No Need For Tenchi! Volume Two: Sword Play

Last time we were all together, Tenchi was training to combat Yakage to reclaim Princess Ayeka. Ryoko had attempted to nobly do it for him, but had failed miserably. Meanwhile, the mysterious Ryoko lookalike named Minagi was trying to figure out her identity after suffering from amnesia.

 
You know, after Episode Seven, it is great to have such a compelling, rich plot.

Oh, and for you kids at home, let us play Dan Backslide’s "OVA Kagato Drinking Game!" Care to explain it Dan?

“If you see a situation that is right out of Episode Five or Episode Six, drink up. NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW!"

Let’s dive right into the second volume, Sword Play, shall we?

Our first chapter is titles “Looking Far Beyond,” and look: Sasami is sleeping on the title page!

Awww.

We immediately see the follow up of the previous volume, where Ryoko was promptly beaten by Yakage. The group is pleased to know that Ayeka is now alive, but are worried about the ease that Yakage injured Ryoko. Our space pirate, who is on bed rest, is not pleased with the situation at all.

Motherly love.

Washu, ever the fountain of exposition, reveals to the group, and by extension the readers, Yakage’s true origins and how he is connected to both Ryoko and Washu.

This is interesting. Remember my problem with Episode Seven? How nothing built upon everything that came before it? Already, we are given new backstory information that furthers Washu’s character and Ryoko’s established nature, in this case her sword. By building upon information that was, and has since, not touched upon by formal canon, Okuda has fully integrated his own characters into the Tenchi lore. 

Fantastic!

Sasami asks a great question: if Yakage was involved with Ryoko’s creation, does that mean that he created Minagi too? Washu posits that Yakage took some of Ryoko’s DNA while she was still young (even Okuda does not touch the early Ryoko years) in order to create his own daughter of sorts. Mihoshi seems to be the first one to realize the implications of this:

Twin sisters! I smell a sitcom!

We then cut to Yakage, who has checked in on Ayeka but is concerned that he has heard nothing from Hinase. We then get this page:

At this point, Yakage’s intentions can go either way. Does he view Minagi as a weapon like Kagato did, or does he truly care for her as a daughter like Washu? This kind of ambiguity is what keeps people reading. Is Yakage a villain, an anti-villain, or misunderstood? 

Meanwhile, Tenchi is finally ready to get Ayeka back. Ryoko manages to convince him to let her join, despite his injuries. Sasami, pointing out that she helped with the fight against Kagato, wants to assist again in this fight. She is told no and Sasami actually gets passionately angry about it. 

Then this happens:

 Washu don’t shiv!

Wait, was the title page supposed to set us up for Sasami getting knocked out?

Nope! It turns out that Washu’s maternal instincts were all a ploy to keep Sasami out of harm’s way. Now, the old tried and true slapping someone in the face to get them to calm down is a common trope, but in real life, that doesn’t fly. I know that Washu is trying to keep the peace, but she could have tried talking to her BEFORE she hit her.

But, you know, dramatic tension.

Ryoko then thanks Washu for slapping a child. Washu is touched that Ryoko seems to finally be growing up. However, since she is her mother, she must tease her for it:

I love Tenchi’s attitude toward all of this. 

And since Sasami is not coming along this time…

 “Take a drink!”

Before the fight begins, let’s check in on Ayeka to make sure she is okay…

…joy.

With all of the combatants in place, it is time for the gang to storm the Soja…err Yakage’s ship.

BUT ITS BIGGER THEN SOJA!

 “Take a drink!”

As Tenchi and Ryoko run to Yakage, Washu and Mihoshi stay behind since Washu claims she can get Ayeka free. 

 “Mihoshi and Washu alone on a giant Soja-like spaceship? Take a drink!”

We see the training from the previous volume pay off as Tenchi is doing much better this time. However, Tenchi and Ryoko are almost killed by one of Yakage’s wooden guardians…

“Just like Kagato’s Sigma bots! Take a drink!”

…but are saved at the last minute. Who saved them?

Sarge?

Rosemary, the telephone operator?

 Oh, it’s just Minagi, #1 super gal.

Wait…Minagi?!

That just came out of left field! Will she be rejoining Yakage as his right hand, or is she an independent player in this game? Either way, we will find out in the next chapter: “Shake, Rattle, ‘N’ Roll.” 

Really? That’s the title? 

