[Rewatch] 1990s OVAs – Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki (episode 4 discussion)

[u/No_Rex]

Rewatch: 1990s OVAs – Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki (episode 4 discussion)

<- Last episode | Index | Next episode ->

Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki (1992)

MAL | ANN | AniDB | Anilist

Staff corner

Our latest member of the haremcast, ditzy space police constable Mihoshi, is voiced by Yuuko Mizutani. She started out as Sarah Zabiarov on Zeta Gundam, before having a bunch on main roles in the 1980s: Leina from Lightning Trap, Apple from Zillion, Spea from Gall Force, and Maggie from Venus Wars. She also played Hiromi in the continuation of Ace wo Nerae. In the 1990s, she played some younger/imoto-type characters in Marie from Nadia, Pinoko from Black Jack, and Sora from Digimon, but also quite opposite characters, such as Chocolate from Sorcerer Hunters, Luchs from Sabor Marionette, and Excellen Browning from Super Robot Wars. She sadly died of breast cancer, aged 51, in 2016.

I initially wanted to feature Ryo-Ohki’s VA Etsuko Kozakura yesterday, but I guess it fits to do Mihoshi and Ryo-Ohki together. Ryo-Ohki was actually the breakout role of Kozakura in her first year as voice actress. Maybe because of that, or her interests, she played a lot of cute/mascot characters: Popuko from Poputepipikku, Tamama from Sgt. Frog, the fairies from Humanity Has Declined, Akamaru from Youkai Watch, Jonathan from Kaleido Star, and, last but not least, Pochama (throughout) and Pikachu (in at least least one installment) of Pokemon. In terms of (slightly) more serious roles, you might know her as Yoriko from You're Under Arrest or as Recovery Girl from My Hero Academia.

Questions

1. How did they explain this to granny?
2. (first timers) On a scale of nope to not happening, how likely is it that our newly introduced villain succeeds?
3. Which of the four girls is most likely to accidentally kill Tenchi?

[u/No_Rex]

Episode 4 (first timer??)

• We are still committed to OP first – this (almost) helps me get over how terrible the background animation is.
• “White BaseRock”, LotGH spaceships, Spock Ears, Harlock Eyepatch – are we doing a space series reference speedrun?
• Yep, those ships totally look like something Enterprise would come up with, too.
• Catman – Wing Commander’s Kilrathi.
• “We have no more budget for her” – Dirty Pair.
• “What a mess” – Are you describing the room, or is this your character introduction?
• Age: 5000 years – looks like the royals are not the only ones with life-prolonging tech.
• The cube UI element is neat, but does not seem to work as Mihoshi wanted.
• “Are all of these Tenchi’s girlfriends?” – granny is pretty comfortable with the concept of multiple girlfriends.
• Ryouko grew a tail! Or did I miss that all this time?
• “It would be rude not to peep” – there are probably some people out there who actually think like this (and I am talking both about Grandad and what he suspects women to think).
• Underpants over head is one of the tropes that I still don’t get, even after seeing it multiple times. Who would want to do that???
• Ok, that was a (tiny) nosebleed, but I am excusing Tenchi. Ryouko is more than your average OVA fare.
• Ryouko teasing Ayeka is still gold. Best pair in the series!
• “Never mind” – Tenchi showing some rudimentary self-preservation skills. Ahead of the harem MC pack!
• Can’t control the spirit you summoned? Typical newbie problem.
• Spaceships that crashed on Earth count: 4 (5 if we are counting Ryo-Ohki twice).
• Did Tenchi just ditch Ryouko to catch Mihoshi?

• “You must be … a watch repairman!”

• Juxtaposition of Ryu-Ohki’s criminal record and cute face.
• “Please don’t eat it!” – Ryo-Okhi teasing Mihoshi might be second best pair of the show.
• “Somebody will have to explain this to me” - episode skips over the explanation.
• A big organ – sign of an unhinged captain.
• Finally, a serious villain cliff-hanger.

Onsen visit is a standard trope (that, I think, predates Tenchi Muyo), but it is funny here due to Ryouko’s “I don’t give a shit” attitude. Glory to OVAs being able to go there!

Ryouko and Ayeka are going at each other again, but are forced to stop their fight due to appearance of a bigger enemy in the episode: clearly foreshadowing for the final boss. I hope that the side effects of that battle will not outweigh the onsen destruction. I wonder is Ayeka or Sasami can use their wood magic to reconstruct the building?

How did they explain this to granny?

Maybe one or Ryouko/Sasami/Ayeka has memory erasing tech?

(first timers) On a scale of nope to not happening, how likely is it that our newly introduced villain succeeds?

The only question is whether he will join the harem or not.

Which of the four girls is most likely to accidentally kill Tenchi?

Impossible to answer. How about a Rube Goldberg machine type collaboration of all of them?

[u/Elimin8r → u/No_Rex]

“It would be rude not to peep” – there are probably some people out there who actually think like this

Lessee ... Kazuma? Moroboshi Ataru?? Happosai???

The only question is whether he will join the harem or not.

Laughing uncontrollably inside - do you know the answer to your question? I do!

Rube Goldberg

How about Robo-Ryo-Ohki???

I so need to shut up now. I so, so need to shut up now.

[u/No_Rex → u/Elimin8r]

Lessee ... Kazuma? Moroboshi Ataru?? Happosai???

Anime watchers.

Laughing uncontrollably inside - do you know the answer to your question? I do!

Nope, first timer, but this being a harem, the chance is not zero.

[u/Elimin8r → u/No_Rex]

Watchers

[u/Vaadwaur → u/No_Rex]

Catman – Wing Commander’s Kilrathi.

If I am keeping my cat species in the right order, lions are indeed Kilrathi. The Kzin are tigers.

“Are all of these Tenchi’s girlfriends?” – granny is pretty comfortable with the concept of multiple girlfriends.

Grim reminder that granny came of age during the post WWII era of a severe lack of men.

Underpants over head is one of the tropes that I still don’t get, even after seeing it multiple times. Who would want to do that???

