Tenchi Continuity: A Brief Guide to the Upcoming Madness

I was planning on doing this a bit later, but now might be as good of a time as any to discuss that complicated issue I told you about in my first post:

 Continuity.

 You see, Tenchi is a FRANCHISE that has spawned off numerous incarnations and spin-offs. I mean, look at the chart above as found on AstroBoyNerd's page. That is daunting. In addition, there are several shows that all fall into one blanket continuity…but what IS continuity?

 Continuity is, as taken from the Google dictionary: “the unbroken and consistent existence or operation of something over a period of time.” Okay, that is all well and good, but what does it mean? 

Let’s talk about Superman.

Why aren’t I talking about Batman? Because I can’t even figure out what is in continuity with him anymore.

DC first published the character of Superman in 1938. He has since consistently appeared in some kind of visual medium. However, the Superman of 1938 is not the same Superman that they make comics about right now.

You see, the Superman of 1938 is what can be called “Pre-Crisis Superman.” This means that the adventures of the original Superman that happened before the year 1986 are all considered one single continuity. Writers can reference all of those old stories and build upon them in new ways.

 Do not even ask about Earth 2…

Then Crisis on Infinite Earths happened.

 Crisis on Infinite Earths was a story designed to end the old continuity and start things fresh and new for a brand new audience. By this point, Superman was basically a god who DC felt could not be relatable anymore. This also goes for several other heroes.

 Still not talking about Earth 2.

 By wiping the slate clean, we are given a brand new continuity, known collectively as “Post-Crisis.” Superman now has a new origin (that got revised every few years) and a new history. All comic books from 1986-2011 are all dealing with the same Superman. This Superman married Lois Lane, got “killed” by Doomsday, got declared a fugitive by President Lex Luthor, and killed Darkseid by singing to him.

I love Grant Morrison so much.

This Superman was wiped out in the story Flashpoint and this is where we got DC’s “boldest and greatest” invention: the New 52.

In this continuity, Superman and the other heroes have only been active for five years. There were no pre-established ties to anything, so Superman was no longer married to Lois Lane and he was now dating Wonder Woman. THIS is the Superman you will read about if you were to pick up a DC Comic right now.

 I’m not even going to discuss Convergence. It is so bad, save Greg Ruka’s The Question. They killed Doctor Hurt for crying out loud! You can’t kill the Hole in Things!

Of course, you also have the movies.

 Let us skip over the movie serials of the 40’s and 50’s and jump straight to 1978. Richard Donner released the first major superhero movie simply titled Superman the Motion Picture.

 Admit it; you can hear John Williams’ music right now.

 Superman spawned three sequels. Superman II directly followed the story of Superman, while III and IV were standalone films that all featured the same cast to an extent.

 Good bye Marlon Brando. We hardly knew ye.

 Fast forward to 2006 and DC released Superman Returns. Now here is what I have to say about this movie: its cast is incredible. Everybody is fantastic in this…save the little kid.

I’ll even concede Lois Lane, though she is a weak link. 

 So the question becomes this: is this a reboot, like Batman Begins before it, or a sequel to the Donner Superman films?

 It is complicated.

 According to Bryan Singer, this movie is a sequel to the Richard Donner Cut of Superman II, which is a recut of Superman II to better reflect the original director’s intent for the movie, but NOT III and IV. This means that Lex Luthor is interested in real estate for no discernible reason and Marlon Brando is there years after his death. It killed the movie and caused the franchise to be rebooted into The Man of Steel, which is a grim, dull mess, which will have a sequel called Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice which is a reboot from the Christopher Nolan Batman movies which are reboots from the Tim Burton/ Joel Schumacher movies which are…

 Oh no. I’ve gone cross eyed.

Oh I haven't even talked about Elseworld Stories, like Red Son or...

 The point is that continuity is both a blessing and a curse. On one hand you have a person like Grant Morrison who decided that EVERYTHING ever published about Batman is in continuity.

See this random doctor who only appeared in four panels in this Silver Age Batman story? Yeah, he is the main villain for the first 2/3rds of his run. And that quote in the second panel is repeated A LOT. And it is awesome.

On the other you have the people who bend over backwards to try to retcon what happened already.

Oh no! Xorn is actually Magneto! Except that he isn’t! Or maybe he is! I don’t know anymore!

That is comic book continuity. Let us look at the one Anime that may make things a bit clearer:

 Dragonball.

 So Dragonball was published as a long continuing manga, but was broken up into two separate Animes: Dragonball, which covered the first 23 volumes, and Dragonball Z, which covered the rest. Occasionally, the anime would catch up to the manga, so it had to create something called “filler,” which are episodes not based in the manga and may or may not contradict. For the most part, the filler is in continuity with the anime but not the manga. But what happens when a company gets greedy? What happens when they know there is a cash cow franchise that they want to continue?

