Tenchi Anime ... WTF!?!

[Shapermc]

While being bored and contemplating stupid things I thought that I would bring up this topic. I brought it up here because I am looking for opinions from people who are not going to go on about silly little details that do not matter to me (which I would find alot of in an Anime forum):

The first Tenchi I ever watched was Tenchi OAV and I thought it was amazing. The depth of the humor, action, plot, and characteres was perfect. I have yet to re-create that. Why? Well the rest are not as good.

Tenchi Universe: I started to rent these and after about 3 DVDs I was left with a bitter taste. The bacgrounds were changed slightly and they were basically telling the same exact story in a slightly different manner. I have no idea which came out first, but if this was first who ever did the OAVs got it right.

Tenchi in Tokyo: What stared as me thinking it was a continuation of either the Universe or OAV story line was greatly wrong. They first off changed the US voices for the Males (The series is mainly viewed by my wife and she prefers Teh English. Please don't tell me the difference, I know and watch subbed on my series) and then they completly changed the background of all the characters and made Tenchi a pussy. Now from the bacground episode on I tried to just ignore the history and "pretend" that it was a continuation. It just went further and further down hill. This is what I called "Tenchi Characteres Whored in Tokyo" series.

GXP: Just came out in the US and there is only one DVD yet, but I really like it. It appears to contine with the OAV story (I honestly do not know) but they changed the main character. PERFECT. The humor is much more over-the-top but I like it none the less. Looking forward to more releases. EDIT: Whoops, I guess the 2nd disc was released I will get that .

SO my question is: Why all the changes? Was there a reason behind it? To me it was really confusing. I have only seen the first Tenchi Movie, but this changing crap is not making me want to see any others. So can anyone try to clear up these things for me?

Any other discussion on your opinions about these series is welcome too

-Regards

 

[Nesagwa]

Um well, TV shows dont get as big a budget for animation as movies do.

And every TV series takes all of the characters, reworks their stories, and lets them loose in a new world. They have nothing to do with each other.
Its more like an Alternate Universe kind of thing.

And werent there three series that came here? Tenchi Muyo, Tenchi in Tokyo and Tenchi Universe?

 

[Shapermc]

Um well, TV shows dont get as big a budget for animation as movies do.

And every TV series takes all of the characters, reworks their stories, and lets them loose in a new world. They have nothing to do with each other.
Its more like an Alternate Universe kind of thing

The animation does not bother me, that was not what I was refering to. Sorry if it came across that way.

Right, I understand that is how it is working, but I am confused as to why. I have not seen this before in other series (there probably are more). They also do not give any reasons to this. Also they don't really let them loose in new worlds, that would be fine in my book. It is more like they let loose in Parallel Universies... now why is this?

EDIT: I just thought of another series like that: El Hazard OAV vs The Wanders. I like the Wanders (TV) better. And it was done with just a reworking of the story but under similar circumstances. In Tenchi OAV vs In Tokyo there are enormous differences between storys and characters. In Tenchi OAV vs Universe they are minor and you can see that it is just another way of telling the same story.

I think that mainly I am asking WTF happen in Tenchi In Tokyo, that was really poor.

 

[Nesagwa]

Um well, TV shows dont get as big a budget for animation as movies do.

And every TV series takes all of the characters, reworks their stories, and lets them loose in a new world. They have nothing to do with each other.
Its more like an Alternate Universe kind of thing

The animation does not bother me, that was not what I was refering to. Sorry if it came across that way.

Right, I understand that is how it is working, but I am confused as to why. I have not seen this before in other series (there probably are more). They also do not give any reasons to this. Also they don't really let them loose in new worlds, that would be fine in my book. It is more like they let loose in Parallel Universies... now why is this?

To keep it interesting I guess. Once one story line ended they just came up with something completely different.
I like them all anyway, but yeah, Tokyo was the bottom of the ladder in the series.

 

[Verythrax]

Get the movies, then. The third one is my favorite.

Much more OVA styled plot.