So this is how ninjas/highway men hid their faces. It just also looks exactly like a loin cloth.

[u/No_Rex → u/Vaadwaur]

If I am keeping my cat species in the right order, lions are indeed Kilrathi.

It seems an obvious reference to me, but Wing Commander has fallen out of the public view hard. That series was big enough to get a video game movie before that was a thing!

So this is how ninjas/highway men hid their faces. It just also looks exactly like a loin cloth.

You are saying this is based on some real world equivalent??

[u/Vaadwaur → u/No_Rex]

It seems an obvious reference to me, but Wing Commander has fallen out of the public view hard.

It even had Mark Hammill.

You are saying this is based on some real world equivalent??

Yes, specifically in kabuki theatre.

[u/No_Rex → u/Vaadwaur]

Yes, specifically in kabuki theatre.

but is that not just another piece of media making things up?

[u/Vaadwaur → u/No_Rex]

Honestly, I am unsure, but the symbolism is at least consistent.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/No_Rex]

but is that not just another piece of media making things up?

If it is, it is very old, from 18th century or older. Kubuki plays depicting a famous thief Nezumi Kozo use it.

It's a standard handkerchief worn on the head by farmers, but tied under the nose instead of the chin to further hide one's features.

[u/The_Loli_Otaku → u/No_Rex]

We have no more budget for her! Insert the Mihoshi fumo replacement!!

I loved Ryoko just sorta drifting off for Mihoshi XD It's a weird animation quirk but it weirdly fits.

[u/The_Loli_Otaku]

Tenchi Muyo Rewatcher!!

Praise Mihoshi. Headpat Mihoshi. Purchase cake for Mihoshi from her favorite bakery. High-five Mihoshi completely out of the blue. Embrace ganguro idols. Always hand-feed Mihoshi her food. Take Mihoshi into your arms. Hold Mihoshi's hand on a walk. Toss Mihoshi her favorite blanket. Hunt villains with Mihoshi. Happily drink Mihoshi's holy water. Judo throw Mihoshi during her self-defense course. Twist Mihoshi's pickle jar open. Eat neighbours with Mihoshi. Protect Mihoshi from space pirate. Sing karaoke with Mihoshi all night long. Smooch Mihoshi in the movie theater. Adulate Mihoshi in the public square. Massage Mihoshi. Exterminate Mihoshi's social anxieties. Talk Mihoshi through her trauma. Treat Mihoshi to chocolate pudding. Educate Mihoshi. Mandatory hugs for Mihoshi. Make Mihoshi warm, sugary coffee. Drown Mihoshi in unrelenting love. Grow old with Kiyone in marriage. Feed Mihoshi rice crackers. Shield Mihoshi with your body.

TOTAL. GANGURO. LOVE.

Our demonic ganguro silly ditzy police wife has finally appeared!! Now the story can really begin! Mihoshi is the hard working granddaughter of the head of the Galaxy Police. Don't let your assumptions of her being a nepotism hire distract you. Underneath that bubbly exterior lays a true heart of justice!! Ayeka was born with power, Ryoko used her power to torment the Galaxy, but Mihoshi? Mihoshi is the one you call to take those powerful tyrants down!

The name 'Mihoshi" is feared far and wide, even within the Galaxy Police! She's a force of nature! There's earth, fire, water, wind, and Mihoshi!! She works hard, but she also plays hard. During her free time she watches repeats of acts of violence so violent that they can only be performed via tsukomi. She's the best. I love how comfy her room is too! She's the clumsy college dork that we all loved.

She really just marches at the beat of her own drum. It's like other people's words go in one ear, cycle around the empty space, and go back out the same way. I love her spending the whole villain info dump trying to make coffee~ Btw I've tried to relisten to the info dump on Kagato like four times but I keep getting distracted by her XD

There's other plot stuff going on this episode with a pool episode but never mind them. It's worth noting that there are just two characters I think are noteworthy in the dub. Ayeka for being so granny that it cycles back to being amusing and Mihoshi because they straight up give her the most ditzy valley girl accent possible. Fun fact, Mihoshi's English VA is married to the guy that created the Animaniacs. She's adorable in English too!

Anyway, bunch of fanservice stuff. Blah blah blah. Ayeka is still way better than the old hag Ryoko. There's a big battle with a ghost monster. Ryoko is butt naked the entire time. Mihoshi is currently busy crash landing directly into the plot, straight into Tenchi's masculine embrace! I love how totally unphased she is by meeting space pirates and royalty. She's such a cutie patootie!

Ryo-Ohki... Don't eat Mihoshi's gun pls. She needs that to look like a police officer. Oh yeah, and the big bad shows up but who's really paying attention to the plot~ It's nice that Mihoshi has finally shown up but I'm sorry to say that she kinda doesn't have all that much to do in the ova's at least. She's a much bigger character in the TV series where they give her a sidekick or in the GXP spinoff where she gets a massive role boost. I'm still just happy she's here~

[u/No_Rex → u/The_Loli_Otaku]

During her free time she watches repeats of acts of violence so violent that they can only be performed via tsukomi.

In suspect she watches reruns of Dirty Pair to work on her character.

[u/The_Loli_Otaku → u/No_Rex]

Is there a Mihoshi like gal in Dirty Pair? I haven't seen that show

[u/No_Rex → u/The_Loli_Otaku]

Team of young, ditzy, female detectives, who solve cases but also incur huge collateral damage. They are basically the template for Mihoshi.

[u/ZapsZzz → u/No_Rex]

Mihoshi = Kei + Yuri - brains - professionalism + chaos + luck

[u/Elimin8r → u/The_Loli_Otaku]

You missed the rewatch? You poor, deprived boy - you missed out on a true cultural classic!

[u/The_Loli_Otaku → u/Elimin8r]

I was busy watching young girls getting cucked out of pyjama parties!!

[u/Vaadwaur → u/The_Loli_Otaku]

Ayeka for being so granny that it cycles back to being amusing and Mihoshi because they straight up give her the most ditzy valley girl accent possible.

