Tenchi Muyou! Ryououki

The prevalent younger age demographic of today's anime viewer may not be familiar with this classic title... but for the slightly older fan this series brings back the memories. Like the many generic" harem animes" studios seem to spit out every season... this series too has an unlikely hero who suddenly finds himself surrounded by a multitude of hot babes... but that is the only common factor that this classic shares with its modern brethren of failures. This series is an example of a harem done right with enough story and action to propel it into the category of "something special."

I'm writing this review about episode 1-13 of the original OVAs. The last 7 episodes were written in order to accomodate the GXP storyline and were created over 10 years later, so I personally consider them almost a separate series. This is my favorite anime...period. I know I'm not in the majority on this, but it succeeds on every level. It is the definitive "harem" anime, while maintaining a great plot and fascinating universe/backstory. The fact that each of the women have complex and fascinating pasts and facets to their character is something unique to this genre. It's heartwarming, romantic, raunchy, funny, dramatic, and even is a mystery at times. Story: The story starts with Tenchi, mischievous grandson of a shrinekeeper, stealing the keys to the shrine from his grandpa. He then explores a cave that family lore claims to house a "demon". Of course he accidentally frees the demon which sets into motion a complex series events that involves all the great powers of the universe. As Noike mentions in the 3rd OVA, the Masaki household rates as a galatic superpower by the end of the series. The interesting question is, how much of this did Grandpa plan out? Art: Done in the mid-90's it's cel animation. That being said it's beautifully animated though the characters sometimes are simple looking due to the style at the time. All of them are uniquely animated, wear different outfits and hairstyles which helps show the attention to detail. Sound: Nothing to rock out to, but it all works. I have to add that the original voice acting english cast was great, and funimation really screwed up with the 3rd OVA and will burn in the fiery pits for the abomination of the GXP crossover. Character: The main character is Tenchi, high school student and usually studious, courteous, and not very rebellious except for the carefully nutured interest in the cave. In true anime teen fashion, he acts a perfect gentleman around the ladies and though not oblivious to their charms, he refuses some very blatant offers . Now for the ladies: Ryoko, the demon from the cave and former space pirate. She's linked to her ship/ pet cabbit (rabbit/cat) Ryo-Ohki and has quite the interesting pedigree from both parents. She's the first to fall for Tenchi and is very aggressive in her affection for him. Washu implies that her aggressive sexuality is a front to protect her sensitive feelings for Tenchi. Ayeka, is the pampered princess of Jurai who arrives on Earth to arrest Ryoko; but instead ends up her primary rival for his affections. Presenting herself as younger and more proper than Ryoko, it's often hinted that her mind isn't as chaste as her act. Sasami, is Ayeka's younger sister. Despite being the youngest in the house, she often displays the most maturity. She bonds quickly with Ryo-Ohki and cooks most of the meals for the household. All this while holding back a secret that she fears will tear her from the others. Mihoshi, the hapless GXP policeperson. Referred to by Washu as a "genius of pure luck". She's clumsy and not very diligent in her duties but her luck seems to land her in trouble and good fortune simultaneously. She plays the dumb blond of the group, but her forthright nature wins many over. She's somewhat interested in Tenchi, but isn't focused enough to compete with the highly competitive duo of Ryoko and Ayeka. Lastly there is Washu. Washu is in her own words "so many things really..." some of these include being Ryoko's mother, the greatest scientific mind in the universe, and the one person who sees all that is going on behind the scenes. It's a measure of her self-confidence and maturity that she does not blow everyone's secrets out of the water take control. She has some designs on Tenchi, even shedding her disguise as a young girl and returning to adult form to offer to bear his child. Of course he declines, and she remains in her guise from there on. It's never stated, but her interest in Tenchi is mostly scholarly and only acts romantically interested to keep Ryoko and Ayeka on their toes. It's clear that the storytellers intended to include some traits of the ideal woman in each of the women, but also included flaws that prevented that. Enjoyment: As I said before, this series strength lies in a great plot and rich world for the characters to interract in. The story never stagnates and the few times things slow down is to reveal a great deal about one of the characters. The blend of action and comedy goes well together and the rapidly expanding plot never leaves the viewer bored. Overall: I've yet to see an anime do so much with so little. The closest I've seen yet is Code Geass, but it's apples and oranges to this. Just when you think you understand everything about a character they reveal a new leaf...well Mihoshi is pretty straightforward and Tenchi's dad is pretty much a middle-age perv. Everyone else though not only reveals their past, but also grow and change during the series. My fav character is Ryoko, as with many other people. She displays a depth of character and obviously is head over heels for Tenchi but has a very hard time showing him how she really feels. I would recommend this to anyone! I will mention that the uncensored version can be risque at times (Ryoko isn't familiar with nudity taboos) so I qualify everyone as everyone over 17.

