Tenchi Muyo! Episode Thirteen: Here Comes Jurai!

Another OVA finale, another milestone achieved. I find it amazing that in only a few months I have managed to touch on some of my favorite animated moments from my Toonami days. No matter how harsh I have been on OVA 2, it will always hold a special place in my heart.

That, dear readers, is what worries me today.

Nostalgia is a hell of a drug and can blind you from what is in front of you. Now my unabashed love for Nobuyuki aside, I feel I have been fair with my reviews. I may think Washu is the best overall Tenchi girl, but I still give her hell for all of her...unpleasantness.

This episode though...THIS EPISODE.

It doesn't follow the established flow of this season and at no point is there any furthering of the Tsunami/ Washu/ Tokimi plot (outside of maybe one moment, but we will talk about that). It feels like a second coda to OVA 1 and can be seen as a purely comedic episode.

So what's the problem? I tend to bash these kinds of episodes. It shouldn't be an issue.

But here is my confession: this is my favorite episode of OVA 2 and in my Top Five. As such, I am worried about how it will measure up to my Tenchi standards.

Oh well, I better get this over with:

Our episode opens up with a familiar sight: The Galaxy Police Headquarters.

Right off the bat we hear Mihoshi tell Chief Quimby the Man Servant that she is returning to Earth after presumably dropping off Doctor Clay. Quimby is not amused:

 “Hey Mihoshi! Mihoshi, answer me! Hey Mihoshi, I’m talking to you!”

Why didn’t I call this guy Chief Quimby earlier? It’s perfect.

“Isn’t this typical?”

Ah, the Kagato file back from Episode Seven!

“Oh….Detective Mihoshi…ever since she was demoted my life…has been in constant turmoil!”

You DID insinuate that you were trying to kill her if I recall. And how is it turmoil when she literally had a hand in bringing in or killing two incredibly dangerous wanted criminals?

However we see quickly that Quimby don’t shiv:

He takes off his glove, serious face still intact. Is…is he going to order the Galaxy Police to kill Mihoshi? That would be an AMAZING ending: the gang taking on the Galaxy Police. Man, I wish I could have lived to see that.

“Access: 0.2.2.3.8.9.8.8.8.7”

“The D.N.A. and astral patterns have been cleared. Password please.”

Hey, it’s Kate T. Vogt as the computer! I never picked up on that! So she has three roles in this series too!

“Entering password now: ‘And they all lived happily ever after. The end.’ …okay?”

The aggravated tone in his voice when he says “okay” is great. Again, I love how even the police know that the fairy tale theme is stupid.

“The password is accepted. The line is closed. The official record is deleted going back to the time of access. I will now run the Shadow Program.”

A small yellow square appears in the darkness and a holographic display of Quimby appears, with the real one urging it to make up a good excuse for Commander Taur the Lion Man.

“I must relay this information: Detective First Class Mihoshi has just submitted the final report regarding Kagato. Important to note: this report contains the information related to the secret of Jurai.”

So…I don’t get this machine.  A person tells it to generate a story and the computer’s internal memory generates a coherent lie to fall in line with said story? Who would think to do that?

*UNRELATED JOSH DUGGAR PICTURE*

Too soon?

We cut to…

TAUR! 

Though he was cursed by that Kahuna all those years ago, it seems as his curse lives on in the form of bureaucracy.

“Don’t we have the report on the Kagato incident yet?”

Hey, that’s not his voice. Aww, they couldn’t get back Mark Butler?

“Well…nothing from Mihoshi yet…although I am sure it should be ready any day now!”

…so the Shadow Program decided to say “Screw it, I’m just saying Mihoshi didn’t do it yet and hope he buys it.”?

“Headquarters is putting a lot of pressure on me! We could turn in what we have so far…”

“Oh no, I’m ruined!”
 

We look back at the real Chief Quimby and learn that they are going to send in a censored report for the official record. However…there is a stipulation:
 

“Uh…and I should have the censored report ready in two hours?”

 

Good luck with that buddy.

“Well then…I suppose it would be easier than trying to summarize Mihoshi’s report!”

  

Then he does what any cop would do and burn the report, washing his hands of Mihoshi’s writings.

“This message will self-immolate in five seconds.” 

  Of course, the realization sets in that he has to create a report from scratch about Jurai, Kagato, Tenchi, and everything that happened aboard the Soja…in two hours. This does not bode well for Quimby.

 

“I need more time!”

  

Should have thought of that before you burned the report.

Meanwhile, back on Earth, we see, yet again, the Masaki residence and can make out the distance from the house to Katsuhito’s shrine.

Yosho, ever the genius, has put his half-sister and his grandson to work cleaning.

While they clean, we are privy to a shot of a person with long hair walking up the steps to the Masaki shrine.

I wonder who...
 

“Hey.”

 
C_Sept? It’s been awhile.
 

“Listen, it’s time for you to talk about…”

 

Look, whatever you want me to talk about can wait. I want to see where this goes.
 

“You can’t keep ignoring this!”

  

“Excuse me.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Is the priest in?”

Finally, we see that this person is a woman…a good looking, younger woman…with a dot on her head.
 

“I KNOW WHAT THAT IS! IT…”

 

NOT NOW!

“Well young man, why are you…staring at me?”

 

“Please don’t tell the other girls! They will kill me for even looking at another woman!”

   

“Uh…sorry about that. You…want to see Grandpa right? He must be in the shrine office over there.”
 

“He’s shy…just my type.”

  

Tenchi runs by Ayeka, shouting for Yosho. This piques her curiosity.

“What is it Tenchi?”

 

It is only then that she sees who the visitor is…and it is someone who Ayeka recognizes!
 

“It’s Funaho!”

 

…the tree?
 

Then this happens:
 

“Could this possibly mean that…?”

 

“Yes it does. She must be over at your house!”

  

“WHO?”
 

“Ek.”

 

Ayeka runs away to the main house, after bowing in respect of course, and Yosho finally comes out of the shrine.
 

“Tenchi! What is this about?”

 

Then THIS happens:
 

“Oh! Mother!”

  

“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you. I thought you said…”

 

“Nope, I’m your Great Grandmother.” 

 

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Funaho, Yosho’s Mother and the person who he named his Space Tree after. Also, if you recall from Episode Five, she was originally an Earthling. I am sure that it means nothing, but it is worth repeating.

“Can I…?”
 

No.
 

So if that is Yosho’s Mother, then who was she referring to? Let’s venture over to the Masaki house to find out. As it turns out, the doorbell is ringing. Ryoko/Zero/Whoever the hell this is has been woken up from her slumber.
 

Oh yeah. I forgot about the tail accessory thing.

 

“Hey! Somebody get the door!”

