenchi shows everything normal and inter-dimensional is normal until Washu realizes she’s forgotten one sample and dons a nurse’s outfit in order to get a sperm Mihoishi (convieniently for Tenchi interrupt sample. She almost does until Mihoshi interrupts. Then she disrupts things even more by pressing buttons and causing all types of chaos. Poor Sasami is left waiting for everyone. Later on that day Ryoko after reading the romance manga decides to put it to use. Sasami who has been playing with Ryo-Ohki decides she and the cabbit are going to watch the fun. Ryoko’s first attempt on Tenchi utilizing the manga ends in hilarious disaster as Mihonshi interrupts and drags a protesting Ryoko off. Ayeka meanwhile decides to read the romance mangas which ironically belong to Tenchi’s father Noba Yuki. Tenchi later on as he heads for his grandafther’s temple to do some work is tripped up by AYeka who tries her hand at things resulting in a very confused Tenchi. The ladies over the course of the day try other means to win Tenchi, resultying in hilarious disasters. When Tenchi returns he discovers why Ayeka and Ryoko have been behaving as they have and points out the mangas they’ve been reading are 10 years old or more. However the romance manga Washu has is hot off the presses and teases the two when she reads that she is noted as being right for Tenchi. Ryoko and Ayeka try more convenient techniques to try and win Tenchi…and again the results are hilarious disaster. Meanwhile Tenchi is sent by Sasami to fetch some vegetables for dinner and discovers that some of Washu’s experiments which have transformed into Ryo-Ohki have depleted the carrot supply. The next day Ayeka and Ryoko decide to turn their efforts to getting rid of Mihoshi and Washu. Ryoko pretends to be a Galaxy Police Superior and orders Mihoshi to return to make her report to H.Q. Mihoshi who has never been the sharpest tool in the shed never stops to question. Ayeka “conveniently” appears and suggests getting help from Washu. Since Mihoshi’s ship fell into a pocket dimension in the immediate area Washu is able to use her scientific skill to bring it back to this dimension. Unfortunately the ship has picked up a hitchhiker, a certain hostile water spirit Ryoko summoned. Washu however using her power easily disperses the creature as if it were a gnat. Mihoshi makes her farewells to Tenchi and the others then takes off. That night Ryoko ties up Ayeka and makes plans to seduce Tenchi. Meanwhile Mihoshi makes her report and the results are absolutely bgut busting rich laughs. Ryoko attempts to sneak into Tenchi’s room…and ends up taking the plunge literally when she discovers she’s been transported to the lake outside. It turns up Ayeka who has managed to free herself put a force field on the door to Tenchi’s room which can only be deactivated when someone knocks on Tenchi’s door. Ayeka and Ryoko then get into another fight. Meanwhile Sasami has a disturbing dream involving someone named Tokimi and Tenchi being taken away. poor Sasami awakens in tears and passes by Ayeka and Sasami who are so locked in their own quarrel that they don’t notice a terrified Sasami pass them by. However they get a surprise when Sasami is invited by Tenchi into his room, and Ryoko is there too along with Ryo-Ohki. The two bickering women try to enter as well and end up in the lake near Tenchi’s home. Things take hilarious turn when Mihoshi returns, however because earth doesn’t have a landing beacon the results are very explosive! The next day Ayeka nearly has another connipition fit when she sees what she thinks is Ryo-Ohki trying to dig up the seed she planted. However it turns up what’s going on is that Ryo-Oo has started to regenerate itself. It turns up Ryo-Ohki and Ryo-Oo are communicating with each other.
Next up in the series a baby who belongs to Tenchi’s cousin comes for a visit. The baby is as cute as button and like all babies very curious and mischievous.Tenchi and his family agree to take care of the baby if Tenchi’s cousin and her husband ever need them. Sasami also returns from the trip but seems different, very withdrawn and sad not like her usual self at all. They get the chance sooner than they expect when Tenchi’s cousin comes down with a case of the flu. Tenchi and the ladies then get a lesson in the school, of hard knocks in the proper raising and care of a baby. At one point in the episode the baby slips away from Tenchi and the others and manages to get into Washu’s laboratory. Washu ends up showing some surprising skills with raising children. This starts to come through in the days that follow as the shows treats us to a different side of Washu, a caring, nurturing motherly side. ANd there’s also some disgustingly good fun as well. After a couple weeks the baby is taken back to his mother. Tenchi then makes a shocking discovery, the reason why Washu behaves in a childish way. It turns up she had a child with a prominent member of the Jurai military. But then the man she loved left her…and took the baby with her. It left Washu grieving. Tenchi wishes he could do something to help at which point Washu much to Tenchi discomfort tries to seduce him until Ryoko socks her one. Ayeka and Ryoko then try and berate her before turning their wrath on each other. Meanwhile in her room in the Masaki household Sasami and Ryo-Ohki watch poor Sasami clearly troubled by something.
Next up Tenchi, his friends, and family are invited out to the Inn they trashed not so long ago. Just after they arrived they’re put to work by the Innkeeper fixing the damage they caused. Hilarity ensues as they fix the place and the girls are put to work peeling potatoes. But then they spot a tall and ghostly figure wandering the Inn halls. Katsuhito then tells Tenchi and the girls a terrifying story about a ghostly woman in whiiiite who wanders around looking for the husband she lost when he went to get some herbs for the ailment she had. The story scares Tennchi and the others silly until the innkeeper makes Katsuhito reveal that he made the whole thing up (Psyche-out). As Tenchi goes to work on the power in the dark he’s startled when a figure touches him on one shoulder. A terrified Tenchi then runs for his life and ends up crashing into one of the hot springs. The group makes a shocking discovery that Sasami’s reflection is in fact Tsunami, the bgirl/entity Tenchi last saw during the Kagato incident. Sasami runs off scared and crying. The group goes in search of her. Ayeka finds Sasami first Tenchi is about to call out to them when he’s pulled into some nearby bushes by Washu. Sasami then relates the story of how during Ryoko’s attack on Jurai she believes she died and was remade into Tsunami. She’s been afraid to tell Ayeka and the others for fear of rejection. But the truth is Tenchi, and Ayeka won’t reject her. She gives Ayeka the pass over and hugs Tenchi. After some beautiful visuals and some hilarity involving Ryoko, some sake (Pronounced: Sock-aye), they learn the truth Sasami And Tsunami actually became one. Tsunami did so to save Sasami’s life. The thing is as they get older Sasami will begin nto understand things more even as sasami looks like Tsunami. This flusters Ayeka and Ryoko as Tsunami’s beauty will surpass both of them. Leading the two ladies to be their usual snappy selves leading to some humorous results.
