Tenchi Muyo! Shin Tenchi Novels: Jurai, Yosho, and Washu

Let's talk about intellectual properties, specifically for fictional characters.

When a person creates a new character for a comic book, those characters are owned not by the creators but by the companies that produce the book. When Bill Finger and Bob Kane created Batman (Finger especially), they could not go and write their own stories without it going through DC Comics. Though Finger developed the concept of the character and Kane created the name, DC owned the characters and settings of the Batman world. 

How does one get around this? Simple: independent publishing.

The single most important comic book of the 1980's was a small run of a quirky concept developed by two young creators who were making a parody of Frank Miller's Daredevil and Chris Clairemont’s X-Men runs. This comic was merely a single issue, drawn and written by the two men and produced entirely by them. Since they did not go through a larger company, they owned all of the rights to the characters, the stories, and any potential merchandising. 

You might have heard of it. It's called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird owned the Turtles FOR YEARS. They licensed out their characters to companies like Playmates Toys, Fred Wolf Animation, and 4kids Entertainment. As such, they received a cut of the profits for their silly little parody. It was only recently when the two men sold the franchise to Nickelodeon that they lost the ownership to their characters. Can the two men work on their characters? Yes, in fact they both have worked on the IDW comic series.

This, along with Grant Morrison's and Scott Snyder's Batman runs, Ed Brubaker’s Captain America run, and James Roberts’ Transformers stints, are possibly the best continuous comic book runs in recent memory (I could list more, but I’d be here all day.)

So what does this have to do with Tenchi Muyo!?

You see, Kajishima, Hayashi, and Hasegawa might have jointly created the characters and places in the Tenchi franchise, but as they did not start it out as a Manga first, everything is owned by AIC, the company behind the OVA. This is how Hasegawa can create her own set of novels different from the Anime. As long as AIC signs off on it, anyone can create their own Tenchi characters.

As you can imagine, this is not an ideal situation for Masaki Kajishima. 

There were NINE YEARS in between OVA 2 and OVA 3, during which time AIC could have any person they want create their own Tenchi series...WHICH THEY DID. TWICE. NOT COUNTING PRETTY SAMMY. Though Kajishima is credited for character design, he had no input on the overall story. However, Kajishima figured out a loophole which he could tell HIS version of the Tenchi story:

He created official fan fiction.

Though he could not create a new series without AIC seeing it as a viable option to generate profits, he could write his own novels that would elaborate the story he set up in OVA 2. The worst case scenario is that the public would have a better understanding of his ideal version of the Tenchi franchise. The best case scenario is that the population would know about certain plot points early on so if he were to create an OVA 3, he wouldn't have to waste screen time detailing them while still making the events of his novels officially canon to the OVA timeline. 

This is a great idea, but there is one problem: the novels were never released outside of Japan.

This is my dilemma. Reading these novels are CRITICAL to understanding some of the bat-shit crazy things that are in store for us in OVA 3, but without the proper context, we are left without a complete story that will leave us scratching our heads. A quote from Red Letter Media's Mr. Plinkett springs to mind:

"Point is, I'm still not sure what the [Trade Federation] ships were there to do. And don't any of you faggots tell me it was explained more in the novelization or some Star Wars BOOK! What matters is the MOVIE!!"

And he's right. The OVA alone should be enough to tell the audience what is going on. But I will point those things out when we get to the actual reviews.

A better way that this could be handled is what James Roberts has done with his Transformers comic. When he was younger, he wrote a novel length Transformers fan fiction called Eugenesis. When he got the chance to write actual Transformers comics, he used things from the fan novel, like the character Rung or the concept of "forged" vs "constructed cold." These concepts were interspersed into the comics but as time went on, he had the chance to properly develop them, which allowed for a richer history of the franchise. 

Of course, I'm being unfair, as Roberts has his own comic book to play around with while Kajishima only has seven episodes. 

But I digress, let us look at the first novel, Jurai.

It is important to note upfront that what I am reviewing is an incomplete work. I am scavenging from partial fan translations, excerpts from our very own C_Sept, and material covered on AstroBoyNerd's website. This review is more for referential purposes than anything.

Oh, I've managed to hire back Troy McClure for the narration. You'll be seeing a lot of him folks. I'm not really going to be able to use preexisting images of characters. 

So as I stated, parts of these novels have not been translated. The beginning of this book is one of them, save a rough translation that C_Sept attempted. In it, apparently we see that fan favorites Misaki and Funaho are staying another week on Earth. During this time, Azusa keeps sending different suitors to the house to win Ayeka's heart.

I hope they are not all insensitive stereotypes.

Every time the suitor would come they would challenge Tenchi to a duel. And every time they were about to duel, Mihoshi would come crashing into the lake. This constant trial of suitors is apparently the continuation of Azusa's pledge at the end of Episode Thirteen, which is kind of depressing as I would have loved to see him in an antagonistic role.

Speaking of Azusa, this novel is all about him. He is the main focus and, as such, will hopefully become a fully rounded character. 

"In the present, Azusa was a young man of the house Masaki with a problem. Though claiming he was going into space for training, he was actually seeking to get away from a woman – Seto. Seto was the wife of Utsumi, of the household of the Kamiki family, and the mother of Misaki (Ayeka and Sasami’s mother). She was called 'The Devil Princess of Jurai'. Seto was indeed terrible in a way, and that was causing dismay in those around her. She was a powerful and dominant member of the court. Because of this, she wielded a large influence on Azusa (and later Funaho and Yosho). Seto was continually trying to introduce girls to Azusa to marry, until Azusa could stand it no longer and decided to run away. (In fact, Seto was only having fun with Azusa, chasing him around with eligible brides. She enjoyed seeing his distress.)"

The Mother of Misaki...man, I don't ever want to meet her. She sounds like a monster...

One thing I absolutely hate about Kajishima's writing is his tendency to bring up how things will play out in the actual OVA. It distracts the flow of the novel and causes it to be "new reader unfriendly." If I wanted to be interested in the Tenchi series and checked out these novels first, it would be nigh impossible to follow.

But I digress.

By this point, the translations get muddled and purely based on summaries that I have found, I believe the next section to be read focuses on a duel between Kagato and Azusa, which sounds amazing. Thankfully, our own C_Sept has translated this part painstakingly. Thanks man.

"The things I do for you people."

From what he gathered, Azusa heads to a cathedral on Jurai and see a familiar sight to us: a white haired man playing an organ. 

*Squee*

“The one hitting the keyboard stood up. Light skin, long hair, narrow eyes, yellow pupils, he wears glasses, his clothes models after the great space assembly of science and intelligence ‘The Galaxy Academy’. This intellect was felt all the more so in this character’s self.”

Please let this be amazing.

“Kagato. He surely said that. 750 years from now, he will fight against Masaki Tenchi, but now he just met the emperor/prince of Jurai.”

Remember what I said about Kajishima’s writing? Yeah, it is terrible here.

Azusa uses the Master Key, which I guess he obtained in another untranslated part of this story, and fights The Ruins Buster with all of his might. However, Kagato seems to be stronger in every single way. Why?

“It is because Kagato’s body uses in fact Ryoko’s prototype body. He freely uses Ryoko’s experimental prototype body created by Washu, aka the Best Scientist in the Galaxy! As Asuza felt it, he is no man.”

…what? So Kagato is made of Masses? I guess this is supposed to be getting me excited to read the Washu novel, where we will learn more about what this body is supposed to be.

Also, this piece of information and the fact that Tenchi and him will fight in the future, is brought up so many times that I could do another drinking game.