 We get Dragonball GT.

 This show is not in continuity with the manga nor had any input from the original creator Akira Toriyama save for some designs.  Thus you can view Dragonball in one of three ways:

1)      Dragonball and Dragonball Z Anime in full, filler be damned.

2)      Dragonball Z Kai, which removes most of the filler to make it closer to the manga.

3)      Dragonball through Dragonball GT.

Which is the right way to view it? There is none. You want Dragonball? Take your pick. If you want the “pure” version of Dragonball, you read the manga. Plus there is a new series coming out taking place before the Buu Saga ended. I have high hopes. 

So how does all of this relate to Tenchi?

 As I mentioned before there are three main continuities of Tenchi that I will be focusing on: the OVA continuity, the Universe continuity, and the Tokyo continuity. I’ll touch upon the other continuities VERY briefly as well. But what makes up all of these continuities?

 Hahahahaha.

 This is going to take a while.

TENCHI MUYO OVA:

 So the OVA continuity is the most convoluted thing about Tenchi. There are no less than four ways to look at this franchise. Let’s begin, shall we?

 Option 1) The Kajishima Canon: OVA 1, “The Night Before the Carnival”, OVA 2, OVA 3, Tenchi Muyo! GXP, War on Geminar, and the Shin Tenchi Novels.

Holy crap, what does all of that mean? Let’s break it down:

 OVA 1: These are the first six episodes of Tenchi Muyo!

 “The Night Before the Carnival”: This is Episode Seven of Tenchi Muyo! It was a special episode designed as a way to tie up any loose ends, as you already know.

 OVA 2: These are the last six episodes of the original run of Tenchi Muyo!

 OVA 3: Okay, this was created well after Tenchi Muyo! finished and consists of 6 major episodes and one special episode. It directly picks up where OVA 2 left off. I dread reviewing this.

 Tenchi Muyo! GXP: The first Tenchi spinoff. This follows Tenchi’s friend Seina as he has his own adventures in space. The original Tenchi cast appears in two episodes, one of which was worked on by Kajishima. This one I will be going into cold. I know very little about this and I utterly dread this one.

War on Geminar/ Saint Knights Tale: This is the second spinoff. It follows Tenchi’s half-brother as he enters a whole new world called Geminar and has his own adventures. The only girl who appears is a shadowy Washu. I will not cover this on this blog.

Shin Tenchi Novels: These are three novels written by Kajishima that is designed to give more background on the story. Specifically, they follow Yosho’s past, Washu’s past, and Azusa’s past. Several of the more confusing elements of OVA 3 come from these novels, so I will explain them as best as I can when I get there.

 Option 2) The Okuda Canon: OVA 1, “The Night Before the Carnival”, OVA 2, No Need for Tenchi Manga, All New Tenchi Muyo manga.

So this continuity is different as it focuses on the manga itself. The manga is both written and drawn by Hitoshi Okuda, but follows the plot points and characters of the original OVA. This was written well before OVA 3 went into production, so it sticks with the previously established characters. 

 The first series, No Need for Tenchi, is 12 volumes long. The second, All New Tenchi Muyo, is 10 volumes long. These combined follow one single narrative composed of both long arcs and slice of life stories. A few plot points include:

The Yakage Incident

The Bizen Incident

The Lost Tree Arc

The Garyu Storyline

Dark Washu Incident

Sasami in School

Get on with it!

Okay, okay! 

The manga introduced several reoccurring characters, mainly Minagi, Yume, Hishima, and Tama that are still considered memorable in the eyes of many Tenchi fans.

However, this is its own separate universe. There is no OVA 3 (Noike is in one single frame in an anniversary issue) or GXP. Nobuyuki does not have a secretary named Rhea. As such, several people ignore it.

Oh how wrong they are.

The manga may be THE single best Tenchi medium. Okuda has worked with these characters for so long that he GETS them. When I read the manga, I hear the English cast perfectly. It is the perfect blend of comedy and action. I highly recommend it to anyone who considers themselves a Tenchi fan.

It should be noted, however, that Volumes Three and Seven of No Need for Tenchi contain material that is NOT in continuity. One contains a Pretty Sammy special (which is basically Sailor Moon starring Sasami) and the other has a manga retelling of the first Tenchi movie. They are there purely as specials and as filler.

Option 3) The Hasegawa Canon: OVA 1, Hasegawa’s novels, Daughter of Darkness.