The next starts when Mihoshi and Sasami come out to a dock on the nearby lake where they find Ryoko fishing, well not exactly, she’s got Ryo-Ohki in a small diving suit trying to catch a fish so she can get a carrot. An act that’s perhaps asking a little too much of the cabbit. Tenchi meanwhile is cleaning out his closet of clothes he doesn’t want. Among the things he finds are his clothes from last summer and a light blue kimono. This was the same kimono his beloved mother wore. Later that day Tenchi returns home to find Ryoko has donned the kimono in another effort to win Tenchi’s affections. However she ends up tearing it at one sleeve and then tears it and the other sleeve off. As this is going on Ryo-Ohki pays Tenchi a visit. Tenchi who is furious over what happened screams “You, I hate you!” This strikes a blow to Ryoko…and to Ryo-Ohki who believed the words were aimed at her. Ryo-Ohki flees and Tenchi is forced to go after her. Ryo-Ohki’s flight first takes her to Washu’s laboratory where she has a meeting with a collective conscience creature known as mass. The implications of this meeting will become known later. The cabbit meantime flees the house. Tenchi on a gut hunch checks the carrot field re enough finds Ryo-Ohki there. AFter explaining that he’s not mad at her they pick a whole bunch of carrots and on the way home have to pick up all the carrots again after Tenchi crashes to the ground trying to keep people from discovering Ryo-Ohki or her abilities. They make it back to the house where Tenchi assures a waiting Ryoko he’s no longer angry at her. She helps Tenchi with the large basket of carrots. Sasami is happily reunited with the cabbit. They then go tell Washu that it’s tea time. And somehow the masses read Ryo-Ohki’s mind and start shaping themselves into a particular form. After tea the girls sit down and watch a ridiculously sappy robot soap opera. And just as the two robots are about to kiss…the show is interrupted by a news flash regarding a stolen Galaxy Police warship. Ona more foreboding note the the masses assemble themseleves into the form of a female and break free of their hold and head off towards their unknown purpose. Washu discovers this and then in a hilarious scene resembling a school room explains to the ladies what masses are and how they attack anything with greater energy then theirs. Meanwhile the masses reach where Tenchi is working in the garden and scare the dickens out of him. Meanwhile the girls realize Tenchi is in grave danger since he possess the power of the light hawk wings. When Ryoko tries to teleport after him she runs into Washu’s defensive field and crashes back tot he ground the other ladies and Ryo-Ohki race to Tenchi assistance. Tenchi and the other are caught in a nasty situation until Ryoko appears drawing the attention of the masses since Ryoko possesses power energy of her own. The masses blast Ryoko leaving her stunned but very much alive. Then Ryo-Ohki assimilates with the masses creating a new form for herself. The end results are heartwarming hilarious. But all is not well as the story ends with a mysterious ship with the front shaped like a woman flying through space towards an unknown destination.
The mysterious vessel turns up to be the battleship that was stolen from the galaxy police. And it’s fallen into the hands of a renegade scientist known as Dr. Clay. He and his robotic assistant Zero arrive at the abode of the powerful goddess figure Lady Tokimi. After conferring with Tokimi’s underling he makes his report to Tokimi herself. It turns up Tokimi is…the very same woman Sasami saw in her dream during the Before the carnival incident. Dr. Clay who hasn’t finished the assignment set out for him yet but is having his robotic underlings finish it is given permission by lady Toki,mi to fetch a certain scientist for her, a scientist who happens to be Washu. Zero captures Ryoko and duplicates her. However Zero Ryoko and Dr. Clay get the surprise of a lifetime when they find that they can’t duplicate the gem Ryoko wears. So Clay has Zero take the gem and takes Ryoko to his ship. Meanwhile Sasami and Mihoshi are busily working away in the kitchen and Ryo-Ohki is still getting the hang of her new form and has a hankering for some carrots. Th results are mildly humorous. Tenchi returns home as dinner is completed from his chores. He learns Ryoko went into town to get some sake. The imposter Ryoko arrives meaning to capture Washu, but then gets the surprise of her life when she runs into Tenchi and finds herself blushing like a schoolgirl with her first crush. Washu and Ayeka carefully onserve Ryoko but make no comments. In the days that follow Zero Ryoko makes more attempts to grab Washu only to have her plans backfire when Tenchi comes in and causes her to lose it. Ryoko then learns through the stolen memories of the real Ryoko about how Ryoko when she was in the cave Yosho imprisoned her in how she would watch over Tenchi in good times and bad and how she slowly fell in love with him, though she doesn’t want to admit it. One night Washu does a physical examination of Ryoko and Ayeka with humorous results, especially when Mihoshi in all her ditziness takes one of Washu’s invention and plays with it like a ball in a game of catch with Ryo-Ohki. Then one day Washu drags Ryoko off for a bath. And that’s when Washu notices the strange mark on her backside but doesn’t mention it. She does however mention that it’s her turn to clean the toilet. Meanwhile Mihoshi leaves after,in usually ditzy fashion, misinterpreting the instructions given to her by her superior, and before that taking a dip in the lake while in uniform. Tenchi is actually quite surprised when he finds Ryoko actually helping around the house and compliments Ryoko on it. Driving her hysterically happy with emotion. That happiness is shattered when Dr. Clay decides enough is enough. He orders Zero Ryoko to kill Tenchi. That night the Doppelganger in spite of herself sneaks into Tenchi’s room. Gritting her teth she stabs down at Tenchi who is fast asleep. However she finds she simply can’t do it despite having absolute obedience programmed into her by Dr. Clay. She teleports out of Tenchi’s room depressed and teary-eyed. Then Washu appears and tells the imposter she knows that this Ryoko is an imposter and that she works for Dr. Clay. The imposter Ryoko tries to capture Washu…only to find that she’s captured a doll. Ayeka then reveals she too has known that this isn’t the real Ryoko. However Zero Ryoko is no slouch as brushes aside the guardians as if they were nothing. But then Tenchi awakened by the commotion sees what’s going on. Crying and emotionally devastated the Ryoko impersonator retreats. Tenchi is surprised when he learns that Washu and Ayeka have known all along that this Ryoko isn’t the real one. Mainly because she has a much better personality. The ladies and Tenchi wake up Ryo-Ohki and head off into space. They find Mihoshi in trouble as she has unwisely engaged the powerful galaxy Police battleship. Mihoshi’s ship crash lands and Tenchi and Ayeka go after her. Leaving a slightly annoyed Washu to go after Dr. Clay. Ayeka and Tenchi land aboard via one of Ryo-Ohki’s crystal landing pods and exit. ANd arrive just in time to fiund defense drones pursuing Mihoshi, untill the breezy galaxy police officer pulls out her laser pistol and starts laying down the law on the defense drones. Dr. Clay meanwhile receives a surprise visitor, Washu herself. the two launch into a conversation that has a healthy mix of verbal jibes and innuendos that were too racy to ever be shown on Toonami. At one point Clay tries to capture her opnly to find that it’s another doll with a ribbon. But then Zero Ryoko who’s been brooding over everything that happens blasts Washu giving Dr. Clay a chance to capture her. Meanwhile Tenchi, Ayeka, and Mihoshi who have penetrated the ship end up being captured by Clay, and Mihoshi points out the obvious much to Ayeka’s annoyance. However Zero Ryoko turns on Dr. Clay having decided that she waants to live as Ryoko. Dr. Clay uses a hidden remote to incapacitate Zero. But when Dr. Clay tries to make a copt of Washu’s memories Zero Ryoko blasts Washu out of her prison allowing the sciuentist to throttle her old academy rival. DR. Clay then seperates his section of the ship from the main had even as he orders irt to turn into a black hole. Washu tries to stop it but to no avail. But then somehow Tenchi is miraculously able to generate the lighthawk wings again and transports himself and his female companions top safety. Meanwhile a very angry Ryo-Ohki captures Dr. Clay as he tries to escape in his one-person escape shuttle. DR. Clay is taken by Mihoshi back to Galaxy police H.Q. along with one of Clay’s favorite items which Mihoshi unsurpisingly breaks. Washu then convinces Ryoko to undergo a proceeedure that will allow her and Zero to become one. She also helps Ryoko relaize that the Zero Ryoko is the real her with her deep feelings for Tenchi. Ryoko on returning to Earth with the other has to deal with a massive case of the giggles as she adjusts to what’s happened.