Minagi, it turns out, has been drawn to the ship to try to figure out who she is. She is confused by Tenchi and Ryoko’s presences and learns the name of the ship’s owner: Yakage. They inform her that Ayeka has been kidnapped and that they are there to rescue her.

Our Ryoko twin tells the gang to hightail it out of there and get back to Earth. Minagi will bear the burden of freeing Ayeka. Tenchi is torn about telling Minagi that Yakage probably created her, but Minagi fires an energy blast to force them to leave the ship. This is picked up by Hinase, who begins to worry. We then get to see Minagi’s thoughts as she starts to piece together the puzzle that is her life:

What compelling drama! The mere fact that Yakage’s actions fill Minagi’s heart with shame and not anger is amazing. What could have been a mere Ryoko expy is given more depth and personality than some of the established characters in the OVA. We genuinely want to know where her story ends up.
 

We then learn that Washu and Ryoko both have a telepathic link with Minagi, just as Ryoko does with Ryo-Ohki. Normally I would be calling Okuda out for giving Ryoko new powers, but these actually make sense. It has been established that Ryo-Ohki and Ryoko can telepathically communicate in the OVA. If Minagi is basically Ryoko’s twin clone, it stands to reason she should have the same abilities as well.

The kicker is that Minagi is thinking about not hurting Sasami’s feelings. This pisses Ryoko off and causes her to fly after her. 

Ryoko is getting some serious character development here. She is growing to care about all of those around her, not just Tenchi. She is considering everyone’s feelings and actions, including her own. This makes her even more likeable.

Take a hint Kajishima. You don’t need rape jokes to get that across!

We then get the moment the entire chapter has been building up to: Minagi meeting Yakage:

But is Kagato’s Organ Recital playing?

“Kagato’s Organ Recital!? Confound it!”

Unlike Kagato, who was expecting the girls and was smug about it, Yakage is shocked to see Minagi and is instantly concerned about her. Minagi, for her part, is feeling her heart beat uncontrollably at the sight of the man.

You have no idea how hard it is not to just post the next five pages.

Ayeka reveals to Yakage that Minagi lost her memory. Though Yakage tries to talk to her, Minagi refuses to listen until Ayeka is released. Yakage refuses and a voice in Minagi’s head tells her “If you want your memories back, then you’ll have to fight for them!” 

Here’s the deal: I’m not sure if that is Yakage or just her inner monologue. The imagery leads me to believe that it is just Minagi, but the dialogue suggests that it is Yakage. Either way, it is compelling.

Yakage clearly does not want to fight his amnesiac daughter, but she insists that fighting is the only way for her to remember who she is. As such, Yakage has no choice and ends the chapter drawing his sword.

The next chapter is called “Sentimental Fools” and it begins with Yakage and Minagi fighting with all of their might.

“Impressive! Most impressive!”

Minagi manages to cut Yakage’s shoulder, but Yakage starts to shout that she had a perfect moment to kill him and calls her a fool. Look at this:

This is not the dialogue of a typical fight. We can see that Yakage is more interested in training Minagi than trying to kill her. Yakage’s whole world is based around swords and sword fighting. This is his version of parenting. 

As a newly discovered expecting parent, that is an amazing bit of character work that I can appreciate and relate to. 

We then return to Washu and Mihoshi, who have reached a dead end. Washu returns Mihoshi’s control cube…err “cube key” to her and tries to open a door using her science. However, Mihoshi, in all her glory managed to open the door all by herself!

 See, you can make her ditzy while still giving her some brain cells!

Ryoko, meanwhile, has joined the battle against Yakage to Minagi’s displeasure, but is put out of commission almost immediately by Yakage. We then see that Washu and Mihoshi have also hit a snag: Ayeka can’t be released unless Yakage dies. 

And then something happens.

 How ominous.

But what about Tenchi?

Really? That’s it? Man, even in the manga the girls get the premium spotlight in these fights.

As Minagi and Yakage fight, Minagi manages to cut off her father’s helmet. 

Wait, is Minagi the one who I’m supposed to track using the Monomyth checklist or is Tenchi? Because Minagi is really hitting every single step so far. 

Anyway, as Minagi sees the scar on Yakage’s face, she realizes where it came from. At the same time, she deactivates her sword and allows herself to get hit by his blade.

