Revisiting Tenchi Muyo! Tenchi Universe - A 90s Anime Classic Review

Tenchi Muyo! Tenchi Universe

Do you know what your role in this world is? Perhaps it was set in stone even before our birth—one we found for ourselves along the way—or we’re still searching for it. No matter what it is, a role that you’ve understood and accepted is much more important than one that is vaguely defined. Some of us are fine with treading the path laid down for us, while others prefer to walk a different one or forge one for themselves. All these roads would ultimately lead us to fulfill our part, no matter what that may be. In the end, we may even ponder the meaning of it all, but reality doesn’t always make sense, and not everyone gets a happy ending.

“Tenchi Muyo! Tenchi Universe," also known as simply “Tenchi Muyou!” is a 26-episode TV anime series that aired from the 2nd of April until the 24th of September in spring 1995. Studio AIC brought it to life, Funimation and Geneon Entertainment USA granted the license, and TV Tokyo and Pioneer LDC produced it.

The main staff behind it included Morijiri Kazuaki as producer, Negishi Hiroshi as director, Ishihara Tatsuya as episode director and on storyboard, and Iwasaki Yoshiaki as episode director, on storyboard, and 2nd Key Animation. This is an original series that featured the genres of comedy, romance, and sci-fi, along with the themes of horror and space. With a duration of 23 minutes per episode, it received a rating of PG-13 for teenagers 13 years of age or older.

An alternative version of the series, titled “Tenchi Muyou! Ryououki," aired as a 6-episode OVA series from the 25th of September 1992 up until the 25th of March 1993. Featuring the genres of action, comedy, and sci-fi, this stretch of 29-minute episodes earned a rating of R+ for its mild nudity.

A sequel to “Tenchi Muyo!” was released in the form of a movie titled “Tenchi Muyo! In Love” on April 20, 1996, which had a runtime of 1 hour and 34 minutes and featured the action genre and school theme. Additionally, Pioneer LDC and GAGA produced this original piece.

On April 24, 1999, "Tenchi Muyou! in Love 2: Harukanaru Omoi," also known as "Tenchi Forever!" was the final sequel movie to this one. Within its 1 hour and 35 minute runtime, it included elements of the drama, romance, and sci-fi genres and received an R+ rating for its mild nudity. Genco, Pioneer LDC, and Nippon Cultural Broadcasting produced it.

A spin-off TV anime series titled “Mahou Shoujo Pretty Sammy” (“Magical Project S”) aired from the 4th of October 1996 up until the 28th of March 1997, where the main character Tenchi plays a supporting role.

The plot revolves around the protagonist, Tenchi Masaki, whose life is forever changed when an infamous space pirate named Ryouko Hakubi and her ship are shot down and crash near his family temple. When Tenchi took the initiative to save Ryouko, he did not realize that he was setting off a series of events that would lead all manner of alien women to inhabit his small home.

The many extraterrestrial women include the delicate Princess Aeka of Jurai, her playful younger sister Princess Sasami, the scatterbrained but first-class detective Mihoshi Kuramitsu, her more-capable partner Kiyone Makibi, and the eccentric but mad scientist Washuu Hakubi. While these six ladies do their utmost to adapt to their new life on earth, their previous advanced and exotic lifestyles just don’t go too well with the simple customs of the little planet.

Thus, the results are often huge messes and endless troubles for poor Tenchi, who is already entangled in the situation. There’s no denying that these girls are quite the pain in the neck, but slowly yet surely he begins to form close connections with each of them. As he starts to forge these new bonds, his understanding of the vast universe out there only grows, demarcating his own unique role in the grand scheme of things.

Tenchi Muyo is a highly nostalgic show, so there's no doubt you would love it if you'd seen it as a kid. But even if you don’t factor in nostalgia, this is one of the best romantic comedies out there that almost anyone can enjoy. Even on its own, it’s able to keep you craving one episode after another, and it can be credited to the characters above all else.

