FUNimation released the third Tenchi OVA series, Tenchi
Muyo Ryo-Ohki, over two volumes. It was only six episodes, so
that seemed appropriate. So just what the heck is this third volume??
This is a "+1" episode, an extra OVA episode that comes after the series
is wrapped up in episode six. Unfortunately this single show doesn't
add much to this already mediocre series and just makes the show more convoluted,
but not more interesting. Add to that the fact that for a retail
price of nearly $30 buyers are getting only a single episode (though there
is over an hour's worth of bonus material) and you have a weak release.
Series Background:
A simple average high school student, Tenchi Masaki had lived a quiet
life until he accidentally revived the space pirate Ryoko who was trapped
in a cave by his grandfather's temple. Searching for the pirate,
the princess Ayeka came to Earth, and so did her sister, and the space
police. The next thing you know, easy going Tenchi is living in a
house full of beautiful woman and having to play referee between Ayeka
and Ryoko who are always fighting over him. Over the course of the
first two OVA series, Tenci discovers that he's not just a regular kid,
but actually of royal blood, and in line to become the Emperor of Jurai,
the most powerful empire in the galaxy. Of course, with the super
scientist Washu living with Tenchi, along with Ryoko and the others, Tenchi's
household is rated as the third most powerful force in the galaxy.
This volume:
This final episode is an epilog to the third OVA. It answers a
few questions that no one really had (like if Misao ends up marring Mashisu?)
and muddles the story further. After the Jurai and Kuramitsu families
settles some differences that have been bothering them, the focus of the
show returns to Earth, where Tenchi's father and grandfather sit him down
to reveal something they've been holding back for a while: What really
happened to Tenchi's mother. We also discover a secret that Tenchi's
dad was keeping. Nothing Earth shattering, and nothing that really
deserves its own episode.
I was really disappointed in this show. The writing was pretty
poor and it didn't wrap anything up. It doesn't bring any feeling
of closure to the OVA or the franchise, and it just makes me realize how
inferior this series was when compared to the two that preceded it.
Most of the main female characters spend the episode tied up, (literally)
and a lot of the events are just filler. The plot about Tenchi's
mother was really poor too, and though I laughed at some parts, when all
was said and done I thought the direction they took with this little sub-plot
was all wrong. This entire series was too rushed and the same can
be said of this episode.
The DVD:
This single episode which runs about 25 minutes, comes on a single-sided
DVD in a clear keepcase with a reversible cover. Being a FUNimation
disc, there is a trailer before the menu. Unlike their earlier discs
tough, this trailer is skippable! Thanks FUNimation, this makes the
discs much more user friendly. The disc comes in a very cool tin
case that has room for the other two volumes.
Audio:
This disc offers the choice of the original Japanese audio track in
stereo or an English dub in stereo or 5.1. I alternated between the
original language and the 5.1 English dub track. I liked both equally
well, though all of the English voice actors from the OVA were not able
to come back for this dub. Both of the tracks were free from drop
outs, hiss, and other audio defects.
Video:
The full frame image looks very good. The colors are bright and
the level of detail was fine. The lines were tight too. Digital
defects were almost nonexistent. A very nice looking disc.
Extras:
While there's only one episode on this disc, there are some neat bonuses.
First off is the Himitsu Nabe Tenchi Special. This is a live
action show which runs for 40 mintues and tries to fill viewers in on some
of the details of the Tenchi mythos while also bridging this OVA series
with the Tenchi GPX show. This definitely falls in the 'extra' category.
The show doesn't cover any new ground or reveal anything that people didn't
already know. The high squeaky voices that the girls have is incredibly
annoying too, and hearing them reveal that the Tree of Jurai is powerful
doesn't really do anything for me.
There's also a Tenchi "radio show." I'm not a huge fan of these,
and this one was about average. It is illustrated by still images.
Final Thoughts:
One of the worst episodes in what turns out to be a mediocre OVA series;
this single episode DVD doesn't have a lot going for it. The tin
that it comes in is very cool, but only getting 25 minutes of real content
for nearly $30 is stretching it. Neither of the bonus items were
really earthshaking either. They should have included this on the
last DVD. If you have the first two discs, you really don't
have to get this one. I'm a big Tenchi fan and I was pretty disappointed
in it. If you're really curious and have to see everything Tenchi
related, make it a rental.
Buy: