If you've been into anime for a while, then you know all about Tenchi Muyo. The series and characters have been reinvented so many times that it's starting to get a little ridiculous, though I do have to admit that after all these years I'm still a sucker for Ryoko. The franchise has become synonymous with the harem genre of anime since all of the girls keep gunning for Tenchi Masaki. Not a lot has been altered over the years and quire frankly the franchise has been feeling a little long in tooth. Fortunately Tenchi Muyo! GXP changes all of that; well, most of it, and really attempts to revitalizes a somewhat burnt out franchise.

Instead of following the exploits of Tenchi the show takes place in the same universe as the first OVA but introduces newcomer Seina Yamada as the leading character. This kid has to be one of the unluckiest people on the face of the planet, but that all changes when he's given an application to join the Galaxy Police. The form and a package for Tenchi are dropped on his lap one day as he's on his way to visit his friend. When the application gets filled out (rather unwittingly) he finds himself swept into space and joining the ranks of the GP.

Naturally a bevy of female characters circle around Seina just like they did with Tenchi in his series. Amane is the officer that gives him the application to join the Galaxy Police in the first place. Kiriko Masaki is a childhood friend of Seina and the most predominant love interest; she carries just about as much jealousy as a person possibly can. Ryoko is a space pirate (duh!) and Neju Ne Melmas is an ancient priestess who looks like a young girl. Many other throwbacks to the Tenchi franchise included Mihoshi's mother, a Ryo-Ohki-like cabbit known as Fuku and several other family ties that surface during the series.

The Tenchi Muyo! GXP series has just been re-released thanks to Funimation in the form of dual packed volumes. This time around we are taking a look at volumes seven and eight. The episodes included here are: "Reckoning", "Duel", "Pursuit", "Parallel", "Graduation", and "Final Engagement".

The Good Luck ship is still flying around with Seiryo at the helm, but in the meantime Seina and company tackle the president of the pirate society, Daluma. The battle is fierce, but thanks to the combining of a Jurai Royal Ship and the Kamidake our heroes win and capture the pirate. Doing so incurs the wrath of Seiryo and soon he and Seina go head to head in a showdown of epic proportions. The battle is over too quickly though and the result isn't exactly what everybody had in mind.

As the series comes to close things start going south in a big way. When the government steps in to steal Fuku, everybody resists and are eventually captured as criminals of sorts. A lot of this has to do with the fact that Seina stole a transport ship and followed the trail of Kamidake. He crash lands but what happens soon after has to be one of the most bad-ass things that I have ever seen in a Tenchi Muyo series. I'm not going to spoil it for fans of the show or the franchise, but trust me; it's cool. The ramifications of what Seina stumbles upon also have the outcome that his life is going to be changed for ever.

I really dug this anime, the characters and the idea behind the show. My only gripe about it is that the ending wraps things up way too quickly and the events that take place are pretty random. It almost feels like the creator's were looking for something to do and decided to toss everything but the kitchen sink in for good measure. Tenchi Muyo! GXP is a great addition to the Tenchi franchise and fans of the original will definitely want to take the time to check it out.

Originally broadcast in 2002, Tenchi Muyo! GXP is presented with a 1.33:1 full frame aspect ratio. Just like the previous Tenchi series, this one looks beautiful with great animation and a vibrant color palette. There were quite a few moments where some grain appeared in the darker spots, but I didn't notice any aliasing or cross-coloration at any time. Fans will also appreciate the similar design and animation of characters; though with the advent of technology the ships appear to be all computer-generated.

There are three language selections available on this release; English 2.0, Japanese 2.0, and English 5.1. I watched the show primarily with the Japanese option and found the material to be very good with a fair amount of directionality for a stereo track. Obviously for more audio power you're going to sit through the 5.1 remix, and for what it's worth the dubbing is just about as good as the sound quality. Naturally there are also optional English subtitles.

Both of these discs offer bonus material, but they are basically the same as in previous volumes. We have opening and closing animations as well as trailers and character profiles for Seina, Kirko, Amane, Ryoko, Tenchi, Seiryo, and Lady Seto.

I've always been a huge Tenchi Muyo fan. The original series was arguably the best, but Universe, Tenchi in Tokyo and the films were all great additions as well. The only problem is that the franchise was starting to feel a little too old. GXP comes at a time when the series needed revitalization and it seems to hit all the right notes. The original characters step aside to allow room and growth for a new brand of personalities. With volumes seven and eight in this collection the series comes to a close in a quick, frenzied, and all together disorganized manner. What happens here still has its charm, but feels a little disconnected compared to the rest of the anime. Even so, I'm going to highly recommend the show for fans of the original looking for something different, but only recommend it for the average viewer.

Check out more of my reviews here. Head on over to my anime blog as well for random musings and reviews of anime, manga, and stuff from Japan!