Tenchi Muyō!
| Tenchi Muyō! | |||||||||||||||||||
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| genre | Comedy, science fiction | ||||||||||||||||||
| Original video animation | |||||||||||||||||||
| title | Tenchi Muyō! Ryōōki | ||||||||||||||||||
| Original title | 天地 無用! 魎 皇 鬼 | ||||||||||||||||||
| transcription | Tenchi Muyo! Ryōōki | ||||||||||||||||||
| Country of production |
 Japan
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| original language | Japanese | ||||||||||||||||||
| Year (s) | 1992-2003 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Studio | AIC | ||||||||||||||||||
| Episodes | 21st | ||||||||||||||||||
| genre | Comedy | ||||||||||||||||||
| Director | Hiroki Hayashi | ||||||||||||||||||
| idea | Hiroki Hayashi, Masaki Kajishima | ||||||||||||||||||
| music | Seiko Nagaoka | ||||||||||||||||||
| Anime TV series | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Anime movies | |||||||||||||||||||
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Tenchi Muyō! ( jap. 天地 無用! ) is the title of several anime - OVA and - TV series , which, due to its success in Japan, was also implemented as a manga , radio play and light novel . The first Tenchi Muyō! Anime was released in 1992 under the title Tenchi Muyō! Ryōōki ( 天地 無用! 魎 皇 鬼 ) in the form of an OVA. In 1994 a second OVA series followed, followed by the television series Tenchi Muyō! 1995 with 26 episodes. In 1997 the second television series Shin Tenchi Muyō was released! also with 26 episodes. Three feature films were also made between 1996 and 1999. In 2002 Tenchi Muyō was released! GXP , from 2003 to 2005 the OVA was continued and in 2014 the series Ai Tenchi Muyō! . There are also several spin-offs and related anime.
The actions of the different series largely contradict each other. Most of the characters appear in all series, but their relationships to one another are different and are partly rebuilt from the ground up in different ways in the various series.
Title and name
The title can be translated to include "Tenchi (is) unnecessary / superfluous" or "Nobody needs Tenchi". However, Tenchi also means "heaven and earth". The names of the other characters just as often describe their characteristics, for example Ryoko means “demon summoner ” and Mihoshi means “pretty” and “star”, or come from places in Okayama Prefecture .
Series concept
All parts of the series are about the youthful Masaki Tenchi. He accidentally frees a demon who was locked in a cave by one of his ancestors several hundred years ago. This turns out to be a space pirate and Tenchi as the descendant of a prince from another solar system. Little by little, more female aliens join in, a space policeman, two princesses (and grandfather's teenage sisters) and a scientist (who is also the mother of the pirate) who want to seduce Tenchi or abuse him for their own purposes.
The series was influenced in its humor by American films and series, so director Hiroki Hayashi mentions Tom and Jerry in particular . The traditional Japanese theater Nō and Kabuki can also be found in Tenchi Muyō! again, no-no-noises can be heard whenever Ryoko enters the scene. Antonia Levi also sees the myth of Amaterasu and Susanoo as the basis of the plot.
Versions
OVA main series
The OVA series Tenchi Muyō! Ryōōki ( 天地 無用! 魎 皇 鬼 ) is based on a concept by Hiroki Hayashi and Masaki Kajishima, where Hayashi also directed and Kajishima created the character design. The artistic director was Takeshi Waki. The series was produced by Anime International Company and distributed by Pioneer LDC .
- 1st series
- The first OVA series was published in six episodes from 1992 to 1993. In the OVA, Tenchi frees the space pirate Ryoko and soon has to deal with the extraterrestrial princesses Ayeka and Sasami. In 1999 the OVA appeared in German on VHS.
- In September 1993, the 45-minute special O-Matsuri Zenjitsu no Yoru! ( お 祭 り 前日 の 夜! ). Everything is calm and Ryoko tries to win over Tenchi with information from mangas. Ayeka finds out about her and tries her luck in turn. In 2000 the special was published in German.