This one requires explaining. I mentioned Naoko Hasegawa briefly in Episode One but it is important to do so again. She was one of the three people responsible for creating this franchise, but parted ways with Kajishima following the completion of the first OVA. However, by the end of the sixth episode, she had written a novel titled Hexagram of Love. This was the first of thirteen novels, one of which, Daughter of Darkness, was adapted into the second Tenchi movie. 

The novels are notable for several things, including introducing the character of Kiyone Makibi to the Tenchi mythos. It also is the first established use of the name Achika Masaki for Tenchi’s mother as opposed to the later Kiyone Masaki. It should be noted that both Kajishima and Hiyashi signed off on the first novel and offered input (like the inclusion of Azusa, Misaki, Funaho, and Tokimi). This means that this TECHNICALLY should be treated like the first OVA. However, outside of the first novel, which was just translated this past year by Tenchiforum, we in the English speaking part of the world have no idea what these stories are about. With luck, one day we will be treated to a completed, newly restored Tenchi canon.

Click here to read the Tenchiforum translation and be thankful for the opportunity. 

Option 4) The Mihoshi Special Canon: OVA 1 and The Mihoshi Special.

This…this is hard to explain. I’ll try my best…

Do! Or do not…there is no try.

So The Mihoshi Special was made in the time between OVA 1 and OVA 2. Nobody really has any idea where this special belongs. It seems like it would be set in the OVA, but it includes Kiyone Makibi. That would cause you to believe that it would be a Hasegawa creation, but it isn’t. So where does it go?

Its own continuity, but for simplicities sake, I like to keep it under the OVA umbrella.

It is just easier to accept this as a one off special designed to keep interest in the property while the public waiting for more Tenchi material. It makes sense, but it causes a headache for people like me who try to figure this stuff out.

 TENCHI UNIVERSE:

This continuity is much more straightforward. This can basically be called the Negishi canon, after the creator of this version of the franchise. It comprises of the following shows and manga:

Tenchi Universe, Tenchi Muyo! in Love, Tenchi Forever, Tenchi Forever: Eternal Memory.

Tenchi Universe is the 26 episode television reimagining of the first OVA, but with the inclusion of Kiyone and certain critical changes, like Ryoko’s parentage and the lack of incest.

THANK GOD.

Once Universe completed, a movie followed titled Tenchi Muyo! In Love. It served as an extension of the story, but it didn’t necessarily expand it. Rather, it allowed us to get to know Tenchi’s mother. No, the extension came in the third movie, Tenchi Forever. This gave us a small, definitive coda to the story. I have not watched the movie in years, so I am interested how I will view the movie as an adult. I was not a fan of it as a teenager, but I am willing to look at it with an open mind.

The last piece, Eternal Memory, is a manga adaptation of the third movie, but with scenes being told from Sasami’s POV. I know Tenchiforum is working on a full translation of it now, so hopefully I will get more information about it by the time I review this movie. I do know that it apparently brings Tsunami into the Universe canon, so that is exciting.

Now, there was talk at AIC, the company that owns the Tenchi franchise, of bringing Negishi back for one more movie involving Washu going against the Galaxy Police. This would have been fantastic, but the idea was then shifted to ANOTHER continuity called Ai Tenchi Muyo, which I will explain below. 

 TENCHI IN TOKYO:

 

Okay, from what I have gathered this was supposed to be another sequel of Tenchi Universe. There was even promotional art featuring Universe specific characters Azaka, Kamidake, and Nagi. It is a damn shame.

 Yes, those names are also in the OVA. Wait until I get to Universe. It will make sense.

At some point in production, it was decided to make Tenchi in Tokyo a standalone series. Tokyo is unique as it begins with all of the girls already in the house. It is only a few episodes in before we get the full story of why the girls came to Earth. It was also my favorite episode of it, and the only episode of Tenchi in Tokyo I bothered to tape. Thus, it is one of three episodes that I actually remember from the Toonami run. 

THE PIONEER USA COMICS:

I am honestly not sure what continuity this falls under, but it has Kiyone. Basically, it is an American drawn limited comic based on the show. The drawings tended to accentuate certain feminine parts of the body.

That is all you need to know. 

THE VIDEO GAMES: 

I really don’t know if this counts as a continuity, but there have been a few Tenchi video games. I have never played them but I know they exist. Tenchiforum actually translated the main one,Tenchi Muyo Game Hen, and put it on a freaking SNES cartridge. 

That is dedication my friend. Perhaps one day I will play it. For now, we will wait and move on to the…odder continuities.