I wouldn't call myself a huge fan of relationship comedy anime outside of a few exceptional examples (for me, those would be Nodame Cantabile's first season and Maison Ikkoku) but I did thoroughly enjoy this OVA. The jokes hit the mark more often than they don't and the way in which it mixes a mock-serious sci-fi story with a bunch of very silly subplots is what makes it stand out. To begin with, the plot. It's a somewhat standard "hopeless boy surrounded by diverse girls embodying different fantasies" comedy on the surface, although the girls are a more interesting bunch than "cute one, tsundere, sister figure etc" by virtue of also being parodies of sci-fi anime archetypes; alien princess, super-strong killing machine, child genius, futuristic special forces. On top of that there are a series of events that make up a sci-fi plotline of their own which is reminiscent of other light-hearted adventure shows like Outlaw Star. As a whole, it's enjoyable and offers a nice twist on the usual harem comedy. The art design is very 90s. The characters are drawn in a style that screams Outlaw Star, which is quite fitting for the sci-fi styling. While it could be considered functional and unremarkable, it is nevertheless fun and, to my mind, distinctive. You wouldn't want the curvy and emotive characters of a Takahashi comedy show, or a hard-line Dynamic Pro style full of facial hair and giant melons, for a show which at its heart is a love letter to 90s sci-fi anime. Sound is unremarkable but impossible to complain about - the dub voice acting ranges from quite bad to very funny, and the "Ayeka laugh" is pretty iconic as THE female villain laugh. It's a show of caricatures, and so exaggerated voices are ideal. The characters are all funny and well-developed for what could easily have been one-note jokes, setting the show apart from the competition. Mihoshi manages to quite nicely be a comic homage to characters from Bubblegum Crisis, Outlaw Star and other shows, as an example. In terms of pure fun factor, you can't beat this OVA. It's a far above average example of a genre that is crowded with unremarkable entries.

While I`m biased since I don`t like harem anime, I thought this was a formulaic series with nothing much special going for it. There`s little to be interested at here besides Ryo-ohki, who is a sweet and cute cat-rabbit animal with a personality and the first episode when compared to the rest of the episodes in the series was okay. This also had some good music, though I disliked the dub, the actors sounded like they were just reading their lines and Ayeka`s voice sounded too old for her physical age. It started off great and interesting until Ryoko came along. I was interested in what will happen next but once that grouch Ryoko came up, the series started dropping the ball more and more. There is not much of a plot here and all it focuses on is silly comedy and melodrama. Why is everyone all gaga for Tenchi? He`s a bland average Joe character, he`s not that cute or handsome, he is whiny, dense, and an all-around forgettable character. Sure he had an interesting story in the first episode but character-wise, he`s iffy. The animation and designs show their age. Tenchi is supposed to be the guy the girls are hot for, yet he`s not even that hot, he just looks like a boring everyman character. A lot of the animation is excessively goofy and there is a lot of exaggerated facial expressions for the sake of comedy, which I blame the decade it came out in for. I know that it fits the style of the show but I`ve seen some anime that came out around that time that had less stupidly poor goofy animation. Aside from the space element, action, and a little mystery, it`s not much different from your average harem anime. It`s disappointing because there could`ve been more plot and for a series revolving around a bunch of quirky girls living with a guy, I was appalled by how much drama and crying there is in this show. It can jump from being a romantic sitcom to a space opera melodrama and it just didn`t mix well. It`s almost like it didn`t know what it wanted to be. Back to the characters, most of them are just busy fighting over Tenchi and therefore, aren`t that interesting. All of them are either crybabies, dense, bratty or all of the above. Sasami is the nicest one out of the whole cast but even she turned out to be a Mary-Sue with her overly friendly attitude she has towards everyone. There was even one episode where she was crying over Mihoshi leaving but from what I`ve seen, they don`t interact that much, they`re not that close so why is she having such strong feelings about her leaving? She`s like what, 6-9? And she cries too often in the series! This series is so overrated and I don't get the appeal of it. Watch something better like Wreck it Ralph or Road to Avonlea. 3.6/10

