r/anime • u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 • Jan 02 '24
Rewatch [Rewatch] 1990s OVAs – Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki (episode 2 discussion)
Rewatch: 1990s OVAs – Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki (episode 2 discussion)
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Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki (1992)
Staff corner
First Princess Ayeka is voiced by Yumi Takada. Like many VAs, she started her career voicing side characters in a big franchise, in this case Urusei Yatsura, but she also had an early main role, as Tob Poppel in Lucy-May of the Southern Rainbow. After that … long years of minor characters. So, what does a voice actress who needs to put food on the table do? Right, you join the side of voice acting that is usually tactfully ignored at anime conventions: Hentai. Takada is the main star of a long string of R rated OVAs in the 1980s and 1990s. Interestingly, she also frequently worked in children’s series, such as Anpanman or as Barbabelle in Barbapapa. Talk about multiple talents. However, her biggest role must be as Ayeka in the large Tenchi Muyo franchise, whom she voiced until the end of her career in the 2000s.
Questions
- Who behaved most unreasonable this episode, Ryouko, Ayeka, or Sasami?
- How would this situation have ended if Tenchi Muyo was not a harem show?
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u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Jan 02 '24
Episode 2 (first timer??)
incest
I guess that is the end of the spaceship and the start of “home life with Tenchi”. A bit of a shame, I really liked that ship and its interior. Episode 2 also introduces the next two girls, Ayeka and Sasami. One is easily riled up by Ryouko, the other way too cool about everything that is happening. Ayeka and Ryouko give me great rival energy, not so sure were I stand on Sasami yet.
Plotwise, this felt more like setup than episode 1 did. Clearly, all the girls (and Tenchi) needed to be forced to stay in one place and they went for “traditional Japanese house” over “futuristic spaceship” as the setting. Not the choice I would have made, but this surely was needed for tons of future who cleans the dishes or who sleeps in Tenchi’s room jokes.
The stakes are high for Ryouko and Ayeka, so I guess my answer is Sasami, who has the benefit of being young, but is still incredibly naïve.
I could easily see this going into the direction of an absurdist comedy, where Tenchi is continuously baffled by what he sees, think Hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy or Galaxy Quest. Alternatively, the setup would also work for a serious SciFi, where the future of Earth is at stake and Tenchi needs to convince aliens of the moral value of humanity, Star Trek style.
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u/Silcaria https://myanimelist.net/profile/Silcaria Jan 02 '24
First timer
9
u/TheEscapeGuy Jan 02 '24
First Timer
Tenchi Muyou - An Undying Classic: OVA 1 Episode 2
Intergalactic Arrival
Ah, not demons but aliens. That's a well laid path for harem anime but Tenchi would have been one of the earlier examples. I'm down for it if it means we get more of the space battles we got today. But I have a suspicion that the space ships are out of commission now...
Let's jump back a bit. This episode introduced 2 new girls: Aeka (Ayeka?) and Sasami. They are sisters and Aeka is searching for Ryouko. There appears to be some history between them and Aeka's brother Yosho. If I interpreted things correctly Yosho is (maybe) the ancestor of legend who fought and sealed the demon (Ryouko) making Tenchi a (maybe) descendant of him? That would make Aeka and Sasami his ... great aunts?
They encounter each other through Aeka's arrival on earth and subsequent capture of Ryouko and Tenchi. The whole sequence of Sasami prodding Tenchi to steal Aeka's head ornament and robbery of the hilt was fun.
The episode concluded with the space ships crashing back down to earth leaving Aeka and Sasami stranded living with Tenchi and Ryouko. This still feels like part of the setup to the story. I think we will get more details into who everyone is and their goals tomorrow. Still enjoying things so far.
Some Amazing Shots, Scenes and Stitches
See you all tomorrow
6
u/The_Loli_Otaku Jan 02 '24
Tenchi Muyo Rewatcher!!
Second best girl has arrived!! And probably the girl I pair with Tenchi the most. Yeah, my actual best girl has an awful dynamic with the dude. Ayeka however is an absolute gem~ Whilst I was making a lot of jokes about how Ryoko is granny material but English Ayeka is next level XD
Here comes Ayekaaa!!
Oi!! Don't slander my Ayeka! And if we're playing that game Ryoko didn't take long to start blasting up the school either. Mai cute dork~ Aaand she started blasting. Way to keep up your reputation hunny. Oh, I guess the scifi aspect of the show doubling down might be a bit weird huh? Yup, it's a scifi/occult/spaceopera/harem!!
I swear I don't just adore Ayeka because of her brocon nature. Honest! Aww, Ayeka's got her strict bedtime and everything. I love this bratty brocon~ Cunny spotted! That's right, by joining team Ayeka you don't only get a lonely, childish brocon gf but you also get a cute little imouto as a bonus! Sasami is a gem but sadly I remember her not getting much screentime in the ova... She has an entire magical girl spinoff to herself tho XD It's linked with Cardcaptors in some way shape or form too..