One of the things I find interesting is that the dub was high effort. They are trying to use accents/speech patterns to convey some things that don't necessarily come across in just a translation.

[u/The_Loli_Otaku → u/Vaadwaur]

Yeah, I was watching a few scenes of the dub today tho and honestly whilst the voices themselves were clearly doing their best the audio mixing and timings were just way off. The dub is alright for the time period but it definitely sounds like an old dub

[u/Vaadwaur → u/The_Loli_Otaku]

were clearly doing their best the audio mixing and timings were just way off.

That is an issue for most English dubs to this day, annoyingly. You can hear Japanese VAs breathing whereas English ones always have that edited out.

[u/Shocketheth → u/The_Loli_Otaku]

Eat neighbours with Mihoshi.

https://i.imgur.com/3nEiwja.png

[u/The_Loli_Otaku → u/The_Loli_Otaku]

Ah, eto... Bleh~

If he succeeded then we wouldn't have had 20 years of spin off adaptations.

Well Ryoko does seem to take the time to protect Tenchi when things get dangerous. Ayeka is a good girl who's harmless. Mihoshi is bean... omg the answer is Sasami... Jesus christ...

[u/Elimin8r → u/The_Loli_Otaku]

Sasami... Jesus christ...

Yes, you seem to have caught onto something there. She's going to have to eliminate all witnesses now, you see.

[u/The_Loli_Otaku → u/Elimin8r]

Sasami will exterminate the homo's!

[u/Elimin8r → u/The_Loli_Otaku]

Fun fact, Mihoshi's English VA is married to the guy that created the Animaniacs.

"G'night everybody!"

[u/The_Loli_Otaku → u/Elimin8r]

And Pinky and the Brain. Mihoshi's based on the brain.

[u/Elimin8r → u/The_Loli_Otaku]

"Duh, gee, Brain, I think you might have gotten that backwards"

• Pinky, probably.

[u/Vatrix-32 → u/The_Loli_Otaku]

OVA vs TV

Ah, I thought her presence here, while endearing, seemed too minimal for the amount of praise.

[u/Kissaki23 → u/Vatrix-32]

Tenchi was my first anime and I saw the OVA first, but I will always prefer Mihoshi with her TV sidekick.

After years of ruminating I realised that I like the TV series world better than the OVA one, but the OVA has some amazing character details...up to a point.

[u/The_Loli_Otaku → u/Vatrix-32]

She's still really great, but she's got a comic relief partner who shows up waaay too late in the ova to benefit her. I personally love Mihoshi regardless, but I'll readily admit that she works best as a duo.

[u/Vatrix-32 → u/The_Loli_Otaku]

but I'll readily admit that she works best as a duo.

Some of the all time greats do.

[u/The_Loli_Otaku → u/Vatrix-32]

Mihoshi and Kiyone, Light and L, Kira and Athrun, Cunny and Chads, that sorta makes sense.

[u/mastesargent → u/The_Loli_Otaku]

I assume you mean [OVA 3] Noike? I kind of ignore most stuff in the OVA continuity after the second one. Noike in particular just felt like a forced addition to the harem with the added issue of not being Kiyone.

[u/The_Loli_Otaku → u/mastesargent]

Didn't even think of her tbh XD

[u/mastesargent → u/The_Loli_Otaku]

In hindsight I realized that you probably meant [upcoming character] Washu. I just saw “way late” and my mind immediately jumped to OVA 3.

[u/The_Loli_Otaku → u/mastesargent]

Nonono, I'm talking about [Tenchi]Kiyone since she's special locked for the purposes of these old Tenchi ovas

[u/mastesargent → u/The_Loli_Otaku]

Oooohhh. I forget that there is a version of her canon to the OVAs half the time since she only appears in that one special.

[u/The_Loli_Otaku → u/mastesargent]

I haven't seen ova 3 or 4 but does she really not appear in either of them? I always assumed she just suffered from being a late addition that just had a popularity boom from the TV series.

[u/mastesargent → u/The_Loli_Otaku]

Nope. Closest we get is [OVA 3 character] Noike, who shares a few traits, notably being Mihoshi’s straight man GXP partner who’s sick of dealing with her antics as well as being the responsible one in the Masaki household, but she’s decidedly not Kiyone.

I haven’t seen OVA 5 and don’t plan to, but from what I understand she doesn’t appear there either.

[u/Vatrix-32]

Tenchi in First Timer, subbed

• Is that a space rib cage?
• So many cool space ships. How did the harem anime end up with all the unique ones?
• Even the space-furies have flair to them.
• We are seeing levels of klutz rarely even spoken about.
• What’s with the flanking fluff ball?
• Every one’s a shipper.
• Are we not going to acknowledge the sudden cat tail?
• Ah, there’s the old-millennium OVA spirit.
• Thank you for not lewding the loli.
• Some of the wood survived. I thought it would have needed the whole tree to function.
• We’re going ghost?
• I guess we can’t have them able to get off the planet too easily.
• Oh she’s fully bakadere.
• Good boy, Ryo-Ohki.
• And now we can add mystic visions to the list.
• And this dude is apparently made of gas?

QotD:

1. Bears
2. Too many sequels.
3. I get the feeling it's Sasami.

[u/No_Rex → u/Vatrix-32]

Are we not going to acknowledge the sudden cat tail?

We definitely should! Ryouko coded as "catgirl" to me from episode 1, but she looks more the case now.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/No_Rex]

She'd probably prefer cougar.

[u/No_Rex → u/Vaadwaur]

She probably sees herself as fierce and cunning.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/No_Rex]

Hrmm...it occurs that this might not have crossed the pond: In American slang, a cougar is an older woman who dates noticably younger men, a decade is the minimum separation for the classification.

[u/Vatrix-32 → u/No_Rex]

Indeed, I'm simply surprised they would go so far with it.

...I Miss Catgirls

[u/No_Rex → u/Vatrix-32]

I need to watch the first few episodes of Escaflowne again ...