First of all, I love old school harem anime and would rate El Hazard, made by the same company (AIC Pioneer) at around the same time, an 8/10. I had heard of Tenchi Muyou! for decades and finally decided to watch the first two seasons. What a disappointment. It was just bad...on so many levels. The only reason I can think of to explain the very high reviews is nostalgia. But if you're watching this for the first time, be forewarned. The story fails on the most fundamental levels. The harem aspects are poorly crafted and most of the screen time is devoted to the girls fighting amongst themselves. It is as if the writers did not understand the basic importance of conflict at the heart of all great stories. Tenchi is forbidden from entering the family temple by his grandfather but he steals the keys and inadvertently releases a 700 year old demon. Despite this, he faces no repercussions from his grandfather - not even a lecture. The horrific demon turns into a beautiful woman named Ryouko and begins living in the same house with Tenchi and his grandfather for no reason. Think of every manga, anime, movie or TV show you ever loved and imagine the protagonist and antagonist living together in the same house. This destroys any sense of conflict between them. When the other women show up they add little to the drama or the harem. Space Princess Aeka, is a prudish, overly-formal woman who would make any guy uncomfortable in her presence. Her little sister, Sasami, is way too young for any appropriate relationship. Plus, they're both related to Tenchi! Then there's Mihoshi, the Space Police Officer who is utterly brainless and Washuu who is even older than the 700 year old Ryouko. Worst of all, there are very few scenes when they compete for Tenchi's affections. The 6 OVA episodes were very tough to get through. I highly recommend "El Hazard: The Wanderers" or "To LOVE-Ru" (2008) instead. Each is 26 episodes of fantasy adventure with beautiful girls, smart and decent boys plus a whole lot of laughs.

This has got to be the best series I have ever seen, it's a combination of almost every single genre and I guarantee that anyone watching will get attached to the genre that they find most interesting. The story is great and it reels you in from the first episode, where Tenchi stumbles upon Ryoko. The art is also different from other anime series and there are a lot of backgrounds that are really well done, as well as the character designs. The sound is amazing, the voice actors for the English version have really given their characters personality (the same could be said for the Japanese voice actors), and the music in the series is decent, but some of the vocal songs are somewhat unmemorable. The characters are the main reason I was hooked on this series, each one has a distinct personality and it travels with them throughout the first OVA up to the third, as well as the spin-offs and other forms of media. I enjoyed watching this series at my pre-teen age and I enjoy it now.

Do note that my review for Tenchi Muyo covers the full length of the OVAs as they aired during the 1990s, meaning this covers the first 13 episodes of the OVA series. That said, let us get on with the review. Focusing on Tenchi Masaki's interactions with several alien girls living at his household, the Tenchi Muyo OVAs are well known among older anime fans for having popularized the harem genre and would go on to spawn a number of spinoff titles throughout the 1990s thanks to its immense popularity with fans. Tenchi Muyo sticks out rather prominently from many titles of the harem genre as it does things for it that the majority of modern titles utilizing the tropes of the genre are lacking in. The first thing it does effectively is providing fleshing out its world and characters. Many modern harem titles tend to just simply stick an archetype of the genre onto a character and run with it throughout its run without fleshing out the characters in question to be anything more than their archetype. Tenchi Muyo offers a good deal of fleshing out of its cast in exploring what is effecting them and providing background to their origins. A number of them even get gradual character development as characters like Ayeka and Ryoko are shown to undergo noticeable changes to their characters throughout the series as they adjust to life on Earth and their current living conditions. It also offers some creative technologies and sci-fi elements for its time that are used by the alien races in the series such as the tree-powered spaceships used by Juraians, the unique properties of the Souja spaceship used by Kagato and Washu able to create a dimensional portal to her laboratory through a closet in the Masaki household. There are some elements to characters and the series plot that are left unexplored such as development on Mihoshi's character and aspects to Washu and Tsunami's characters that would get more fleshing out a decade later in Tenchi Muyo GXP and the third Tenchi OVA series. The other effective element to Tenchi Muyo that has it stick out from most harem titles is the show's effective use of comedy. Outside of the girls swooning for Tenchi and having moments of perverted humor, the series is very effective in the delivery of comedic timing as it milks character chemistry, ironic moments and surprising developments to convey its humor, this being effective as such where it can cut in during serious moments rather well without being a mood killer. High points of Tenchi Muyo's humor being on display include the group's dealing with enemy threats and members of the Jurai Royal Family coming to Earth in a later episode of the series. The humor is not perfect as there are moments where the show resorting to crass humor can fall flat and the bickering between Ryoko and Ayeka for Tenchi's affections can get obnoxious. Visually, Tenchi Muyo is of above average quality for the time it was made. Scenery and character designs have a great amount of detail and vivid color to go along with the show's mostly light mood. While the animation for it is nowhere on the caliber of early 1990s animated works like Ghibli films or Macross Plus, there is still a noticeable amount of effort put into movement, animated sequences and little details such as the range of facial expressions given off by the characters, Tenchi scrambling away from danger and feats of power demonstrated by characters. Overall, Tenchi Muyo is perhaps one of the best offerings of the harem genre that you are likely to find. It offers a good deal of depth to its characters that make them more than simple archetypes and offers an effective range of humor that is more than perverted antics and the girls ogling for the male lead. The quality of the series still holds up rather well today considering not too many modern harem titles match up to its depth and comedy quality, and is a definite recommendation if you want more to your harem anime besides perverted humor, T&A shots and the girls of the harem only being defined by their single-minded lusting for the male lead of the series.

History is here. The Grandfather of Harem Anime. And yet There's No Need For Tenchi? Despite the short length of episodes, Tenchi Muyo is a great OVA series for those looking for the sci-fi comedy. Oh there's action and romance but you will stay for ladies. Story: It runs a gambit of many things but sci-fi comedy really is the best description. You'll get a laugh out this crazy bunch and some might even make you cry once you learn more about them. Art: The character design is a superb work for a nineties anime. While some may be a bit more round than what you'd expect, it's more of minor detail in the grand scheme. The backgrounds do help in establishing where and when things are happening and at time, you do wanna take in the scenery. Sound: Oh my god the OST is beautiful. It just makes you wanna relax and just let it enter your brain. The action ost does well in establishing drama but its the music outside of that that you wanna listen to. Character: As is in harem anime, its mostly about the girls but this is the anime that helped set the standard for the sub genre. The women leave great impressions on you and the male lead is not that bad. Enjoyment: I greatly enjoyed this when it premiered in the US on Toonami and it helped grow my interest in anime at the time. Overall: Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki is a great if short introduction to anime and the harem sub-genre. If you're into something that is a bit more relaxed but still crazy then try it out. 9.87/10. The Carnival is just beginning and waiting for you.

