Tenchi Muyo! Episode Nine: Sasami and Tsunami

Do you remember the first time you watched or were exposed to a show or activity that you love?

There are moments in life that may stick with you. I remember I was five when I first saw Star Wars with my dad in my living room and got the Power of the Force 2 Vader, Luke, and Obi-Wan as my first Star Wars toys.

 You know, the ones that took steroids?

The first actual Batman comic I ever read was The Long Halloween, though my first episode of Batman the Animated Series was “If You Were So Smart, Why Aren’t You Rich?” way back in the early 90’s. My introduction to Transformers was through Beast Wars. 

This episode was my first episode of Tenchi Muyo!

I had no idea what to make of this weird show. The plot was weird and I had no idea who any of these people were, but it called to me for some reason. As such, regardless of how I rate this episode today, it will still hold a special place in my heart.

This, dear readers, is “Sasami and Tsunami.”

We open our episode to…HOLY CRAP, NOBUYUKI!

“Well, well!”

Buddy, we missed you. One thing I have realized with this blog is that I love Nobuyuki so much, but he always gets screwed over somehow. We love you here guy!

So where are our heroes today, anyway?

“Hmm…this is quite a mess.”

Wait…you guys wouldn’t be stupid enough…

“Hey! You made this mess!”

Wow. They would. You guys are idiots.

“Oh my, I didn’t know you cared! How sweet.”

“Welcome, it’s a long trip! Thanks for coming all the way!”

Hey, it’s Aunt May! And she is now voiced by Kate T. Vogt in her second role! And…she seems awfully happy to invite the people who destroyed her business back again.

Nobuyuki laughs it off…

“YES! I AM IN AN EPISODE!”

…before being shut up.

“Here you go. Boys, you get to work repairing the damage. Girls, you start on cleaning, laundry, and cookin’.” 

You all got played. And you all are idiots. Needless to say, nobody is amused.

“…”

“But, we’re tired! Can’t we rest a little bit first?”

Jay Hooper, your voice is perfect.

“We should probably do what she says.”

“That’s right! Now, let’s go now!”

Aunt May don’t shiv.

However, Aunt May has failed to notice a new member of the group: 

“Excuse me Ma’am, pardon me! What is my assignment to be?”

“You’re new, aren’t you?”

“Yes I am! How do you do? My name is Washu! And I am at your service, oh great, respected one!”

Washu knows the way to any woman’s heart: flattery.

“Now I’m not planning on having any children doing any work so why don’t you run along with Sasami and play?”

You know who got played? You did Aunt May.

Ryoko…is not pleased.

“Washu, you slacker!”

However, Aunt May will have none of that, so she slaps her.

 

Aunt May: She defies space pirates, princesses, and policewomen.

Ryoko starts to retaliate…

…but is shot down immediately.

“Quit wasting my time.”

“Didn’t she take out The Chameleon that one time?”

Yes she did. And it was glorious.

As for Washu…well…

“I’m a magnificent bastard!”

But then this happens:

“Ah Nobuyuki, I thought you were a party of eight, but it looks like we’ve got one more guest.”

What? Let’s see, we’ve got Tenchi, Ryoko, Ayeka, Sasami, Mihoshi, Washu, Katsuhito, and the rest… are we adding the cabbit in this count?

Obviously, he is confused.

“What are you talking about? There are only eight of us!”

“That’s strange. I swear I saw a young lady resembling me as a young woman…”

So would she look like a young Rosemary Ann Harris? 

But what about Katsuhito, the noble warrior who has done nothing since his fantastic swordfight against Kagato?

“She’s starting to see things.”

Uh oh. You didn’t.

  “Watch out!”

 

 

Katsuhito, who will never wield a sword again save in I believe one volume of the Okuda manga, has become full-fledged comedy relief. I…I should be angry about this, since it cheapens his character a bit, but he always had a comedic edge to him. From groping Ryoko to sneaking close so he can eavesdrop, Yosho does work well in this setting. However, it would be nice to see him join the group and do something. 