Tenchi is a very ordinary guy, but he somehow ends up in the most random and unorthodox scenarios on a daily basis, landing him amidst numerous strange women in his vicinity. He must live with them in the same house, alongside his father and grandfather.

This is a Harem series, so it’s no surprise that every girl wants in on Tenchi one way or another. While their reasons may differ, they all end up fighting over him all the same. This is the story department in all its glory, executed well early on so as to not turn audiences away. Afterwards, it follows a branched-out storyline that keeps you interested and in awe.

All the chaos that ensues is just epic, with my favorite being the Carnival episode! As such, this tale is character-driven, portraying the wacky adventures Tenchi and his harem get up to in each episode. One minute they’ll be at a summer festival, and the next they'll be doing part-time jobs; it’s a simple but effective formula.

The character department is the strongest here. Tenchi is a rather unremarkable character until the culmination; he merely goes about his daily life and does not accomplish much. This doesn’t make him a bad protagonist, though, because he serves to bring out the best in the girls around him, and in classic harem fashion, he is thick-headed as hell.

Meanwhile, fan favorites Mihoshi and Kiyone serve to make the series so hilarious by bouncing off each other: they have completely different personalities, with Mihoshi being a clumsy airhead and Kiyone being a career-driver hard worker who also has to clean up Mihoshi’s messes.

These two are one of the finest examples of characters playing so well off each other in anime, with Kiyone constantly complaining about how unlucky she is to have a partner like Mihoshi. Aeka Jurai and Ryouko are also beloved for their comedic interactions, as well as being the main source of drama in the show by forming a love triangle with Tenchi.

These two are always competing for the man’s affection. Even on her own, Ryouko is very entertaining on screen thanks to being a selfish, alcoholic, sleazy space pirate!

In the art and animation department, bear in mind that this is a 90's anime and it looks just like one. For its time, the animation is smooth, and there aren’t any horrifically bad scenes. The character designs are quite memorable, much like the characters themselves, and possess highly distinctive traits. While they are aliens, they look mostly human with reasonable proportions, but with extremely colorful and outworldly hairstyles to set the vibe.

The only outlier is Ryo-Ohki, who is portrayed as a combination of a rabbit and a cat, complete with whiskers. The action scenes are badass to watch, especially the way they handled the explosions and lasers. I particularly loved the scenes where Ryouko and Aeka use their alien powers, which include energy blasts and force fields, as well as Ryo-Ohki's transformation into, I kid you not, a spaceship! Overall, this show is very colorful and nice to watch, except for episode 22, which may cause some people epileptic seizures.

In the Sounds and Music department, there are some peculiarities. If nostalgia is a thing for you with the English-dubbed version, it’s not a bad idea to go with it. Tenchi has a very nasal voice, but it can be funny depending on how you see it, and they really could’ve gone with someone else for Aeka Jurai. It’s not horrible, but these two can get annoying. If you’re a newcomer to the franchise, go with the original Japanese dub. Ryoko and Washuu are especially well portrayed here, while everyone else is decent.

The OSTs aren’t highly memorable, but they did their job most of the time. If you’re watching the English dub, though, there are some moments where localized OSTs ruin otherwise dramatic scenes, and the Karaoke sessions are also pretty bad.

Take my advice: skip them if they annoy you; you’re not missing anything important. The opening theme is "Tenchi Muyo!" by SONIA, and the ending themes are “Ginga de chokuritsu hokô” by Ai Orikasa and Yumi Takada in Japanese and “Walking Tall in the Milky Way” by Diane Michelle in English. Nothing stellar here; a very average department.

Tenchi Muyo is a good romantic harem comedy overall. You would love it so much more if the nostalgia affected you, but it does a fair job of standing on its own too. It’s quite funny and has a bunch of lovable characters, but the story is kind of predictable.

It is a classic devoid of any major issues, which balances the comedy, sci-fi, harem, space, adventure, and romance aspects just perfectly without slamming any one of them in our faces. There’s no doubt that it’s a highly entertaining show that anyone can enjoy, so if you’re a fan of the genre, I suggest you give this a go. Recommended, especially if you have nostalgia associated with it!