“NO MORE! I’VE ALREADY HAD ALCOHOL POISONING TWICE THANKS TO YOU!”

After some fighting, Kagato brings out his triumph card: Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki.

“As Asuza’s surprised voice is heard, a telecommunication link is forced. Projected on the display, it may be a girl, hair stood on end, pupils carrying flames --- It was Ryoko. She licks her lips like she’s enjoy fighting, staring at Asuza. On the nap of her neck and on her wrists shine deep crimson jewel.”

More fighting happens but a new opponent enters the fight:

“The founder of the trees of Jurai, the tree of origin can use up to 10 Light Hawk Wings ---- Tsunami, the second daughter of Asuza, Sasami, will meet a tragic fate and be assimilated with her in 50 years. Moreover, Tsunami will help Tenchi when he’ll lost half of his body during the battle with Kagato, 700 years later. As a scientist who aims at a completion of dimensions union theory, Kagato took advantage of these events and he shows interest about the ships of Jurai, the Royal Trees. Servant Ryoko is ordered to seize the strongest ship of Jurai, Tsunami. And the repair and remodeling of the seriously damaged Soja started. The link between Ryo-Ohki and Ryoko’s jewels was incomplete, Asuza’s ship Kirito, and his son born in 10 years, Yosho’s first generation ship, the fight with Funaho will greatly reduce the longevity of the original model. Furthermore, in 700 years, the fight between Ryoko and Ayeka will completely silent Ryo-Ohki, allowing him to reborn. She then evolves into the second generation Ryo-Ohki. “

Thanks C_Sept. The other summaries and translations will take it from here.

"Dude, good luck. You are going to need it."

Tsunami saves Azusa and we have reached another section that has not been translated. All we need to know is that Tsunami transports Azusa to Earth where he meets and falls in love with an Earth woman named Funaho. He falls in love with her and decides to tell her stories of his life as an alien.

"Someone please translate me!"

We then learn about Azusa's parents: Yotsuga Kazuki, a cadet in the GP, and Amame, a member of the prestigious Masaki family, one of the three main houses of the Planet Jurai. They met, they fell in love...honestly it really isn't important.

"When the time came for Kazuki to return to a post on his own planet, Azusa’s mother gave up her place in the imperial house and went with him, and there they were married. Though it might be thought difficult for one of the imperial houses to leave, it was actually quite easy to give up her (or his) place. All she(or he) had to do was to root his or her imperial tree to the earth of Jurai. It was not allowed for the descendants of such a person to come back to Jurai as an imperial family member unless two of the other three families accepted their return."

The key thing to take out of this is that Azusa will need to be accepted by two of the three royal families of the Planet Jurai in order to be accepted as a nobleman. So...we found out before that Seto, and technically Misaki, are from House Kamiki and Azusa hails from House Masaki. What is the other family?

House Corelone?

There is also one final piece of important information to take out: Juraians are descended from Space Pirates. Interesting...

Eight years after Azusa was born, hell came into his life:

"During this visit, Seto proposed to his parents that she would like to take Azusa back to Jurai to be the next leader of the house of Masaki. After Azusa’s mother had left Jurai, several things had happened and now no heir to the house existed. This was the reason for her visit. To return Azusa to the imperial house the other three houses (the house of Kamiki of Seto, the house of Amaki of the present King of Jurai and the house of Tatsuki) had granted their permission."

Oh, there are FOUR houses apparently. Seriously, why not make it Five Families to complete the space pirate/ mafia theme? 

Azusa does not want to leave his family, since only he is allowed to return to Jurai and not his parents.

'“Seto-sama! Please don’t take the joy of being a mother from me!' Azusa’s mother once begged Seto.'

“'Oh, dont be bothersome! You can have another child. Azusa is mine now,' Seto simply answered and ran after Azusa again."

"Seto’s teasing… er no, Seto’s love for Azusa grew larger and larger, while Azusa’s cheeks puffed out more and more. Being displeased, on the other hand, meant that he cared about her and the young boy did not notice that the space for Seto in his heart was turning out to be bigger as time passed."

"What the hell was that?"

Dude, Seto is probably my least favorite character yet in the Tenchi universe. She makes Washu at her worst seem like Mother Theresa. 

Following this, some space pirates attacked the area where Azusa's family was living. Azusa stood up and fought them back, but could not beat them without the aid of Seto. As such, he finally takes her up on her offer to go to Jurai so he could be strong enough to protect his family. 

On Jurai, Azusa meets a woman named Mitsuki Amaki, the Granddaughter of the current Emperor and the Daughter of the current head of House Amaki. This proves to be a problem, as nobody but the Emperor of Jurai is allowed to have contact with her. Why? Well...

"Mitsuki had a special ability. She could synchronize with the Heaven’s Tree (Tenjyu) growing in the imperial palace and obtain knowledge of what had happened around it. The Heaven’s Tree was a huge tree in which the imperial palace existed, and where the imperial families lived and all the political circles were incorporated. This meant that Mitsuki could learn the secrets of the imperial families, whether it was an official problem or a private matter."

Basically, if anyone talked to Mitsuki, they could use her to learn every dirty little secret of the Planet Jurai. Something akin to this happened in the past, thus leading to Mitsuki's isolation.

Azusa and Mitsuki prove to have a wonderful connection with each other and she is basically the only thing on Jurai that Azusa likes. Since all good things cannot last, Azusa is found out and can easily be sentenced to death. But thanks to some negotiations from Seto, he is set free and is allowed to become bonded to his own space tree, like how Yosho has Funaho and Ayeka has Ryu-Oh.

We learn that Azusa cannot bond to any second generation tree and is led by Mitsuki to her own tree, Tenjyu. Mitsuki then reveals the real reason why Azusa's family is not allowed back on Jurai: his Mother's Brother took the fall when Mitsuki's Father, Shyuzan, tried to use his Daughter to spy on the Royal Family. Since the Amaki family is the current head of Jurai, it was decided to put all the blame on the Masaki family and to cover up the Amaki's involvement. 

*YAWN*

Politics man. What is it with great, space operas being bogged down by backstory devoted to intergalactic politics?

There is a snag: Mitsuki wants him to bond with her own personal tree but by doing so, she will die. 

"Azusa held Mitsuki’s cold hands while time passed. The sun began to set and the rubious light of the evenfall covered them. On Azusa’s swollen eyes and cheeks, the marks of his tears were traced. Azusa continued watching Mitsuki’s face with no will to move away."

R.I.P. Mitsuki. You died as you lived: background filler.

Azusa bonds with the tree and gives it a name: Kirito, after a story Mitsuki told him. Thus, he would always have a piece of his first true love with him forever.

Man, Azusa really gets around.

By this point, Azusa stops telling Funaho stories and asks her to be his wife, which she accepts. They return to Jurai just as the current Emperor is dying. Azusa is in line to be the new Emperor but there are two problems: Funaho is an Earthling and Azusa is already betrothed to Seto's daughter Misaki. This makes the choice for Emperor a difficult one as Funaho was chosen as his first wife as opposed to his second. I've gone over the significance of that already. Speaking of Funaho, she is not doing so well:

"Azusa was already affianced to Misaki, Utsumi and Seto’s daughter. If he had chosen her as his first wife and Funaho as his second there would have been no problem, but he had not. Utsumi was angry with Azusa, as he loved Misaki greatly, and refused to support him. This gave Amaki Shyuzan a chance to be the next king, and the argument continued for days.”