Unfortunately for Ryoko, Sasami is busy so instead of the little girl answering the door the adult has to do it.
 

There’s a joke in there somewhere…if I just look hard enough…

 

“Who the hell could this be now?”

 

That is a good question.
 

“Yeah, yeah I’m coming.”

 

Huh, I just noticed that Ryoko teleported in with her shoes on. For someone who has viewed traditional Japanese culture for 700 years, you can really be rude Ryoko. I’d have expected Zero’s influence to knock that out of you!
 

Ryoko opens the door and…
 

“SASAMI OHHHHHHH!”

 

What. The. Hell. Is. That?
  

“SASAMI!”

 “SASAMI!”

“LONG TIME NO SEE!”

“Hey you!”

“Urk!”

“Quiet Sasami! The crazy, blue haired lady is talking!”

 

“SASAMI I MISSED YOU!”

“Hey! Listen to me! You don’t understand, I’ve been trying to tell you I’m not Sasami!”

 

Okay. Let’s take a breather. So if I understand this correctly, this woman has mistaken Ryoko for Sasami in a widely comical fashion.
 

“Everybody got that?”

Yes, I did find a GIF of that and yes, I will be using this one from now on. Technology marches on!
 

So mysterious blue haired woman stops and immediately becomes defensive around Ryoko.

Ryoko, looking triumphant in getting this point across, begins to explain again that she is not Sasami, ignoring the sad, fearful look in this woman’s eyes. Does this mean she recognizes Ryoko from her Space Pirate days?

  

“There! Now you got it? I am Ryo…”

However, as Ryoko is talking the woman shakes her head before yelling:
 

 “YOU CHANGED SO MUCH SASAMI!”

“YOU CHANGED SO MUCH!”

I am half tempted to just screencap every one of this woman’s face faults because they are gold.

“You weren’t listening to me!”

“LOOK AT ME!”

“YOU HAD SOFT AND BEAUTIFUL HAIR!”

“YOU DYED YOUR HAIR!”

“AND IT’S ALL HARD AND POINTY NOW!”

“Is…is she for real? She cannot be THIS dense…can she?”

“AND YOUR EYES!”

 

“THEY LOOK SO MEAN…”

“…AND VICIOUS!”

 

“MY EYES ARE NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!”

 

“YOU HAVEN’T LISTENED TO A THING I SAID DID YOU?”

  

“…what?”

 

“Oh! I’m so sorry Sasami!”

  

“A hand for each hand is planned for the world…and I AM THAT HAND SASAMI! YOUR FINGERS WILL REACH MINE!”

 

“Sasami! You must have had a very tough life!”

  

“Um…lady? Like I said…I’m NOT Sasami!”

 

Poor Ryoko. Now, let’s add an unexpected element into the mix, shall we?

“Thank you for answering the door! Sorry for the trouble there Ryoko but…”

 

“…”

 

“IT’S MY MOMMY!”

Well now, that explains a lot. That also recontextualizes the whole “tough life” bit…especially since she hasn’t been a PART of her life for a little under 700 years.
 

Sasami’s Mother has now noticed her child. Let us watch her in her natural habitat:

 

 

 

 

 

What?! Sasami’s Mom don’t shiv!

I cannot stress to you how effective the lingering shots are at establishing comedic timing.
 

The lights begin to dim and the music swells in a heartwarming emotional way:
 

“OH! SASAMI!”

“OH MOMMY!”

 

 

 

Poor Ryoko.
 

“MY MOTHER!”

 

“MY SASAMI!”

“MOTHER!”

“SASAMI!”

Finally, to complete the joke:

 “Uh…”

 

“Don’t…”

 

“Don’t mind me…”

 

That was hilarious. Between the over the top animation, the staging, and the perfect timing, THAT was Tenchi comedy done right! We have established Sasami’s Mother as an overprotective woman who is overly loving and doting. That is using a joke to set up character traits! Well done!
 

Let’s look back at Tenchi, who HAS to be intrigued at the fact his Great Grandmother looks about as old as he is.
 

“She’s not hot Tenchi. She is your Great Grandmother. Stop that! Stop that thought this instant!”

 

Before we can peek into what has to be an interesting reunion, we see that Ayeka is still running home.
 

“Run for it Ayeka! Run straight home and don’t stop until you get there!”

 

Meanwhile, Sasami and her Mother are still hugging.
 

 
But the time has come for Ayeka to return home. Now, we know that she is a bit worried to see her, given her reaction with Funaho, who is her Step-Mom? Juraians are weird man.

“I found the last Golden Ticket!”

“There you are!”

This instantly gives her Mother a second wind:

“Ah! There you are!”

Everybody remember Sasami’s reaction to her Mother? Let us contrast Ayeka’s:

“Ah, Mother, it’s been such a long time since I saw you! Oh, and just now I saw Lady Funaho also! I’m so glad to see you both doing so well!”

This…is not the reaction her Mother was hoping for:

I love that even the music shows that Ayeka is messing with forces she does not want to tangle with.

“Pleasedon’tmakemedothispleasedon’tmakemedothis….”

“Do it!”

“So much for my golden day…”

Ryoko, for her part, shows confusion but is doing a good job keeping out of this. How long will that last?

“Hmm?”

“Uh…Ryoko, now I want you to listen to me! I am about to do something that you could tease me about later, but I’m warning you not to.”

“You can’t just tell me that and expect me NOT to tease you Princess.”

“Uh, yeah, whatever.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you! It’s for your own good!”

Then, as I am going to say A LOT this episode, this happens:

“Ehhh…”

“MY MOMMY!”

“I’ve died! I’ve died and gone to heaven!”

“LITTLE AYEKA!”

“MY MOMMY!”

“AYEKA!”

“HEHEHEHEHE!”

“COME TO ME!”

“…is this supposed to be heartwarming or disturbing…because I’m feeling a little bit of Column A and a little bit from Column B?”

This…raises questions about the home life at Planet Jurai. Was this woman always this demanding yet carefree?

Regardless, let’s see how long it takes Ryoko to crack:

“Heheheheh.”

“She’s…she’s calling her…”

“’Mommy!’”

Oh no you didn’t!

“I know pain. I KNOW Pain. Sometimes I share it. With someone like you.”

“You don't get it boy... this isn't a mudhole... it’s an operating table. And I’m the surgeon.”

I could do this all day.

“Nobody mocks my Little Ayeka. ARE. YOU. UNDERSTANDING. ME?”

“I want you to remember Ryoko, in all the years to come, in your most private moments, I want you to remember my hand at your throat, I want you to remember the one woman who beat you.”

Seriously, I get no greater joy than putting Frank Miller Batman quotes to Ayeka’s Mom.

“I…think so!”

“Please let me go! Let me go!”