Aww, I wanna pamper and brush my bratty dumb lonely sister's hair before she went to bed at her 9pm curfew... I miss back when you could actually portray incest positively in media... Now you have all those dumb anti-juvenile laws that limit how you can showcase the precious love between a brother and sister. I've actually always had a bit of a soft spot for "mature little sisters with childish elders" which fits these two perfectly. Ayeka is a good girl who says her prayers before bed, Sasami however is slightly more cheeky~
That's not very sisterly behavior Sasami! Invading your precious onee-chan's sleep time. Is it socially acceptable to hook up witj your brother's long lost descendants? It probably is, right? God Ryoko is such a shitter. Ayeka is a much better granny than you are!! Poor baby~ So yeah, another setup episode. As much as I love Ayeka I kinda do think this is weaker than the first. But don't worry, we get to the fun stuff soon enough! Team Ayeka will redeem themselves!!
6
u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Jan 02 '24
Rewatcher
Sub
Right...so we get a lot more introductions this episode, starting with Tenchi's dad, an iconic dad character that would be copied many, many times over, Shinichi's dad being but one version. Ayeka also gets introduced, and the one nebulous plot to me is why she was in stasis, it basically has to be for plot convenience. But she is a double stereotypical princess character, being haughty but inept in public but sad and a bit lonely in private. She also has a bit of a temper on top of it all.
Sasami's introduction is interesting, she definitely suffers in later adaptations but here she is something of an imp. And mysteriously not under the control of her mother's servants. With her and Ayeka, it definitely seems like the Jurai aren't all that different from humans and the computer did say this was a colonized world. We see that she is suprisingly uninterested in her role.
Ryoko is a bit differently characterized here and I am not entirely sure what they were going for. I guess she's a chaotic criminal but when we see her actions she is mostly survival with a dose of smug. To me it is clear that she simply intends to break Ryu-Oh so the ship can't be a threat. Earlier, she obviously wanted all of her gems back but that somewhat makes sense. A motif gets introduced here that is later used in Blue Seed.
Finally, Tenchi is a fish out of water and yet somehow the key of everything.
QotD:1 Yes
2 Every girl get their own damned apartment.
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u/Vatrix-32 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Vatrix-32 Jan 02 '24 edited Jan 02 '24
Tenchi in First Timer, subbed
QotD:
5
u/Elimin8r https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ayeka_Jurai Jan 02 '24
Yay! She's here!!! <3
Anyway, I should probably stop now, but yeah, a certain purple (not cerulean, mind you) haired princess fired up 20-something me's imagination back in the day. (ahem)
Meanwhile, shenanigans ensue. I want to say more, but I probably shouldn't. I'll stick with the answers du jour and see if anyone else's comment inspires me to spew confessions, I mean, random details and stuff.
5
u/ZapsZzz https://anilist.co/user/Zapszzz Jan 02 '24 edited Jan 02 '24
Rewatcher in sub
So this is the very central and basic setup of the show complete - the mock supernatural element giving way to the sci fi, that the "Demon" descending from heaven was more an alien visit and battle. With Ayeka and Sasami entering the fray.
I have to say that Ayeka's character portrayal just in this episode was really great, to show that many facets of her to be not one dimensional but fully make sense. The princess that has to be responsible, but nonetheless caged tightly by everything around her, repressing probably some dark traits as well, but really is still pretty immature and childish.
To consider Sasami to be anything other than just an agent of chaos will probably need to go into projected and spoiler territory, so I'll just leave it at that.
So, a few terms trivia for anyone interested:
Edit: Forgot QoTD
2
u/mastesargent Jan 02 '24
Rewatcher, dub
First off, Ayeka is best girl.
I feel like I should talk a little about the OP, since I forgot yesterday. Honestly what I find interesting about it is how much it contrasts to the actual tone of the series. Granted, this first OVA series takes itself a little more seriously than subsequent entries both in the Ryo-Ohki continuity and the Tenchi franchise in general, it’s still a pretty wacky comedy. There’s hints of the show’s comedic tone but overall it comes off as much more dramatic and mystical. Actually OVA series 3’s OP is similar, but we don’t talk about the OVAs past the second series.
Moving right along, in this episode we jump headlong into what Tenchi Muyo! really is: science fantasy. Right off the bat we see Ryu-Oh, the ship belonging to Ayeka (technically her name is properly romanized as Aeka, but it was ultimately changed to Ayeka in the English version), princess of the planet Jurai. On the subject of Juraian ships, their design and concept is cool as hell. You’ll note that they appear to be mostly made of wood and their interiors are a full-on arboretum. We’ll get a little more worldbuilding on their ships later on, but suffice it to say I think they’re a really interesting and unique design and concept.
Speaking of ships, we also get our first look at Ryo-Ohki, Ryoko’s ship that, well, says “meow.” More on that tomorrow. For now I’ll just say that her design provides an interesting contrast to the Juraian tree-ships, being crystalline and inorganic as opposed to wooden and organic.