“On the other hand, Funaho was having a hard time in Jurai. The cultural difference was so huge, and the lessons for a queen and the physical conditioning were long and strenuous. Those who did not acknowledge her were many, and when she was alone in her room, she sometimes wept. But the meeting with Seto and Misaki eased her distress."

This meeting takes place in Funaho's room, where Misaki, who is a young child, breaks in to try to cheer her up. They talk about how they were both marrying Azusa and Misaki has a bit of wide eyed innocence about it, which cheers up Funaho.

"The first and the second, that was the main point of the matter, but for Misaki it seemed that queens are all first queens. Misakis simple thoughts on the matter made Funaho’s heart light."

Seto arrives and scolds (and spanks) Misaki for breaking the rules. However, the three got to talking and became good friends.

"Did we just become best friends?"

Eventually, Misaki and Funaho get bonded to their own space trees and Azusa becomes the Emperor of Jurai. Funaho would become the first queen and Misaki the second.

"Having been accepted by the second generation Royal tree, the ceremony of Funaho turned out well and she was granted the right to be first queen. A fact (which was only told to the top officials of Jurai) was discovered later that helped to clinch the decision: Funaho was one of the race of Masaki, descended from the younger sister of the first King of Jurai."

There is actually a completely untranslated chapter in here about the original Masaki, but until C_Sept tackles it I know next to nothing about it.

Misaki is shown to turn the public's opinion about Funaho around and both are generally beloved as queens. Eventually, Azusa has three children and they all lived happily ever after...except for this odd, foreboding sentence:

"Tens of thousands of years later, the people of the galaxy came to understand. The only thing that would be able to stop [Misaki] was Tenchi..."

...okay...what, is Misaki going to try to ban Itchy and Scratchy or something?

Regardless, lets look at Book Two: Yosho.

Now there is no actual translation of the opening of the book or even a summary, but just going by the images I can piece this together. It seems Sasami is sad about her parents leaving. Washu notices this and launches some stuff on Ayeka's face.

PHRASING!

The goop reverts Ayeka's hair back to its natural blue color, which brings Sasami and Ayeka close.

...isn't this just going to make Sasami sadder when Ayeka reinstates the purple?

The sight of Ayeka's natural hair stirs some memories in Yosho's mind. As a boy, Yosho cared deeply for his Mother. He even named his own space tree after her. However, there was still the deep seeded issue about his Mother's Earthling roots.

"However, though half of the members of the Jurai palace were sympathetic to her, still others took a neutral position or were critical of her. Of course, fifty percent was quite a good number, and, actually, among that of Queens in the past, it was a high level of approval. The problem was that those who were critical of her were relatively of high rank in Jurai. This was expressly shown in the attitude of each Royal family toward Funaho. Among the four families, the Amaki family, which included Shyuzan, stood in the critical position, while the Tatsunoki family was neutral. Under such circumstances, born as the first prince, it was natural that Yosho was concerned how to help his mother and improve her situation."

We also learn that Misaki seems to have some kind of attraction to Yosho. Juraians people.

Yosho has a great relationship with Ayeka, his Half Sister, but is troubled when he learns about his arranged marriage to her. Again, Juraians people. Yosho was only twelve years old while Ayeka was four, which I'm guessing is Earth time, since Kajishima's perception of age fluctuates from book to book. Ayeka does everything she can to please Yosho, including dyeing her hair purple from its natural blue to make it closer to Azusa's.

"Yosho never saw the childhood of his mother Funaho, and had only seen pictures of her older than 14, but he imagined that Funaho would have been much like the girl standing in front of him when she was young. Then he noticed that Ayeka must have changed her hair element by genetic surgery to be closer to her fathers, which was more similar to Funaho’s, in order to be an ideal woman for Yosho."

Yosho has issues man. He might base his ideal woman around his Mother, but the concept of incest still bothers him:

"In spite of his words, something twitched inside his heart. He noticed that it was the same pain he had felt since he had heard about the engagement from Ayeka, though he still did not know the reason for it. He did not dislike Ayeka. He had considered his mother’s situation and accepted the marriage. Who would not love a young sister who yearns with a pure heart? But the pain continued. It singed his heart."

Eventually, Seto suggests that Yosho join the Galaxy Academy, the school where Washu taught at. It is there that he meets a woman named Airi. Who is Airi?

"Airi was a girl who reminded Yosho of Seto and Misaki, and Yosho felt affection for her. On the other hand, though Yosho was very friendly to the other students, he still possessed a pointed and constraining thing inside him. Trained as a prince of Jurai, and for the influence of his mother’s situation, he always had a deliberate nature. He did not show much of his emotions. Airi decided that the first thing she must do is to make him relax and pull out his true feelings."

I'd also like to point out that Airi is older than Yosho. I am sure age will mean nothing to her.

The two have several dates, including at a crater known as Washu's Pore, which holds a very special purpose for the Academy:

 "'I think you have heard about them. The greatest in the academy's history, the legendary philosopher, Hakubi Washu and Akara Naja. This part is a memorial for them.'”

Who the hell is Naja? 

“'Well, she often worked in the background as the assistant.'"

Washu's assistant? I'd love to hear that story.

As the story goes on, Airi gets attacked by random spies, but are stopped by a present Yosho gave to Airi: a ring that connects to Funaho, the space tree.

“The unknown voice was that of Funaho, the imperial ship of Yosho, talking through the ring Yosho had given to Airi. He had made it himself and given it to her as a present, guessing such a situation might occur. The Guardian also was one of Funaho’s, which explained why it was so powerful, considering it came from a first generation Royal tree. But Airi didn’t know this and rushed up to Yosho’s room and told him all about what had happened. She did suspect that the ring Yosho gave her was related to all of this and she cross-examined him. Yosho gave up and decided to tell her about Funaho and asked her to meet him at the space harbor that night.”

Remember, first generation trees are the most powerful space trees Jurai possesses. That would put it at a comparable level to Tsunami. 

And speaking of Tsunami, it turns out that Airi thought the voice was actually that of Tsunami herself. It turns out that Airi is actually a scientist who has dedicated her life’s work to finding a God…or more specifically one of the Three Goddesses.

“’Yes, you’re right. High dimensional intelligent life forms have been reported several times in the past, but they hardly ever show up in front of us. I have studied in the Galaxy Academy and found that even with the data collected from the relics of the prehistoric civilization, there are only 28 examples of encounters. However, among high dimensional intelligent life forms who have surpassing powers, I found that it appears that there are three goddesses who have far more power and special abilities.’”

Apparently there are three distinct patterns in the dimensional encounters, which is how Airi rationalized her findings. We also learn that there was an honest to god religion based around Tsunami.

“’ That’s right. My great-grandfather spread the teaching of Airai through the galaxy and made it the largest religion. But to maintain a huge domain, it is indispensable to have a powerful idol. The hierarch conference first looked for it in the blood. They made a hero of my grandfather and my father, as one taking over great-grandfather’s charisma. But you see, parties began to be built inside the conference and then it started to get difficult to keep this system. They tried to apotheosize my great-grandfather and create a new god, but this is possible only if there is an absolute god. That is why the conference sought an absolute idol, an explicit god. They wanted the Juraian’s goddess, Tsunami.’”

She then admits that her religion was jealous that Jurai kept Tsunami all to themselves, but after spending time in the Academy, Airi realized that Tsunami was Jurai’s and Jurai’s alone. As such, they should focus on the other two Goddesses.

This is heavy.

…

I said “This is heavy!”

“IT IS THE NEXT SIGN! HIS ABSENCE WILL HAUNT YOU!”