“I did warn you!”

But wait! A savior emerges!

“Sasami!”

“Here! Read this!”

Again, what was their childhood like if THIS is the kind of stuff that they are trained to do?

Of course, I cannot read a single kanji of Japanese. Ryoko, would you be a dear and translate it for me…or at least what the translation team at Genon believe it means?

“…okay…’I’m sorry, pretty young lady…?”

“What, are you dense? Are you retarded or something? Who the hell do you think I am? I’m the Goddamn…”

“A sound observation Robin!”

“Okay! That’s more like it!”

“Old chum!”

“Come to me!”

“…so now she’s Adam West?”

But just when Ryoko thinks that she is safe…

“….Meow…?”

“Oh, Ryo-Ohki! You are awake!”

“Hmm?”

“You interest me, strangely.”

“Meow?”

“Can YOU guess where this is going?”

 

Seriously, she doesn’t shiv.

“OH! HOW ADORABLE! COME TO AUNTIE MISAKI!”

…so the tree is named after one queen and the last name is identical in sound to the name of the other queen?

“Don’t…don’t mind me…reallllllllly.”

Poor Ryoko. I have to give props to all of the voice actresses here, they nailed it, especially Burchard. Misaki, as well as Funaho, are voiced by Grace Zanderski. Remember her?

This whole scene was an example of great comedic timing all around, hence why this segment was quoted near verbatim. In just one scene, we learn everything we need to know about Queen Misaki as a person and understand the level of comedy that comes with her appearance. We know that anytime she appears on the screen, it will be funny.

Since this scene was pure comedy gold, I am certain the following scene will have to be played for dramatic effect. Shall we look in on Yosho and his Mother?

“Well…this is awkward…”

“Please have some tea.”

“Thank you very much.”

I swear, if this turns into just these two drinking tea without anything of substance, I will be most disappointed.

“It’s hard…to believe I’m back here.”

I agree. Honestly, with the way Ayeka was talking about you in Episode Five, I expected you to be dead. I had assumed that the King of Jurai had an affair with an Earth woman who sired Yosho, but died on Earth or something. This would allow for the King to marry Misaki, leading to Ayeka and Sasami’s birth.

Of course, I should have realized polygamy was accepted on Planet Jurai. Though this does ask the question about how an Earthwoman is alive after what has to be 1,000 years of life.

“CAN I SPEAK YET?!”

Let them speak a little more and the floor will be yours.

“You have no idea how hard it is to wait. You are practically setting me up!”

I’ll take your word for it.

“Yes…hard to believe. Since you left this planet, the Earth must have gone through…lots of changes.”

Then, in what I am going to assume will become a running gag this review, this happens:

“Come Yosho! How long will you stay in your disguise?”

 

…I’m sorry, what?

“I’m sorry…”

“…what?”

Exactly!

“I…can’t deceive you, can I?”

“I’m your Mother. Why would you WANT to deceive me?”

So show us, good sir, the nature of your disguise. What? Is the facial hair fake or something?

“Nobody here…has any idea as to what I really look like…”

Hold on. You mean to tell me that not only was Yosho lying to Ayeka throughout OVA 1 about his identity, but that stirring speech about how is growing old and is going to die was a lie too?! Come on! What’s next, Nobuyuki is actually over 100 years old too and is actually your son AND your son in law or something?

However, before we can learn anything else, Funaho’s parent sense begins to tingle.

“Mother?”

“It’s those damn kids. They are always after me Lucky Charms.”

No, it turns out to be…

“TENCHI! When you are done sweeping outside, you have to clean the stairs!”

Two things of note:

1) This is the first time in a LONG time that we have played on Tenchi’s curiosity, which is a normal thing for a teenager his age. It kind of acts as a bookend, as it was Tenchi’s curiosity with his Grandfather that started all of this madness. I like it.

2) Yosho’s younger self is still voiced by Matt T. Miller, so essentially Matt is yelling at himself. This is amusing.

“He really is…something else. Yes…quite a handful.”

I wonder, does he take after his Great Grandmother at all?

“You know, at first I thought I could send Tenchi, instead of going myself.”

“Can he fit in…on Planet Jurai?”

“Perhaps…I think he can.”

 

But does he WANT to? Again, you have debated upon manipulating your GRANDSON to get out of your responsibilities to the throne!

“He must be trouble…for the ladies.”

If you watched a Toonami promo, you bet your ass that this line was in it 90% of the time…along with Peter Cullen’s amazing voice. Seriously, I cannot begin to describe how fantastic Peter Cullen was as the Toonami announcer. The man can do no wrong.

Now that this fun little chat is over, I suppose we will remember this as the infamous “Tea Drinking Scene.” So…

“I came here because we received a report from the Galaxy Police.”

Wow, we are getting right into it. So not only was the opening a final send off for Chief Quimby and Commander Taur the Lion Man, but it was actually the inciting incident for this entire episode? Bravo!

“When Ryoko was resurrected, I knew you going to come sooner or later. But why…why didn’t you come when Ryoko appeared?”

“The Galaxy Police report worked as a trigger? Is that it?”

And a damn good one at that!

“Yosho…”

“Huh?”

“May I have another cup of tea Yosho?”

I have no idea why, but this small moment always makes me laugh. It really just is a small pause before the conversation continues, but it is a nice little moment highlighting a Mother waiting for his Son to pick up that she is finished with her drink and should be offered another.

“Mihoshi submitted her report to the Galaxy Police over two months ago…didn’t she? May I ask you what took you so long…Mother?”

So, that would make this episode in either January or February based on the timeline established in Episode Five. Interesting. So within a two month span, every episode took place, as well as probably the Yakage incident if we are to include the Manga events. This…doesn’t really work out, especially considering the fact that the second hot springs episode would have to be taking place in January. Of course, the crew were wearing what appeared to be coats, but the temperature when they took the baths at the end of the episode must have been freezing…

Regardless, let us press on.

“I suppose it is because Mihoshi wrote, shall we say, an ‘exhaustive’ report.  Mihoshi’s report is top secret within the Galaxy Police.”

“Then it will go to Jurai’s Supreme Council meeting.”

This establishes that Ayeka’s constant boasting of Jurai’s power were not just boasting: Jurai has enough pull to basically be privy to everything the Galaxy Police does…which is a bit scary when you think about it. It is a good thing that everyone from Jurai we have met have been rather nice, right?

Of course, it is then that Funaho drops another bombshell on us: the King of Jurai is coming too!

“Father will come…and the Council’s Executive Committee…”

“We are its representatives…Misaki and I.”

“Like us, there is more to them than meets the eye…”

“So the Inspector General of Information and the Supreme Commander of the Royal Bodyguard had to come all this way…”

I love this world building. Do we know which Queen is which? No, but we know that both of them are Queens who actually do something beyond assume the throne.