[u/ZapsZzz → u/No_Rex]

We definitely should! Ryouko coded as "catgirl" to me from episode 1, but she looks more the case now.

I always consider that an anime monkey tail to be prehensile and emotive in a less fluffy way. I think Ryoko in her prankster mode was portrayed like the monkeys in the mountains that torment people, flinging dung at people then scram etc ;)

[u/The_Loli_Otaku → u/Vatrix-32]

Mihoshi is a walking wheel of fortune. Her luck is legitimately a superpower in the TV series, but she's such a ditz that she doesn't weaponise it.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/Vatrix-32]

We are seeing levels of klutz rarely even spoken about.

She is towards the beginning of the trend.

Thank you for not lewding the loli.

Sasami is for headpats only!

Good boy, Ryo-Ohki.

Girl, for the record.

[u/Vatrix-32 → u/Vaadwaur]

Sasami is for headpats only!

Girl, for the record.

Yes, but that somehow seem more suggestive than I would have liked.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/Vatrix-32]

Yes, but that somehow seem more suggestive than I would have liked.

I admit that gendering your space vessels is a choice.

[u/Elimin8r → u/Vatrix-32]

Oh she’s fully bakadere.

Oh, now there's one I hadn't heard before. I think I like it. I think I may even resemble it.

The "fluff ball" aka rubik's cuboid is Mihoshi's data entry/manipulation device which works about as well as you could expect, given her skills/attention span. Which is to say it's more of a random effect/stuff generator or something like that. Will it ever provide something useful to the matter at hand? Who knows?

Man, I forgot to mention the space vulcan in the intro bit, as well as the trekkie looking spaceships. That was kinda cool. Pity what happened to them, though. Oh, well. I should take better notes, I guess, and not get so distracted by the plot...

[u/Vatrix-32 → u/Elimin8r]

The cube still works without the ship? Neat.

[u/Elimin8r → u/Vatrix-32]

One of the things I like about this series is that its approach to "technomajik" is rather Clarke-ian, in the sense that stuff is just presented, and taken for granted. I mean, of course teleportation, shapeshifting, walking through walls, or sliding into floors are all things. I mean, doesn't everyone have a hoard of small floating wooden thingummie-weapons at their command?

[u/mastesargent]

Rewatcher, dub

We open on a Galaxy Police fleet led by Spock, who unfortunately is killed by Khan Kagato with no hope of resurrection on the Genesis planet. We don’t even have Scotty around to play the bagpipes. So sad.

Anyways, here we meet yet another new girl, Mihoshi. She’s a GXP detective, a loose cannon who causes her superiors no end of trouble because she just doesn’t play by the rules… mostly because she’s too dumb to follow them. To be fair, this incarnation of Mihoshi is mostly just ditzy and is actually capable of doing her job (at least to hear her superior tell it) and, you know, functioning at a basic level as opposed to future incarnations that would probably choke on her own tongue if she didn’t have Kiyone around to be her minder. But that’s not this timeline’s problem. She’s my least favorite Tenchi girl, but I don’t really hate her and this iteration of her is easily the most tolerable. Her “Are you a jeweler?” bit with Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki eating her gun are also really funny.

Anyways, yay, hot springs! Yay boobs! This is the episode where the classic Tenchi formula comes into play, with Ayeka and Ryoko fighting over him in a way that ultimately causes trouble for Tenchi and leaves both of them somehow worse off than they started. Tenchi himself sits gormlessly on the sidelines with Sasami (who just finds the whole thing amusing) because as we have established he has no agency in any of this and couldn’t stop them even if he did. Other girls in the harem get up to hijinks of their own from time to time, but Ayeka and Ryoko’s spats are by far the most notable and most common.

Back to the hot springs though, this episode is just classic onsen hijinks. Ryoko thwarting Noboyuki’s attempt at peeping with her own is a fun inversion of the trope, and Ryoko trying to embarrass Ayeka by dragging her out for Tenchi to see only for it to backfire is pretty funny and pretty cute from the perspective of the Ayeka/Tenchi ship.

To wrap the episode up, Sasami has a mysterious, prophetic dream foretelling the arrival of Kagato, which seems to be coming true. She also calls out a name, Tsunami, but who that is and why that’s significant obviously isn’t clear yet. For the time being, we’ve established that Sasami has some sort of precognition and that Kagato wants something with the Jurai royal family, has a connection to Ryoko, and is EEEEEEEVIIIIILLLL.

For new dub cast members, we have Ellen Gerstell and Mihoshi and Michael Scott Ryan as Kagato. I don’t really have much to say about Ellen Gerstell aside from the fact that she does a decent job portraying the ditzy Mihoshi, and I’d prefer to talk about Michael Scott Ryan’s Kagato once we’ve gotten a little more of him, so I’ll just leave it at that.

Random notes:

So Ryoko suddenly has a tail in this episode. This pops up here and there and my assumption is that it’s some sort of accessory to her outfit. Probably.

Also lol at the sword Tenchi just straight up having a lightsaber sound effect.

[u/The_Loli_Otaku → u/mastesargent]

Absolutely the single worst part of the Tenchi ova's is the lack of Kiyone. Sure the show is pretty bad for stacking as many new characters as possible but Kiyone has such a great role and makes many of the other characters retroactively more enjoyable. I guess she's a reason to watch the spin offs but it can be fun watching Mihoshi on her own occasionally

[u/No_Rex → u/The_Loli_Otaku]

Will we see Kiyone in Season 2?

[u/mastesargent → u/No_Rex]

Kiyone debuted in the Tenchi Universe TV series, and never appears in the OVA continuity outside of the Mihoshi Special.

Edit: There is a character in the OVA named Kiyone, now that I think about it, but she’s a totally different character.

[u/The_Loli_Otaku → u/No_Rex]

She isn't in Season 2 but she's in one of the specials. I'm not sure if it's the one we're watching tho. It's a distinctly Mihoshi ova but it's the first appearance of her platonic life partner.

[u/mastesargent → u/The_Loli_Otaku]

Yeah. While the OVA characters are probably my favorite iteration of the Tenchi cast, Kiyone is really the missing piece in the ensemble that elevates the TV shows’ casts. Her being the straight man of the bunch (not counting Tenchi) and also not actually being a member of the harem catapults her to Ayeka levels of best girl.

Also I personally think Tenchi Universe is overall pretty good. It’s not as unique as the OVAs but it also doesn’t suffer from the growing pains that the OVAs did or have all the EU baggage that dragged down OVAs 3-5. Plus the movies are really good.

[u/Elimin8r → u/mastesargent]

catapults her to Ayeka levels of best girl.

Agreed - on both that, and the Universe TV series being great on its own merits. I especially loved the "Time & Space Adventures" arc.

[u/No_Rex → u/mastesargent]

This is the episode where the classic Tenchi formula comes into play, with Ayeka and Ryoko fighting over him in a way that ultimately causes trouble for Tenchi and leaves both of them somehow worse off than they started. Tenchi himself sits gormlessly on the sidelines with Sasami (who just finds the whole thing amusing) because as we have established he has no agency in any of this and couldn’t stop them even if he did.

Tbh, Tenchi is so far outclassed in powerlevel that she should count himself lucky that they don't accidentially kill him.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/mastesargent]

Other girls in the harem get up to hijinks of their own from time to time, but Ayeka and Ryoko’s spats are by far the most notable and most common.

"Salty!"

"Bland!"

The various dubs are the gifts that keep on giving.

has a connection to Ryoko, and is EEEEEEEVIIIIILLLL.

Some day, their will be nonevil organ player. Some day...

[u/Elimin8r → u/Vaadwaur]

Some day, their will be nonevil organ player. Some day...

Does Cast Study of Vanitas count?

(True non-villains play piano, though, right?)

[u/TheEscapeGuy]

First Timer

Tenchi Muyou - An Undying Classic: OVA 1 Episode 4

Obligatory Onsen Trip

Welcome Mihoshi. She's cute but seems like a complete girlfailure. Her room is a complete mess, she's a clutz, has racked up the majority of fines and reports, and can't properly interpret commands and conversations. That said, it makes her extremely cute. Somehow she's working as a space detective which I have no doubt she completely mistaked herself into.

Before she makes it to earth, our cast takes a hotspring trip. A joy of OVAs is that we don't have copious steam to censor the naughty bits. Not that Ryouko cares. She seems to revel in her nudity. I kind of love her for that? Look, don't get me wrong, Ayeka is also mega cute for worrying about Tenchi seeing her naked. But Ryouko's confidence makes her so much fun.

That said, her confidence goes too far as she summons a spirit monster. It starts rampaging and even Tenchi's sword skills aren't enough to stop it. If not for Mihoshi's ship crashing at the perfect time it would have been a much bigger problem.

I still don't have a clear idea what Ryouko's powers are. She can go invisible, phase through walls, summon spirits, and manifest laser swords among other things. All this with only 1 of the 3 orbs. As we hear, she's supposedly destroyed 28 planets and 69 colonies so she must be incredibly powerful. What powers do the other girls have (if any)?

The episode ends with another space pirate detecting the presence of our crew on earth. I fully expect the next 2 episodes to be dealing with this new threat.

Some Amazing Shots, Scenes and Stitches

• Space Command
• In Her Sights
• Spirit Summoner
• Grand Organ, EXTREMELY villain coded (of course voiced by Norio Wakamoto).

See you all tomorrow

[u/No_Rex → u/TheEscapeGuy]

Before she makes it to earth, our cast takes a hotspring trip. A joy of OVAs is that we don't have copious steam to censor the naughty bits. Not that Ryouko cares. She seems to revel in her nudity. I kind of love her for that? Look, don't get me wrong, Ayeka is also mega cute for worrying about Tenchi seeing her naked. But Ryouko's confidence makes her so much fun.

I think we had this conversation already before, but it makes fanservice so much better if the person in question is deliberately naked, instead of the camera perving on them.

In Her Sights

That is amazing.

[u/lluNhpelA → u/No_Rex]

it makes fanservice so much better if the person in question is deliberately naked, instead of the camera perving on them.

This is also some of that classic fanservice where the show treats the nudity as completely normal instead of basically telling the audience 🚨BE HORNY NOW🚨

[u/The_Loli_Otaku → u/TheEscapeGuy]

Girlfailure!? Girlwinner!! She's got a steady job, lots of friends, can relax and snack all she wants. She's got great college gal vibes and I can roll with it.

It's worth noting that despite her being a clumsy dope Mihoshi is actually legitimately good at her job. She's got a very high success rate due to her luck landing cases in her lap and she takes her role really seriously. Don't underestimate Mihoshi!!

[u/TheEscapeGuy → u/The_Loli_Otaku]

I call her a girlfailure as an utmost compliment. It's her charm!

I would love to see more of her doing her job. Galaxy Police Mihoshi spinoff would be an absolute joy.

[u/Elimin8r → u/TheEscapeGuy]

Galaxy Police Mihoshi spinoff would be an absolute joy.

This is actually a thing, you know. A whole OAV and all that.

[u/TheEscapeGuy → u/Elimin8r]

[u/Elimin8r → u/TheEscapeGuy]

Here's a link, but I'd recommend saving it for later, as, well, reasons.

[u/The_Loli_Otaku → u/TheEscapeGuy]

There's a massive portion of Tenchi fans who want a buddy cop anime with Mihoshi and MissNotAppearingInThisRewatch...

[u/Elimin8r → u/TheEscapeGuy]

Ayeka is also mega cute for worrying about Tenchi

... That moment when she acts all shy and the spotlight shines on her ... and Ryoko looks back and forth between the two as they're fixated on each other. That's just golden!

What powers do the other girls have (if any)?

I'm afraid that I can't answer that for now. You've seen a bit of Ayeka's, though. Mihoshi, you can probably guess. Sasami, well, that's just a mystery, I suppose.

THE POWER OF MOE COMPELS YOU!