…shut the hell up Ronaldo.

Yosho comforts her and professes their friendship. Again, this is all pretty powerful stuff for a kid who is supposed to be around thirteen.

After some time, Yosho is summoned to Jurai at Seto’s instance, Yosho returns to spend his last little bit of time with Airi…who has puppies for some reason. 

“Hai doggie!”

…I get it. It’s supposed to be a cute moment to set up what is inevitably about to happen on Jurai, but come on. That is so lame.

Also, they have dogs in space?Are they named Krypto or Cosmo?

So what is happening on Jurai that is so urgent that warrants Yosho’s presence?

“You see, Yosho-chan. (sniff) I was molested by him here.”

I missed you Neal Adam's Bruce Wayne.

Seto, I fucking hate you.

This whole goddamn section is a crappy “hilarious” story told by Seto…which culminates with this:

“P.S. Just not to make any misunderstanding. Seto and Utsumi love each other deeply. There are many places where Seto shows love to him and really cares about him.”

Time passes on and Yosho strengthens his friendship with Airi. Unfortunately for Airi, she gets a message from her Father that she is to be married to another man, which devastates her. As it happens, Seto was at the Academy right before she had to leave and Airi went to her in the hopes of having her see Yosho one more time before her marriage, as he is on Jurai. At first, Seto dismisses her due to the bad blood between Aiari and Jurai, but later on she appears with homemade treats at her apartment (we learn that Sasami learned how to cook from Seto…I guess she is good for SOMETHING.)

“She told Airi how thankful Funaho was for what she had done for Yosho. She also asked her about her marriage, at which Airi was surprised, as it was a secret. As told in the first novel Jurai, Seto still had the largest information network, even larger than the King of Jurai. She already knew who was to marry her, and told her actually what Goba and others were planning. (I’m not exactly sure, but this fiancée was related to Amaki Kasen. Kasen was to marry with a girl of the Amaki family, one of the Jurai imperial families. This meant that Airai would have a person in one of the imperial families and one day might have a Jurai king. Their object was to get Tsunami.) She also suggested that it was possible to cancel this engagement and said she had a plan to let them withdraw this story. She mentioned that Airi and Yosho would have a chance to defect to the academy.”

Apparently, this went well, as we next see Airi and Yosho alone together with Funaho. It is a lovely time and all is well. 

“Can YOU see where this is going?”

No I don’t young Fred and Daphne. Where is this…

“’I.. lo.., love you, Yosho.’”

Of course, all good things must come to an end and Yosho’s life on Jurai already has a set story. It is time for us to witness the legendary duel between Ryoko and Yosho.

“The King of Jurai, Azusa, was absent, along with the other first and second generation imperial ships, when the Juraian home planet was suddenly assaulted. With the light of their explosions flashing in the sky, the battle ships of Jurai were destroyed easily, and the absolute defense line was broken in no time. For more than 2,000 years there had not been any battles at Jurai and it astonished them to have this line broken. Even a third generation ship had the power to overcome thousands of other normal battle ships. The Juraian defense line should have been invincible, not even several fleets should be able to pass through it. But what was more incredible, they couldn’t believe that they were attacked by only one ship.”

Good to know why Azusa did not step in to defend his planet. 

“’Ryo-Ohki? The ship they call the Black Destruction!’”

So we have The Ruins Buster, The Devil Caller, and The Black Destruction? Kagato’s crew has pretty awesome nicknames.

“The nearest imperial ship, which had a first or second generation Royal tree, was Yosho’s Funaho. He received an emergency call and turned his ship toward Jurai. Still, it would take him five hours to reach the planet. He was surprised at the report that only one ship had broken the defense line. All he knew about Ryo-Ohki was that it wasn’t related to any other pirate guild and it mainly assaulted places with high, old and important cultures, or kidnapped intelligent personnel. Though from this, he could guess that Ryo-Ohki’s objective were the Royal trees.”

We also learned that Mitsuki’s Father, the asshole spy whose name keeps popping up in both of these stories as the reason why Azusa’s family had to take the fall and as the main voice of descent about Funaho’s Earthling status, turned off his communicator and chose to ignore Ryoko’s attack. Basically, this one asshole is like Rung in Transformers: he is an unwitting catalyst for this entire series. 

For those of you who don’t know, Rung is the reason why Megatron first got arrested on Cybertron, which led to him getting beaten by Whirl, which led to him shedding his pacifist beliefs and moving toward a militaristic doctrine. Seriously, if you like Transformers at all, read James Roberts’ work on the title. It is brilliant. If you like comics at all but have never cared about Transformers, I advise you to check out Chris Sims’, who’s knowledge of Transformers begins and ends with Christopher Latta, read through of Roberts’ and John Barber’s run on the title up until the present.

“Get. On. With. It.”

Geez.

As the royal fleet gets decimated, we learn that while the King and Queens are off world, there are indeed other royals at the Palace at this time:

“The fires of Ryo-Ohki were concentrated on the Tenjyu now, and it was on fire. A girl was running out from one of the rooms of Masaki family. Dark purple hair bound up in two strips behind and with a distinguished face, Masaki Ayeka Jurai was her name. She had been scheduled to go on a trip with her father, Azusa, but the ceremony of choosing her Royal tree, Ryu-oh had taken place just before it, so she decided to stay behind with her younger sister, Sasami. It was natural for a Juraian that this ceremony was more important than anything else, as its glory was with the Royal tree.”

All of this lines up with Episodes Three and Nine. Good work.

“Ryoko’s heart was racing with excitement, but she noticed that this ship was different than the previous battle ships and she had to be careful or might be damaged. Numerous beams stroke Ryu-Oh and she reflected all of them with her light hawk wings, though one of them hit the Tenjyu where Ayeka’s best garden existed.”

The garden from Episode Three?

“’My favorite garden! You.. I won’t forgive you, you pirate!’”

And thus we have the reason for Ayeka and Ryoko’s rivalry: she destroyed her garden.

Ryoko, at this point, has managed to locate the entrance to the hall of the space trees. You know, where Sasami died? And speaking of…

“ Beyond that gate, far below at the bottom, fallen from above, Sasami was laying in the dark of another space. From her, who would obviously be dead soon, blood ran in a great pool until a drop of it touched the surface of the clean water. At the center of the water’s surface stood a small tree. Not a first or second-generation tree, but the primogenitor of the Royal trees. The tree of Tsunami was standing there. “

“’What are – you doing – Tsunami?’” Ryoko whispered, almost losing consciousness from the pain, the instant Sasami’s blood touched the water.”

"‘I am going to keep my promise – to my friend' a voice answered."

“The moment when Sasami’s lips moved slightly, her body turned into small light drops and was absorbed into Tsunami and the water surface which was calm started to swirl. Sasami and Tsunami, both of their minds started to assimilate and in the swirl a new body was structured. The sub-space, which Tsunami was generating, was then just as a mother’s womb.”

“…what the hell was that?!”

So RYOKO is connected to Tsunami? We are told that it is the gems speaking through her, which makes sense given Washu’s status as a Goddess. 

This is heavy.

…

Hmm…

Enough of that; Yosho has joined the battle!