 

[slerch666]

Actually, there are 2 Tenchi GXP DVD available now in the US, with the 3rd streeting soon I believe.

GXP is actually the Tenchi universe, but it does NOT involve Tenchi. The main character is a new character. The only relation he has to Tenchi is that he lived in the same town as Tenchi and Tenchi is his Sempai.

The reason they mixed up the stories? I believe they had 3 different people doing the stories at the time. AIC LOVES to fuck with their storylines as well. Another prime example of the cluster fucking they like to do is with El Hazard. You have the OVA, which ends with finality (and perfectly at that). Then you have 2 more TV series that are set in the same universe but playout differently than the OVA. Tenchi is the same way. it's just what AIC does.

The movies have nothing to do with the series directly, as far as I can tell. I believe Tenchi In Love 2 was meant to be a sort of end to the OVA, though most don't see it as such and none of the people involved in the movie or the OVA have come out and said that's it.

There is a continuation to the OVA being released on DVD/VHS in Japan currently. So far there are only 3 episodes (spread across 3 DVDs) available in Japan. I'm sure someone has the license for it, but being that it's a 13 episode OVA (I think it's supposed to be 13), there is quite a ways to go before it's fully released in Japan, and until it's all released in Japan, my guess is that it won't be released in the US. I seriously doubt US buyers would accept a single episode per disc either.

In the OVA being released in Japan now, Tenchi is set to make his choice. Personally, I think it had better be Ryoko, or I'll be pissed.

BTW, here is the order they were released:

Original OVA (which is actually OVA series 1 and 2)
Universe
Tenchi In Love
Tokyo
Tenchi Movie 2 (actually just a X-Mas special)
Tenchi in Love 2
Tenchi GXP
Tenchi OVA 2 (Ryou-ouki Season 3. Here's a link to it on CD Japan's site for the first DVD)

 

[Verythrax]

GXP is pretty good. It was directed by the Excel Saga's director.

 

[slerch666]

The El Hazard OVA shit all over the TV series, IMO, but that's just my opinion, and that's only the first part of the OVA where it ends with Ifurita in the school.

El Hazard was actually 3 series as well. The OVA, The Wanderers and Alternative World.

And Tenchi GXP, IMO, seems to capture some of the humor from the original OVA that was missing from the TV series. GXP is a great addition to the Tenchi fold, though it probably could have been done without the Tenchi 'connection' and still been a good series. I guess the Japanese were trying to cash in on the name.

 

[Shapermc]

Personally, I think it had better be Ryoko, or I'll be pissed.

Shit yea! The one thing that I really liked about Tenchi in Tokyo is that Ryoko chilled out a bit and (in my head) showed a bit of her "love" half from the OAV in her faith with Tenchi.

Also, I like GXP so far, and understand that it is seperate from the Tenchi series

Perhaps I only say part of the OAVs for El Hazard... I cannot recall. Anyways I will have to re-view the El Hazard stuff. Was the Alternate world one released in the US?

-Regards

 

[slerch666]

Shit yea! The one thing that I really liked about Tenchi in Tokyo is that Ryoko chilled out a bit and (in my head) showed a bit of her "love" half from the OAV in her faith with Tenchi.

Also, I like GXP so far, and understand that it is seperate from the Tenchi series

Perhaps I only say part of the OAVs for El Hazard... I cannot recall. Anyways I will have to re-view the El Hazard stuff. Was the Alternate world one released in the US?

-Regards

All the El Hazard stuff was released in the US. Check it out. The OVA consisted of 2 series of OVAs. The first was by far the BEST El Hazard series, IMO. I believe they should have stopped after the original OVA and called the other parts something other than El Hazard.

Check out Tenchi Muyo Movie 3: Tenchi in Love 2. If you like Ryoko, you'd likely approve of the way it plays out/ends. It's a damn fine film as well. I need to go back and watch that again, actually...

 

[Lets Gekiga In]

Tenchi OVA 3 r0><0rs so far!