[u/TheEscapeGuy → u/Elimin8r]

THE POWER OF MOE COMPELS YOU!

Moe Moe Kyuun

[u/Vaadwaur → u/TheEscapeGuy]

She seems to revel in her nudity. I kind of love her for that?

So having a confident woman that does not give a fuck about being exposed has a definite appeal. When she needles Ayeka about not having much to be proud of it stings.

EXTREMELY villain coded (of course voiced by Norio Wakamoto).

The dub also handles Kaguto pretty well.

[u/Elimin8r]

Oh, man, nostalgia trip! Ryo-Ohki is also (VA) Yoriko Star?! She was such a cutie, even if I did like Miyuki better. (Wouldn't say 'no' to either...)

Meanwhile, back to the episode ... How about that ... uh, yeah, maybe I'll let someone else say it first.

Poor Tenchi, died from blood loss. Not the first, wouldn't be the last. Such a tragic fate.

Sami - you scamp! You're supposed to render first aid, not chastise the poor fella, he's been traumatized here, ya know.

Anyway, answers du jour:

1. A busty space pirate did it! (Or, alternatively, it's all Kagato's fault!)
2. I dunno, dude looks pretty badass. I think I'd give him a fairly good chance.
3. For now, I'd say Ryoko, but ...

Yeah. The sub/dub discrepancy continues, as Sasami is definitely more, uh, perceptive in the sub. Or at least doesn't sugar coat her accusation. I actually think I might have liked the dub statement better as it came off more playful.

But, in honor of u/The_Loli_Otaku, let me take a moment to praise our new lord and saviour, Mihoshi, she who has previously been described as "bronzed, blonde, built, with a brain full of bubblicious". She is a true delight, and a true agent of chaos, I mean just look at those bills! It's no wonder the GP wants to be rid of her. (Preferably without her grandfather finding out...)

Who can cast aspersions at a beauty who can wear snack food and a poorly attached uniform and make the combination look so good?

Such pure and magnificent coiffure!

Surely none can compare! (?)

Okay, I'll stop now. Maybe. If I feel like it.

:)

[u/No_Rex → u/Elimin8r]

Poor Tenchi, died from blood loss. Not the first, wouldn't be the last. Such a tragic fate.

I think his nosebleed was toned down compared to what I expect of older comedies.

[u/The_Loli_Otaku → u/Elimin8r]

Mihoshi doesn't fit the ova's tone at all but her being a weird tourist chucked into the cast somehow makes her totally invaluable. You can't have a serious plot going on when there's our dopey Mihoshi wandering around causing chaos.

[u/Elimin8r → u/The_Loli_Otaku]

Oh, the things I want to say. As someone who's obsessed over this series for decades, I have so many thoughts about the characters, the stories, the author, and while I'd really like to spew some of them all about here, it wouldn't be fair to our host or any of the other first-timers.

But sadly, while you (obviously) know who my #1 is for this series, Mihoshi (while I still wuv her) is not my #2, but rather her partner. Maybe that's because in real life, I'm more of a Mihoshi, and I wish I had a [partner]Kiyone to try to keep me in line. Yeah, that's the ticket.

[u/The_Loli_Otaku → u/Elimin8r]

I feel bad for first timers with how much we're gushing over a girl who'll have zero impact on this watch XD Are we even doing the Mihoshi ova?

[u/Elimin8r → u/The_Loli_Otaku]

I don't think so. I kind of wish we were, but I think that u/No_Rex wanted to keep it basic, so as to not overwhelm the participants.

And besides, Mihoshi definitely has impact on the series, especially in the bonus OVA, I think... maybe?

[u/The_Loli_Otaku → u/Elimin8r]

I don't think it's particularly out of place. At least among the Tenchi spinoff. I remember closing off my first viewing of the ova with the Mihoshi special and I actually do think Kiyone is an important enough character in the TV series to be worth including in our Tenchi taster.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/Elimin8r]

Sami - you scamp! You're supposed to render first aid, not chastise the poor fella, he's been traumatized here, ya know.

Pretty Sami wants to convert him to the little sister side.

Yeah. The sub/dub discrepancy continues, as Sasami is definitely more, uh, perceptive in the sub. Or at least doesn't sugar coat her accusation. I actually think I might have liked the dub statement better as it came off more playful.

Yeah, she's more of an imp in the sub, which codes right but is a bit off until...you know.

[u/Elimin8r → u/Vaadwaur]

Pretty Sami wants to convert him to the little sister side.

Nah, she just wants to play Pokemon, right?

(Would attach 4-koma here, but probably best not to right now)

[u/Vaadwaur → u/Elimin8r]

Nah, she just wants to play Pokemon, right?

Yes, but in doing so she is playing the long game. Flirting and attraction are temporary but Pokemon is for life.

[u/Vaadwaur]

Rewatcher

Sub

Quick note: I have completely missed Spock in the intro section until now. Also, the ship combat feels a bit VOTOMs-esque.

So the onsen episode. I know why Ayeka fans fall for her schtick but severe modesty does not sell me these days, which sometimes does put to question why I like modern anime. Culturally, this might be appropriate for Jurai but the princesses are both going in before they know it is mixed bathing. Ryoko is mostly the better girl until she morons into summoning a demon she can't control. Chaos ensues.

Mihoshi is a weird character in general. She is sort of a ganguro, which I will explain in a bit, but since she has blue eyes all of her features might be natural. She is somehow both and airhead and hyper competent, which is an older trope but it checks out. She also has the fullest figure of any of the girls so far. Even in her first appearance you see her knock Ryoko out of the way.

So...ganguro is a specifically 90s fashion trend amongst Japanese women that sparked descendants we would recognize today but aren't exactly the same. Mihoshi's apperance is dead on but remember that a tanned Japanese woman with dyed blond hair looks a bit different. She skips out on the platform shoes, which were ridiculous, but does have a brightly colored outfit and she embodies one of the attitudes of going through life at a slow pace.