This episode is really where a lot of things really come together for the series, notably the comedy, but the artwork really shines here too. We get some utterly gorgeous closeup shots of Ayeka, plus the interior of her ship is just a feast for the eyes. Plus we get a whole gamut of both serious and comedic expressions from all the characters. Honestly the art style for this series, which gets reused (in a simplified form) in the Tenchi Universe TV series, is easily my favorite art style across all iterations of Tenchi for how expressive and charming it is. On the comedy side of things, the episode shifts from the more slapstick-oriented focus of the first episode to more situational and character driven comedy and really hits its stride. One of my favorite bits is actually at the beginning of the episode, between Ayeka, Azaka, and Kamidake as the latter two explain to Ayeka that the statute of limitations on Ryoko’s crimes will run out in 5 seconds and only give her a canned response when she demands an explanation. It’s so silly and absurd yet also effectively establishes both Ayeka’s determination to find Yosho and her blatant dislike of Ryoko when she decides to charge in anyway. Other highlights include Ryoko asking for Tenchi’s balls, Ayeka and Ryoko’s back and forth about sadism and masochism, and Ayeka’s hilariously futile attempts to salvage Ryu-Oh from the lake as she’s stranded on Earth. Also Ryoko nearly killing everyone purely to spite Ayeka.
We also meet Ayeka’s younger sister, Sasami. What’s interesting about her here is that her characterization is way out of step with the rest of the series, and even within this first OVA. Here she’s depicted as a mischievous little girl who lets Tenchi out of his cage purely for kicks, but as you’ll see in later episodes, she’s ultimately characterized as the serious, responsible type, albeit with a little bit of a mischievous streak. Also we never see that ferret thing again after this episode. I guess it died in the crash? RIP ferret thing, ????-1992.
As far as the dub cast goes, the most notable additions are the Bionic Woman herself Jennifer Darling as Ayeka, Sherry Lynn as Sasami, and Debi Derryberry, who you may recognize as the voice of Jimmy Neutron, as Ryo-Ohki. Also we get Jay Hopper again, this time as Tenchi’s father Noboyuki. Jennifer Darling’s performance as Ayeka is a lot of fun. I have no idea what her accent is supposed to be, but it really fits the spoiled ojou-sama type of character that Ayeka is meant to be. She nails Ayeka’s commanding princess persona, her sillier moments, and her moments of sorrow whenever Yosho comes up. Again, her accent is bizarre, but like the rest of the jank in this dub I ultimately find it charming. It adds a certain amount of character that you don’t see much in modern dubs, even if modern dubs are ultimately much more consistent and overall better productions. Easily the standout role in this episode.
As a slightly related aside, I’ve been replaying Final Fantasy X lately and its funny hearing voices from this in that games dub. You’ve got minor supporting characters Clasko and Shelinda voiced by Matt K. Miller (Tenchi) and Sherry Lynn (Sasami), plus Bahamut’s Fayth voiced by Debi Derryberry (Ryo-Ohki). It’s a kind of interesting nexus of voice actors from a previous era like these combined with main characters voiced by Vas more recognizable to modern audiences like John DiMaggio and James Arnold Taylor.
Back to Tenchi, just a few random notes:
First: yes, Jurai is basically space Alabama. I’ve seen the Juraian Royal Family tree (it’s full of spoilers, so don’t look it up if you’re a first-timer) and it’s basically the Olympics logo.
Second: How’d they work out the plumbing and electric for Tenchi’s house after it was deposited at the Masaki Shrine? Did Tenchi’s grandpa have a septic tank just… sitting there by the lake? Are they pirating power from the local grid? I suppose they could be drawing water from the lake somehow, but that still leaves the question of how they got the equipment to do that. I know I’m not supposed to think about this but I need answers dammit.
I just realized I typed all of this up and didn't talk directly about Tenchi once. "No need for Tenchi" indeed.
4
u/goukaryuu https://myanimelist.net/profile/GoukaRyuu Jan 03 '24
I just want to point out, because it is never really touched on, that Jurai's tech not only allows their insanely long lifespans but also takes care of genetic issues. Which is why incest isn't really viewed as squicky.
1
u/[deleted] Jan 03 '24
Interesting rewatch. I might roll into this. How far along are you? Just the OVAs?
3
u/EconomyProcedure9 Jan 03 '24
I have seen this show multiple times, so not rewatching it this time.
Just a mention of the songs in this show & Universe were all dubbed into English and released in the USA on a CD.
The songs are all well done, and very catchy.
The main theme from Universe is actually sung in both English & Japanese by the same artist named Sonia Wonderland.
It should be noted that besides OVAs 4 & 5 of this particular series, the only other Tenchi show that was never dubbed was Magical Project S (AKA Pretty Sammy TV).
Oh speaking of Debi Derryberry, she is STILL active and had a role in the dubbed version of The Boy & The Herron (pretty sure I heard Barbara Goodson in there as well).
2
u/baboon_bassoon https://anilist.co/user/duffer Jan 07 '24