The final episode in the Tenchi Muyo OVA is titled Here comes Jurai. The Galaxy police have translated Mihoshi’s rather long and rather through report. The results leave the Galaxy police speechless and attract the attention of the Jurai royal council. This is another episode that wins the Scififantasyanimeman barrel of laughs award. Jurai’s Inspector General of information, and Yosho’s mother, Lady Funaho arrives at the temple. The stunningly beautiful and elegant woman leaves Tenchi speechless for a moment but then goes to get his grandfather. Ayeka as soon as she sees Funaho learns that a “she” is probably at the house right now. With a girlish squeal of glee and nervousness she politely bows to Funaho and heads off to the house. Katsuhito comes out to see why Tenchi is calling her and gets the surprise of his life when he finds himself face to face with his mother. Meanwhile at the Masaki residence Ryoko at the behest of Sasami answers the door. As soon as she opens the door absolute hysteria erupts when a woman crying for joy rushes in calling Ryoko Sasami and pulling her into a bear-like hug. Ryoko tries to explain to the woman that’s she’s not Sasami, all to avail. But then the real Sasami pops out of the kitchen. Ryoko, quickly forgotten by the woman who is in fact Ayeka and Sasami’s mother summarily throws Ryoko face first into a nearby wall. Poo r Ryoko falls to the floor dazed by the blow. Meanwhile Sasami and her mother have a hysterically ridiculous happy reunion. Tenchi continues to sweep the walkway while silently pondering what’s going on in the temple office. Meanwhile Ayeka runs for the house. Back ay the house Ryoko is about ready to gag from the sappiness of the family reunion. Then Ayeka arrives and attempts to greet her mother in an adult fashion. However one angry deathg glare from the woman tells Ayeka shes having none of that. After warning Ryoko not to laugh at what’s about to happen she lets out after an overly dramatic breath and assuming a child-like pose, “MY MOMMY!” At which point Ryoko falls over in diebelief. This moment always cracks me up along with the hysterical events that occur when Ryoko despite Ayeka’s warning laughs at Ayeka. Only to get a death glare and a mouth stretch from a very irate Lady Misaki, Supreme General of the Jurai royal Bodyguards. After giving her a quick chiding Ayeka and Sasami give Ryoko a way to get out of her predicament. The Translation of it from Japanese is “I’m sorry pretty young lady.” Ryoko is out of hot water on that score but no sooner has this taken palce…the Ryoko is thrown face first into a wall again as Misaki spots a groggy Ryo-Ohki. The ends results are hysterical as Ryoko slides off the dented wall as she says, “Don’t…don’t mind me…really.” I always found this moment to be exceptionally good fun. Meanwhile in the temple office Yosho and Lady Funaho have a long talk over tea. The music used in this scene was just beautiful and always brought a tear to my eye. In the course of their conversation it’s revealed that Yosho is still very much youthful and vigorous but has been hiding his appearance behind the mirage of an old man. It turns up the gems have been giving his tree power. Jurai’s trees and the council suspected this for sometime and because of it they’ve theorized that Ryoko’s gem should be able to generate the light hawk wings. Yosho then has to expl;ain why he didn’t come back to Jurai or at least contact his mother. Yosho soon realizes that they’ve come for Washu. After changing back into his old man form Yosho has Tenchi take Lady Funaho tot he house. En route to the house Washu puts in ana ppearance. Tenchi is given something tot ake to the house and sent on his way. this leaves Lady Funaho and Washu to talk. It turns up when the Jurai royal council got Mihoshi’s report it took them four days to summarize it during which time absolutely nothing could get done. When asked th question of whether she’ll work for Jurai Washu says, “My answer is no!” Ryo-Ohki entertains Sasami, Ayeka, and Misaki with a little trick. Then Tenchi arrives only to be greeted by Misaki and given a hug which drives Ryoko and Ayeka into jealous fits. Until Misaki hugs them telling them she loves them too. Ryoko and Ayeka sigh and concede, “She’s hopeless.” Meanwhile Washu assures Lady Funaho that while she won’t help Jurai mass produce Ryoko, she doesn’t want to alienate Tenchi so she will help no one. This gives Lady Funaho assurance that things shall remain the way they are in the galaxy at large. A short time later the king of Jurai shows up trying to look imperious but then is taken off guard by Lady Misaki’s actions. The King tries to order Ayeka and Sasami to return home but neither is having any of it. The King then tries to explain that he’s chosen a “Suitable fiancee” for Ayeka. The guy turns up to be what some would consider a sissy miry girly man. After making a overdramatic tirade about Ayeka’s living conditions he challenges Tenchi to a duel. Ryoko tries top talk Tenchi out of it for the express purpose of getting rid of some of her competition for Tenchi. Things change when Lady Misaki explains that if Tenchi is allowed to duel…and win Ryoko will get out of paying the restitution costs for all the damage she did when she attacked Jurai. As the duelists prepare to face off Sasami gives everyone some snacks. Then Tenchi and the others spot something in the sky. Sasami then gives almost everyone, including her father an umbrella. The reasoning soon becomes clear when Mihoshi just back from Galaxy police H.Q. again crash lands in the lake. The end results leave Tenchi stand tall and not proud but baffled. His opponent is not so lucky as he’s floating in the lake out like a light. Truly one of the most anticlimactic and very funny duels I’ve ever seen in my life. A wet and blubbering Mihoshi begs Washu between her crying fits if she can help fix her spaceship.Here’s another reason Mihoshi is worthy of the Scififantasyanimeman face palm award. Misaki, Funaho, and the king of Jurai bid farewell, well Funaho and Misaki do, to the group and head back to planet Jurai. Things settle back to normal for Tenchi, well as normal as they get with such strong and powerful women constantly bickering around the house and all the explosions. Meanwhile Funaho and Misaki contemplate returning to earth to have more of a detailed look around. The King of Jurai meanwhile is scheming away for a means to bring Ayeka and Sasami back to Jurai while defeating Tenchi.
Okay while I admit the idea of someone marrying their half-brother creeped me out quite a bit overall Tenchi Muyo OVA is a first rate series with a lot of action, romance (Or humorous attempts at it), and some great laughs. I love how the characters are developed and nothing is left to chance. The ending I will admit didn’t tie up as many loose ends as I’d hoped but overall Tenchi Muyo OVA is an excellent anime series I recommend . That’s why I give Tenchi Muyo OVA ****1/2 (4 and 1/2 stars) Giving it the rank of pretty good. As with all my reviews if you disagree with it or have some detail I missed and should make a correction on do so politely but tell me. Well until next time this is Scififantasyanimeman saying…be seeing you.