You see, the scar is a reminder of the time that Minagi first bested Yakage in a duel. This proves once and for all that Yakage is basically the Anti-Kagato: Minagi is the image of Ryoko if she had grown up with determination and care as opposed to forced servitude and hatred. It is heartbreaking, but not as much as this:

You have won my heart Minagi. Powerglide’s too.

Upon finally opening up to Yakage and showing pure happiness at the completion of Yakage's sword, Minagi passes out in a touching moment for the character.

  

 
However, with Minagi out of commission, it is time for this series’ true hero to stop sulking in the shadows:

For this panel, the part of Tenchi Masaki will be read by James Earl Jones.

Wait…Tenchi coming in at the last minute…oh Dan!

“CONFOUND IT! I HATE TOM! I HATE DICK! I HATE LARRY! I HATE TENCHI!”

This brings us to our next chapter, titled “Home of the Brave.”

‘Murica.

Tenchi has drawn his sword and is ready to avenge Minagi, but is stopped by the most unlikeliest of people: Ryoko.

This speaks volumes for her character. She is a woman who THRIVES on fighting, whether it is the Juraian Battle Fleet or Ayeka in a battle of love. Yet here she is, begging Tenchi to walk away. 

She is not the only one. Ayeka points out that the whole reason this fight is taking place was so Yakage could finish his sword, which as we just saw is rather effective. However, Yakage refuses to accept that his sword is finished unless he challenges the original. 

Tenchi refuses the challenge, however, on the grounds that it would be a meaningless fight. Yakage counters that noble sentiment by capturing Ryoko in the same way that he did Ayeka and tells Tenchi that if he does not kill him, the shields will shrink and will kill the two leading ladies. As such, Tenchi is forced to engage in combat.

Though Yakage is impressed with Tenchi’s improved fighting technique, Tenchi is concerned for him. The man has started to cough up blood and has collapsed. Why? Well, let’s ask the Mistress of Exposition:

  

This is heavy stuff.

Yakage refuses to let Washu dictate the battle (and for her to refer to Minagi as his daughter) and it resumes. The Juraian swordsman gives it his all and seemingly manages to defeat Tenchi, who also has managed to get his Juraian battle armor on somehow.

 “CON!”

 As he is about to grant the boy a warrior’s death, Ryoko escapes her prison.

“FOUND!”

She tries to shield Tenchi, but Yakage is not impressed. He prepares to strike them both down when a familiar chill fills the air:

Tenchi has activated the Light Hawk Wings.

“THEM!”

Poor Dan Backslide, coward-bully-cad-and-thief.

We have now arrived at the fifth chapter in our space epic: “Endgame.”

The Joker has finally come back to life and has managed to slice off Alfred Pennyworth’s hand. Meanwhile, he has finally come out and admitted that he…

Oh sorry, wrong “Endgame.” Wait, I did that bit already. In THIS “Endgame” Tenchi is done screwing around and will challenge Yakage to the sword of his dreams. 

It all comes down to one final blow as Tenchi and Yakage strike at each other with all of their might and fury. 

“No! No more! Help Tom! Help Dick! Help Larry! Help Tenchi!”

Yakage then succumbs to his wounds, thanking Tenchi for the opportunity to challenge the ultimate sword of Jurai, though lamenting that Minagi does not possess the perfect sword of his dreams in the one moment where he FINALLY refers to her as his daughter.   

         

Hmm…his death is familiar…

Dan? Dan?

I think we will let him be for a bit. He has had a rough day.

You know who else has had a rough day? Tenchi. Did you read that final panel up there? Tenchi is now going through the implications for taking ANOTHER life. This is not something that was explored in Episode Six at all and is a WONDERFUL piece of characterization. Of course Tenchi does not want to kill anyone, but in this new world of alien women, it seems as if he may be placed in that situation far more than he would have liked. 

Washu comforts him, telling him that he died just as he wanted it. These words knock Tenchi out of his depression as Washu explains Minagi’s true relationship with Yakage.

 Wait…so does that mean that Ryoko is more of a mother to Minagi than her twin sister?

Upon learning that, we find out that Minagi is still alive and Yakage only knocked her out for her own protection. Knowing this puts Ryoko’s mind at ease as she reflects on the situation:

Ryoko has really grew in this experience, hasn’t she?

Of course, we can’t let Ryoko keep being all mushy can we? This is a perfect segue to Tenchi freeing Ayeka…

Ah, the return of the status quo. 