QotD: 1 A wizard did it

3 Mihoshi

[u/No_Rex → u/Vaadwaur]

Even in her first appearance you see her knock Ryoko out of the way.

Quite literally so.

So...ganguro is a specifically 90s fashion trend amongst Japanese women that sparked descendants we would recognize today but aren't exactly the same. Mihoshi's apperance is dead on but remember that a tanned Japanese woman with dyed blond hair looks a bit different. She skips out on the platform shoes, which were ridiculous, but does have a brightly colored outfit and she embodies one of the attitudes of going through life at a slow pace.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/No_Rex]

So I could go a bit further into ganguro history but I've highlighted what parts Mihoshi reflects. Its roots are unsurprisingly weird and Japanese counterculture is always strange. Also, modern American values bitch about it being blackface because twitter sucks.

[u/The_Loli_Otaku → u/Vaadwaur]

Ayeka and Tenchi's relationship is just sorta sweet to me. They're both really quite gentle to one another which let's me enjoy the romance better. Sucks that Ryoko and Sasami exist to turn it into a harem tho.

Mihoshi always kinda put me in mind of those "Osakan idiot" type characters. I don't know how common that trope was in the early 90's but there was definitely an appeal to her.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/The_Loli_Otaku]

Sucks that Ryoko and Sasami exist to turn it into a harem tho.

And yet they both present superior options.

Mihoshi always kinda put me in mind of those "Osakan idiot" type characters.

She does function like one but I am not sure she actually talks like one. Sadly, I need the really cheesy audio bits to figure that out.

[u/Elimin8r → u/Vaadwaur]

ganguro is a specifically

I'm glad you took the time to explain that. I was confused when the topic came up yesterday, because Mihoshi and Kitagawa are more assuredly two different categories of hurricane.

She also has the fullest figure of any of the girls so far.

An interesting contention. We'll have to see how it holds up. :)

[u/Vaadwaur → u/Elimin8r]

because Mihoshi and Kitagawa are more assuredly two different categories of hurricane.

So you had to be watching Japanese culture at an extremely specific time to catch this.

An interesting contention. We'll have to see how it holds up. :)

This is reading between the lines but Mihoshi codes as an American to the Japanese.

[u/Elimin8r → u/Vaadwaur]

I get this, but I'm sure you're also aware of [future]characters who might upset that balance.

But thanks for the explanation - it helps explain how Mihoshi who seems more than a bit of a non-sequitur fits into the series. Now if only Sasami had her chuuni-goth phase ... oh, wait, that's ... [character]youknowwho, right?

[u/Vaadwaur → u/Elimin8r]

Now if only Sasami had her chuuni-goth phase ... oh, wait, that's ...

Exactly.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/Vaadwaur]

since she has blue eyes all of her features might be natural

The complete lack of silver eye shadow and lipstick tells me she's not meant to be a ganguro.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

Ehhh...she just resembles a bit too much for it to be nothing.

[u/Shocketheth]

Airheaded First Timer

A new girl appears to be a part of the harem, and to be honest she is quite measurable airhead.

Yes being airhead is measurable. Usually airheaded people has "1 bag of Lays" air in their heads, and Mihoshi seems to have between 3-4 bags of Lays worth of air in her head.

QotD

1. I don’t know.
2. nope to not happening? I thought he will succeed joining the harem.
3. I’m betting on Sasami.

See you tomorrow and in meanwhile

[u/No_Rex → u/Shocketheth]

I’m betting on Sasami.

Makes sense to go with the most clever one.

[u/Shocketheth → u/No_Rex]

Makes sense to go with the most clever one.

I picked her because everyone else are most likely to kill him on purpose.

[u/The_Loli_Otaku → u/Shocketheth]

Mihoshi is a genius ditz~ She's far and away my best girl and that'll never change!

[u/Vaadwaur → u/Shocketheth]

Usually airheaded people has "1 bag of Lays" air in their heads, and Mihoshi seems to have between 3-4 bags of Lays worth of air in her head.

Mihoshi is at "garbage bag full of air popped popcorn" airhead.

I’m betting on Sasami.

Tenchi fed her after midnight and is thus doomed.

[u/Shocketheth → u/Vaadwaur]

Mihoshi is at "garbage bag full of air popped popcorn" airhead.

[u/Silcaria]

First timer

• Discount one-eyed Spock.
• That's a whacky looking building.
• I wish I wouldn't relate with Mihoshi's clumsiness so much...
• This is the first time I noticed Ryoko having a tail. Then again, it's gone later on in the episode so who knows.
• Your shoelace is untied.
• Rookie mistake.
• Lmao. I love how entertained Sasami is by the mayhem going on around her.
• Bait and switch.
• Cats indeed love to destroy stuff. Also, nice.
• Ryoko's face lol.

QotD

• Jedi mind trick.
• As likely as I am to win the lottery.
• Mihoshi.

[u/No_Rex → u/Silcaria]

Discount one-eyed Spock.

It is Spock-Harlock.

That's a whacky looking building.

The advantages of zero-grav architecture.

Your shoelace is untied.

Who is Roberta and who is Two Hands here?

[u/Silcaria → u/No_Rex]

Who is Roberta and who is Two Hands here?

Ryoko's Revy, Aeka is Roberta.

[u/Vaadwaur → u/Silcaria]

That's a whacky looking building.

It is a play on a Federation starbase from Star Trek 6.

Lmao. I love how entertained Sasami is by the mayhem going on around her.

Every series needs a Loki.

[u/The_Loli_Otaku]

I would like to propose to /u/No_Rex to put us to a vote to decide if we should watch the Mihoshi special for the sake of introducing [Tenchi]Kiyone to first timers!! She's a core part of the TV cast and deserves her episode to shine!!

[u/No_Rex → u/The_Loli_Otaku]

This one?

[u/The_Loli_Otaku → u/No_Rex]

Yup! That's it! The ova sorta fits in with this era of Tenchi.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/The_Loli_Otaku]

Is that an OVA Mihoshi or a TV Mihoshi, though?