~ by scififantasyanimeman on 09/25/2009.
Posted in Anime review/Commentary
Scififantasyanimeman's Blog
Review of Tenchi Muyo OVA
Hello everyone this is scififantasyanimeman. Wow, lately I’ve been getting a whole lot of people looking at my blogs and I’d like to say too all those people, thank you so very much for taking time to take a look. Your views of my work honor and humble me. Now to the matter at hand.
This time I’m going to review the series Tenchi Muyo OVA. Or as some would call it…the original Tenchi series. First off let me say I’d like to thank Amazon.com for helping me find this series so I can review it.
The premise of the series is a 15-year-old boy named Tenchi Masaki is spending the summer working at his Grandfather’s shrine in a mountainous region of Japan. Tenchi who’s always been rather curious has been trying for some time to get a mysterious key his Grandfather Katsuhito Masaki holds but never quite able to get it. He’s also been fascinated with a mysterious warded cave on the grounds of his Grandfather’s temple. As far back as he can remember Tenchi has learned the story of an ancestor of his named Yosho, a powerful samurai who came from the sky and defeated a powerful demon from the sky who was terrorizing Japan at the time named Ryoko or Devil walker.
Things take an interesting turn when Tenchi manages to finally swipe the key by the skin of his teeth (or rather by his teeth and mouth). Disregarding his grandfather’s warning about curiosity and the cat. Tenchi opens the cave and after some slipping and sliding comes face to face with the skeletal remains of the demon which suddenly springs to life and scares the pants out of Tenchi. The young man manages to flee and seals up the passage promising himself to do as many chores as his grandfather tells him. Things take an interesting turn when the mysterious and seemingly mystical tree that has been on the Masaki shrine grounds for many generations starts to glow with a strange power and sends of what sounds like a distress signal up into the night’s sky.
Things stay quiet until after summer when Tenchi is back in school. First he ends up taking a nap on his High school’s playground. When he awakens he finds he’s missed all his classes. Then he finds what at first he thinks is a cat only to have it disappear. instead he finds himself face to face with a stormcloud grey haired, golden eyed, youngish woman in a long green dress. It turns up the woman introduces herself as Ryoko, and Tenchi relaizes to his horror that this is in fact the demon he found in the cave, and she’s come back hankering of a healthy heap of payback. Tenchi tries to explain that he’s not Yosho but Ryoko doesn’t care as she’s more interested in vengeance. After a crazy romp around the school, one that results in it being set on fire, wrecking a huge chunk of the outside, and Tenchi having the key he swiped from his grandfather coming to life and eager to dish out some hurt of its own on Ryoko, the battle ends with Tenchi chopping off a hand. Ryoko surprises him by regenerating the lost hand and then disappearing. Things get crazy when after Tenchi gets home he finds…Ryokosleeping in his bed! Tired but happy Ryoko awakens to greet Tenchi who is less than thrilled by the sudden surprise.
The next character in this equation enters in the next episode. Meet Princess Ayeka (Pronounced Aye-yay-kah), the first princess of the royal family of planet Jurai. She was originally betrothed to her half-brother Yosho (Kind of creepy in my opinion) and was awakened from her suspended animation when her ship Ryo-Oo receives a signal from Yosho’s tree. Missing her beloved Yosho she goes to Earth to investigate the signal. ANd discovers that Ryoko is awake and about. Unfortunately the warrant for her arrest choses that moment to expire. Deciding to take matters into her own hand Aeyeka descends to capture Ryoko and find her half-brother.
Meanwhile Ryoko explains to Tenchi that someone from her past is coming to pay her disrespects and that she needs a jewel like the ones in the sword hilt Tenchi holds in order to be able to get them out of this jam. As this is going on Tenchi’s father Noba Yuki discovers Tenchi has a girl in his room. Even before he became a widower Noba Yuki was always something of a pervert decides to record what he thinks will be Tenchi’s first…experience with a girl for posterity.
However things go completely insane when Ayeka’s ship shows up it scares the daylights out of Tenchi and his father. Ryoko summons her ship, Ryo-Ohki from the depths of the lake on Katsuhito Masaki’s property. Taking Tenchi and teleporting aboard her ship Ryoko and she attempt to flee. Poor Tenchi is horrified when he sees his house and the property it’s on have been folded up like a piece of origami, and Tenchi’s father with it. However Ayeka manages to capture Ryoko and has her and Tenchi brough aboard courtesy of her guardians, strange machine-like creature made of wood, Osaka, and Kamadaki.
Tenchi awakens to find himself in a cage made of living branches. And when he tries to squeeze out they put the squeeze on him literally. But then with surprising help from his sword Tenchi breaks free and then meets up with Princess Sasami, Princess Ayeka’s little sister. Aeyeka attempts to interrogate Ryoko and finds at first that her torture techniques are only tickling Ryoko. Then she uses a sword like the one Tenchi has and starts to get the intended pain effect. However her efforts still prove to no avail, and she reminded to get her beauty rest by her guardians.
Later on that night Tenchi on a dare sneaks into Ayeka’s bedchamber trying to steal her headdress as per Sasami’s request. However things go awry as Tenchi being clumsy and scared beyond belief wakes up Aeyeka and ends up running like the wind from Aeyeka’s chamber much to Aeyeka surprise as chagrin. Grabbing Sasami Tenchi flees while Ayeka’s guardians pursue him. At Sasami’s instructions Tenchi heads for a secret passage in a tree and ends up sliding down to where Ryoko is being held. After Tenchi frees Ryoko Sasami gets a painful cheek pull after she calls Ryoko old lady. Then Ayeka shows up and chastises Sasami for her actions. Then Aeyeka’s heart is broken when Tenchi explains that he is a descendant of Yosho and that he’s long since dead. Ryoko and Tenchi manage to escape when Ryo-Ohki crashes the party literally and sends Ryo-Ooh earthward. The course of the crash smashes a bridge in the Tokyo area and eventually brings both ships to rest…right in the lake on the Masaki shrine property. The good thing is that the house was saved though now it’s located right next to the Masaki Shinto shrine.
As the story progresses more people join up with the house. The child of Ryo-Ohki is born and it turns up to be a shape shifting creature called a cabbit, a creature that in its living state looks like a cross between a rabbit and a cat. And this creature has an insatiable love for carrots. Ryoko discovers there’s more to Tenchi’s grandfather then meets the eye when she tries to slug him after he unintentionally gropes her…ample chest. Aeyeka learns that her brother Yosho is alive somewhere on Earth when she finds that the sacred tree of the Masaki shrine is in fact Yosho’s tree from his Juraian spaceship.