“After this, Yosho got on his ship and went after Ryoko. Before he left Jurai, he declared that all responsibility for this incident was his own, not Tatsua’s. While he felt the possibility of death in the battle with Ryoko, he also felt a joy in the struggle. Relief might have been what he felt. He didn’t dislike his days in Jurai trying to protect his mother, but still he couldn’t help feeling that it was also a restraint on him. And Ayeka. The way the young girl looked at him wasn’t love, but was almost as if she was wishing for his protection, a love in love, and it was heavy for him. Still, even after she had grown up, her eyes hadn’t changed their longing for his comfort. Whenever she told him about their marriage, Yosho’s heart was filled with apology and pain. Nodding a bit was all he could do’”

We are also privy to perhaps the most important thought Yosho gives in this novel:

“No matter how deeply he loved Ayeka, she was just a sister to him. And what was ironic was that Ayeka herself was making him feel so.”

THANK GOD

We are also given the luxury of entering Ryoko’s mind during this fight. What could she possibly have to say?

“’Just report to him the truth, that’s all,’ thought Ryoko. ‘It doesn’t matter what he thinks about it. It is he who must think about it. I’m just his tool. Tools don’t need emotions.’”

You break my heart Ryoko.

“Kagato had lectured her on only the necessary things to help her act as an accurate tool that obeyed and executed his orders. However, having contact with the outside world had brought her more information than that. One day, an identity was born in her, and at the same time, emotions began to appear in her too. In the beginning, Ryoko didn’t feel guilty about killing people. Not that she had done meaningless slaughter. She didn’t have the emotions for joy in murder and, what is more, Kagato didn’t allow her to do so because he thought that act, which wasn’t related to the purpose, wasn’t efficient. But as time passed, Ryoko began to anticipate the orders from Kagato. It was the budding of her identity. She began to desire the demonstration of other’s emotions. In one meaning, it was the time when she was most heartless to those who were in her way. Though she stopped this eventually. Anger, hate and fear – the emotions toward her were always the same.”

So through this, we learn that Ryoko, while under the control of Kagato, has no identity beyond his will and desires. She does not have the capacity for emotions since she has never experienced them. 

“She could see the marionette strings twining all over her. Actually, obeying Kagato’s orders caused her emotions to cool and prevented their growth. But Ryoko’s heart desired emotions. Those who are apathetic seek for sensation and pleasure, and try all kinds of things.”

Okay, I’m curious. What things have you tried Ryoko?

“Drugs: had no effect on her. As soon as they got inside her, it was resolved in no time and she didn’t like such things, which had the scent of rotten people.”

“Relish: as her taste was poor, she was frustrated. Eating until she was full was enough for her. She could be drunk if she used force to preserve the alcohol in her.”

“Sex: she had done quite a lot of things, but as she became famous everyone ran away. And even though she had hidden her identity, her eyes made them wilt and it became too troublesome for her. The methods of directly influencing the mind though optic, audiogenic and tactile ways didn’t work, as there was some protection on her brain. Because of this, sex didn’t give her much pleasure. Masturbation was the same.”

…well now, that was NOT something I ever expected to read about.

MOVING ON

“Instead, destruction gave her many times more joy. If she just destroyed things, the expressions were plenty: those who were concerned, or protecting, or running away, or just a rabble. She never felt danger, nor actually was in danger. To Ryoko killing was easy and seemed nothing but a play. The better the destruction, the more fun she had.”

Ryoko’s thought’s then turn to Ayeka, which causes her to laugh. Why?

“’That girl was nice. She made me laugh.’”

Awww.

On Jurai, the asshole tried to blame everything again on Azusa, but he is ignored since he is an asshole. The nobility are then forced to ask questions about the attack, specifically dealing with Kagato, the gems, the true nature of Ryo-Ohki, and Ryoko’s connection to Tsunami. Azusa decides to give his take on everything, and it is everything we know from Funaho’s conversation in Episode Twelve:

“’The fact that all the third generation ships in Jurai hesitated to fire and the fact that the fourth generation ships, which do not have a will, also delayed before attacking drew my attention. There is only one possible explanation for this; the opponent was in a higher generation than them. Actually, when I confronted Ryo-oki long ago, the attack against her was slightly delayed. At that time I thought it was the injury that caused the convection delay from my mind to Kirito and I did not report it to you, Seto-dono. If it is true that even the first generation ships hesitate to attack, there is no possibility except Tsunami. Well, as it is you, Seto-dono, I’m sure you have more news. If not, you would not have summoned the High Council today.’”

This then leads to hands down the single most important information these novels possess: the backstory for Kagato. I am seriously just tempted to copy and paste EVERYTHING since it is so critical, but I will summarize for the present moment.

5,000 years ago, a poaching expedition was taking place on another planet. While on the planet, Kagato killed everyone. He was there as a research assistant to the founder of the Academy, Washu Hakubi. However, only Seto is savvy enough to recognize Kagato for who he really is.

“’Yes. The latter one was Washu’s friend, Akara Naja. Kagato is said to be her clone.’”

HOLY SHIT.

KAGATO IS A CLONE OF A WOMAN IN A MAN’S BODY.

WOW.

"Dull surprise."

So what happened to Naja?

“’About 5,000 years ago, she was attacked by pirates while she was working on relics on desert planet K1190 and was killed. Well, they could not find her body, so she is actually lost, but from the investigation she won’t be alive. I heard that she was a great philosopher equal to Washu.’”

K1190 is also apparently the planet where Seto was found. Make that what you will. However, Seto is not the only orphan in this story:

“’The problem now is about this Washu-san. 20,000 years ago she was found in front of an orphanage, left behind on one of the planets in Jurai territory. And – well, it is the same old story. She was three years old when adopted, but she did not remember anything before then, so nothing is known about her origin. She tried many things to find out about her past and who she was, but it seems that she failed. Though, there is one thing that interests me.’”

WASHU BACKSTORY!

Seto is, of course, referring to Washu’s gems, which were obviously identified as being a part of Ryoko. This allows them to connect the dots a bit.

““I have so far found nothing related to these gems in the 15,000 years till she vanished. But she has done so many things that one can hardly try. I should say that she is the greatest person I have ever heard of. In her policies, I feel a consistency and strategy. But this is my impression. And also there is no sign that she had any influence from outside.’”

The story ends with the nobility concluding that Kagato was acting independently of Washu and had appropriated her equipment. We are also given a final piece of backstory: the Juraians HAD searched Earth for Yosho!

“’However, they were not able to find out where Ryoko and Yosho had disappeared. Earth also was visited by the investigative team, though they had no chance to break through the concealment faculty of the first generation Royal tree, Funaho, and came back in vain.’”

Now the fan translations pretty much end there. All we know about the last part of the story deals with probably the most important part of Yosho's history: his time on Earth. The Tenchi Wiki pretty much tells us that at this point, Ryoko has been sealed away, adopts the name Katsuhito, and he gets married to, get this, Funaho's niece Kasumi. 

God damn it Yosho.

He does manage to have two children with her before she dies. Since Kiyone (Tenchi's Mother, not Mihoshi's partner) isn't among them, I'm sure that the kids don't matter.

So if Kasumi isn't Kiyone's Mother, who is?

Why, it's Airi! Yes, somehow Yosho broke his silence and contacted and married Airi while he was in his exile. I should point out that Yosho, the eternal Momma's Boy, did not seek out Funaho but contacted his childhood love. We learn that Airi was actually pregnant from that earlier sexual encounter that Daphne and Fred pointed out. Of course, that marriage couldn't work due to religious issues of her people. What does she do?

She freaking aborts the baby, but in a way that kept the embryo in stasis so it could be reinserted into her womb at a later time.

 When Airi contacts Yosho, she introduces her child to Yosho. Now Ukinojo92 at Tenchiforum was kind enough to confirm for me that this occurs at the end of the novel. What did it say?

 "'Minaho is your daughter!'"