Funaho then brings up what we already know, about Juraian trees taking root and lets us know that she is aware of Ryoko’s gems, all of which was included in Mihoshi’s report. This then leads to the topic of Yosho’s youthful appearance, which as we know from Episode Five should be impossible now that his tree has taken root.

“My spaceship tree is the only thing sustaining my life. I was quite surprised when I found out that my tree hadn’t lost its power.”

“Then I found an interesting discovery: I found that Ryoko’s gems had been giving energy to my tree…and that means that Ryoko’s gems have the same qualities as the Royal Family’s trees! That they have the same exact power!”

However, it turned out that Funaho suspected as much, given that Ryoko was able to invade Jurai and lull the defending space trees. Of course, this leads to a very interesting implication…one that I wish we had more time to explore:

“Given that all of this is true…her gems should be able to create the Light Hawk Wings just like Tenchi can!”

“That’s not true! That’s impossible!”

“Search your feelings, you know it to be true!”

With only one episode left of OVA 2 we now have one final power to add to Ryoko’s ever growing list, which I really should compile: the potential to generate Light Hawk Wings. This implies that Ryoko’s gems are at the same level as a being like Tsunami, which is also at the same level as Tokimi as documented in the last episode!

As such, the entire conversation can be described as:

 EXPOSITION!

“I see…you came to get Washu.”

“We’ve come to check on Ayeka and Sasami.”

Which, you know, you haven’t done in over 700 years.

“And I wanted to see you. You haven’t said a word to your poor Mother in years…700!”

“I may be the greatest swordsman in the universe…but I’m fucked.”

“Gah! I…was going to go back to Jurai after my victory over Ryoko…”

“…but something came up and…I…well…”

“All boys…once they find girls they never think of their Mom…that’s the way it goes I guess. I guess the Mother gets in the way once her son finds a girl.”

Maybe they do Funaho…maybe in ways that would make you sick. Right Rong?

“It’s Rung! Come on now!”

Fine…Rang…

"You are digging yourself into a grave Yosho. You lose! Good day sir!"

“Okay…I can retake control of this conversation. Seriousfaceseriousface….”

“Oh crap, I can’t!”

“By the way Mother…have you already finished renovating the Great Hall in the Palace?”

This is awkwardly painful even for me…but damn it if it isn’t funny.

“Ayeka does seem to be happy here…thank you…for the nice tea.”

The scene ends with Yosho volunteering Tenchi to take Funaho to the Masaki house, effortlessly switching back into his “Katsuhito” disguise.

“So…how old ARE you?”

Tenchi is obviously hesitant around his Great Grandmother, who looks roughly his age and is smoking hot in Anime terms.

“Um…are you…”

“Yes?”

  

“Um…”

I’d like to point out that with this image, we have fully reached the point where I compared Tenchi’s visual appearance allllllllll theway back in the first episode’s review, which I have realized is a polar opposite to this. How? Well initially, I more or less summarized the events of an episode and only quoted key parts, but literally the next episode saw me quoting a good deal of the dialogue. For this review, I feel like I have written down about 95% of the dialogue up to this point and I’m not even halfway done yet.

I’ve come so far.

“No…nothing…”

“I understand it’s a tender subject Tenchi, but I heard you lost your Mother when you were young. You must have felt awfully lonely.”

I would imagine he would Funaho. You know that is your Granddaughter you are talking about, right?

“How is it nowadays?”

“Now? It’s too crowded here.”

“I mean, in the past few months I have been nearly killed more times than I can count, involved in arson AND destruction of property, abducted by your step daughter, attacked by the ghost of John Turturro, discovered your son is actually a manipulative bastard, actually died, came back to life by the future Sasami, killed two people, practically get violated by Washu on a daily basis, am stuck in a five way love triangle that I didn’t ask to be a part of, and somehow went from going to school to farming carrots.”

“But you’ll be lonely if we take the girls home, won’t you?”

“…let me think about it.”

“Or Tenchi, you can come with us, huh?”

This is an interesting development I suppose. I mean, this is Ayeka’s desired outcome. But what would Tenchi do on Jurai? Would he adapt? Would he be accepted? I mean, wasn’t Yosho practically driven away for…

“I WILL BE HEARD!”

…okay.

“That’s it?”

Yeah, go for it buddy.

“Oh…alright…I wasn’t expecting to be able to talk yet. Allow me a moment to prepare myself. I compiled all of this back on Tenchiforum”

Take your time.

“Alright, so remember all the way back in Episode Five, when Yosho and Ayeka have the heart to heart about Juraian xenophobia?”

Yes, rather clearly. I quoted it word for word.

“Ah! But you quoted the Pioneer dub word for word!”

So I did, like the entirety of this blog. Why? Was there a mistranslation, like the infamous “Mother/ Grandma” incident from that same episode?

“Not exactly good sir. In 2012, Funimation released a new translation of the original OVA. Evilpii, a member of Tenchiforum, compiled the differences for this specific scene. This is what the old dialogue was:”

“But why should that matter? Our Father made the law that after him, we should mix with the blood of other planets!”

“This is the new translation:”

“But why should that matter? Our Father made the law. The first wife will be of Jurai, the second will be of another planet!”

So in essence the translation does amount to the same thing, but it brings up the question of who was the King’s first wife: Funaho or Misaki. I had always assumed it was Funaho, given that she has only one dot on her head unlike Misaki’s two.

“You are getting to the main issue here: was Funaho always supposed to be the first Queen of Jurai? If not, why was she changed in accordance to other materials created after OVA 1?”

Is this topic explored more in other works?

“Essentially yes. You are getting close to the time where you should check out the True Tenchi Novels, which will explain, to a point, how the King met both of his wives. Mind you, not all of it is translated, so it will be kind of hard for you to gather everything that you would find useful. However, there is also the Hasegawa novels as well.”

So the parents will be there?

“In a manner of speaking. Misaki is there and is addressed as the sole Empress of Jurai. In addition, the last page shows an image of the three members of the Royal Family and Tokimi. However, look at the placement of Funaho:”

 ...okay...

“She is not symmetrical with the others. Could she have been an afterthought? Or was there a darker purpose to her relationship with the King?”

That sounds a bit…

"Look at it without her! It is much more natural!"

“And during the story, on page 65, Misaki does not have the head dots at all!”

Well the story was written by Hasegawa and not Kajishima so…

“Kajishima and Hayashi had a hand in this as well. In fact the ending of the book has Kajishima let her know about Tokimi.”

Woah…this is heavy.

Okay, even if that were the case, why would that matter? Yosho was still of royal blood.