Plus, I think Nobuyuki and Yosho play off each other very well. They may be the high points of this episode. 

“I said get to work and I mean it!”

Vogt is having a blast voicing this crotchety old lady. It’s great.

Before everyone starts to work, Sasami pauses and calls to Ayeka.

“Hey…Ayeka!”

“Hmm?”

“Uh…no…nothing. Ne…never mind!”

“Honey…your nose is twitching.”

You know what that means: we have a mystery!

You know that this easily could have happened. And we would have loved every second of it.

We then cut to Washu and Sasami in the woods. Washu observes some plant life and calls Sasami over to teach her about it.

“This is a milfoil. Did you know these flowers are supposedly grown for their beauty and medicinal values…but I wonder what they cure?”

Screw you Washu. You know exactly what they cure.

It’s another damn reference to periods. I’m done. I’m done with this crappy subplot. Let’s move on.

Washu stretches, but Sasami is gone. I guess she is done with it too. Oh well, let’s see how our strapping men are doing.

The dream team.

“This must have been what she had in mind when she invited us over. I’m so stupid!”

No you’re not Nobuyuki. You are just written that way.

Yosho calls him naïve, but when Nobuyuki calls the old man out on wanting to come, he gets the death glare.

“I faced Ryoko at her prime boy. Remember, you married my daughter because I LET you.”

Then we get some comedy. First Nobuyuki hits his finger with his mallet.

Then Yosho as he scolds him for not being careful…

Tenchi makes fun of them…

“Boneheads.”

Then falls for the same trick he pulled on Ryoko in Episode One:

“Hey! Tenchi, look!”

“UGH!”

“Now who’s the bonehead?”

I laughed. Plus Nobuyuki’s face seals the deal as the Father of the Year.

As for our ladies? Well they are peeling potatoes.

Ryoko peels them too rough:

Ayeka peels them too gently:

Mihoshi peels them just right:

As nice as it is to see what Ryoko and Ayeka do on their down time, I do miss the days of flying around in space and going on adventures. 

Just then, a mysterious white ghost floats by!

" ZOINKS!"

Ayeka, familiar enough with everything that goes on around her, immediately looks to the most likely suspect:

“Hey! I didn’t do anything!”

Ayeka gets up to investigate as Ryoko pleads her case:

“It wasn’t me I tell you! I really didn’t do anything and you’ve better believe me!”

As Ryoko is calling to her, she realizes this is a perfect opportunity to steal Ayeka’s potatoes to make it seem like she did more work.

DERP!

Ayeka looks around to see the mysterious woman, but can only find Sasami. She asks her sister if she saw anyone floating around, but Sasami has no idea what she is talking about. However, she really wants to talk to her sister about something.

“Ayeka, I need to tell you…”

However, Ryoko cuts her off before she can finish. 

Hmm…

Meanwhile, the men are now working on a wall. I wonder what hijinks will ensue this time?

 

“Hmm?”

"…"

“Did…did you see that?”

“Hmmm…”

I think I’ve figured it out guys:

It’s Phantasma, from Scooby Doo and the Ghoul School. It has to be. It’s either that, Old Man Kagato, or Red Herring.

 “I’m telling you what we saw. It was a vague, ghost-like figure.”

“Oh, you guys are just trying to scare me now…right?”

“No, we actually saw it.”

“…you…saw it?”

I’ve got to give props to the actors. They are selling this sense of foreboding rather well, especially Darling. It should be noted that by this point, all of the main cast has become incredibly familiar with their characters and, as such, give fantastic performances all around. If there is one thing that can be said about OVA 2 it is that the actors are on point.

At this point, smoke begins to fill the room. I think my Phantasma theory is starting to look mighty good right about now.

 “What are you afraid of Tenchi?”

“Hey! Do I look afraid?!”

I honestly don’t know WHY he would be afraid. Remember The Jesus? THAT was something to be afraid of.

But there is no time for that, because it is time for an episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark? starring Yosho.

“Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society, I call this story ‘The Tale of the White Ghost!’”

