If you're looking for a show that helps get out all of that nasty aggression at the end of the day then Tenjho Tenge may just be the ticket for you. The anime based on the exceedingly violent manga has been running long for some time now. The animated version is significantly toned down in terms of blood and guts and stuff but don't let that fool you; this is a hardnosed series akin to Baki the Grappler (though a little more supernatural).

Tenjho Tenge focuses on a school known as the Todo Academy, though it has nothing to do with the Wizard of Oz, I assure you. This facility in particular is a place where students not only learn about life but also join martial arts clubs in order to become stronger fighters. Nearly everybody is part of a faction of warriors and one in particular, the Juken Club, is considered by many to be the strongest of them all.

Things were fine at the school until Souichiro and Bob showed up as newcomers and started to ruffle some feathers. They became a part of the Juken Club to become stronger and joined the ranks with Takayanagi, Aya and Maya. Takayanagi is the younger brother of the leader of the executive council, while Aya and Maya are insanely busty sisters with a penchant for utilizing magic. Maya is able to transform from an adult body into a younger version of herself and Aya can summon forth a power known as the Dragon Eye.

One thing that Tenjho Tenge has been doing for quite a few volumes now is ping-ponging back and forth between flashbacks and present time. When it's not showing Maya and the Juken Club it's telling the tale about her past and all about how Shin came to be the murderous psychopath he's remembered for. Other characters like Bunshichi and Mitsuomi are also included in her jaded past so if you're a fan of the show there's a lot of background to have fleshed out. My only beef with the way this show has been handled by Geneon is that it feels dragged out to this point.

For a series that has 26 episodes being presented across the span of eight discs kind of kills the show. It becomes a blatant attempt to pull money from the pockets of fans and really slows down the pacing and plot development. Once again we are presented with a light volume for the seventh one with episodes 20 through 22.

This time around the flashbacks are still happening and things pick up with Shin and company getting involved with a tournament of sorts. It takes place at the school and involves every club of five students but beyond that there are no rules. Naturally things get kind of crazy as people jump others out of the blue and you constantly have to watch your back. More sinister things are at work though and something that hasn't happened to Shin for a few years is about to happen again.

As the owner of the Dragon Eye Shin finds that he loses control of his actions when he gets really angry or comes in contact with the dreaded katana. He doesn't turn green and shred his shirt like the Hulk but he has been known to rip hands off of arms and beat the snot out of his friends. At least that's what happens here when the mysterious old man goads him into unleashing his power. This event sets in motion the tragic past that racked Maya's life and it's certainly interesting to watch it unfold. The tournament heats up and some more stuff happens that I won't spoil for you but let's just say that it will leave you wanting more.

The finale is coming up for Tenjho Tenge and just like the fighting in the show it looks like it will be fast and furious. It's definitely interesting to see Shin turn into a lunatic and even more fascinating to see the rift form between he, his sister and Mitsuomi. The only problem here is the same problem that I've had with many of the other releases for this show. Because there are only three episodes the story isn't given time to flourish and in the end I felt cheated by the volume. I've said it before and I'll say it again; this is a show that would do better as a collection compared to the way it has been handled. Until one is available you're just better off renting it.

Tenjho Tenge is presented with the 1.33:1 full screen aspect ratio that it was originally broadcast with. The images are very crisp and clean with only a couple minor snippets of pixilation that popped up on dark backgrounds. There are also a few points where some aliasing is noticeable, but the colors are very vivid and the transfer is very clean otherwise. I wish we had an anamorphic presentation for this series but alas, some things were never meant to be.

Tenjho Tenge features two audio tracks: 2.0 English and 2.0 Japanese. While I am a fan of original language tracks with subtitles, the English Dubbing here was pretty good. The Japanese track feature comparable audio quality with accurately translated subtitles as far as I could tell after having watched the show with both tracks. There was a fair amount of directionality to the audio, but it wasn't anything revolutionary for a stereo track. I was a little disappointed that there was no 5.1 audio included, but even still the sound from this disc was good quality.

Adding insult to injury in addition to the lack of episodes is the fact that nothing is featured here as an extra feature. Sorry, previews don't count.

Since the show began Tenjho Tenge has had many ups and downs. Most of these have been attributed to the way the DVDs were handled and the fact that the episodes are stretched out across eight volumes. Stories aren't given the proper pacing because of this and even though there is a great deal of continuity a lot of the details seem to get lost in the wait for the next installment.

This particular volume is good in terms of episode quality and it really fleshes out the world that Maya and company live in. Learning more about her mysterious past has definitely been one of the better experiences that this series has had to offer. I can't wait to watch the finale but I also find myself unable to recommend this DVD because of the way it was handled. Good show + bad marketing decision = rent it.

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