Things really get crazy when the Masaki family takes a trip to a local Inn with hot springs. Ryoko does her best to try and seduce Tenchi while antagonizing Ayeka. Things come to a head when the women start slapping each other. Okay when I saw a tamed down version of this scene when Tenchi was on Toonami years ago even then I thought, “Uh-oh two extremely beautiful and powerful women about to fight each other that can’t be good”. And indeed it proves to be disastrous when Ryoko tries to summon a powerful water demon but in her desire to smash Aeyeka she forgets that she needs a gem on her other wrist to control the creature. The out of control evil spirit/creature proceeds to start trashing the Inn and scaring the daylights out of the owner. The chaos generated by this creatures sets up a magnetic field that draws anything to it. It’s at this time that another character comes into the equation Officer Mihoshi of the Galaxy Police, a slender, tanned curavceous blonde girl who is my first winner of the Scififantasyanimeman face-palm award for being one of the unbelievably dumb charcters you coulkd ever meet, though i suspect her lack of intelligence is in a humorous way. Tenchi using his sword sends the creature and unfortunately Mihonsshi’s spaceship into a pocket dimension where they can’t hurt anyone. Tenchi then rescues Mihoshi right before making a hard landing in one of the hot springs. When Mihoshi comes around she discovers she stuck on Earth but the control jewel for her ship has been fixed…by Ryoko. This leads to a reason why Mihoshi deserves the face palm and award and a really funny scene in the series when Mihonshi asks Ryoko, “Are you a jeweler?” The absurdity of the question and Ryoko’s reaction made me howl with laughter whgen I saw it. That line came completely from out of left field and was absolutely classic! Mihoshi the discovers Ryo-Ohki in her cabbit form and summarily faints in fear after Ryo-Ohki literally takes a bite out of her gun. That night Sasami has bad dreams about a figure she calls Kagato coming and taking Tenchi away and then killing her. She awakens to find a spaceship hovering over the Inn a sign of terrible things to come.
Shortly after the Inn incident the family returns home…to some serious troubles. The dangerous intergalatic criminal Kagato arrives after detecting a powerful energy source and Ryoko after completely trouncing a galaxy police fleet. Kagato first atacks Tenchi and quickly throttles him but then he uses his power to brainwash Ryoko into being his servant. He throttles Aeyeka and fflicks Mihoshi aside like a fly. But then he comes face to face with Katsuhito Masaki and the two have a fantastic action packed duel. It’s during the course of the duel that Kasuhito takes down Ryoko by mentioning a good hot spring. Kagato also shock Aeyeka by revealing that…Katsuhito Masaki is Yosho. At the end of the battle The elder Masaki psyches out Kagato by tossing the sword hilt known as Tenchi into his tree. Kagato tries to take it and literally gets the shock of his life when he finds he can’t touch it. Kagato is forced to retreat and takes Ryoko with him. Ayeka is distraught over the complication in things. Yosho/Katsuhito jokes that they could get married then until he gets an elbow and angry words from Aeyeka who then starts trying to hook her up with Tenchi. Ryo-Ohki then transforms into her spaceship form for the first time and most of the group heads off into space. Sasami remains behind and is fearful for Tenchi’s safety goes to the Masaki tree and begs a mysterious someone named Tsunami for help before a strange door opens and swallows Sasami. Ryo-Ohki meanwhile flies into space however Kagato’s spaceship[ proves too much for Ryo-Ohki. Tenchi sacrifices himself to allow the others to escape freeing Ryoko from his control but leaving her bereft of emotion. Ryoko finds a handkerchief with Tenchi’s blood on it and lowers her head for a moment of silent mourning before telling Aeyeka and Mihoshi, “We’re going after Kagato!”. Meanwhile unawares to all involved Tenchi has been rescued by a powerful being known as Tsunami, who is in fact a legendary lost spaceship of Jurai and a possessor of some extraordinarily powerful energy. As the three ladies race through Kagato’s ship Mihoshi is seperated from the rest of the others and finds herself meeting up with a strange woman who is in fact Washu a lost scientist from thousands of years ago. Meanwhiile Kagato who has been playing the pipe organ on his ship ala Captain Nemo from Jules Verne’s 20.000 leagues under the sea finishes his little tune then turns to deal with the intruders. Despite Ryoko and Ayeka’s best efforts Kagato proves too powerful for them. But then Ryoko is spirited away to the other side and restored from the stone statue Kagato turned her into. Washu then reveals she’s the one who created Ryoko. The demon/notorious space pirate is less than pleased with things. but eventually is sent back to deal with Kagato. Meanwhile Tenchi is sent by Tsunami to do the same. The battle proves intense. While Mihoshi and Washu cheer them on Tenchi, Ryoko, and Aeyeka’s power still proves no match for Kagato, until he discovers Tsunami, who is fact a spaceship, the most powerful living spaceship in the Juraian fleet. All seems lost until Tenchi breaks free from Kagato’s power and summons for the first time the powerful light hawk wings. WIth this new power Tenchi is able to defeat the powerful criminal by cutting him in half. Ryoko tries to hug Tenchi but finds several people have beaten her to the punch including Washu. All out hilarity ensues until the ship breaks apart due to Tenchi using a little too much power. The group returns to earth where the usual day of chaotic silliness ensues.
The next episode in the series gets the Scififantasyanimeman award known as the barrel of laughs. I say this because The Night Before the Carnival has got to be one of the most insane and hysterical episodes of all. The story starts out with a spring day at Tenchi’s home. Tenchi gets the fright of his life when he finds a red-eyed Ryoko has been watching over him last night and is constantly stalking him even when he has to go to the bathroom. After a little fiasco with a powerful Juraian item Tenchi manages to change into some work clothes. Ayeka meantime has notices Ryoko clawing at the door to Tenchi’s bedroom like a cat. Tenchi opens the door and gives Ayeka the seed from Ryo-Oo that was given to him by Tsunami. It turns up the whole reason Kagato had Ryoko attack Jurai when she was still under his control all those ages ago before being defeated by Yosho was because he was searching for Tsunami. Ayeka is surprised and humbly joyful at Tenchi’s gift while Ryoko is left tearstricken. Ayeka pays a visit to the new laboratory of Washu. Ot’s during the course of their conversation that Washu tells Ayeka she won’t do anything for her “Unless you call me little Washuuuu!” After some more funny moments Washu gets to work on a special unit designed to allow Ryo-oo to regenerate that is similar enough to Jurai’s environs sop there will be no problems. Meanwhile Tenchi who’s been working in the garden is paid a visit by a very hungry Ryo-Ohki who attempts to dig up some carrots until Tenchi stops her and explains how they don’t grow that fast. Ryoko meanwhile is trying to come up with a plan to win Tenchi’s affections when she comes across the romantic mangas Mihoshi and Sasami are reading. After giving Sasami a bit of a scare she has the little girl explain them to her. Ryoko figures them as a way of learning how to win Tenchi and eagerly takes it as Sasami goes to fix breakfast. Washu being true to her word turns the unit Kagato created into a means to resurrect Ryo-Oo. Meanwhile Tenchi returns from planting carrots to find that Sasami who’s always been very good in the kitchen is almsot done