  

“Listen! I’ll tell you the story! When I was a young man, the person who lived here told it to me!”

Define “young” Yosho.

“It begins over 600 years ago…”

You were ALIVE back then Yosho. On Earth.

“There was a house on a mountain far away from civilization. In there lived a couple. People respected and admired their relationship because they were so much in love. However, the wife had been sickly since childhood and had become bedridden for quite some time. It has been said that she probably knew her time was running short. They did their best trying to care for each other and live their lives to the fullest and to treasure their remaining time together.”

I’d like to point out that Nobuyuki is the one creating smoke to set the mood.

I love this guy.

 “One stormy night, they heard a voice over the howling wind. It wasn’t their imagination, the voice was real. Though they were scared, they were compelled to listen and this is what the voice said to them:”

“’Head to the west! Go over three mountains! There you can find an herb that can cure any type of sickness!’ Thus the wind spoke…and then fell silent. The husband believed the wind’s words and decided to go look for the herb. She begged him to remain and not leave her alone, but he left and set out for the west.”

As Yosho is telling the story (and doing a damn good job of it) Ryoko notices that Mihoshi is getting a smidge too close to Tenchi for her liking.

 

A small little thing, but true to the character. I approve.

“For six months, she waited for his return, holding on against death with all of her strength but he didn’t return. She spoke to herself saying ‘I wish I were healthy. Then I would be able to look for him.’ But, alas, her hopes were in vain and one day, all alone, she passed away.”

Are You Afraid of the Dark?

“After that day around this place, people began to see an image of a woman. They call her…The White Ghost.”

Phantasma, you really go by a lot of names, don’t you?

“Hehehaha It’s an exorcise to keep up with them all!”

…what? It’s not like it’s any WORSE than the puns used in Scooby Doo and the Ghoul School.

“So you better watch out Tenchi! Her spirit wanders aimlessly, searching for her beloved, constantly searching! She may even come for YOU!”

Then hell arrives.

 

“HEY!”

“Haven’t you rested long enough?! GET BACK TO WORK!”

See? THIS is funny. You don’t have to have Aunt May try to get in Tenchi’s pants to attempt humor. It’s all about timing.

“But…but I…The White Ghost!”

“Not the White Ghost!”

“Hmm?”

“That old story of yours again?”

Yes, Yosho admits to making up the whole story to scare the group, and Nobuyuki gets hit with a flashlight.

Poor Nobuyuki.

Tenchi goes to fix the lights…but gets scared shitless again!

“Geez! Silly me! It’s just a silly can!”

Or is it?

Tenchi, screams like a little girl and high tails it out of the house. Let’s see our Scared Tenchi, shall we?

He falls into the hot springs and sees that he is not alone.

“GAHHHH!”

“Tenchi!”

“Huh?”

Oh, it’s just Ayeka. In her towel while she takes her bath. Seriously, how does that even work?

Meanwhile…

“TENCHIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!”

Oh my god. That is beautiful. Nobuyuki is killing it this episode. He steals every scene he is in.

Screw Sasami, Nobuyuki should be the guest star in this Scooby Doo episode:

He searches around for Tenchi but can’t seem to find him. That’s because he is with all of the other girls...who are bathing with towels on as well.

Except Ryoko. Why? Read Episode Four.

Washu (who has been absent this entire episode so far) asks where Tenchi saw Phantasma, and he does his best Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.

“Are these the shadows of the things that Will be, or are they shadows of things that May be?” 

The girls scream when the see the specter.

However, our boy Nobuyuki just shrugs it off.

“Kids today. When I was a kid we didn’t have ghosts that destroy hot springs or evil scientists or incest…actually, we probably did have the incest. Oh God, my life is a sham!”

The lights come on and we see that The White Ghost wasn’t Phantasma at all, but actually Sasami!

“And I would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn’t for those meddling kids…and Nobuyuki!”

Mihoshi is relieved that it is just Sasami, especially because she is holding onto Washu for dear life:

“Can’t…breathe!”