“There is some debate on that. Tenchiforum has a few discussions about that, including whether Yosho was a legitimate heir to the throne that is well documented by evilpii.”

Okay, I’ll bite. What could possibly make Yosho an illegitimate heir to the throne?

"I'll let him tell you."

Oh, he's here? Why didn't you say so earlier? Hello evilpii!

“How do you do Drillmaster? So my theory is this: Funaho and the King had Yosho out of wedlock. It would explain why Yosho was betrothed to Ayeka at such an early age: if he were married to Ayeka, Yosho would have no problems claiming his right to the throne!”

But Funaho is clearly a Queen here! Regardless if it were out of wedlock, by royal decree…

“That might be how it is presented here, but perhaps Funaho wasn’t originally intended on being royalty when she was conceptualized? It’s all rather engaging stuff that makes you think about the original intention of the series and how the show would have been if the band wasn’t broken apart.”

I will have to check that out. That you C_Sept and evilpii. This was informative!

“Just some food for thought.”

Now that the history lesson is over, we see that before Tenchi could answer, a voice calls his name.

“Tenchi!”

Then Funaho makes this face:

I have always wondered exactly WHY she would make that face. Is she upset that she couldn’t convince Tenchi to come to Jurai? Is Funaho secretly manipulating Tenchi as part of a larger plan?

Like Mother like Son.

So, who is our mystery guest?

I mean, it was kind of obvious in hindsight.

Washu introduces herself to Funaho, who is less than pleased to see her.

“How do you do? Pleased to meet you…Young Washu…”

She then grips Washu’s hand tightly…something that is not lost on Washu.

“Hmm….”

At this point, Tenchi is shooed away so the grownups can talk.

“…whatever. It’s not like I even matter anymore.”

Before the talks can begin, though, Funaho has an interesting request:

“Can you call me ‘Little Funaho?’ I’d like that!”

“Ugh, I don’t believe this. Mihoshi even wrote that in her report?!”

After cracking some jokes at Mihoshi’s expense, Funaho gets down to business:

“Washu, you the reason why we are here, don’t you? What is you answer, now tell me!”

“My answer…is no.”

What is this question? Explain away Washu!

“Meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow! Meow, meow, meow, meow, meow! Meow! Meow! Meow!”

Oh…never mind. I guess it is time to watch Ryo-Ohki sing “Tinkle Twinkle Little Star.” I mean, why not?

This is how Ryoko feels…every day, all day.

It is at this point that Tenchi arrives home, unware that polygamy is in the equation.

“Hello there! I’m your Step Great Grandmother!”

“You Juraians are messed up man.”

“Come on, you know you like it!”

Misaki’s hug does not go unnoticed…

“Danger! Danger! Will Robinson!”

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING MOTHER?!”

“HEY! YOU!”

Even the girls are worried about Juraian mating rituals.

“Aww, you don’t have to get jealous!”

“I care for you too!”

“Some days you just can’t get rid of a bomb.”

Though this scene basically amounts to annoying filler, a great touch is that even Sasami is embarrassed by what is going on.

“At least I’m not having girl issues this episode…”

Let us draw the curtain on this sordid scene and return to the conversation between Funaho and Washu. Washu has revealed the root of the problem:

“Jurai ships are powerful but can’t be mass produced, but Ryo-Ohki can be reproduced easily.”

Ah, so the real reason that caused the Juraian Royal Family to actually find their children is to dissuade Washu from creating weapons of mass destruction. Well, I suppose there is a good reason for that, considering that this woman COULD potentially create something like a galaxy destroying bullet or something.

“It’s fine if we are the only ones with the technology, but if we’re not…”

Back up. Are you telling me that this episode has three layers to it: tying up Mihoshi’s report, meeting the Queens, and now intergalactic politics?! I mean, I can appreciate this, but really?! Ethics and politics? It didn’t work for George Lucas, I don’t see it working here.

“I don’t care who develops what, it’s not my concern!”

Now here is the interesting part: Washu could give two shits about intergalactic politics. This could make for an interesting conclusion to the Funaho segments.

Funaho, coincidentally, is pretty sad and worried about Washu’s answer.

 Noticing this, Washu decides to smooth it all out while still remaining neutral to the world of adults:

“Well…I don’t want to alienate Tenchi so…I will not help anybody! How’s that?”

By washing her hands of the situation, Washu has earned Funaho’s trust, who begins to wipe away her tears.

“O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”

But there is one condition for this turn of events:

“Please call me Little Washu, alright?”

“Was…was that a brick joke?”

The two women laugh playfully at this, but soon stop themselves when they notice a new ship arriving overhead.

“Inform the commander that Lord Vader’s shuttle has arrived.”

“The King of Jurai is here.”

So we finally get to meet Tenchi’s Great Grandfather. Will he be a bundle of joy like Misaki or a hard slate to read, like Funaho? 

*Cue the Imperial March...err...the Batman theme song....*

Oh, I suppose we need to show Funaho and Misaki reuniting…and for Misaki to meet Washu.

“A routine question: have you recently sold any war surplus submarines and if so to who?”

“Uh…how are you doing Misaki…how you doing?”

“To the Batcave Old Chum!”

There is one thing Washu wasn’t counting on: this hug.

“Oh boy…she reminds me of someone.”

Even though she has not been seen in this episode yet, Mihoshi’s presence sure does loom over it.

But enough of that, sparkles fly down from the Juraian ship:

 

Like Daughter, like Father.

“You may dispense with the pleasantries Commander. I am here to put you back on schedule!”

Right off the bat, we don’t see a warm expression in his eyes. He is cold, calculating, and grim. You know, like how most Fathers are when they see the boy who their little girl has fallen in love with.

“Well, you look fine. Ayeka, Sasami…”

“Huh?”

“Not again!”

“Why is this a common occurrence in my life?”

Ayeka tries to diffuse the tension by introducing Tenchi to him. The King…is not amused.

“Now we are going home! Ayeka! Sasami!”

“What’chu talkin’ ‘bout Willis?”

This does not sit right with…well anyone except Ryoko. Ayeka brings up the fact that Tenchi is his Great Grandson, but again the King could give a rat’s ass.

“Yosho got married to that…Earthling despite my wishes. I don’t need his Grandson.”

Oh King of Jurai, are you an idiot or just that stupid? Do you have any idea the can of worms that you are opening with, you know your wife…wait, he KNEW that he was on Earth? That contradicts everything we know about Yosho, stuff that we found out THIS episode! How the hell does the King know that!

“I am also one of those Earthlings.”

“…fffffffuuuuuuucccccckkkkkkkkk meeeeeeeeee…..”

“You…you are different!”

“How am I different from the others?”

“Bail? Bail.”