Tenchi Muyo! An anime I've grown up on. Going back and re-watching it, even though it was a favorite growing up, I have to give it a fair review. This series received a seven in my book. Story: Though it isn't fully explained in these six episodes, Tenchi Muyo! has a very complex story line. There are many back stories that link together, but the stories are hard to tie together until the viewer has learned about most of them. Even to this day I don't know many of the mysteries of Tenchi Muyo! even though I have been watching this series since I was 12-years-old. This particular series though, falls short of having a 9 rating because though the initial story is interesting, a person can't grasp what's going on fully within these six episodes. There's just too much to explain in such a small amount of time. So viewers would be suggested to continue on to watch the other Tenchi Muyo! series despite the change in voice actors, writers, and some changes in story. It's a give and take situation with this series. Either continue on into the other parts of the series and deal with the changes or stop here and not know the complete story. Art: The art is nothing to get excited over, but it's also nothing to turn a nose up at. The artists explored many interesting styles in character, clothing, and architecture designs. The Characters have attributes that makes it easy for people to remember them by. The clothing takes on interesting forms, especially Ryoko's outfits. If you want an idea of an anime character to cosplay as, this would be an awesome series to cosplay from. Sound: Tenchi Muyo! Music is very memorable. I used to get the tunes from this series suck in my head. That's the most I can really say about it. As for character voices, some times they can get annoying, especially Ayeka and Mihoshi's voice in the English version. Character: There are many characters with distinct personalities, but they aren't very dynamic. The personalities are rather predictable in many situations and can become boring some times. There are also some very annoying characters, but remember, this is a harem, so you get those. Enjoyment: If you don't think too much into the story and ignore little loop holes, this can be a very enjoyable series. There will be times where it's hard to understand what exactly is going on, but if you can get past that, it's a good series that you won't soon forget. Overall: The series is good, it has its pros and cons, but it's enjoyable if you don't think too much into things.

The definitive Harem anime that spawned a boatload of tropes! And best of all--the fanservice is relatively minimal! This bizarre but thoroughly fun Science Fantasy rom-com is sadly not widely known by a lot of young folks nowadays. It's definitely not for the kids since there is some nudity, though it feels far more natural and less gratuitous than the cringe-worthy breast physics present in today's trope-filled torrent of junk we need to sift through nowadays, plus some dialogue can get EXTREMELY suggestive. ("I need a sperm sample! How should I get it?" Give the poor kid some privacy!) Every character, from what I can tell, is the root of every tsundere, kuudere, (soft) yandere, deredere, and "loli." Plus there's a heccin' cute space puppy-kitty that is also a spaceship and can morph into a surprisingly cute girl. Both the smol and huggable kind and and curvy kind. Yeah, I don't get it either. It's kind of hard to explain this show without revealing any major plot points or ruining the great worldbuilding. Give it a watch if you're old enough to not giggle at the sight of breasts for a laid-back and (relatively) wholesome rom-com that will take you back to simpler times.

Tenchi Muyo Ryo-Ohki I watched it after Tenchi Universe, and honestly this Ryo-Ohki version is almost the same. Only a few small things are changed, otherwise both versions feel identical. Everything I said about Tenchi Universe applies here too, and in some parts it even feels worse. There, Tenchi was a bland dead MC. Here, he is slightly more decent, but still nothing special. He still lacks strong personality and mostly just stands around while everything happens. The story is again the same trash and boring setup. In the beginning, two girls are attacking the MC, and in the very next episodes it suddenly turns into a lifeless harem with no bonding and no emotional connection between characters. It’s just two girls fighting over one guy with no logic. Ryoko was literally trying to kill him in the beginning, and suddenly she starts acting like she has some deep connection with him. It makes no sense. Then Aeka comes searching for her half brother, believes he is alive, and somehow ends up falling in love with Tenchi instead. That transition feels forced and stupid. Yes, the show has harem and romance elements, but they feel dumb and completely forced. There is no natural development, no proper buildup, just random attraction out of nowhere. The story itself has nothing to offer. Girls keep appearing out of nowhere and start living with the MC. First episode one girl, next episode another, then another. That’s literally the whole structure of the show. The narrative jumps randomly. One moment it’s sci fi, next moment random comedy, then suddenly serious plot appears like it matters. Nothing is properly explained, nothing feels complete. It’s just random ideas stitched together with no direction. Overall, Tenchi Muyo Ryo-Ohki is a waste of time. No clear story, no real romance, no proper character growth. Just random scenes, forced harem, and noise pretending to be something meaningful.

Tenchi Muyou Ryououki is a classic cult must watch no matter how much you will like it or not. It's most plot devices come from the golden era of 80s anime, the art is magnificent, the story simple and alien in its originality. The art is magnificent and original. Well drawn. Introduces all sorts of new things you can't grasp and you can't take your eyes from, things that are beautiful and which do not follow any kind of anime pattern. The characters are not over exaggerated, even though most of their lines from time to time are forced, they connect with each other as if they were real. They do their humor antics from time to time and they don't fall into ridiculous. The story revolves very well around them, it's fluid. And the Opening is legendary.

*SPOILER FREE* I haven't been making many reviews, recently. I've been going through some personal issues, as of late. I was in rehab for a couple of months, because I got addicted to soap, but now I'm clean. HA! You see, that's how you start off the new year, son! Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki. My second favorite harem show next to the Monogatari series. At first glance, Tenchi Muyo seems like a trashy harem comedy that just happens to be a sci-fi. However, if you peel back all of the layers and take a deeper look you get...a trashy harem comedy that just happens to be a sci-fi. In all seriousness, Tenchi Muyo's story and lore is so unbelievably dense that you could use it as a weapon and bash the skull of a Puma. There's a lot to explore with this one. Let's get into it. Many centuries ago, a horrible monster terrorized the planet and brought suffering to the entire world. One day, out of pretty much nowhere, a legendary warrior by the name of Yosho fought the beast and sealed it in a wooden sword and hid it within a deep, deep cave. That story is not inaccurate. Our main lead, Tenchi Masaki, wants to find that sword more than anything. You see, that story was told to Tenchi by his grandfather, and of course, Tenchi finds the sword and releases the dreadful monster. But wait, that monster turned out to be a super hot kawaii desu ne girl. Ryoko, that golden godde- I mean, she's okay. I don't like her or anything. Y-yeah. That's what I meant. She has caused me to spill more seed than Muhammad Ali punching a birdfeeder. Don't fucking judge me. Without her powers, Ryoko is pretty much harmless at that point, so they keep her around the house. She also has a pet/spaceship named Ryo-Ohki, who is just the cutest little thing. After Ryoko becomes part of the main cast, we're introduced to a gaggle of new girls who will be a part of the harem. You have Ayeka and Sasami Jurai. These girls are Juraian royalty with Ayeka being the older sister and Sasami being the younger sister. Ayeka is on a personal quest to find her older brother, Yosho. That legendary warrior I mentioned earlier, who was next in line for the Juraian throne. I don't know if "Juraian" is an actual word, but I'm keeping it in anyway. Yosho left planet Jurai to defeat Ryoko, since she's a space pirate and tried to conquer their home planet. Sasami doesn't do much. She typically keeps Ayeka under control when Ryoko pisses her off. She does all of the cleaning and cooking, and is just a genuine sweetheart. She also wants to see her brother, but she doesn't care as much as Ayeka. Next we have Mihoshi. Mihoshi is a galaxy police officer who is hunting down Ryoko. Ryoko's influence in the story really creates a domino effect for introducing these characters. Many of them would not even be in the story if it weren't for her evil doing. Mihoshi is terrible at her job and the only reason why she's in the position she's in is because she has family connections. She is such a blatant airhead and is probably my least favorite character in the series. If I had to say one positive thing about her, it would be that she's kind of cute. A lot of the women in this series are pretty cute, honestly. And finally, we have Washu. She's considered to be the greatest scientist in the entire known universe and is thousands of years older than the rest of the cast. OVA Washu is far better than TV Washu. I'm not sure why they did this, but TV Washu is just insufferable in the TV series, because they changed her personality. They gave TV Washu a very smug and egotistical attitude. She knows she's incredible and that's all she spouts. It makes her character more shallow compared to her OVA counterpart who's a lot more entertaining and humble. I did a surprisingly good job not giving away spoilers. I will admit, a non-spoiler review of a series like this is not very convincing. I'm fully aware that harem shows have a bad reputation in the anime community. Please trust me, this one is exceptional. Watch season two after this one, it does a better job at explaining the world of Tenchi Muyo and gives more context to the first season. And it even foreshadows some future events later in the series. Sadly, it does go downhill after season two. Season three is the proper conclusion to the OVA's, so you have to watch it. Everything after that is a stupid cash grab that you shouldn't watch at all. One last thing, the OP for season one is awesome. It's just a sweet ass nineties jam session and I love it. I don't know who's playing that fretless bass in the background, but that person deserves a medal. My scores: Story: 8/10 Art: 9/10 Sound: 8/10 Characters: 7/10 Enjoyment: 8/10 Overall: 8/10