- Tenchi Muyō! Bangai-hen: Uchū Keiji Mihoshi Ginga Daibōken
- In March 1994 the special Tenchi Muyō was released! Bangai-hen: Uchū Keiji Mihoshi Ginga Daibōken ( 天地 無用! 番外 編 宇宙 刑事 美 星 銀河 大 冒 険 ) in which Mihoshi tells the story herself and also introduces her partner Kiyone.
- 2nd series
- The second OVA series appeared from 1994 to 1995 in again six episodes and was released in Germany on VHS in 2002.
- 3rd series
- This OVA appeared from 2003 to 2005 and again comprises six episodes.
TV Shows
- Tenchi Muyō!
- The TV series Tenchi Muyō! started in 1995 with 26 episodes on Japanese television. It is a stand-alone series with slightly different characters and backgrounds. The series was released in the United States as Tenchi Universe .
- Mahō Shōjo Pretty Sammy
- From 1995 to 1997 the three-part OVA Mahō Shōjo Pretty Sammy ( 魔法 少女 プ リ テ ィ サ ミ ー ) was released. A 26-part television series of the same name followed in 1996. The series are set in a different world than the previous ones. Sasami has a role here as Magical Girl . The special can be found in the third volume of the manga.
- Shin Tenchi Muyō!
- In 1997 a second television series, Shin Tenchi Muyō! ( 新 ・ 天地 無用! ) Also with 26 episodes. The characters and the background have been changed again significantly in this series. The series was released in the US as Tenchi in Tokyo .
- Tenchi Muyō! GXP
- Tenchi Muyo! GXP (天地 無用! GXP ) is the third series in the Tenchi universe. It comprises 26 episodes and was released in 2002. The main character this time is not Tenchi, but his friend Seina Yamada. Because of his (un) luck he is mistaken for Tenchi and recruited for the GXP. The series itself is to be classified after the third OVA.
- Sasami: Mahō Shōjo Club
- In 2006, the 13-part television series Sasami: Mahō Shōjo Club ( 砂 沙 美 ☆ 魔法 少女 ク ラ ブ ) was broadcast in Japan , which was also continued with a second season.
- Ai Tenchi Muyō!
- On the occasion of the 20th anniversary, the series Ai Tenchi Muyō! ( 愛 ・ 天地 無用! ), Which will be broadcast on working days from October 2014 and will consist of 50 episodes of 5 minutes each.
Mangas
- Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki
- The manga Tenchi Muyō! Ryōōki ( 天地 無用！ 魎 皇 鬼 ) by Hitoshi Okuda was published by Kadokawa Shoten in Japan from 1994 to 2000 in the magazine Comic Dragon Jr and in twelve volumes. In German-speaking countries, Carlsen Verlag published the twelve volumes as Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki from 2001 to 2003. The manga follows on from the first OVA series. Some events in the following OVAs contradict those in the manga.
- Shin Tenchi Muyō! Ryōōki
- 2001 to 2005 the sequel Shin Tenchi Muyō was released! Ryōōki ( 新 ・ 天地 無用！ 魎 皇 鬼 ) by Hitoshi Okuda in the Comic Dragon Age magazine by Kadokawa Shoten. The chapters have been summarized in ten edited volumes. Viz Media published this in English.
- Tenchi Muyō! Sasami densetsu
- In 2002 Tenchi Muyō was released! Sasami Densetsu ( 天地 無用！ 砂 沙 美 伝 説 ) a one-volume spin-off of the series by Kadokawa Shoten, also by Hitoshi Okuda.
- Tenchi Muyō! Sasami-chan à la carte
- In 2006 Tenchi Muyō followed! Sasami-chan à la carte ( 天地 無用! 砂 沙 美 ち ゃ ん あ ら か る と! ) At Kadokawa Shoten by Hitoshi Okuda.
- Tenchi Muyo! GXP
- In 2002, Kadokawa Shoten also released a manga adaptation of the same name of the series Tenchi Muyo! GXP ( 天地 無用！ GXP )
cinemamovies
Between 1996 and 1999 three feature films were also released, Tenchi Muyō! in Love ( 天地 無用! in LOVE), Tenchi Muyō! Manatsu no Eve ( 天地 無用! 真 夏 の イ ヴ ) and Tenchi Muyō! in Love 2: Harukanaru Omoi ( 天地 無用! in LOVE2 遙 か な る 想 い ).