PRETTY SAMMY/ MAGICAL PROJECT S/ SASAMI: MAGICAL GIRLS CLUB:

Once Tokyo finished, there was no more official Tenchi canon for many years. There were spinoffs featuring similar characters, sure. These mainly starred Sasami as either a witch or a magical girl. I have no idea, I know of the Pretty Sammy characters through the manga. I may review the Pretty Sammy OVA purely because it features the English voice cast one final time, so that might make it worth it.

Pretty Sammy basically recasts the Tenchi characters into new roles. Sasami is Tenchi’s brother. Mihoshi and Kiyone work at their mom’s CD store, Ryoko and Ayeka are Tenchi’s classmates, and I think Washu invented the internet. Oh, and Tsunami is in some kind of contest with this other woman Ramia over who is going to be Queen of some magical kingdom called Juraihelm that they compete using Sasami and her friend Misao.

Look, I know next to nothing about Sailor Moon. That is my fiancée’s thing. In fact, outside of Miyazaki’s films, she does not like any other Anime but Sailor Moon. Go figure.

Regardless, there are two versions of Pretty Sammy. One is the three episode Pretty Sammy OVA, which is the one that was dubbed into English. The other one is a television series called Magical Project S. For reasons unknown to me, this series was released SUBBED in America and not dubbed. Why? I do not know.

There is also something called Sasami: Magical Girls Club. I don’t know. I don’t care. Apparently Mihoshi, Washu, and Ryo-Ohki are also in this. If you enjoy the show, that’s awesome. It’s not for me.

At this point, most of the new Tenchi material came from the Kajishima OVA continuity. Tenchi fans had it rough. Oh sure, apparently War on Geminar was a really well done show, but people wanted the cast back. They wanted something…anything attached to the Tenchi name that had, well, Tenchi. Enter Tenchi’s 20^th Anniversary and the announcement of a new show:

AI TENCHI MUYO!:

To celebrate Tenchi’s anniversary, AIC brought back Negishi to create a series of short, five minute episodes designed to both honor Tenchi and to promote tourism to the Okayama area. There was much promise.

Then we got a glimpse of what the show would be about:

Tenchi Masaki is a student teacher in an all-girls school. There he would meet wacky girls with crazy personalities. There was no mention about our main girls. These were dark times.

Suddenly, found out that Tenchi was teaching because of Washu! And then we heard that the girls were going to be in it! Not only that, but AIC got back the original voice cast, except Ayeka’s as she had retired from acting. There was much rejoicing (not because of Ayeka's...you know what I mean!).

Then the character designs were released.

  

Look at them. The girls are hyper sexualized wearing what can be described as lingerie. I…just…

“What the hell is that?”

But here’s the thing that confused us: we had no idea if this was in continuity with Universe. The character biographies actually gave the girls the origins of the OVA, such as Ryoko being sealed in the cave and Ayeka searching for her fiancée (but perhaps not Yosho!)

As we watched the show, it became apparent that this was its own continuity, but there were plenty of nods to the shows that came before it. The problem was, as we feared, it had really turned into a harem, sexualized show. An entire episode focused on girls sumo wrestling with their butts.

On the flip side, one episode was basically Raiders of the Lost Ark and another had Ryoko dress like a Yakuza member. These are positive things.

The best moment in the show.

The show is a mixed bag but it did generate excitement for the franchise. The episodes with the classic cast were great, we got to care for some of the newer characters, but there were A LOT of episodes that had little to do with the main plot. Hopes were high that Negishi would be asked to helm another project or get another Universe movie made. However, he departed ways with AIC rather suddenly and, with him, all hopes for a continuation of Tenchi Universe.

However, Kajishima is campaigning to get an OVA 4 off the ground, but as much as I would love to see the girls again, I know better to be careful what I wish for.

CONCLUSION

This is an odd article to be sure. I am confident that I probably made readers rather confused. You should not feel bad about this. It is very confusing. Everything here is, to some extent, Tenchi. 

Which version of Tenchi should YOU watch? I have no idea.

If you want a solid storyline that has a clear beginning, middle, and end, then Universe might be for you.

If you want good laughs and great characterizations, the Okuda canon is right up your alley.

If you want to view what is considered the original Tenchi, then the only answer is Kajishima.

Me? I’m open to nearly anything.

Except that.

I think the best way to end this is with a quote my good friend Bat-Mite told me about Ai Tenchi Muyo!: 

"Tenchi's strong characters and storylines allows him to be interpreted in a multitude of ways. To be sure, this is a odder incarnation, but is certainly no less valid and true to the character's roots as the luckless teenager, surrounded by alien women who all have the hots for him. And besides, it has Ryoko in it so it must be great, right?”

Oh, and click here for our next installment. We are going to take a quick detour...to the Okuda Canon!