But wait! Mihoshi is the only one to realize that Sasami’s reflection isn’t Sasami at all!

 

“Tsunami?!”

Why isn’t Ryo-Ohki on Tsunami’s reflection?

Hey, it’s a valid question!

Oh, where was I?

What the hell man? I thought Sasami was only Tsunami’s reflection in her ship. You’ve got some explaining to do!

Before she can do that, Sasami runs away, clearly scared and bothered by this revelation. The girls run after her, but trip due to the lights going out again. It seems Nobuyuki electrocuted himself.

Why is Nobuyuki’s Kajishima’s butt monkey? I do not know, but it really works this episode.

Or should I say, the first half of this episode. Like the previous episode, we are going to be dealing with very serious material from this point on. Unlike the last episode, it isn’t just a single moment of seriousness followed by sex jokes. Rather, this is more spaced out and set up. Let’s continue and you will see what I mean.

At this point, the gang decides to split up, with Washu taking the role of Fred Jones.

I guess that leaves Mihoshi as Shaggy, Tenchi as Scooby, Ayeka as Daphne, and Ryoko as Velma? Wait, why is Ryoko Velma and not Washu? And why are Ryoko’s and Washu’s hair so large?

Thankfully, the show is smart enough to follow the only person that should get the spotlight: Ayeka.

“That reflection was of Tsunami…then…what is happening to Sasami?”

This is very touching. Ayeka is concerned for her sister and is confused as to what is going on. It is a very sisterly thing to be feeling.

Though when did Ayeka ever meet Tsunami? I know Juraians KNOW of Tsunami, but when did Ayeka ever SEE her?

She spies Sasami sitting on a rock, looking utterly dejected and alone.

“Where is a voice to answer mine back? Where are two shoes to click to my clack? I’m all alone in the world!”

We then get this shot, which tells us everything we need to know about the second half of this episode. 

 

Sasami feels so distant from her sister, who is right there to get her. However, Ayeka has her hands clutched to her chest. It shows her fear of her sister’s sudden demeanor and her reflection. This all tells us that the Tsunami reflection has to be a recent occurrence, since Ayeka would surely have noticed that at some point like, say, Episode Four, which was our first hint of Tsunami’s existence.

Tenchi comes across the two and waves them down, but gets dragged into the bushes.

It seems Washu and the others got there first, but Washu forcibly made it so Ayeka had the necessary alone time to calm Sasami down.

And I mean forcibly.

“I’m sorry Ayeka…but I’m not the real Sasami!”

I’m sorry. I think I misheard you. Come again?

Unfortunately for me, Sasami breaks down into tears at this moment, so she is unable to answer any questions…however there is someone who is.

“700 years ago. Yes. It all happened 700 years ago.”

Oh boy. An extended flashback! You know what that means:

“The day the space pirate Ryoko attacked the planet Jurai.”

Is…is this reused animation?

Why yes! Yes it is. I mean, it makes sense in the grand scheme of things, but it is noticeable when we see the next shot of Juraian guards running around.

“Intruder in Block 194! Intruder in Block 194!”

It just seems like they are trying to match the look of the previous shots as opposed to it being an organic continuation. As for the random announcer who just said that dialogue, that’s Mark Tracy back again. I never really mentioned him beyond Episode One for…him...but he was also the voice of Azaka and Yukinojo. He will eventually take over the role of Kamidake too, but for now HE is played by Jack Fletcher, who was the casting director for this show.

“Thank you Jack for assembling this fantastic cast. You are the savior of the universe. Have a nice day.”

We then see a random woman shouting Sasami’s name.

This woman is voiced by Grace Zandarski. Remember that name. She will return.

“And in greater numbers!”

Cut to a nice looking hallway where we see Baby Sasami.

“Making our dreams come true!”

I probably should have made an A Pup Named Scooby Doo joke instead, but I think I’ve reached my Hanna Barbera quota for the review.

She pushes open a door and…holy hell.

Those eyes…THOSE EYES!!!