It's...it's not Kiyone? Okay...and that's the novel. Is Airi Kiyone's mom? I'm not sure if it is mentioned, but I'll go with it for now. 

The next novel, Washu, will hopefully shed more light on all of the knowledge that was just dropped on us. I NEED TO KNOW MORE!

This particular story begins in the present day, in the simpler times between OVA 2 and OVA 3. Sasami and Ryo-Ohki are relaxing when they notice that Washu has mail. Whoever could it be from?

Dr. Clay in jail asking about his memory?

“After Sasami left the room, she opened it and found that the letter was from Taro’s mother, Masaki Kasumi. She thanked Washu for taking care of Taro when she was sick in bed. The letter was polite, but was in a simple style concerned only with ordinary matters. Then Washu realized that the letters format was like one of the Galaxy Academy’s reports. At the end of the letter, Kasumi asked Washu to keep this a secret from Tenchi. After folding the letter, Washu thought back of Taro, the little baby, and another baby with gold hair and green eyes.”

Are you kidding me? TARO’S family is alien too? Well…I mean I did say I wish I knew more about Taro’s family, but I wished it was more of an Earthling discovering that he has an alien extended family…like Tenchi without the girls, you know? Still, I have to admit, I did NOT see that coming. 

Also, the blonde haired baby is definitely Mihoshi’s Great Grandfather. 

Speaking of, our detective seems to have started a weather machine that localized a snow storm in the area. This is interesting as it prompts a story from Mihoshi that was told to her by her Great Grandmother aka Washu’s Daughter in Law.

Back when her Great Grandmother and Great Grandfather were only children (It makes a point to say they were not related, but he considers the girl’s Mother his own Mother…so I’m not sure where on the incest scale this falls.) a snow storm was blowing.  The Kuramitsu male was paying with a ball in the snow until something magical happened:

“Suddenly a wind blew, and the snow swirled up from the ground. It caught the boy and he stopped. The wind wrapped him in white and the boy was at a loss. A few seconds later the swirl passed and the boy opened his eyes. The ball, which had been in the air, was now beside him on the ground. He tried to pick it up when he realized a lady was standing beside it.”

Here’s the funny thing about this woman:

“’I know – I know her…’”

I WONDER WHO THIS COULD BE?!

“He didn’t know why, but he felt tears in his eyes. The lady’s voice had such a luminous tone, that it shook his heart. If he moved, he might have wept. The boy could not take a step till the lady came near. With a gentle smile on her face, the lady handed the ball to him and the boy took it, staring at her eyes.”

As the two people shared a moment, the girl, Miyuki, spied upon them and thought about a story she knew about “The Lady of the Snow:”

“The unearthly mood of the woman reminded the girl of the tale of the snow lady. It was the story of a mother who disappeared into the snowy mountains in grief of losing her child. She lost her body and only her soul was left searching for her lost son. When a child was playing alone, she thought him her child and would take him away. A sad story of a lonely lady.”

I WONDER WHO THIS IS TALKING ABOUT?!

Miyuki called out to her Brother, afraid that THE MYSTERY PERSON WHO PROBABLY ISN’T SOMEONE WE KNOW was going to take the boy away, but he returns and the two hug it out. When asked about the Snow Lady, Mihoshi has this to say:

“’No one has seen her since then.’”

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiight.

As the story ended, Washu herself walks into the snowy scene and wants to know what the hell is going on. This leads to this wonderful section:

“She grabbed Mihoshi and asked her exactly what she had done when she entered Washu’s lab at noontime. Mihoshi began to explain things one by one. She had an extremely good memory and actually it took 2 hours till Washu got the information she wanted. Finding the problem, Washu smiled, grabbed Mihoshi and threw her out through the window door into the garden full of snow.”

I have no objections to this. Having Mihoshi take two hours to explain a problem while displaying a photographic memory is fantastic.

Washu becomes curious about the story that she missed out on, so Sasami explains it. As she does so, Washu becomes uncharacteristically silent. Finally, she lets Mihoshi back in and embraces her…like a daughter.

“’Oh, you are so cute, cute, cute! Oh you!’”

This then results in a cute snowball fight and ends our modern segment of the novel.  So how do we start the backstory of a person who isn’t supposed to know her own backstory? Simple: start with the backstory of the freaking galaxy:

“One hundred and some odd thousands of years ago in Earth time, the nations of the galaxy were different and there was no strong organization like the Galaxy Federation. There were only small alliances of planets and star systems numbering in the tens of thousands. Related to the undeveloped techniques of driving ships from one star system to another, war between nations did not mean much in these ages. There were several local conflicts between those who faced each other, but most of the nations turned their views to unclaimed areas of space. It was the time of the pioneer.”

BE A PIONEER! 

Speaking of conflicts, we learn of a major struggle that occurred between two major powers:

“Many nations were founded, developed and ruined. The domain of intelligent life forms spread through the galaxy and, at the last, two large powers appeared ; one was the Federation, ‘Jurai’ and the other was the Alliance, Seniwa’. They had high technology for space drives and if they had joined together it is possible that they could have been the core for the birth of a galaxy federation. However, these two nations waged a cold war for a long time, and though they were large, compared to the size and number of all the federations spread across the galaxy, neither had the power to found a galaxy federation alone. Though there was one more reason that prevented the connection between the nations: the space pirates.”

Thus, we have now learned about the origins of Jurai: as a part of the Federation.

Mr. Spock IS technically a part of this universe.

During this growing period of the galaxy, Washu was discovered floating in front of a Juraian rector…literally:

“Washu was floating in the air with three gems when the rector and others saw her in front of the abbey.”

…okay…

The Juraians had no idea where her parents were and raised her in the abbey. Washu proved to have the ability to alter her age and by the time she was fifteen years old our time she was accepted into the Juraian Imperial Academy in the department of Philosophy (see Philosophy Majors, you can become the Greatest Scientific Genius in the Galaxy!), though she could not officially join it until she was eighteen.

Basically, young Washu was a genius. However, there was always one issue she could not solve:

“For Washu, the final topic of interest was the three gems. They were held to be only some simple crystals, but she knew that the others just didn’t have the ability to figure out what they were. Washu herself found that she had more power than a Class ‘C’. She had a bottle in her room with tiny lights drifting in it. Each of those lights was a universe. Not a hologram, but real ones. She was able to generate them based on her basic studies. Finding her real powers, she also noticed that the three gems also had more secret powers. However, at that time she was unable to find out what they were exactly.”

The gems also showed to have an interesting power: they could develop Light Hawk Wings, though nobody knew it. When Washu was on her way to the Academy, her ship was attacked by pirates and she was saved only due to the gems unknowingly glowing in her pocket.

But who cares about that? When she arrives at the Academy, she is met with a welcoming party.

“Washu, arriving at the Jurai Imperial Academy, was hiding behind a pillar. The person who was to receive her was a lady three years older than Washu and was called Akara Naja. But she was not alone. There were thousands of flags on which were written Welcome! Ms. Hakubi Washu. And a brass band, student police in formal uniforms, young children waving flags, etc. were waiting for her. It was just as if they were receiving a top ranked ambassador. Of course, she had a gorgeous farewell party when she left Kanemitsu, but what was completely different between them was that this welcome party was an anachronism here. A lot of people were surrounding this party from afar, and the party was a scene.”

Already Washu’s genius has spread like fire across the galaxy. But we have now been introduced to Naja aka the Female Kagato. So, what do we know about her?