I grew up watching the Tenchi Muyo series, at least the edited/censored version that was on Toonami back in the early 2000s and well, I really enjoyed, but is the first Tenchi Muyo Ryo-Ohki OVA really as great as I remember it being? Let's find out! Story: Given that this is an OVA and there's only like 6 episode, I'm gonna say that there's not much of a story being told, at least not like most other harem animes or sci fi animes youi'd find nowadays. What's the story? 17 year old Tenchi, who is your seemingly normal average high school teen, decides to sneaks into a cave that his grandpa claims is the sleeping/resting place of an evil demon named Ryoko, and that "demon" was sealed away by Tenchi's ancestor, Yosho. Of course, like almost all other male protagonists of a harem, Tenchi decides to ignore his grandpa's stories and see for himself if they're true. In the process, he awakens the demon, Ryoko, who turns out to be a wanted space pirate, and her spaceship in an adorable cat/rabbit hybrid form, Ryo-Ohki. From then on, Ryoko attracts two alien princesses, Aeka and her sister, Sasami, and a Galaxy Police Officer, Mihoshi. And what's worse? All the girls seem to like Tenchi in one way or another and he's constantly pressured to choose who he likes. What little story there is within these few episodes are there to more or less introduce the main characters and set up what I consider be some of the best lore of the TM franchise. Did I enjoy the start of the Tenchi Muyo series? Yes, even today, I still find myself laughing at Ryoko's antics and her fights with Aeka. And I find myself crying over Aeka's sadness over the loss of her older half brother, Yosho. Art: The art, while dated, is still pretty good. Clean, fluid animation, beautiful scenery, great character desgins, everything definitely fits well together. Sound: The opening theme is really epic, from the moment you hear the music start, you get a very intense feeling that something epic and sci-fi-ish will happen, like think of on a Star Wars level. And of course the voice acting is pretty good and the background music always sets the mood. I mostly grew up with the english dub that aired on Toonami so i'll mostly be judging the voices and stuff from that. But still, everything still holds up for me in the sound department. Characters: While my review on the story may have made the story seem to be a bit mediocre (which it kinda is), I will say that if anything, the characters are really what made Tenchi Muyo so iconic in the first place. First you have the main protagonist, Tenchi who is the kindhearted and brave hero and of course to me, he kinda goes with the flow (basically if you tell Tenchi that it was his destiny to become a Jedi, he would do just that). Basically Tenchi is a people pleaser, well to the people he cares about, BUT try getting him to choose which of the girls he likes and he is quick to avoid that subject or he becomes very indecisive. Than there's Ryoko, who seems to be a highly popular character (and I don't blame you). She appears to be flirty yet a bit callous and aloof//cold at first but she quickly warms up to everyone in the show (even to Aeka, even though she won't admit it and neither will Aeka). For the longest time, Ryoko was my absolutely favorite character but here lately, I started favoriting Aeka. I think it's mostly because people tend to think that Aeka is a spoiled snooty uppity and naggy princess, and i kinda used to think the same thing, too, but as I started to rewatch the entire TM series, I found myself liking and sympathizing with Aeka more and more, and with good reason. Why do I like Aeka? Well, despite her snootiness and her apparent nagginess, Aeka really does have a kind heart. She can and will put aside her dislike for Ryoko to protect Ryoko or to save Tenchi. Hell, she'll even put aside her pride as the first crowned Juraian Princess and admit her faults and she'll show her softer side towards her loved ones. Of course, Aeka's friendship with Ryoko and their rivalry over Tenchi is what makes up a good deal of the comedy in this show. Then there's Sasami. Sasami is Aeka's younger sister and the apparent responsible one among all the characters. She cooks and cleans the house and wow, I admire this little girl. But despite cooking and doing all the household chores, Sasami remains cheerful and she has a little bit of a mischievous side, which is shown when she sometimes teases Tenchi or Aeka. Of course we can't forget Ryo-Ohki, the mascot of the TM series. Ryo-Ohki may not say much (if you can understand constant meows) but she is highly expressive. She is all the time hanging out with Sasami but she often helps Tenchi with the carrot fields, that is if Ryoko or Aeka aren't using her in their schemes to win Tenchi over.I absolutely adore Ryo-Ohki, I often wish I had a cabbit of my own when I was a kid. And lastly we have Mihoshi to round out the main cast. Mihoshi is a happy, upbeat cheerful space cop but she's also very whiny and clumsy. My god is she clumsy. But Mihoshi is very kind hearted and she tries her best at what she does and a lot of the times she ends up being yelled at by Ryoko or Aeka but like them, she, too, has take a liking to Tenchi. When faced with a dangerous situation, Mihoshi isn't very brave, but she tries her best. All the characters have a great dynamic about them and they play off each other really well. Enjoyment: I enjoyed rewatching this OVA or season a lot. Mainly because it was a trip down memory lane. I will say that my nostalgia hasn't kept me from seeing the flaws that this OVA has (the biggest flaw is the loose story but I'm not complaining because the story continues in the next OVA). Overall: I highly recommend this anime if you like the wackier more drama filled harems, and don't mind the male protagonist not choosing openly choosing any of the girls.