“There are seven working defenses from this position. Three of them disarm with minimal contact. Three of them kill. The other-- [KRAKK] --hurts.”

A cute touch I never put together is that when we flash to Misaki, we hear the sound of dogs barking. Why is that included? To show that the King is in the doghouse!

Somebody is sleeping on the couch tonight.

“Ayeka! I have already chosen a fiancée for you! One that is suited for the Crown Princess of the Planet Jurai!”

What.  Is anyone going to acknowledge that?

“No! I cannot…because Tenchi is my…”

“Your WHAT?”

That is a good question Ayeka. Please, do go on. Elaborate for us.

“The King is right Ayeka! Go on home!”

Saved by the Space Pirate.

“You stay out of this, you big mouth!”

I was worried we weren’t going to get one more instance of Ayeka and Ryoko verbally sparring in this OVA. Thank you for alleviating those fears.

The girls argue for some time as the King tries to wrap his head around the entire situation.

“Women man. I don’t get them. I never will get them. And by accepting that, I am happily married…twice.”

To his credit, he tries to get their attention…

“Hey! Ayeka!”

But is immediately ignored.

“He won’t be yours! Never!”

“Does anyone ever think to ASK that poor kid what he wants? Maybe he wants to marry his Great Aunt, maybe he wants to marry the mummy who stalked him in astral form his entire life.”

Being a reasonable man, the King realizes that Ayeka may be a lost cause…but she isn’t the only Princess, is she?

“Sasami, you are coming home with us, aren’t you?”

Of course, Sasami isn't going anywhere either. As you can see, this one was unexpected. I guess Sasami is "Daddy's Little Girl..." or was...

“Sasami?!”

“And if you force me to go, I will hate you forever!"

"So there!”

This is the most like a kid I have seen Sasami act in a long time.

Lo and behold, there is one creature here who is NOT angry at the King at all: Ryo-Ohki.

Playing on the fact that she is a young child, she is confused by the shouting and the negativity. As such, she decides that what this situation needs is a good pick me up. It is here we listen to another rendition of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” as sung by Ryo-Ohki.

“Twinkle twinkle little bat, how I wonder where you’re at. Up above the world you fly like a tea tray in the sky!”

The King, who is named Azusa. I thought it was going to be mentioned in the show. I was mistaken, is utterly confused by all of this.

“…what…what IS this?”

Azusa buddy, I have no idea…but the kids love it!

Oh no, Ryo-Ohki is crying now. Azusa, I advise you to get the hell out of there before someone kills you.

“What’s wrong now? What did I do?”

I will admit that the King being practically oblivious to this stuff is great. For a man who professes that he doesn’t think the women in Tenchi are strong enough to exist in real life, the men in this show are stereotypes of the “Stupid Father.” Poor Nobuyuki.

As such, it is up to Funaho to calm Ryo-Ohki down…but not before giving Azusa a death glare to turn this situation around.

Funaho don’t shiv.

“By the gods! You pursue me past your dying…! Are you a man…or a fiend from Hell?!”

“You are a great performer! You are!”

And with that, Azusa lost all of his masculinity. You go Funaho!

Ryo-Ohki is pleased to get such verbal praise and, as such, she goes over to her favorite person: Ryo…

Oh, never mind. It’s Tenchi.

Actually, have Ayeka and Ryoko even moved? That’s what we call “limited animation.”

With all of this nonsense concluded, Azusa gets down to business:

“Ayeka…Sasami…is this true? Is your wish to remain here? Would you really choose that boy over me?”

“I think he’s hitting on you!”

“Stop mocking Juraian culture!”

In the end, it comes down to Sasami’s decision. Well, what is YOUR reasoning for wanting to stay?

“If I leave, there’s gonna be real trouble! If I leave, who’s gonna cook for them?”

These two. And I will love every second of it.

With the choice of either having his daughter cook or leaving the Masaki kitchen to two terrorists, it seems that Azusa has no choice:

 

“Well then…there isn’t much we can do about it. All right…you can do as you please!”

“Oh fra…”

“UNDER ONE CONDITION THOUGH!”

“You can have your wish if, and ONLY if, that boy wins a duel with the man I chose as your fiancée!”

“…why does this only happen to me?”

Oh yeah, I forgot about that plot point. It was only brought up once so far in this episode.

Before we can think about it any further, the lights go dim and everyone is just as confused as I am.

“I have a bad feeling about this.”

It is then that a disembodied voice speaks out from…well probably the Juraian ship.

“Well…I’ve been waiting for this moment…”

It is at this point that we learn that at least Scotty survived the attack with Kagato all the way back in Episode Four and beams the fiancée down to the planet…in the fanciest way possible.

 

 

 

 

“Hmhmhmhm.”

“I…think you’ll find that they’ve saved the very best for last…”

“…what the hell was that?”

Dear god…first off that design…it makes someone like Dan from Street Fighter seem manly. Second...that voice. THAT VOICE. Imagine someone is doing a terribly flamboyant voice as a joke. That voice would be tame compared to this. This voice is offensive as hell. In fact, this voice is SO offensive that Toonami, the network that allowed Nurse Washu to air in some capacity, to hire a new voice to redub all of this guy’s dialogue.

I am sure there are people who prefer the original voice, as it is a joke, but I prefer the redubbed Toonami voice. It is more theatrical than flamboyant.

Speaking of theatricality, Azusa is done with this fool’s.

"This is too offensive...even for me." 

 

 "I'm super! Thanks for..."

“Hmm?”

“What?”

“We were just coming to the best part!”

You realize the implications of this is that this guy rehearsed this all the way to Earth, coordinated a light show, found cherry blossoms, and probably played the background music through a speaker. THAT is dedication.

“…are…are you sure Tenchi is THAT bad Father?”

Our mystery man, however, has finally noticed his bride to be.

“Oops! I…haven’t even said ‘hi’ to you!”

“Princess Ayeka, you look just FAAAAAABULOUS!”

“Honey…I don’t think he is the…”

“Quiet Funaho, we just have to run with it!”

By now Tenchi is basically being pressured by everyone to fight in the name of Ayeka…with one major exception:

“Tenchi! Don’t fight! You don’t have to go through this for them! Don’t be crazy!”

But fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing…and fate has something special in store for Ryoko.

“…and what’s…that?”

“This is a bill for you…of all those parts of Jurai that you destroyed!”

Well played Misaki. Well played indeed.

“…fuuuuuuuu….”

“However…if Tenchi wins, we might forget about the whole thing!”

“…ccccckkkkk…wait, what?”

“Yoink!”

 

“Tastes like chicken!”

“Tenchi! I’m so glad you are going to fight! You’re doing this just to save me from my debts, aren’t you?”

“…do I even have a say about this?”