“Naja seemed to be quite famous in the academy and every one pointed at her wherever they went. The great chase at the airport was already printed in the student newspaper, which Washu got in the bus heading to the Department of Philosophy. Thanks to this, Washu instantly became one of the famous persons in the academy.”

Naja proceeds to call her a genius, which leads to the origin of a very specific Washu trait:

“’Calling me a "genius” because of two seconds? Please stop calling me that. I have my…’“

"’Ok then. I can call you Washu-chan, can’t I?’”

I’m getting some serious Santa Claus is Coming to Town vibes from this. (HE GOES “HO HO HO” BECAUSE HE IS IMMITATING SEALS! HE HAS A BEARD BECAUSE HE IS AN OUTLAW! HE GOES DOWN THE CHIMINEE BECAUSE THE BURGERMEISTER MEISTERBURGER HAS LOCKED HE DOORS!)

I have no problem with this.

Naja shows Washu around and we learn she was born at the Academy. We also discover that Washu has been given a giant house with a maid. Obvious this surprises Washu, but she doesn’t care that much about being treated as a scientific superstar with Juraian connections. The next day, she decides to walk to class where she is accosted by a short, heavy Philosophy student. He makes fun of Washu and has no idea who she actually. 

Hmm…a heavy idiot at the Academy at the same time as Washu…could it be?

“’Hahaha. So you are a freshman? Do you know where here is? It is a place where only the top elite of elites, who are selected from the entire galaxy, are allowed to enter. A child like you can’t come in here. I guess you came by the wrong road. You were trying to go to the Department of Ancient Literature, which is in the city just beside.’”

He’s pompous too…yeah. There’s no doubt about it:

“’Sorry Clay.’”

Yes, Doctor Clay AKA Doctor Claw AKA Wallet Guy is here and god, that drawing of him as a young adult is pure nightmare fuel.

Clay cowers at Naja, who gals all Guile on him.

 “You lost your balls.”

A member of the staff, Professor Ikuma, sees the trio bickering and congratulates Washu on finishing more of her education before even entering school than Clay has in the entire time that he was there. 

One can imagine what this does to Clay.

“It took 3 hours for Clay to recover his composure.”

While at the Academy, Washu meets a clumsy young man named Mikamo Niwase. He ended up somehow finding himself next to Washu…inside of a forcefield that Washu made.

“’Er, er, I think it’s not broken. I… you see, when I am walking around thinking of something, I often end up in places where usually others can’t enter. Professor Ikuma told me that I have a great deviation in probability.’”

Hmm…this seems familiar…

It turns out that he was also a student in the first class that Washu ever taught. How cute. The two bond over books (which is practically unheard of in the advanced setting of the Academy) and as the say in Disney:

“I think there’s something there that wasn’t there before!”

“It was not clear if there was a new tie between the two, but at that moment, there was a space for Mikamo in Washu’s heart.”

She returns home and tells Naja about the boy and wouldn’t you know it, she’s a fountain of exposition just like Washu:

“’Niwase Mikamo. A special student. Born on the planet Shitori. 27 years old. His family is one of the best of Shitori, and he is the third son. His purpose was for rapprochement, but it seems that he entered this department by his own achievement. I see, and now that he is getting a private lesson with Associate Professor Washu, it is clear that his score and evaluation will be doubled.’”

As their connection grew, it turns out there was one major problem that Mikamo could not overcome: he was born on Seniwa, which I mentioned earlier as being the opponent of Jurai in that giant war. In the end, Mikamo proposed to her. 

Of course, there was a catch:

“When they returned to the farm next morning with a terrible headache after the party, Prof. Ikuma and an agent from Jurai were waiting for them. They told Washu and Naja about the relationship between Jurai and Seniwa, with a strict admonition. It was true that Seniwa was in seclusion, though it was a different story for the private class. For the Seniwa royal family it was a status symbol to study in the Jurai Imperial Academy, and for Jurai and other countries also; they wanted a connection with Seniwa of any kind. However, there were those who didn’t like such a relationship. Because of this, they decided to use a subterfuge – to use the name and profile the Jurai side prepared and to send the students to the academy. Actually, this effort had come to fruition and in Seniwa the clique for opening their nation was gaining more power. Under the guidance of the head of government, Mr. Kuramitsu, they had worked hard to ease restrictions, and now several secret meetings were being held between Seniwa and Jurai to talk on the topic of this opening and of Seniwa’s affiliation to the federation.”

With this, we learn that there is a political angle to the marriage that is being facilitated by a major Seniwan power: the Kuramitsu family.

“Have YOU figured out what the Seniwans will inevitably become?”

It’s the Kuramitsus…who run the Galaxy Police…you can put it together yourself.

So, what’s been going on in Washu’s life after the marriage?

“Nine months later, Washu’s child was born. It was a boy, and he was named Mikumo. As a family of three, this was the time when Washu was happiest.”

A baby. A baby boy. To a man with extrodinary luck and clumsiness. 

Oh no. This is not going to end well.

“But one month later, Mikamo went out for a walk with Mikumo, and they disappeared. It was a nice sunny day. At that time, Washu was in the next city making a presentation, which Naja had requested, and she was not at home. When she came back that evening, they were not there. The butler told her that Mikamo had gone out for a walk with Mikumo just after Washu left for her presentation. He told her that Mikamo had given him a message near noon that he wanted to show Mikumo the sea and would come back that evening. That was his last contact.”

Yes, the Kuramitsus changed their mind about an alliance with Jurai and, as such, Washu gets cheated out of her family. All she has left is her gems, her research, and Naja. 

Naja, meanwhile, drops one final bomb on Washu’s life: Niwase was not Mikamo’s last name. 

"’Yes. He is the grandson of Mr. Kuramitsu, the chairman of the high council of Seniwa. One month ago, Mr. Kuramitsu died. The one who is there is a double. As you know well, Mr. Kuramitsu was eager to open their country, and he pushed through on it… to make it take shape while he was alive. But his son, Misaka, who was post-representative has the power now, and he – and he is Mikamo’s father, was against this hasty policy. For those who are against this opening, the truth that his son Mikamo was staying in the academy was not acceptable. Misaka himself was worried about his son, and told Mikamo to come back with your child, Washu.’”

I'm dying here.

“’Mikamo was saying at least he wanted to let Mikumo stay behind with you…both of you are in a world, whether you like it or not, where you can’t make your own decisions, sometimes. Many people defected from Seniwa. Those who were for opening their country and those who lost the fight politically. What would happen if all of them come here for little Mikumo? From the discussions between Jurai and Seniwa, they have decided that Washu will be for Jurai, and Mikamo and Mikumo for Seniwa. I know it sounds stupid but those who have power are cowards with no exception.’”

The novel then goes into a nice amount of detail showing Washu’s grief until she subconsciously reverts her age back into her child form. It is in this form she remains for the remainder of the novel where she and Naja try their hardest to figure out a way to sneak to Seniwa to see Washu’s family. 

So this is now figurative as opposed to literal.

Of course, it is all for nothing but Washu learns two very important things in the process. The first is that SOMETHING on Washu’s ship caused Light Hawk Wings on the way to the Academy and Ikuma was asked to research into the situation. We already know that it is the gems, but Washu has yet to figure that out. The second major thing is that Washu can access the highest level of information imaginable in Juraian systems. The key thing they discover deals with genetic enhancement:

“It wasn’t possible even for Washu and Naja to understand most of the data, except for some parts. It was well-known that the Imperial families were having some bio-enforcement, and bio-enforcement itself wasn’t unique. Most of the intelligent life forms living in the galaxy were receiving it. But what was completely different was the fact that its technical level was incommensurably high.”