We cut to three months later (which is just enough time to allow OVA 2 to happen!) where we see that Minagi left to bury Yakage and has become a space pirate in her own right. However, she will only attack evil space pirates! That’s our Minagi!

Hey, I said that first! And Ayeka, you caught on to Ryoko being a mom too?

We close our chapter on Sasami wishing for Minagi to return and the revelation that Mihoshi crashed her ship into the lake…again. 

Minagi will return in Volume Four: Samuari Space Opera.

With all the excitement over, I guess it is time to start the…

 Oh. There’s more?

Yes, Chapter Six, “Catching Colds” is the first of several standalone, one off stories designed to get the readers to know a bit more about the characters, the world they live in, and the relationships they build with one another.

Or, more “slice of life” stories. 

This takes place right after the initial conflict with Yakage and starts with Ayeka taking the bath she so craved earlier. As she is reflecting about the events that just took place, Tenchi comes in to take a bath himself.

Ayeka hides, and wouldn’t you know it, Ryoko is there too! And she is still naked! Ayeka and Ryoko fight, as usual until Ayeka puts a stop to it:

But what about Tenchi?

That is actually kind of funny.

Mihoshi comes in to and…well long story short, Tenchi catches a cold and is out with a 102 degree fever. The girls instantly try to woo him, but are stopped by Washu, who, if this were written by Kajishima, would definitely be trying to get that sperm sample. However, it is Washu that sets off our chapter’s plot:

Yes, the girls, just like in Episode Seven, are going to do their part to get in Tenchi’s good graces. Instead of flirting with him, they are going to try to get him better!

Oh god.

Ryoko and Ayeka each try to cook for him. Ryoko, being aware of some Japanese flu medicine, attempts to make Egg Sake. Tenchi’s spirits are lifted instantly, but are shot because, well Ryoko has no idea how to cook.

I love how these girls are actually trying to take care of him and Tenchi is all “What the hell is this crap?” What a dick.

Washu intervenes and forces Sasami to cook something edible for the boy to eat. Ayeka, however, is determined to cook Tenchi a perfect meal. 

Me too Sasami. Me too.

We cut to Mihoshi who is pouring water on herself.

It turns out she is trying to pray for Tenchi’s sickness to go away. Well, at least this way she isn’t causing Tenchi any bodily harm.

Sasami, meanwhile, is spying on Ayeka still trying in the kitchen. Seeing how bad she is feeling, Sasami teams up with her to cook an edible meal…which is promptly given to Mihoshi. Just as Tenchi got better, Mihoshi got sick.

DERP!

We then finally reach the last chapter of this volume: “Driving Lessons,” or as I like to call it: one of the two definitive Mihoshi stories.

Okuda brings up a very interesting point that Kajishima never brings up: how does the shopping get done in the Masaki household? It is implied that Nobuyuki does it, but as we see here, Mihoshi has volunteered to get her driver’s license to help out around the house.

Sasami and Ryoko get into an argument about whether Mihoshi would succeed and decide to bet on her. Let’s see how she is doing.

Well, that’s about as well as I’d expect, honestly.

Both Ryoko and Sasami come to give her some support. However, in an interesting twist, it is Ryoko who tells her to keep going and Sasami who tells her to stop, as she is horrified to find out that she crashed five times. But Mihoshi is still determined to do what she has to do to help the household out.

 

Right there. Sasami might be the heart of the group, but Mihoshi tries harder than anyone else to make everyone around her happy. That is the heart of her character.

Though I get a kick out of the head of Mihoshi’s driving school popping a bunch of pills at the thought of Mihoshi continuing to try to get her license. 

However, Mihoshi is given her own ultimatum: if she crashes one more time, she has to leave driving school. 

As you can see above, she doesn’t care about herself. She cares that she let Sasami down…but that has to be put on hold as a young girl is kidnapped right in front of her.

Since Mihoshi is a cop, she knew exactly what she had to do: she had to steal a car and save that little girl.

She hops into the driver’s education car that happened to be nearby and started to take off after the criminals…by driving in reverse. The child’s grandfather, who is a chief of some kind, realizes that Mihoshi isn’t exactly a pro at driving.

As the chase continues, Mihoshi’s driving instructor wakes up and is informed of the situation.

What? That’s a woman? That looks like Jared Leto’s Joker without the grills and the tattoos…see? I can be topical!