“I wish you did. Look who I have to work with…”

“I’m so pretty! Oh so pretty! I’m so pretty and witty and…”

At this point, the fight is about to begin. Tenchi runs inside to get the sword and our fiancée engages in the tradition of trash talking his opponent before a match.

“Really…it’s just a waste of time. He has no chance! It’s totally one sided! But I must fulfill the wish of the King. After all, he IS my future Father In-Law!”

“…I don’t watch American Wrestling…am I supposed to retort back yet?”

And just like American Wrestling, the girls have made this a spectacle, including preparing popcorn and tea.

Seeing Sasami and Ayeka pass out tea and food causes our pink haired friend that this living situation is simply truly, truly outrageous, much like our flamboyant friend here.

“I can’t believe this! This can’t be true! The beautiful Princess Ayeka…and pretty Princess Sasami are…confined?!”

“In this...?!”

“Grrrrr….!”

“DUMP?!”

Hey, you don’t diss Nobuyuki’s handiwork! It gets rebuilt at least once a week!

“This is dingy and miserable! This is much worse than a cell! I can’t stand that the Princesses are in forced labor here! I have to save Princess Ayeka from this jail…this hellhole! I think it’s my, or any civilized person’s duty, to save them from this misery!”

Wait…oh my…he thinks HE is the hero! That…that is rich! He thinks he is Luke Skywalker rescuing Princess Leia from the big, bad Death Star. I love it!

“Wait…aren’t you supposed to talk smack about ME? Am I that bland that you have more to say about my house than me?”

Thankfully, Misaki comes over to Azusa to tell him the fiancée’s name so I can use it:

“Say…how long do you think it will take Tenchi to defeat Seiryo?”

“Just watch! Seiryo is going to win in less than a minute!”

So his name is Seiryo? Good to know. Thank you expositional dialogue. Well, with that out of the way it is time to start…

“So…you’re betting on Seiryo then?”

“Um-hm!”

“I bet 50,000 yen on Tenchi! What about you Sis?”

“I am betting on Tenchi as well!”

So they are actually gambling on this? That’s great! (Though it begs the question where Misaki got Japanese currency from). Now one would think that everyone was going to bet on Tenchi, right? Well, one person is genre savvy enough to place their bets on a higher power.

“Well…I have to bet on Mihoshi!”

At that precise moment, we hear a familiar sound effect fill the air…almost like wind blowing…or something falling!

But enough of that, it’s time to duel!

“You activated my trap card, Tenchi-boy!”

“Wait did you just use a trap card without me even playing a monster on the field?”

“Screw the rules, I have pink hair!”

You see, as Seiryo tries to tell Tenchi that there is no hope for him whatsoever, our hero does everything he can to have his opponent just look up to see just what is falling from the sky.

“…what I mean is…”

And right on cue, poor Yukinojo crashes into the lake, spraying everyone with water before the fight could begin.

“Drip, drip, drop! Little April Showers, beating a tune as you all fall around!”

Now that the worst is behind us, let’s get to the…

R.I.P. Maximillian Seiryo, the fabulous inventor of Juraian Monsters, the hit trading card game of the Planet Jurai.

“Yay! Tenchi is the winner!”

“…I am?”

And just because we love her so much…

“Ex…excuse me!”

“My ship is broken down again Washu! Can you fix it for me? Please! I would appreciate it!”

I would say never change Mihoshi, but unfortunately dark times are ahead for your characterization. Dark times indeed.

But now is the time to say good bye to the royalty of the Planet Jurai. The episode is wrapping up and the Queens bid the crew a fond farewell.

“I hope we didn’t cause you any trouble.”

“Listen, in the past few weeks, barely anything has gotten done. I could use a lighthearted comedy episode that didn’t want to make me fall asleep or feel terrible on the inside!”

In a nice touch, Misaki thanks and name checks every one of the girls, for this is not only Misaki saying goodbye, it is us saying goodbye to the cast (save Nobuyuki, who is neglected for no good reason). For a long time, this was THE final episode of the Kajishima penned animated OVA canon. There was no GXP or OVA 3 to be found.

Even Azusa gets in on the action when Yosho finally comes out of his Hobbit Hole to pay his respects.

“Yosho…please take good care of Ayeka and Sasami.”

“You need not worry Father. Tenchi is going to take good care of them.”

“Yosho…I could wait another 2,000 years for you to decide…”

“Woah.”

Is that his way of saying that if he wanted to assume the throne, it would be there for him? Bastard son or not, Azusa DOES care for him…even if he doesn’t show it.

 And so our episode ends with Azaka and Kamidake reflecting on their lot in life again, similarly to the ending of Episode Six.

 “Very peaceful, but very boring.”

We can’t have that can we? As if on cue, Ayeka and Ryoko start one final fight and Tenchi, our poor Tenchi exits to get some air as he waits until the next time we will see him again.

Tenchi Masaki will return in “Visitor From Afar”…in nine years…

Let’s start the review, shall…

Oh, it’s not over?

Before the show concludes properly, we see the inside of the royal ship. There are several different Juraian nobles aboard the ship, but after a short tracking shot we see Azusa sitting in his throne.

“I think Tenchi’s growing on him!”

Oh Misaki, how wrong you are…

“Tenchi…don’t even THINK I’ve given in completely. That was just the beginning!”

“Hahahahahahaha!”

What? You saw your wives were channeling Batman in my review so you snap and become The Joker? Oh well…you know what they say…

“All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy!”

THE END

REVIEW

Wow, this is it: the end of the original two OVAs.

As you recall, part of my reason for writing this blog was to figure out what it was about Tenchi that I enjoy. It still baffles me that, as a typically non Anime guy, I have such high regard for this series. Now that I have finished looking back at it, I can safely say that I have figured out why it is that I love this series so much:

1) The characters are archetypal. While I will credit Star Wars for getting me into Joseph Campbell and the Hero’s Journey, I credit Tenchi for being the show that made me realize that there are certain character archetypes in stories. The scientist, the fighter, the young girl, the ditz, the wise old man, the villain, the perverted Father…the list goes on. These are relatable characters and, through slice of life episodes, we see how they can handle living day to day situations. I only wish now, looking back at it with the attention to detail I am placing on it, that those situations could have done MORE for the characters. I only say that because I have seen this show do more with what they are given and once a teacher sees that potential, they damn well want to see it consistently.

2) The connection to Star Wars is key. As you all might have guessed, I enjoy Star Wars. A lot. It was a seminal part of my childhood and I am glad that there are things that I can take out of it even to this day. Tenchi Muyo! owes a great deal of debt to Star Wars. While certain things are lifted straight from it, like sound effects and the lightsabers, it uses the fairy tale like structure to make us invested in this world. The first OVA truly is a fairy tale. The second…less so.