 

[Syxx573]

That's the way things are... like how in the Dragon Ball series they can condence the whole first season into one movie and change the bad guys... or all these sides stories where they have to search for the dragon balls again to fight some random enemy.

Probably just a Japanese thing.

 

[NeoTheranthrope]

Listen up bizatches,
I've been watching the various Tenchi series/universes since a little after Pioneer USA brought the first OVA series over in 93'. So, here's how the different series fit together:

The "OVA universe" a.k.a. the main series continuity
includes (In cronological story order) the first OVA series (epp 1-6), the Mihoshi Special (epp 6.5), the Night before the Festival (epp 7), The second OVA series (epps 8-13), the third OVA series (I.E. the new one , epps 14-20(?) but only the first three volumes are out now), and finally Tenchi Muyo GXP (TV epps 1-26)

A note on GXP: It's a side-story to the OVA series, but it does involve the regular OVA characters (they show up as camios in epps 14-17 (I think)). Also, there is a crossover into another Pioneer/AIC series: "Dual: parallel trouble adventure" (I won't explain more because it's a huge-ass plot-spoiler near the end of the series)

Next we have the "Tenchi Universe" a.k.a. the TV series
Which includes (of course) Tenchi Universe (TV epps 1-26) and the first movie: "Tenchi Muyo in Love"

A note about the movies: The first movie is based off of the TV series and in Japan it came out right after the series ended (ironicly, when Pioneer USA brought it out here, they released the Movie first then the TV series, adding to the general confusion). However, the second and third Tenchi movies are based off of the untranslated japanese novel series, and thus, belong to a seperate continuity altogether.

Finally the "other" series:
The Pretty Sammy OVAs (epps 1-3), the dreadful "Magical Project S" (TV epps 1-26), and "Tenchi in Tokyo" *shudder* (TV epps 1-26) are in seperate continuities and have nothing to do with each other or any of the other series.

A note about Pretty Sammy: "Magical Project S" is ass. Avoid. On the other hand, the Pretty Sammy OVAs are pretty good, especially eppisode 2 where the bad guy is a wag to Bill Gates and Microsoft. When Pioneer started putting everything on DVD they put the three Pretty Sammy OVAs together with the Mihoshi Special on one disc. So, I encurage y'all to go pick it up if you don't already have it


All the above is just the OVA/TV/movie continuities and dosen't include the video games, Manga, novel series, CD dramas, radio drama series, ect

 

[slerch666]

blah, blah, blah

Edited for space considerations, but thanks for the info!

I'm guessing since Tokyo was the last aired Tenchi stuff (prior to GXP), that's probably why it ended the Tenchi on TV setup... since it sucked long and hard.

I have the first 2 OVA 3 DVDs, and the 3rd was just released last month (?) (that's on top of all the US released DVDs, including 2 sets of the 'Ultimate Collection' and the single releases of the OVAs...). I got them on Saturday, so I haven't gotten a chance to watch them, as I was watching something better all weekend. Better IMO anyway.

 

[Lets Gekiga In]

Edited for space considerations, but thanks for the info!

I'm guessing since Tokyo was the last aired Tenchi stuff (prior to GXP), that's probably why it ended the Tenchi on TV setup... since it sucked long and hard.

I have the first 2 OVA 3 DVDs, and the 3rd was just released last month (?) (that's on top of all the US released DVDs, including 2 sets of the 'Ultimate Collection' and the single releases of the OVAs...). I got them on Saturday, so I haven't gotten a chance to watch them, as I was watching something better all weekend. Better IMO anyway.

Make sure to pick up the third one. Good stuff indeed. The third DVD of the OVA 3 was released back on March 27th.

 

[Shapermc]

I got them on Saturday, so I haven't gotten a chance to watch them, as I was watching something better all weekend. Better IMO anyway.

Oh man, I am a huge Cutey Honey fan. I have all the old Subbed VHS tapes that were released in the US (unfortunatly not all were in the nice clam shell cases ) I look forward to a hopeful US release of that

 

[Verythrax]

...I was watching something better all weekend. Better IMO anyway.

Where did you find this? I only found the 1st episode!