We see that Sasami has entered a Royal Tree room.

“Hold your breath. Make a wish. Count to three.”

Sasami runs over to a warp pad that teleports her to another part of the room.

*Insert Star Trek joke here*

Our Muppet Baby then bows to the first tree she meets and it talks to her. It’s like Dante’s Inferno!

You know…without the suicides…right? Right? Oh God, I don’t feel comfortable with this line of thought!

However, a ship collides into the wall and Sasami starts to lose her balance.

It’s okay. We’ve done this bit before. 

It’s just Sasami’s Adventures in Wonderland. Right?

…right?

RIGHT?!

Oh my.

How…how does one comprehend that?

The innocent starlet that went on to launch three spinoffs.

How can you do that man?

However, some of her blood enters the pool of water surrounding the tree that is growing where she fell.

 

Wait. Blood.

No. No. No. No.

Has the whole period thing SERIOUSLY been FORESHADOWING a child DYING ON SCREEN?!

I…

GAH!!!!!!!

I’m sorry. THIS was my exposure to Tenchi Muyo!? And I kept watching? Wow.

I understand that what is about to happen sweeps all of this under the rug and causes emotional tension, which I am fine with, but this is dark. Like Gwen Stacy dying dark. Like Joker paralyzing Barbara Gordon dark. Like Brock being poisoned by Lilly of the Valley dark. When you hit that point, it is REALLY hard to come back from that.

The only thing that makes this okay is what comes to follow. The fact that it is not immediately played for laughs is the only salvageable thing at this point. Nobuyuki himself could break the tension at this very moment and I would want to kill him.

Let us continue.

Sasami’s hand then becomes sparkles and light:

 

 

 

“What the hell was that?”

Krusty, I believe I can explain this now, unlike Episode Six. 

Tsunami, the Goddess of Jurai, has turned Sasami’s body into light so she can absorb it. Being a tree, she had no way of assuming a humanoid form, but by MERGING with her, Tsunami adopted some of Sasami’s traits, like the color of her hair, and Sasami got to keep her life.

We see this to be the case when a revived Sasami runs to her caretaker, who she refers to “Mama,” but I can assure you it is not. Look at her head.

No tri-force, right?

Look again.

Bam! You got Old Spiced!

“I tried to tell you many times. The real Sasami died that day! Therefore…I…I…am not your real sister.”

I know I gave praise to Vogt earlier and I use this as a running joke, but this episode is Sherry Lynn’s episode. She gives it her all. She sells it completely as both Sasami and Tsunami. This line reading is hard enough. What kind of a kid uses the word “therefore?” But holy hell, I believe her. Thank you Sherry Lynn. Thank you for putting effort into your job.

“It’s what I do.”

Ayeka, for her part, needs to consider everything that we have just seen. This is some serious stuff. She just found out that RYOKO KILLED SASAMI. Let me repeat that again: RYOKO KILLED SASAMI.

Actually, let’s just see how all of these events link up at this point:

Washu gave birth to Mihoshi’s great grandfather who is the Marshal of the Galaxy Police who was after Ryoko and Ryo Ohki who can both be considered Washu’s daughters but were all kidnapped by Kagato who forced them to attack Jurai which would have caused both Sasami to die if not for the intervention of Tsunami and for Ayeka’s fiancé and half-brother Yosho to abdicate his spot as heir to the throne to pursue Ryoko to Earth where he sealed her away in Pride Rock so she could one day be freed by one of his descendants.

 THIS ACTUALLY MAKES SENSE SOMEHOW!

Ayeka flashes back to a simpler time before she left on her crusade to find Yosho where Sasami is running after her through a field.

We know this to be the case because of the tri-force now on her forehead.

 

“Ayeka! Ayeka, wait for me! Sister!”

Not realizing that she is being a dick, Ayeka giggles and ignores her. 

This is common with siblings. One sibling thinks they are being funny. The other takes it personally. However, the second Sasami falls down, Ayeka is there for her.

Of course, being so young, Sasami cries. Loudly.

