Tenchi Muyo! OVA Series 1 (1992)

In my initial review of Tenchi the Movie: Tenchi Muyo! In Love, I said I probably wouldn't spend the time to watch the OVA.  Boy was I wrong!  After purchasing the DVD version of the movie, and watching it in its original widescreen presentation with its original Japanese soundtrack, I soon became a Tenchi fan.  So, I dutifully checked out the first OVA series from my local anime specialty shop...

These direct-to-video episodes are short- each only 25 minutes after removing the beginning and ending credit sequences.  As such, the six episodes only total two and a half hours!  You can easily rent the entire series and watch them all in one evening.  The episodes chronicle the adventures of Tenchi Masaki as he discovers his special heritage and powers.

One day, Tenchi recovers a jeweled sword handle from an old cave, releasing a legendary demon from many years of slumber.  Despite nearly destroying his high school in the process, Tenchi finally gains the affection of the demon, actually the space pirate Ryoko.  But his troubles aren't over as Princess Ayeka of the planet Jurai and her little sister Sasami track Ryoko to Earth and ultimately to Tenchi's home.  Ayeka has been searching for her long lost half-brother Yosho, who was last seen chasing Ryoko across the galaxy.  A pitched battle between the two women ensue, with Tenchi and his father caught in the middle!  Destroying each other's spaceships, Ayeka, Sasami, and Ryoko wind up becoming stranded on Earth and staying in Tenchi's home.  Will Ayeka find Yosho?  How is Tenchi related?  Tenchi will have to discover the answers to these questions and discover his own powers before the evil criminal Kagato, chased by the scatterbrained Galaxy Police Detective Mihoshi, destroys the planet!

Not an easy plot to summarize.  However, it is thoroughly engaging, and you will soon find yourself unable to stop popping the tapes in the VCR until the entire series is over.  There are a number of elements at work here- unique and interesting characters, imaginative and colorful animation, and a fantasy story with a lot of humor.   I think the reason the story is so appealing is because it draws upon a lot of common mythological motifs and archetypes, very much like Star Wars.   I won't try to go into a detailed analysis here (pull out your copy of Joseph Campbell's Hero of a Thousand Faces), but needless to say I think you will be thoroughly entertained.

Posted: 8-25-'98

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