 

[jethrek]

While being bored and contemplating stupid things I thought that I would bring up this topic. I brought it up here because I am looking for opinions from people who are not going to go on about silly little details that do not matter to me (which I would find alot of in an Anime forum):

The first Tenchi I ever watched was Tenchi OAV and I thought it was amazing. The depth of the humor, action, plot, and characteres was perfect. I have yet to re-create that. Why? Well the rest are not as good.

Tenchi Universe: I started to rent these and after about 3 DVDs I was left with a bitter taste. The bacgrounds were changed slightly and they were basically telling the same exact story in a slightly different manner. I have no idea which came out first, but if this was first who ever did the OAVs got it right.

Tenchi in Tokyo: What stared as me thinking it was a continuation of either the Universe or OAV story line was greatly wrong. They first off changed the US voices for the Males (The series is mainly viewed by my wife and she prefers Teh English. Please don't tell me the difference, I know and watch subbed on my series) and then they completly changed the background of all the characters and made Tenchi a pussy. Now from the bacground episode on I tried to just ignore the history and "pretend" that it was a continuation. It just went further and further down hill. This is what I called "Tenchi Characteres Whored in Tokyo" series.

GXP: Just came out in the US and there is only one DVD yet, but I really like it. It appears to contine with the OAV story (I honestly do not know) but they changed the main character. PERFECT. The humor is much more over-the-top but I like it none the less. Looking forward to more releases. EDIT: Whoops, I guess the 2nd disc was released I will get that .

SO my question is: Why all the changes? Was there a reason behind it? To me it was really confusing. I have only seen the first Tenchi Movie, but this changing crap is not making me want to see any others. So can anyone try to clear up these things for me?

Any other discussion on your opinions about these series is welcome too

-Regards

The creators of the original 13 episode OAV did not want the teamw orking on the first tv series to continue it. After 13 episodes, it went ona looong hiatus, though two new OAV episodes have come out in Japan.

The creators of Tenchi TV/Universe then did their run in a seperate universe, keeping it seperate. Similarly, Tenchi TV was intended to be continued in Tenchi Muyo in Love, and Tencih Muyo in Love 2/Tenchi Forever. So Shin Tenchi/Tenchi in Tokyo was created.

Shin Tenchi/Tenchi in Tokyo had no vision behind it sadly. While the original Tenchi was an endless source of energy, and Tenchi TV was plain fun (except for the last movie, Tenchi Forever, which was completely a drama with little action), Tenchi in Tokyo simply had no vision at all. The feeling was very much "Let's cash in while the going's hot!"

The two new OAV episodes are available fansubbed at this point. So far I have mixed feelings on it. It's nice to see the original series continued, but so far it lacks the drama of Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki! (I have trouble caring about what
is essentially more "Here Comes the Jurai")

 

[Lets Gekiga In]

The two new OAV episodes are available fansubbed at this point. So far I have mixed feelings on it. It's nice to see the original series continued, but so far it lacks the drama of Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki! (I have trouble caring about what
is essentially more "Here Comes the Jurai")

You need to see the third episode! Things change...

I personally like the latest episode.

 

[Verythrax]

As a fun fact, Tenchi Muyo was primarily created to be a Bubblegum Crisis sequel. The sequel idea was scrapped, but the plot/idea was kept.

Even the very first characters sketches were done by Kenichi Sonoda, but I'm not aware if any of his creations were kept in the TM final product.

Edit: spelling

 

[slerch666]

Where did you find this? I only found the 1st episode!

I got it from our very own Dash no Chris through his on-line shop, HoteiyaLV. The main page isn't updated all that frequently, but he's been getting things for me from Japan for a long time.

Actually, Hoteiya is probably the best place to go to get it at this point, as that box set (the box and the extra DVD/OST CD are limited pressing items, and are already gone from CD Japan) is sold out all over the place. Hell, not even Amazon Japan has it listed for sale anymore (though there are some in the market place section, though they are ~8000 Yen (~$80) more than the MSRP.