The theme song for Tenchi Muyo! in Love , Alchemy of Love , is by Christopher Franke and Nina Hagen .
Radio plays and light novels
In Japan, radio plays and light novels were still distributed.
Merchandise
Merchandise for the series is still produced in Japan and a few other countries such as art books, video games, trading cards and figurines.
In 2000 the Canadian publisher Guardians of Order created a pen and paper role-playing game about Tenchi Muyō! released. There were several video games, but they are hard to come by outside of Japan.
Analysis and reception
In The Complete Anime Guide , Tenchi Muyo! placed in a row with the series Urusei Yatsura by Rumiko Takahashi, which had a similar slapstick humor before and in which more and more aliens vied for the favor of a young person. The filling of well-known roles with new, bizarre characters gives the series a new style. The appeal of the series lies in the fact that viewers are constantly wondering how the characters will behave next.
Antonia Levi sees many Shinto influences in Tenchi Muyo , so the story of the liberation of Ryoko goes back to the myth of Amaterasu. The trees with the braided ropes, which serve as flying devices, are derived from the Shimenawa . Masaki Kajishima reinterprets the myths with a lot of freedom and creates different variants, similar to the Japanese creation myths. But it never comes to a mere retelling, the plot elements and characteristics of mythological characters were newly combined. Masaki Tenchi names Antonia Levi as a typical passive male character that appears in some anime. Although he looks strong at first, he is increasingly unsettled by the incoming female aliens and his own origins.
According to Patrick Drazen, Tenchi Muyo was successful not only in Japan but also in the USA. He sees in the trees appearing in the series that fly or serve as guardians of the Jurai, not only the Shimenawa, but also a position on the importance of nature and environmental protection.
In 1999, the specialist magazine Animania describes the first OVA, Tenchi Muyo Ryo-Ohki , as one of the best comedies on the market, with comedy made of slapstick and the interaction of the characters, which, however, does not degenerate into clothes. The characters are more personable and complex than in other comedies. The German dubbed version was hit well. In the 5th and 6th episodes, the series offers more drama and tension, but still a lot of humor. The special The Night before the Carnival forms a "furious, chaotic conclusion" of the first season, which again focuses purely on comedy. This seventh episode in the series is one of the highlights, even if the German synchronization has waned. The second season of the OVA still offers a lot of humor, but also has some weaknesses in the plot. The comedy interludes, which are placed between serious parts of the plot, would loosen up, but often also annoying.
To the Manga Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki writes the AnimaniA that funny inserts keep the desire to read on. In terms of drawing, the manga is based on the OVA series, a lot of grid film would have been used, which made the images look quite dark, but that doesn't matter. The plot is well thought out and has surprising twists and turns.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d AnimaniA No. 3/99, p. 17
- ^ A b Antonia Levi: Samurai from Outer Space - Understanding Japanese Animation . 1996, p. 42-46 .
- ^ A b Trish Ledoux and Doug Ranney: The Complete Anime Guide p. 59. Tiger Mountain Press, Issaquah (Washington), 1995
- ^ Antonia Levi: Samurai from Outer Space - Understanding Japanese Animation . 1996, p. 27 .
- ^ Antonia Levi: Samurai from Outer Space - Understanding Japanese Animation . 1996, p. 38 f .
- ^ Antonia Levi: Samurai from Outer Space - Understanding Japanese Animation . 1996, p. 129 f., .
- ↑ Patrick Drazen: Anime Explosion! - The What? Why? & Wow! of Japanese Animation . 2003, p. 15 .
- ↑ Patrick Drazen: Anime Explosion! - The What? Why? & Wow! of Japanese Animation . 2003, p. 186 .
- ↑ Animania 1/2000, p. 15
- ↑ Animania 5/2000, p. 19
- ↑ Animania No. 44, p. 18
- ↑ Animania No. 44, p. 19
Web links
- Tenchi Muyô! Ryô Ôki in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Anime News Network about the OVA Tenchi Muyō! Ryōōki (English)