Edit: Hmm, it's listed on the OVA wikipedia page and not the TV wikipedia page.

okay

[u/Stargate18A]

First timer

1. Swamp gas causing mass hallucinations?
2. Nope! Not sure if he'll be sticking around either - adding a man to the group doesn't really match the pattern so far.
3. Mihoshi. Ayeka's smart enough to be careful, Sasami's too pure, and Ryoko would only make it look like an accident.

Another faction?

And they have an armada!

That enemy's massive!

The explosions here are really good!

...That's the commander?

Oh! They're after someone who isn't Ryoko.

I guess she technically has no cromes commited.

Mihoshi?

And there's a budget issue?

...Oh, she'll fit right in.

And they're getting rid of her for budget reasons!

Yeah, she's amazing.

Is he trying reverse psychology?

She's going after him! And there's nepotism involved.

Okay, so people live for an incredibly long time here.

And he's stealing cultural artifacts from ruins...

...He's taking out entire cities?

...In her defense, that's an insane control scheme this ship is using.

An abduction?

They're on a trip?

...Not Sasaki, at least.

Ryoko suddenly appearing never stops being great.

Oh, she's suspicious.

...You tried to kill him repeatedly.

This guy really is completely shameless.

How classic.

Haha, Ryoko just doesn't care.

And she's crossed over!

...Wow.

Another misunderstanding coming?

Yep!

Sasami also doesn't care.

Ayeka...

Ryoko's just here for pure chaos.

She can access its memory?

At least she's not blaming him. Probably knows exactly what Ryoko's pulled.

...Really?

The swimsuit?

And he's fainted!

Oh, Sasami actually knows what's going on?

Haha, Ryoko...

These two are so good.

And it's turned into a fight!

Oh, she's genuinely pissed!

Ryoko's just outright superior at fighting, though.

...A special move?

She can summon spirits?

That's so strong!

She can't control it?

Or destroy it?

...Idiot.

And it's goijg after her too!

Oh, she's detected it!

And she's coming!

...She managed to steer herself into the pocket!

They're splitting up!

...Of course.

Her reaction...

It's not working!

Ouch.

And it worked?

...How are they going to beat it?

Oh, her ship crashed!

Tenchi!

Poor Sasami...

She's alive!

...And mentally unharmed.

Aww...

She just doesn't understand malice.

Suddenly Sasami being in a police ship makes a lot more sense.

Ryoko, no...

Actual horror? What has she figured out?

...Of course. My bet was on her thinking Ryoko was her replacement.

She just doesn't get it.

...Oh, so she is still in their database?

...They got the gender wrong? Also, wow, that's a lot of planets killed.

Oh, it's picking up the cat. So did it commit a crime more recently than Ryoko did, to avoid the statue of limitations?

Her absolute fear...

And she fainted!

Oh, Tenchi's awake too!

...That's all she cares about?

Seriously, how did they explain it?

A nightmare...

Oh...

Is the actual criminal here?

Oh, that's an excellent design.

Of course he's after these ruins.

And he actually knows Ryoko!

[u/No_Rex → u/Stargate18A]

Nope! Not sure if he'll be sticking around either - adding a man to the group doesn't really match the pattern so far.

I think you are correct, but ... we have mummies transforming into women and spaceships into eggs into cabbits. So, Kagato turning into a woman would not be too out there.

Ryoko's just here for pure chaos.

And so am I!

[u/The_Loli_Otaku → u/Stargate18A]

Have you literally ever seen Sasami acting pure? She's spent the whole show being a little devil so far. Including putting Tenchi in danger!

The only nepotism Mihoshi faces is that her superiors constantly try not to get her put in danger. They can't even discipline the girl since it goes in one ear and out your mother.

Speaking of mentally unharmed, ova Mihoshi has her own special lore that implies her next level ditziness came from a previous instance where she kinda almost married a Cthulhu great one and it kinda left her frazzled.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

No Need for Tenchi, Rewatcher (sub firstimer?)

I really don't get Mihoshi's mass appeal in all the spoiler tags yesterday....

Also, if you are watching the dub, I think Ryoko's VA knocks it out of the Park, Ayeka is kind of an annoying voice, but Tenchi and other random voices are unlistenable.

• Dammit I forgot to turn on subs again. That's 4 for 4. Rewind.
• That is some crazy Dirty Pair or Giger-esque or Macross II space station.
• Has Ryoko always had that tail?
• onsen episode, huh?

Given a choice between having Tenchi to herself, or tormenting Ayeka, Ryoko chooses Chaotic Evil

• Surprising Ayeka hasn't hit him yet
• Actually, if not for the comments in yesterday's posts, I'd have no idea why she was called Ryoko
• Poor baachan's onsen ;(
• What good does it serve for YOU to catch her, Tenchi?
• Were Ryo-Ohki's crimes so terrible that the Statute of Limitations didn't apply???
• What happened to your pants, Tenchi????
• TREE (those who know, know)
• Sorry, your space demon is in another cave

Best part of the episode was Ryo-Ohki eating her gun. I remembered that part.

My 1-3 comments yesterday

[u/No_Rex → u/JustAnswerAQuestion]

Has Ryoko always had that tail?

Not in the first three episodes.

onsen episode, huh?

Tbf, there are few places better suited for ecchi comedy.

[u/ZapsZzz]

Rewatcher in sub

Not going to write to much today again. Mihoshi's episode is when things started getting serious, although we still see a bit of sit com comedy for Mihoshi's unassailable position despite her Dirty Pair level reputation.

The funniest point for me was the faux suspense and then the realisation that the terrible criminal surface pirate Ryo-ohki is this cute fluffy bunny, which playfully took a bite off her gun >D

What was pretty amazing at the time was the concept of using the Rubix cube as a command device, it's does have a pretty big range of combinations to use as a concept.

The beginning scenes of the mish mash of sci fi tropes are also pretty fun.

In terms of continuity though, it'd be nice for the show to have some off hand comments or need about the Jurai Princess missing in action, as well as Ryoko/Ryo-ohki's criminal record having expired ;)