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Tenchi Muyo! is an anime
featuring excellent artwork and an intriguing plotline. Like most anime,
it found its beginning in humble root -- some anime found their origins in
manga, others in video games, and others still came alive on the TV screen
-- for Tenchi, it was an OVA
(Original Video Animation) series. And like most hit anime, the
instant it is introduced to the market, the popularity poll jumps from
non-existing to sky-breaking recognition. Today, very few anime fans have
not heard of the name Tenchi Muyo!, and once you've personally
experienced the Tenchi magic, it's almost a guarantee you will fall under
its spell too. ^_^
After its rousing success with the first OVA line, Pioneer, TM's publishing
company, released a second OVA series as well as a variety of other
TM!-related products in multiple forms of media. Among these, some of the
most noticeable are two TV series, a manga series portraying alternate events
following the first OVA series, Pretty Samy,
various Tenchi CDs featuring BGM, vocals and drama, and two movies.
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Q: The Setting?
A: Primarily Japan and Earth's immediate space.
Q: The Plot?
A: Now this would seriously spoil things for
you. Are you sure you want to know? ^_^
If the answer is still yes, take a look at the story sysnopses in the
Episode Listing section.
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Q: The Characters?
A: The story evolves around a normal-looking,
everyday high school student named Tenchi and a bunch of not-so-ordinary
aliens from outer space.
Not-so-ordinary, you ask, in what way?
Well, for starters, we have Ryoko, who is an ex-space pirate
responsible for the decimation of countless colonies and worlds (I've
always wanted a neighbour like her).
Then there is Aeka (I've always wanted a
wife like her), the royal Juraian princess who spends 700 years
beauty-sleeping just so she can travel through lightyears worth of space
to search for her missing big brother and "fiance" Yosho (I have
always wanted a grandpa like him), the crown prince of Jurai.
Sasami: (I have always wanted a little sister like her), Aeka's playful
and irresistably cute little sister with a mysterious past who is really
handy in the kitchen.
Mihoshi: a clumsy but lovable galactic policewoman whose incredible
luck can seem to overcome all odds and obstacles (heaven forbid if I
should ever encounter a policewoman like her), and her unfortunate partner
Kiyone, who is eternally plagued by a curse that is her partner
(crimes would be at an all-time low if all police were as efficient as
her... assuming Mihoshi isn't present to pull on her leg).
Of course, who could forget the lovable Wasyu, the cutest "mad" scientist in this
corner of the universe with the capability to create anything she can
dream up (imagine what my grades would be like if my profs were all like
her).
Last but not least, we have Ryo-oh-ki (I have always wanted a pet
cabbit like her) -- an ultra-cute fluffy cuddly little cabbit that can
transform into a menacing hard-shelled not-so-huggable giant space ship
capable of demolishing worlds. (If all space ships were to look like
Ryo-oh-ki, no one would ever fear the word 'UFO' again... well, at least
not in the cabbit form).
Wow, that's quite a handful of bizarre characters, you say.
Cool! What, there is more? But of course! However, if you want to
know who they are or explore any of the characters above in greater
detail, you will have to watch the anime! Tenchi Muyo! is simply
much too complex to be explained properly with only words! ^_^
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Q: Are there any significant
differences between the OVA and the first TV series?
A: Plenty. The major variations are:
- Ryoko is not under Kagato's control, she is a malicious space pirate of
her own choosing. Ryoko also has no direct ties to Wasyu-chan. She is being
saught after by the powerful bounty hunter Nagi.
- Aeka was not looking for Yosho when her ship stumbles into Terran
space, instead she is searching for a marital partner to succeed the
Juraian throne.
- Sasami doesn't come to Earth on Aeka's ship, she has a space ship
of her own (no, it isn't Tsunami either, just a normal Juraian space ship).
Apparently, Sasami has no relation to Tsunami, except that Tsunami is
Sasami's physical adult form.
- Mihoshi is just a normal 1st-class Galaxy Police, she doesn't have
a relative in the upper ranks of GP.
- Wasyu is now a genuine mad scientist. She was expelled out
of the Space Academy and sent to Earth for her destructive inventions.
- Kiyone finally gets her big break -- she is now one of the major
characters in the story. Unfortunately, she is still stuck with Mihoshi.
- Tenchi drops major hints as to who he likes the most throughout the
TV series. Kinda annoying if his personal favorite doesn't match up with
yours.
- Nobuyuki takes on a more prominent role, as do Azaka and Kamidake.
- The Three Goddesses
setting is eliminated from the TV series. In fact, Tsunami and
Tokimi don't show up in the first TV series at all. Tsunami only
appears in the TM TV videogame, titled Tenchi Muyo! No Need to Attend
School!
Q: How does the two TV series
compare to the original OVAs?
A: I haven't found a person with a
different opinion -- just about everyone who've watched both series agree
that the TV series aren't up to par to the OVAs. Some argue it's the
artwork and the lack of animation, some say it's the storyline and the
characters, while others claim that the poor sound effects and improper
application of BGM ruined the TV series. Whatever it is, most Tenchi fans
still admit to enjoy the TV series in spite of its faults... perhaps the
standards which the OVAs had set were too high? ^_-
Q: I hear talks of two Tenchi movies
out there -- which series are they based on and what are they
about?
A: Tenchi
Muyo! in LOVE is based on the first TV series, a direct
continuation to the epilogue of that show. Its premiere showing took place
in Japan on April 20, 1996 and both its Japanese and North American LD
release took place on August 25, 1996. The NA version featured the English
dubbing in stereo and the original voice in mono. As for what the story
is about -- let's just say it has something to do with Tenchi's deceased
mother Achika.
The second movie, entitled Tenchi
Muyo! Manatsu no Eve, is loosely based on the OVA series. The story
focuses on Tenchi's daughter Mayuka, and the mysterious character
Yuzuha, whose past relationship with Yosho leads to her
involvement with the Tenchi family. The movie was released in Japan summer
97 by Kadokawa. Both Japanese and English LDs and videos are now
available.
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