making breakfast. Tenchi goes to get Washu. When the scientists mentions Ayeka might be off planting carrots Ryo-Ohki heads off to find her. But meanwhile Washu has plans for Tenchi. Ayeka finishes planting Ryo-Oo seed and returns to water it when she sees Ryo-Ohki trying to diog it up resulting in one of the funniest scenes in the series with Ayeka having a conniption fit and the little cabbit getting scared have to death before both give each other a death glare as Ayeka snaps, “This is not a carrot!” Washu’s analysis of Tenchi shows everything normal and inter-dimensional is normal until Washu realizes she’s forgotten one sample and dons a nurse’s outfit in order to get a sperm Mihoishi (convieniently for Tenchi interrupt sample. She almost does until Mihoshi interrupts. Then she disrupts things even more by pressing buttons and causing all types of chaos. Poor Sasami is left waiting for everyone. Later on that day Ryoko after reading the romance manga decides to put it to use. Sasami who has been playing with Ryo-Ohki decides she and the cabbit are going to watch the fun. Ryoko’s first attempt on Tenchi utilizing the manga ends in hilarious disaster as Mihonshi interrupts and drags a protesting Ryoko off. Ayeka meanwhile decides to read the romance mangas which ironically belong to Tenchi’s father Noba Yuki. Tenchi later on as he heads for his grandafther’s temple to do some work is tripped up by AYeka who tries her hand at things resulting in a very confused Tenchi. The ladies over the course of the day try other means to win Tenchi, resultying in hilarious disasters. When Tenchi returns he discovers why Ayeka and Ryoko have been behaving as they have and points out the mangas they’ve been reading are 10 years old or more. However the romance manga Washu has is hot off the presses and teases the two when she reads that she is noted as being right for Tenchi. Ryoko and Ayeka try more convenient techniques to try and win Tenchi…and again the results are hilarious disaster. Meanwhile Tenchi is sent by Sasami to fetch some vegetables for dinner and discovers that some of Washu’s experiments which have transformed into Ryo-Ohki have depleted the carrot supply. The next day Ayeka and Ryoko decide to turn their efforts to getting rid of Mihoshi and Washu. Ryoko pretends to be a Galaxy Police Superior and orders Mihoshi to return to make her report to H.Q. Mihoshi who has never been the sharpest tool in the shed never stops to question. Ayeka “conveniently” appears and suggests getting help from Washu. Since Mihoshi’s ship fell into a pocket dimension in the immediate area Washu is able to use her scientific skill to bring it back to this dimension. Unfortunately the ship has picked up a hitchhiker, a certain hostile water spirit Ryoko summoned. Washu however using her power easily disperses the creature as if it were a gnat. Mihoshi makes her farewells to Tenchi and the others then takes off. That night Ryoko ties up Ayeka and makes plans to seduce Tenchi. Meanwhile Mihoshi makes her report and the results are absolutely bgut busting rich laughs. Ryoko attempts to sneak into Tenchi’s room…and ends up taking the plunge literally when she discovers she’s been transported to the lake outside. It turns up Ayeka who has managed to free herself put a force field on the door to Tenchi’s room which can only be deactivated when someone knocks on Tenchi’s door. Ayeka and Ryoko then get into another fight. Meanwhile Sasami has a disturbing dream involving someone named Tokimi and Tenchi being taken away. poor Sasami awakens in tears and passes by Ayeka and Sasami who are so locked in their own quarrel that they don’t notice a terrified Sasami pass them by. However they get a surprise when Sasami is invited by Tenchi into his room, and Ryoko is there too along with Ryo-Ohki. The two bickering women try to enter as well and end up in the lake near Tenchi’s home. Things take hilarious turn when Mihoshi returns, however because earth doesn’t have a landing beacon the results are very explosive! The next day Ayeka nearly has another connipition fit when she sees what she thinks is Ryo-Ohki trying to dig up the seed she planted. However it turns up what’s going on is that Ryo-Oo has started to regenerate itself. It turns up Ryo-Ohki and Ryo-Oo are communicating with each other.
Next up in the series a baby who belongs to Tenchi’s cousin comes for a visit. The baby is as cute as button and like all babies very curious and mischievous.Tenchi and his family agree to take care of the baby if Tenchi’s cousin and her husband ever need them. Sasami also returns from the trip but seems different, very withdrawn and sad not like her usual self at all. They get the chance sooner than they expect when Tenchi’s cousin comes down with a case of the flu. Tenchi and the ladies then get a lesson in the school, of hard knocks in the proper raising and care of a baby. At one point in the episode the baby slips away from Tenchi and the others and manages to get into Washu’s laboratory. Washu ends up showing some surprising skills with raising children. This starts to come through in the days that follow as the shows treats us to a different side of Washu, a caring, nurturing motherly side. ANd there’s also some disgustingly good fun as well. After a couple weeks the baby is taken back to his mother. Tenchi then makes a shocking discovery, the reason why Washu behaves in a childish way. It turns up she had a child with a prominent member of the Jurai military. But then the man she loved left her…and took the baby with her. It left Washu grieving. Tenchi wishes he could do something to help at which point Washu much to Tenchi discomfort tries to seduce him until Ryoko socks her one. Ayeka and Ryoko then try and berate her before turning their wrath on each other. Meanwhile in her room in the Masaki household Sasami and Ryo-Ohki watch poor Sasami clearly troubled by something.
Next up Tenchi, his friends, and family are invited out to the Inn they trashed not so long ago. Just after they arrived they’re put to work by the Innkeeper fixing the damage they caused. Hilarity ensues as they fix the place and the girls are put to work peeling potatoes. But then they spot a tall and ghostly figure wandering the Inn halls. Katsuhito then tells Tenchi and the girls a terrifying story about a ghostly woman in whiiiite who wanders around looking for the husband she lost when he went to get some herbs for the ailment she had. The story scares Tennchi and the others silly until the innkeeper makes Katsuhito reveal that he made the whole thing up (Psyche-out). As Tenchi goes to work on the power in the dark he’s startled when a figure touches him on one shoulder. A terrified Tenchi then runs for his life and ends up crashing into one of the hot springs. The group makes a shocking discovery that Sasami’s reflection is in fact Tsunami, the bgirl/entity Tenchi last saw during the Kagato incident. Sasami runs off scared and crying. The group goes in search of her. Ayeka finds Sasami first Tenchi is about to call out to them when he’s pulled into some nearby bushes by Washu. Sasami then relates the story of how during Ryoko’s attack on Jurai she believes she died and was remade into Tsunami. She’s been afraid to tell Ayeka and the others for fear of rejection. But the truth is Tenchi, and Ayeka won’t reject her. She gives Ayeka the pass over and hugs Tenchi. After some beautiful visuals and some hilarity involving Ryoko, some sake (Pronounced: Sock-aye), they learn the truth Sasami And Tsunami actually became one. Tsunami did so to save Sasami’s life. The thing is as they get older Sasami will begin nto understand things more even as sasami looks like Tsunami. This flusters Ayeka and Ryoko as Tsunami’s beauty will surpass both of them. Leading the two ladies to be their usual snappy selves leading to some humorous results.