The chief knocks out the instructor, but the criminals start firing on them. Mihoshi does the sensible thing and knocks the window of the car out with her purse and tells him to take the wheel. It is time for Mihoshi to take matters into her own hands.

 Mihoshi don't shiv.

Mihoshi manages to get the upper hand in the car chase, but the other car crashes into a body of water. It is a tense moment, but the little girl swims away to safety, while I am unsure if the criminals died or were taken to jail.

The volume ends with Mihoshi receiving a letter from the chief as repayment for all the help…and her driver’s license. All is well.

THE END!

Review

I have a dilemma here.

I loved the main story of this issue so much. Everything worked near perfectly on a thematic and structural level. The characters were well represented, they grew, and they built upon everything that came before it. That’s not my problem.

The problem is that this really is a beat for beat remake of the Kagato incident.

Seriously, look at poor Dan Backslide.

You can match up practically everything that happened with a similar incident in the OVA. Was Okuda playing it safe and trying to ease the readers into his new world? Perhaps he was trying to bide his time until Kajishima created new material? Either way it poses an issue.

However, this is all balanced out by HOW Okuda did it.

Kagato, as much as I love him, is incredibly one dimensional. He wants power for the sake of power and SCIENCE! We are given no other internal motivation beyond that. 

Yakage, however, is complicated and well layered. We know EXACTLY why he did each and every thing he did. He took Ayeka out of necessity, not because he wanted to take a hostage. He was running out of time and thought on his feet. He entered our world a villain, but died respectfully. 

The key to all of this is Minagi, who is the real hero of this story. She follows the Hero’s Journey from when she first appeared to her becoming THE MASTER OF TWO WORLDS. She now honors both her father and her sister/mother/ whatever Ryoko is to her. 

Tenchi, however, concludes his own arc, but again is not given the focus he needed. This was not his story, this was Minagi’s story disguised as Tenchi’s story. It is very hard for a creator to create their own new character into a pre-existing world, but Okuda did it in the best possible way. 

The two other stories, however, are not quite on the same level as the main story. “Catching Colds” is the weakest link of the entire volume, but it succeeds where Episode Seven fails. You see Ayeka’s determination, Ryoko’s prior knowledge of Japanese culture thanks to her astral form, Washu being a Mama Bear, Sasami existing, and Mihoshi acting selfless as ever. It’s only real problem is that it had to live up to the expectations of the previous story. 

The Mihoshi story, however, is an early highlight for Okuda to give something for Mihoshi to do. It is very easy to send her to space for a bit to keep her out of the way, but Okuda takes her clumsiness and transforms it into a memorable personality trait. She WANTS to succeed and be helpful, but can’t stop herself from being, well, her. There are at least three other stories that highlight this part of Mihoshi’s character, one of them being a damn near perfect story of Mihoshi in her role as a Galaxy Police Office.

Art: Wonderful. Okuda stepped up his game this time. The sword fighting improved and it was a great mix of serious art and comedic timing. He knows how to set up a page and it helps draw the reader into the experience: 19/20

Characterizations: Perfection. These stories BUILD upon the characters and allow them to grow, especially Mihoshi and Ryoko. I have no complaints: 20/20

Main Characters: In the main story, Minagi and Yakage are fully fleshed out and it is great to see that Yakage isn’t just a generic villain. He has motives and we even want him to succeed in his quest to be reunited with his daughter. Minagi goes from being a potential Scrappy Doo to being beloved all in a single book. The other main character of this book, Mihoshi, is allowed to grow and become sympathetic in her standalone chapter. This saddens me, since by the time we get to Universe she will be reduced to a joke: 19/20

Supporting Characters: The girls are well utilized, but poor Tenchi! He gets the hero role swept right under his feet. However, the few times we see him shows how much he has matured since the battle with Kagato. The mere fact that he collapses due to the guilt of Yakage’s death is probably the most characterization he has gotten in a long time: 18/20

Story: I love the story, but I have to, again, knock points off for the Kagato rehashing. Do not let this deter you, however. The rehashing is done in a way that allows it to be its own identity: 18/20.

Overall Tenchi Rating: 94!

Monomyth Progress: Master of Two Worlds (You go Minagi!)

 

Ayeka and Ryoko Verbal Sparring: 5!

We will return to the Okuda canon once OVA 2 is finished. Until then, join me to discuss Episode Eight of the OVA “Hello Baby!” or as I like to call it: “Five Alien Ladies and a Baby.”