Although technically a harem anime, the show is so chock-full of action and laughs unrelated to the women pursuing Tenchi that Toonami broadcasted an edited version for children. The show succeeds because it places the harem elements second, almost incidental to the plot. Even plots driven by the girls fawning over Tenchi end up using him more as a MacGuffin, an excuse to tell a story wholly unrelated to their Tenchi-worship. Ryoko and Ayeka are the two most frequent initiators of these arguments but each loathes the other so fully that it doesn't feel like a sleazy male fantasy. Each of the women are distinct and fully-fleshed out. They have lives and motives outside chasing Tenchi. Tenchi Muyo maintains this atmosphere for the first two seasons. I highly recommend watching those for the story and laughs.

Tenchi Muyo! Rho-Ohki sits squarely within the aesthetic and genre trappings of 90s anime. Quirky sci-fi adventures, anime girls with big hair, solid action scenes across a variety of scenarios, and a bumbling, but good-hearted protagonist combine into a delightful, yet inconsistent experience. It was a pleasant surprise to see misunderstanding comedy that resulted from characters deliberately messing with each other for laughs rather than having them immediately jump to conclusions based on half information, and the central cast have incredibly strong comedic and antagonistic chemistry, though the romance is extremely hit-and-miss in regards to how quickly romantic feelings seem to pop up with certain characters. Tenchi isn’t exactly the most unique or standout MC, but he still comes across as well-rounded and likable without being turned into a personality-less self-insert. As for how it looks, it seems to hold up fairly well, far better than something you label as “of its time.” The addition of wood and plant to the usual sci-fi trappings give this series a unique look to keep it from feeling generic, and the character designs are so incredibly 90s that you’ll feel right at home if you have any inclinations towards that type of art style. I did initially have some issues with Tenchi’s design, more specifically the roundness of his face feeling a bit off, but it seemed to work itself out as the series progressed. If you were a Toonami faithful from back in the day and wanted to know if this series still held up, my answer would be “yeah kinda.” While the last episode was a bit more of a slog since the comedy takes a backseat in favor of a middling serious action climax, there’s more than enough fun to be had overall to make me interested in the next installments.