This right here explains how Funaho, a regular human, was able to live well beyond 700 years of life. This probably has to do with the Royal Tree bonding ceremony back in Jurai. This is also the basis for Washu’s work on Ryoko, which aligns with Funaho’s own theories back in Episode Twelve.

Sadly, this is where our translations end. We know that this is a sad story for everyone involved. Naja dies, gets cloned, becomes a man, and enslaves her best friend and her daughter while Washu never sees her Son again except on a wintery night and loses 2,000 years of her life. 

REVIEW

So…do I review these by book or as a whole? I think’s I’ll start individually but grade as an average.

Jurai was hands down the weakest book of the three. The backstory of Jurai just isn’t that compelling as a whole and I never really got a feel on Azusa as a character. The closest I get is when he vows to get stronger to protect his family. For someone who is the main focus of the book, we get more focus on Seto and the background politics.

As for Seto…god I hate her. She is deliberately unlikable, but not in the Dolores Umbridge kind of way. It is supposed to be FUNNY that she is deplorable and has a skewed sense of morals. I find her annoying mainly because she acts as a deus ex machina half of the time and as comic relief the other half of the time. Her existence is justified purely because she moves the plot along. I have no sense of who she really is beyond a trickster who likes to start trouble. WHY does she do this? What was her upbringing like beyond the fact that she is an orphan? 

I don’t know. I don’t care.

The fight with Kagato is a real let down too. Kajishima spends more time reminding us that Tenchi will be fighting him in the future than focusing on the actual fight itself. I wish I knew what led up to the fight, but I can’t fault Kajishima that as I am not sure if he wrote it or not.

As for the discussion about the Queens, honestly, it doesn’t matter to me. The debate is better as background information about how the show developed beyond the impact it has in the story itself. I am fine with Funaho being the first wife, especially if Misaki is a little girl at this time. Let Azusa be with someone his own age.

The Yosho book, on the other hand, is a whole hell of a lot better. Some things are necessarily painful, like Misaki and Ayeka’s interactions with him, but I went into it expecting it. It wasn’t until Airi started talking about the Goddesses that the novel started getting good. I got to know Airi and her motivations all while learning interesting backstory on Jurai and the galaxy as a whole. The concept of intergalactic religion has yet to be touched upon in the story, so that was a nice touch.

The attack on Jurai was great as well. We learned a lot about Ryoko’s feelings (or lack thereof) during her enslavement under Kagato. I mean, there are some things that I wish I DIDN’T know, but I suppose they were legitimate questions…technically…I mean, I’ve never wondered what does Darth Vader for physical pleasure, but I am sure that there was a Star Wars book out there that spelled it out in intricate detail.

That Airi though…I wish we knew what happened to her. I mean, she's not in OVA 1 and 2. Did she die?

The best part though was the reveals about Kagato’s origins. Seriously, who would expect that? I know he’s effeminate, but come on. He’s got class. It really pumps you up for the next novel and I am sure will have absolutely no significance in the upcoming OVA.

Speaking of the next novel, Washu was the best one overall. It benefits from having the most complete translation and the most interesting story. Washu’s backstory has been littered throughout OVA 2 and this helped fill in the gaps. Washu is seen as a sympathetic character and we get a sense of her true emotional state as the novel goes on. 

Washu also benefits from having the most interesting supporting cast. We learn about the origins of the Kuramitsu family and see the beginnings of Clay and, technically Kagato. Clay was only used as a comic relief, which is depressing as we did not see his expulsion from the Academy. But while Clay was cast aside, we got to know more about Naja. Naja is portrayed as a kind character and someone who I wish we got to see more of. Yosho implies that they had a long career together and actually seeing the desperation of Washu cloning Naja in a prototype Ryoko body is something that I wish was either translated or shown. It was hinted at in both the Jurai and Yosho books, so I would assume it is mentioned in an untranslated section of the novel. 

This novel also contains my favorite scene in all three books: the scene where Washu embraces Mihoshi like a daughter. It is subtle, powerful, and emotional. 

As novels, these are obviously very hard to read. Kajishima tends to repeat himself a lot and there is a lot of fluff padding. Jurai has it the worst, but about half of the story could be trimmed and we would get the same information. The information present in here, however, is IMPORTANT AS HELL. The key plot points we now have learned about are:

1)     The conclusion of Azusa’s vow to continue to plague Tenchi.

2)     The origins of the Jurai Royal Family and the existence of Lady Seto.

3)     Yosho’s time at the Academy and his first true love.

4)     The notion that the Goddesses are an established religion.

5)     Kagato is a male clone of Naja.

6)     The gems can generate Light Hawk Wings.

7)     Mihoshi is related to Washu.

Of course, several questions still need to be answered:

1)     How can Tenchi create Light Hawk Wings?

2)     What is Washu’s true origins?

3)     Is Washu aware that she is/was a Goddess?

4)     What is Tokimi’s plan?

5)     How did Clay discover Tokimi?

6)     Who is that mysterious guy with the five Light Hawk Wings?

7)     Whatever happened to Airi?

8)     Does the Kuramitsu family know about Washu’s placement in their family tree?

9)     Will Nobuyuki get an increased role?

10) Was there anything special about Tenchi’s Mother’s death?

We are going to keep referring back to this handy chart as we move along in OVA 3, either adding to it or taking it away as I go on. 

Art: It’s not bad. It is interesting to see how the characters looked when they were younger (though I could have done without Clay to be honest. He reminds me of the Nobles from One Piece) : 18/20

Main Characters: Washu and Yosho are given a lot of time to flesh out their characters. Yosho was kind of a blank slate, while Washu had a bit more to work with from Episode Eight. As such, anything is beneficial. Azusa though…I don’t really know anything more about him. The Funaho section is probably where all of his main characterization takes place. I can’t score this properly until that section is translated, but for now: 16/20.

Supporting Characters: I still can’t believe that we get to learn more about characters like Taro’s Mom and freaking Nobuyuki is nowhere to be seen in these novels. A damn travesty. We get a better sense for where everyone is coming from in the Tenchi universe, so these novels have that going for it. However, fuck Seto. You are bringing down this score al on your own: 16/20

Story: Again, Yosho’s and Washu’s were compelling stories for the most part. Jurai’s was boring: 17/20

Accessibility: Yes, I replaced the Characterization category with this for this review. Why? Kajishima wrote this, so OF COURSE the characterization would be what you would expect. For such an important piece of Tenchi history, you cannot find it completely translated at all. Unless you are Japanese, you are screwed. I am aware that both C_Sept and Ukinojo92 are working on filling in the gaps over at Tenchiforum,so I wish you both well over here. The only translations that are floating around are the pieces that C_Sept just posted and the popular translation (which I used) by Kaz Tatsumingo. I personally found it on Tenchiforum’s website and Tumblr, Tenchi Confessions’ Tumblr, and Fanfiction.com. In addition, both AstroBoyNerd and the Tenchi Wiki are great sources to fill in a lot of these blanks, but it sucks that OVA 3 relies so heavily on books that the average fan cannot obtain or would even know about. As such, this will negatively impact the final rating tremendously: 5/20.

Overall Tenchi Rating: 72!

Ryoko and Ayeka Verbal Sparring Count: 2…maybe? I don’t know. The untranslated bits might bring it up a notch.

There is no more putting it off. Starting next time, our hiatus is finally going to end and we will be back on track. Next time we will take a look at the Fourteenth Episode of the OVA: "Visitor From Afar." I’ve got to say…this is heavy.

…

Come on!