The next starts when Mihoshi and Sasami come out to a dock on the nearby lake where they find Ryoko fishing, well not exactly, she’s got Ryo-Ohki in a small diving suit trying to catch a fish so she can get a carrot. An act that’s perhaps asking a little too much of the cabbit. Tenchi meanwhile is cleaning out his closet of clothes he doesn’t want. Among the things he finds are his clothes from last summer and a light blue kimono. This was the same kimono his beloved mother wore. Later that day Tenchi returns home to find Ryoko has donned the kimono in another effort to win Tenchi’s affections. However she ends up tearing it at one sleeve and then tears it and the other sleeve off. As this is going on Ryo-Ohki pays Tenchi a visit. Tenchi who is furious over what happened screams “You, I hate you!” This strikes a blow to Ryoko…and to Ryo-Ohki who believed the words were aimed at her. Ryo-Ohki flees and Tenchi is forced to go after her. Ryo-Ohki’s flight first takes her to Washu’s laboratory where she has a meeting with a collective conscience creature known as mass. The implications of this meeting will become known later. The cabbit meantime flees the house. Tenchi on a gut hunch checks the carrot field re enough finds Ryo-Ohki there. AFter explaining that he’s not mad at her they pick a whole bunch of carrots and on the way home have to pick up all the carrots again after Tenchi crashes to the ground trying to keep people from discovering Ryo-Ohki or her abilities. They make it back to the house where Tenchi assures a waiting Ryoko he’s no longer angry at her. She helps Tenchi with the large basket of carrots. Sasami is happily reunited with the cabbit. They then go tell Washu that it’s tea time. And somehow the masses read Ryo-Ohki’s mind and start shaping themselves into a particular form. After tea the girls sit down and watch a ridiculously sappy robot soap opera. And just as the two robots are about to kiss…the show is interrupted by a news flash regarding a stolen Galaxy Police warship. Ona more foreboding note the the masses assemble themseleves into the form of a female and break free of their hold and head off towards their unknown purpose. Washu discovers this and then in a hilarious scene resembling a school room explains to the ladies what masses are and how they attack anything with greater energy then theirs. Meanwhile the masses reach where Tenchi is working in the garden and scare the dickens out of him. Meanwhile the girls realize Tenchi is in grave danger since he possess the power of the light hawk wings. When Ryoko tries to teleport after him she runs into Washu’s defensive field and crashes back tot he ground the other ladies and Ryo-Ohki race to Tenchi assistance. Tenchi and the other are caught in a nasty situation until Ryoko appears drawing the attention of the masses since Ryoko possesses power energy of her own. The masses blast Ryoko leaving her stunned but very much alive. Then Ryo-Ohki assimilates with the masses creating a new form for herself. The end results are heartwarming hilarious. But all is not well as the story ends with a mysterious ship with the front shaped like a woman flying through space towards an unknown destination.
The mysterious vessel turns up to be the battleship that was stolen from the galaxy police. And it’s fallen into the hands of a renegade scientist known as Dr. Clay. He and his robotic assistant Zero arrive at the abode of the powerful goddess figure Lady Tokimi. After conferring with Tokimi’s underling he makes his report to Tokimi herself. It turns up Tokimi is…the very same woman Sasami saw in her dream during the Before the carnival incident. Dr. Clay who hasn’t finished the assignment set out for him yet but is having his robotic underlings finish it is given permission by lady Toki,mi to fetch a certain scientist for her, a scientist who happens to be Washu. Zero captures Ryoko and duplicates her. However Zero Ryoko and Dr. Clay get the surprise of a lifetime when they find that they can’t duplicate the gem Ryoko wears. So Clay has Zero take the gem and takes Ryoko to his ship. Meanwhile Sasami and Mihoshi are busily working away in the kitchen and Ryo-Ohki is still getting the hang of her new form and has a hankering for some carrots. Th results are mildly humorous. Tenchi returns home as dinner is completed from his chores. He learns Ryoko went into town to get some sake. The imposter Ryoko arrives meaning to capture Washu, but then gets the surprise of her life when she runs into Tenchi and finds herself blushing like a schoolgirl with her first crush. Washu and Ayeka carefully onserve Ryoko but make no comments. In the days that follow Zero Ryoko makes more attempts to grab Washu only to have her plans backfire when Tenchi comes in and causes her to lose it. Ryoko then learns through the stolen memories of the real Ryoko about how Ryoko when she was in the cave Yosho imprisoned her in how she would watch over Tenchi in good times and bad and how she slowly fell in love with him, though she doesn’t want to admit it. One night Washu does a physical examination of Ryoko and Ayeka with humorous results, especially when Mihoshi in all her ditziness takes one of Washu’s invention and plays with it like a ball in a game of catch with Ryo-Ohki. Then one day Washu drags Ryoko off for a bath. And that’s when Washu notices the strange mark on her backside but doesn’t mention it. She does however mention that it’s her turn to clean the toilet. Meanwhile Mihoshi leaves after,in usually ditzy fashion, misinterpreting the instructions given to her by her superior, and before that taking a dip in the lake while in uniform. Tenchi is actually quite surprised when he finds Ryoko actually helping around the house and compliments Ryoko on it. Driving her hysterically happy with emotion. That happiness is shattered when Dr. Clay decides enough is enough. He orders Zero Ryoko to kill Tenchi. That night the Doppelganger in spite of herself sneaks into Tenchi’s room. Gritting her teth she stabs down at Tenchi who is fast asleep. However she finds she simply can’t do it despite having absolute obedience programmed into her by Dr. Clay. She teleports out of Tenchi’s room depressed and teary-eyed. Then Washu appears and tells the imposter she knows that this Ryoko is an imposter and that she works for Dr. Clay. The imposter Ryoko tries to capture Washu…only to find that she’s captured a doll. Ayeka then reveals she too has known that this isn’t the real Ryoko. However Zero Ryoko is no slouch as brushes aside the guardians as if they were nothing. But then Tenchi awakened by the commotion sees what’s going on. Crying and emotionally devastated the Ryoko impersonator retreats. Tenchi is surprised when he learns that Washu and Ayeka have known all along that this Ryoko isn’t the real one. Mainly because she has a much better personality. The ladies and Tenchi wake up Ryo-Ohki and head off into space. They find Mihoshi in trouble as she has unwisely engaged the powerful galaxy Police battleship. Mihoshi’s ship crash lands and Tenchi and Ayeka go after her. Leaving a slightly annoyed Washu to go after Dr. Clay. Ayeka and Tenchi land aboard via one of Ryo-Ohki’s crystal landing pods and exit. ANd arrive just in time to fiund defense drones pursuing Mihoshi, untill the breezy galaxy police officer pulls out her laser pistol and starts laying down the law on the defense drones. Dr. Clay meanwhile receives a surprise visitor, Washu herself. the two launch into a conversation that has a healthy mix of verbal jibes and innuendos that were too racy to ever be shown on Toonami. At one point Clay tries to capture her opnly to find that it’s another doll with a ribbon. But then Zero Ryoko who’s been brooding over everything that happens blasts Washu giving Dr. Clay a chance to capture her. Meanwhile Tenchi, Ayeka, and Mihoshi who have penetrated the ship end up being captured by Clay, and Mihoshi points out the obvious much to Ayeka’s annoyance. However Zero Ryoko turns on Dr. Clay having decided that she waants to live as Ryoko. Dr. Clay uses a hidden remote to incapacitate Zero. But when Dr. Clay tries to make a copt of Washu’s memories Zero Ryoko blasts Washu out of her prison allowing the sciuentist to throttle her old academy rival. DR. Clay then seperates his section of the ship from the main had even as he orders irt to turn into a black hole. Washu tries to stop it but to no avail. But then somehow Tenchi is miraculously able to generate the lighthawk wings again and transports himself and his female companions top safety. Meanwhile a very angry Ryo-Ohki captures Dr. Clay as he tries to escape in his one-person escape shuttle. DR. Clay is taken by Mihoshi back to Galaxy police H.Q. along with one of Clay’s favorite items which Mihoshi unsurpisingly breaks. Washu then convinces Ryoko to undergo a proceeedure that will allow her and Zero to become one. She also helps Ryoko relaize that the Zero Ryoko is the real her with her deep feelings for Tenchi. Ryoko on returning to Earth with the other has to deal with a massive case of the giggles as she adjusts to what’s happened.
