Tenchi Universe

[Winter]

I mentioned in one of my posts that I've been re-watching Tenchi Universe and I've gotta say the series holds up surprisingly well. Of all the Tenchi Muyo Series this remains my favorite and I like it a lot more then the main continuity and there are a couple of reasons for that the first of which being Universe is a lot easier to follow.

Back when it was first released on Toonami I really enjoyed the first OVA series but the second one honestly started to get really complicated and harder to follow and from what I've seen and heard it only gets worse as the series goes on.

But Universe doesn't have this issue, while it greatly simplifies the characters, lore and plot of the series I see this as a major advantage. The Harem is reduced to a simple love triangle, Tenchi goes from being the some sort of power source and Chosen One to just a guy who happens to be related to royalty and is just trying to help his loved ones. Ryoko is now just a space pirate and a regular alien, Washu is just a mad scientist and so on.

Something I do prefer in the original like Mihoshi not being an idiot but just someone who's come under a lot of stress and is implied to be suffering from PTSD and I feel that Washu is a more complex and compelling character in the Original series but that's about it. It helps that the series has a pretty solid pace by first starting off as more as a slice of life story before lunching us into a Space Opera, quite literally.

It's honestly really easy to jump into TU and follow the plot even if you know nothing about Tenchi Muyo as a whole. Even the movie sequels work like this with both being standalone stories that tie into the series and help to flesh out the overarching story but you don't need to see the series to be able to follow the story and the reverse applies as well.

Again, this is something that cannot be said about the main continuity which by OVA 5, which I only saw one or two episodes I was completely lost. By contrast, I started watching the series by checking out Tenchi In Love which was the first Sequel Movie in the series and despite this being a time travel, prequel/sequel that involves an alien made of energy coming to invade Earth to kill one person and mainly focused on a character we barely knew from the main series I had no issue following the story. I got what was happening, why it was important and how things were being played out in just the first 9 minutes.

I honestly think this series is fantastic, an underrated gem in Anime and easily the best Tenchi series IMO. It has its own unique charm, the characters are likable and finale is fantastic.

... Also there's significantly less incest in this series than in the main continuity. Like there is so much, just so much incest. Here's little to no incest and the series is so less awkward to watch.

[phantom000]

Yeah I got to see Tenchi's original run on Toonami and of those three Universe was easily my favorite. I think it just hits the right balance between its silly, goofier elements and the more dramatic elements, which the other two series struggle with.

The OVA series just takes itself too seriously, it plays everything a little too straight which undermines the comdy. It has some good moments, but not enough to hold my interest. And there is a lot of 'EWW!' in the OVA that really puts me off.

Tenchi In Tokyo has the opposite problem, it so silly that the more dramatic moments lose their impact. Like the OVA it has its moments, but the drama is undermined by the sheer goofiness of the story overall.

Universe manages to walk a fine line between these two and nails the tone perfectly so that the drama and the comedy work together, unlike in the other two where they seem to get into each other's way.

[Winter]

Yeah I got to see Tenchi's original run on Toonami and of those three Universe was easily my favorite. I think it just hits the right balance between its silly, goofier elements and the more dramatic elements, which the other two series struggle with.

The OVA series just takes itself too seriously, it plays everything a little too straight which undermines the comdy. It has some good moments, but not enough to hold my interest. And there is a lot of 'EWW!' in the OVA that really puts me off.

Tenchi In Tokyo has the opposite problem, it so silly that the more dramatic moments lose their impact. Like the OVA it has its moments, but the drama is undermined by the sheer goofiness of the story overall.

Universe manages to walk a fine line between these two and nails the tone perfectly so that the drama and the comedy work together, unlike in the other two where they seem to get into each other's way.

Something else that I think helps in that is how the characters aren't anywhere near as powerful as the OVA series or as weak as they are in TIT. The OVA suffers both from making them so powerful that there is no one who is a real threat to them so in order to have drama they need to suffer the Worf Effect. And in TIT they come off as weaker so the villain can seem more like a serious threat.

Universe hits just the right balance in powers, they're strong enough to be badasses but their not invincible. I think the best example of this is in the final of the show when Ryoko is seriously wounded but powers through it for I think about 2 episodes before seemingly dying at the end. Obviously she survives but to contrast this with the episodes where Kagato first shows up in the OVA.

Ryoko is outclassed by both Kagato, Tenchi's Grandfather and Tenchi himself even though she's the second most powerful person there. There's a clear difference between Ryoko of the OVA and Ryoko of Universe, one is basically a God in mortal form and the other is just super powerful but the former is often overshadowed by those around her while the other is reconized as the "The Big Girl" and is so badass that even a seemingly mortal wound barely slows her down and isn't enough to actually kill her.

Also, I prefer the dynamics of the characters in Universe more. With Ryoko and Ayeka you see that the two are friends even if they are romantic rivals for Tenchi but at the end of the day they care for one another. Sasami and Tenchi's relationship is purely Familial as the two see each other as surrogate brother and sister, Washu is the crazy while Mihoshi and Kiyone are family friends who are clearly in love with each other but no one ever seems to mention that.

I also like how Kagato is presented, he still has plenty of his originals classic villain charm while also being a tragic villain who you kinda sympathize with even as you root for his defeat.

Finally, I like that Tenchi ends up with Ryoko instead of marrying the entire Harem. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm in support of Polyamorous relationships but only if it's believable and I have been never bought the idea that the Harem would all be behind the idea of "sharing" Tenchi. Ayeka and Ryoko in particular never felt like they would be okay with that... And the fact that just about everyone in said harem is related makes it several kinds of NOPE for me.

Here, the only characters who have romantic feelings for Tenchi are Ayeka & Ryoko and in the end there can only one whom Tenchi ends up with. And I like that it's Ryoko because I just prefer their relationship and chemistry. And while Tenchi and Ayeka are related their pretty distant from one another and it doesn't even matter because they don't end up together anyway.