She apologizes and we cut to present day Ayeka, who looks deep in thought.

This is killing her. Ayeka feels helpless at this point. But then she got an idea. A beautiful idea. Ayeka got a wonderful, beautiful idea.

Guest animated by Chuck Jones!

“Why are you telling me this Sasami? Are you telling me this to drive me away?”

“…no Ayeka…!”

“…”

“I love you so much! I do! I really do!”

“…really?”

“Yes I do! Yes I do!”

“You do? Well I love you too Sasami.”

Then the two look at each other…

…and your heart melts.

“We love each other…that’s what counts.”

“…yes!”

That is a powerful moment. This may be the moment this show captures real life perfectly. This is a bond. This is a familial connection. Anyone who has a sibling can testify to that. 

However…something is still bothering Sasami.

It is subtle. There is no dialogue, just a somber look to her face. However, Washu recognizes this and sends in the cavalry:

“Tenchi?!”

“I…umm…I…feel the same way as Ayeka! Sasami, we like you just the way you are.”

“Right! Whatever happens, you are my dear sister!”

 

“Ayeka!”

Sasami then runs to give the person she cares for most a hug…

“Oh Tenchi!”

Oh Ayeka, I’m sorry for laughing at your expense…but that’s comedic timing.

A short amount of time passes and Sasami is now asleep on Tenchi’s shoulder. Ayeka and Tenchi talk to each other about the revelations they just discovered.

“The poor dear’s exhausted. I guess she was afraid after we found about her secret we would leave her. She…she told me that the real Sasami died. If that’s true…then…”

No negative thoughts Ayeka. Let’s call the expert to the stand. Tsunami, can you please clarify a few things for us?

“Sasami really didn’t die Princess Ayeka. She merely thinks of herself as my creation, but she actually survived by assimilating with me. She’s still young. One day, she will understand everything.”

Thank you Tsunami. You were a big help.

Enough of that sad, child dying stuff. The hot springs are fixed and everyone is having a party!

*Insert Tangled joke here*

Yes, everyone is there. Nobuyuki is cooking squid, Yosho is getting drunk, and Ryo-Ohki is doing her party trick.

Good times were had by all…except Aunt May who went to check on the Watsons next door.

“Hey! Come on Tenchi! Have a little sake!”

“I’m still a minor!”

“Go right ahead!”

This I distinctly remember from the first time watching this. Of course, I was confused as why Tenchi was really adamant about not drinking tea.

Oh, and I love the comedic duo of Katsuhito and Nobuyuki.

“…let’s lighten things up? What do you say?”

She goes in for a drunk kiss…

 

…but Tenchi falls down and busts his head next to the still sleeping Sasami.

Ryoko spies Ayeka drinking alone and decides to keep her company.

“You know, I didn’t know Jurai had trees that could take on human form.”

“…you don’t understand anything.”

The way Darling delivers that…perfect. Honestly, the acting in this episode is top notch.

“Meaning?”

“Tsunami and Sasami are the same! There! Get it?”

“…so what?”

“…”

“…they are assimilated! That means that Tsunami and Sasami are identical! That means when Sasami grows up…”

“She’ll look like Tsunami?!”

Ryoko and Ayeka are disbelieving about this particular truth, but Tsunami comes back one more time to set the record straight:

“We have separate lives right now, but when we are joined in one form you can call me Sasami or Tsunami…whichever one you prefer.”

  

This…causes the girls to panic. However, Tsunami tries to calm their fears. 

“You needn’t worry. She will have a complete memory…”

“THAT’S NOT WHY WE ARE WORRIED!”

“Huh?”

You see, Ayeka and Ryoko realized that Tsunami is basically what Sasami will look like when she is an adult…and by cartoon Anime terms, that means she will be hot. This does not bode well for our princess and space pirate.

“Damn, I didn’t think about this. Since Ayeka is no competition, I thought Sasami was nothing to worry about!”

“I didn’t plan on this Sasami’s beauty will surpass mine!”

“Huh?”

“HRMPH!”