3) The voice acting is fantastic. This show focused on actors who could define their characters and not just big names in the acting world. Of all of the actors here, Darling and Lynn were the most familiar names to audiences. Burchard was cast as Ryoko because she could pull it off. Miller was cast as Tenchi because he could be believable. Vogt was Washu because she WAS Washu. As I will discuss down the line, those actors brought likeability to their characters and if they weren’t there, it was harder to connect with them. Paint can ruin a great, detailed action figure and the wrong actor can ruin a well written character.

That being said, would I be inclined to watch it if I saw people talking about it today without knowing what the show was about? No, I wouldn’t.

Several aspects of the premise are weird and the humor is all over the place. I was far more willing to accept stuff like the incest growing up because I didn’t really grasp it. Now though? It baffles me. Tenchi worked by being introduced to me at the right time and the right place. I don’t watch much television anymore. There isn’t a lot of shows on that I really watch. With Hannibal finished, the only thing I watch is Steven Universe I suppose, which is funny when you think about it, for reasons mentioned here.

 As such, Tenchi is the perfect nostalgic show.

Let’s talk about the final episode.

This episode was pretty good all things considered. Was it better than Episode Nine? No, not in terms of story and character growth, but it shows what the show can do to bring a one and done humorous episode to the table.

We get to see how a person like Misaki and Azusa shaped the lives of Ayeka and Sasami. Ayeka, being far more dedicated to her position as Princess, is closer to her Father. Sasami, being the carefree one, is closer to her Mother. These are also paralleled in their hair as well as their demeanor. It is small details like that, the stuff that isn’t spelled out for you, that make this a good episode.

Funaho’s position in this story is used to give us a reason why these people should finally come, and it works to a degree. We learn a lot about the Juraian people beyond the incest and we see their hierarchal structure. On the other hand, the politics can be seen as a bit boring at times. It’s a lot like The Phantom Menace, but here it makes a lot more sense. We didn’t really need to see Padme call a Vote of No Confidence, but it was nice to hear about the implications of Yosho’s departure of the throne.

Along those same lines, the humor got to be a bit much in the middle there, but it bounced back by trying something new. That was a strength for this episode: the humor, as forced as it got at times, was varied and fit well. This leads in to another point I wanted to bring up…

Misaki and Funaho are in my top five Tenchi characters. I love them. I love them so much. Misaki works well in small doses and as this is the only episode she appeared in, it was nice. Funaho is great because she is very calm and collected, but you have no idea what her true intentions are at times. I never realized just how manipulative she really was. Did this episode lower my perception of them? Maybe a tiny bit, but considering that the only two character to come out of these reviews unscathed are Kagato and Nobuyuki, that’s not a bad thing. One has to consider that this was their only appearance in the OVA…

...right?

Aaaaaaaannnnnnyyyyywaayyyyyy…..

I have two big problems with this episode that aren’t necessarily problems with THIS episode but with forces that could not have been foreseen.

The first is Seriyo’s original dub voice. Do I need to say more? Someone REALLY should have thought about that casting. It is the ONE weak link in a damn near perfect cast. I also think that it would have been more effective to make Seiryo a more menacing character with a scarier character design. That would have made his ending a lot funnier. Alternatively, it would have been great to see this guy who everyone dismissed as pathetic to be a legitimate threat. Subverting expectations is always a great source of drama AND humor.

My final complain has to do with the last shot. It makes you think that Azusa is going to be a reoccurring thorn in Tenchi’s side. This is true…in the Manga…or at least the second series. The Anime ignored this completely and leaves it as a dangling plot thread. Who knows? Maybe if there is an OVA 4 this will be followed up.

I am happy to say that I enjoyed this episode and it was a nice way to wrap up OVA 2.

Animation: It was a run of the mill episode to be honest. Comparing it to Episode One REALLY puts things in perspective. It is a lot less defined than it used to be. However, bits like Misaki’s overreaction are great: 15/20.

Main Characters: The Queens are an incredibly interesting addition to the cast, but it is sad that we were never able to see them do more in animation (outside of a cameo in GXP I think…that is all…right?) Azusa is similar but I have a feeling that if Kajishima gets his way and there is an OVA 4, his plot will be picked up. Whether or not it would be good is up in the air, but it is a logical follow up. Ayeka and Sasami are both used to great comedic effect. However, I think the reveal that Yosho is still young is a bit of an ass pull: 18/20.

Supporting Characters: Tenchi does absolutely nothing…again. Seriously, in this OVA, the most time spent on developing him were that short scene with Washu in Episode Eight and the short scene with Ryoko in Episode Ten. Poor, poor Tenchi. On the other hand we have Seriyo, who is so cliché on so many levels, which brings this down. However, bonus points must be awarded for the final appearances of Chief Quimby and Commander Taur the Lion Man: 16/20.

Music: Special points for “Enter Seiryo” to be sure, but this will be the last time we get this type of quality original music. Universe mainly uses this soundtrack and OVA 3 is a lot different. For a swan song, I enjoyed it: 18/20.

Story: We learned a lot about Jurai in this episode, which was great. Was this a story that needed to be told? Honestly, it should have been told a lot sooner. I still don’t get how a woman like Misaki could go 700 years or so without contact from her daughters. But the deciding factor is the humor, which I appreciated. It’s been so long that the humor has been so tonally consistent with the episode as a whole. I have to give it credit. Thank you: 18/20.

Overall Tenchi Rating: 85!

Ayeka and Ryoko Verbal Sparring: 5!

With this review, I have finished all of OVA 2. Where do I go from here? Well, I have a few things planned before we get to OVA 3. What kind of things? Well…let’s just say that it is “special” and leave it at that.

Join me next time for the…

“You think this is the review’s end? This is bad comedy!”

Galvatron? Is that you?!

“Here’s a hint!”

Okay…I mean I love Transformers the Movie as much as the next guy, but why are you here?

“You foolish fleshing, OVA 2 is not yet completed! You have one final piece of the puzzle to go! My master requires you to finish it!”

…your “master?” What, Unicron?

“You would only wish that were the case.”

…fine, whatever. There aren’t any more episodes left Galvy. What more could you possibly expect me to talk about.

“There is a seven minute, barely animated but fully voiced special you must review! Something that will wrap up loose ends from the previous episode!”

Really?

“Really.”

Oh, well that’s great! I love moving the plot along! What’s it called?

“Here Comes Jurai 2.”

…that’s it?

“Look, it's a series of still images meshed together to give the illusion of movement. Did you expect there to be a creative title?”

Fair point. Join me next time as I appease whoever Galvatron’s master is by looking at the oddity known as “Here Comes Jurai 2!”