The final episode in the Tenchi Muyo OVA is titled Here comes Jurai. The Galaxy police have translated Mihoshi’s rather long and rather through report. The results leave the Galaxy police speechless and attract the attention of the Jurai royal council. This is another episode that wins the Scififantasyanimeman barrel of laughs award. Jurai’s Inspector General of information, and Yosho’s mother, Lady Funaho arrives at the temple. The stunningly beautiful and elegant woman leaves Tenchi speechless for a moment but then goes to get his grandfather. Ayeka as soon as she sees Funaho learns that a “she” is probably at the house right now. With a girlish squeal of glee and nervousness she politely bows to Funaho and heads off to the house. Katsuhito comes out to see why Tenchi is calling her and gets the surprise of his life when he finds himself face to face with his mother. Meanwhile at the Masaki residence Ryoko at the behest of Sasami answers the door. As soon as she opens the door absolute hysteria erupts when a woman crying for joy rushes in calling Ryoko Sasami and pulling her into a bear-like hug. Ryoko tries to explain to the woman that’s she’s not Sasami, all to avail. But then the real Sasami pops out of the kitchen. Ryoko, quickly forgotten by the woman who is in fact Ayeka and Sasami’s mother summarily throws Ryoko face first into a nearby wall. Poo r Ryoko falls to the floor dazed by the blow. Meanwhile Sasami and her mother have a hysterically ridiculous happy reunion. Tenchi continues to sweep the walkway while silently pondering what’s going on in the temple office. Meanwhile Ayeka runs for the house. Back ay the house Ryoko is about ready to gag from the sappiness of the family reunion. Then Ayeka arrives and attempts to greet her mother in an adult fashion. However one angry deathg glare from the woman tells Ayeka shes having none of that. After warning Ryoko not to laugh at what’s about to happen she lets out after an overly dramatic breath and assuming a child-like pose, “MY MOMMY!” At which point Ryoko falls over in diebelief. This moment always cracks me up along with the hysterical events that occur when Ryoko despite Ayeka’s warning laughs at Ayeka. Only to get a death glare and a mouth stretch from a very irate Lady Misaki, Supreme General of the Jurai royal Bodyguards. After giving her a quick chiding Ayeka and Sasami give Ryoko a way to get out of her predicament. The Translation of it from Japanese is “I’m sorry pretty young lady.” Ryoko is out of hot water on that score but no sooner has this taken palce…the Ryoko is thrown face first into a wall again as Misaki spots a groggy Ryo-Ohki. The ends results are hysterical as Ryoko slides off the dented wall as she says, “Don’t…don’t mind me…really.” I always found this moment to be exceptionally good fun. Meanwhile in the temple office Yosho and Lady Funaho have a long talk over tea. The music used in this scene was just beautiful and always brought a tear to my eye. In the course of their conversation it’s revealed that Yosho is still very much youthful and vigorous but has been hiding his appearance behind the mirage of an old man. It turns up the gems have been giving his tree power. Jurai’s trees and the council suspected this for sometime and because of it they’ve theorized that Ryoko’s gem should be able to generate the light hawk wings. Yosho then has to expl;ain why he didn’t come back to Jurai or at least contact his mother. Yosho soon realizes that they’ve come for Washu. After changing back into his old man form Yosho has Tenchi take Lady Funaho tot he house. En route to the house Washu puts in ana ppearance. Tenchi is given something tot ake to the house and sent on his way. this leaves Lady Funaho and Washu to talk. It turns up when the Jurai royal council got Mihoshi’s report it took them four days to summarize it during which time absolutely nothing could get done. When asked th question of whether she’ll work for Jurai Washu says, “My answer is no!” Ryo-Ohki entertains Sasami, Ayeka, and Misaki with a little trick. Then Tenchi arrives only to be greeted by Misaki and given a hug which drives Ryoko and Ayeka into jealous fits. Until Misaki hugs them telling them she loves them too. Ryoko and Ayeka sigh and concede, “She’s hopeless.” Meanwhile Washu assures Lady Funaho that while she won’t help Jurai mass produce Ryoko, she doesn’t want to alienate Tenchi so she will help no one. This gives Lady Funaho assurance that things shall remain the way they are in the galaxy at large. A short time later the king of Jurai shows up trying to look imperious but then is taken off guard by Lady Misaki’s actions. The King tries to order Ayeka and Sasami to return home but neither is having any of it. The King then tries to explain that he’s chosen a “Suitable fiancee” for Ayeka. The guy turns up to be what some would consider a sissy miry girly man. After making a overdramatic tirade about Ayeka’s living conditions he challenges Tenchi to a duel. Ryoko tries top talk Tenchi out of it for the express purpose of getting rid of some of her competition for Tenchi. Things change when Lady Misaki explains that if Tenchi is allowed to duel…and win Ryoko will get out of paying the restitution costs for all the damage she did when she attacked Jurai. As the duelists prepare to face off Sasami gives everyone some snacks. Then Tenchi and the others spot something in the sky. Sasami then gives almost everyone, including her father an umbrella. The reasoning soon becomes clear when Mihoshi just back from Galaxy police H.Q. again crash lands in the lake. The end results leave Tenchi stand tall and not proud but baffled. His opponent is not so lucky as he’s floating in the lake out like a light. Truly one of the most anticlimactic and very funny duels I’ve ever seen in my life. A wet and blubbering Mihoshi begs Washu between her crying fits if she can help fix her spaceship.Here’s another reason Mihoshi is worthy of the Scififantasyanimeman face palm award. Misaki, Funaho, and the king of Jurai bid farewell, well Funaho and Misaki do, to the group and head back to planet Jurai. Things settle back to normal for Tenchi, well as normal as they get with such strong and powerful women constantly bickering around the house and all the explosions. Meanwhile Funaho and Misaki contemplate returning to earth to have more of a detailed look around. The King of Jurai meanwhile is scheming away for a means to bring Ayeka and Sasami back to Jurai while defeating Tenchi.
Okay while I admit the idea of someone marrying their half-brother creeped me out quite a bit overall Tenchi Muyo OVA is a first rate series with a lot of action, romance (Or humorous attempts at it), and some great laughs. I love how the characters are developed and nothing is left to chance. The ending I will admit didn’t tie up as many loose ends as I’d hoped but overall Tenchi Muyo OVA is an excellent anime series I recommend . That’s why I give Tenchi Muyo OVA ****1/2 (4 and 1/2 stars) Giving it the rank of pretty good. As with all my reviews if you disagree with it or have some detail I missed and should make a correction on do so politely but tell me. Well until next time this is Scififantasyanimeman saying…be seeing you.
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~ by scififantasyanimeman on 09/25/2009.
Posted in Anime review/Commentary