“Well, she’s a lot prettier than you are!”

“And at least she’s better looking than you are!”

“What’d you say?!”

“I’m simply stating a fact!”

Tsunami tries to interject but is show down rather fast.

“SHUT UP!”

“YEAH, YOU STAY OUT OF THIS!”

Needless to say, the Goddess of Jurai is taken back by this behavior.

Mihoshi, who is tending to Sasami and Tenchi, sees the fighting and tries to stop the arguing. However, this is Mihoshi we are talking about so…

 

 

 

 

“…are…are you two okay?” 

And so our episode closes, with Ryoko and Ayeka threatening bodily harm to Mihoshi and a shot of both Tsunami and Sasami smiling at the scene.

 

 

Review

In the last review, I discussed tone and how it is crucial to storytelling. I stand by that statement.

Though I will gladly admit that this episode is far more balanced than its predecessor, the sheer fact that nothing in this episode could set you up for the fact you see a little child bleed out on screen.

I mean, holy crap man.

Sasami could have had nearly any other background, but there are certain things that are hard to come back from. That is one of them.

Thankfully, the writers and director seemed to have realized this and placed the flashback halfway through the episode. This left a good ten minutes to deal with this revelation and observe the emotional fallout that came from it. 

It also helps that this has been building up since Episode Six, with Sasami turning into light and then all of her mood swings in the past few episodes.

These are positive things.

The humor in this episode is probably the best it has been since Episode One. Nobuyuki and Yosho work really well off of each other. Of course, they never do this again in the OVA, so it was a fun ride while it lasted.

This is also the last time we see Aunt May in the Anime. We will see her again in Volume Eight of the Manga, so we will cross that bridge when we get there. She went out on a bang and Vogt clearly had a blast with the character. 

This episode did something incredibly important in terms of story: it showed consequences of the characters’ actions and allowed those consequences to bring about growth. Sasami and Ayeka grew as characters in this episode. This reminded us that Ryoko was not always the woman roughly peeling potatoes, but rather she was a murderer who would have killed a child if not for the intervention of a literal Goddess. 

However, besides how dark this episode got, I have one major question with this episode:

How did Tsunami become corporeal without water?

Seriously, in every appearance in this episode AS Tsunami, she can only be seen as a reflection or from a whirlpool. However, when we see her as the White Ghost, there is no water to be seen. How could she do that? How did that happen?

“Repeat to yourself ‘This is just a show. I should really just relax.’”

Fine. You win this time.

Animation: A bump up from the previous episode, but a notch down from OVA 1. The smoke effects were particularly nice: 16/20

Main Characters: Sasami was given the necessary time she needed to grow as her own character. She really had no flaws whatsoever in the other episodes, minus her hormonal mood swings. This episode showed us her flaws: she cares so much that she worries. Sasami has a well justified case of anxiety. Tsunami, however, doesn’t really have a character. She is merely a deus ex machina that is there to save Sasami’s life and to answer one of the dangling plot threads from OVA 1. This just leaves Ayeka, who is shown in a positive light for the first time since Episode Six. The familial bonds are truly present and it is really touching: 18/20

Supporting Characters: Look, no matter what, Nobuyuki, Yosho, and Aunt May earned this episode a perfect score. They made the first half of this episode: 20/20

Music: Most of the score was lifted from OVA 1, but the most memorable piece has to be from the flashback Ayeka has, fittingly called “Ayeka and Sasami Night Fears.” It sets up the dream as memorable but off-putting, as we now know that Sasami at that point was merged with Tsunami: 18/20

Story: On one hand, the characters grew a lot and the comedy was great, but Sasami lying in a pool of blood like that, which is far worse than in her dream, requires me to take a few points away: 17/20

Overall Tenchi Rating: 85!

Ayeka and Ryoko Verbal Sparring: 4-5!

Join me next time as we meet Ryoko’s “Father” and get a closer look at a character who has been out of the spotlight too long:

No.

No.

No.

KILL IT!

Yes.

Next time is “I Love Tenchi!”