Tenchi in Tokyo

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Tenchi in Tokyo
新 天地無用!
(Shin Tenchi Muyo!)
Genre Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Harem, Romance, Science Fiction
TV anime
Directed by Yoshihiro Takamoto
Studio Flag of JapanAIC
Flag of JapanPioneer L.D.C
Flag of JapanSotsu Agency
Flag of JapanKadokawa Shoten
Flag of United StatesGeneon
Network TV Tokyo
Original run 1 April 1997 – 23 December 1997
No. of episodes 26

Tenchi in Tokyo, known in Japan as New Tenchi Muyo! (新 天地無用! Shin Tenchi Muyo!?), is a 26-episode anime series produced by AIC and Pioneer Animation (now Geneon Entertainment) in 1997. It is the third (the OVA and Universe series being the first two) from the Tenchi Muyo! series. It aired in North America on Cartoon Network's Toonami block starting in the fall of 2000.

Contents

[edit] Overview

Unlike the it's predecessor Tenchi Universe, the last Tenchi series is completely unrelated to the initial concept of Tenchi Muyo! and is different from the OVAs and first TV series. A couple of changes are that Tenchi and his grandfather are not related to Jurai's royal family, and the secret behind the Masaki family in this series is to protect the Earth from evil as Planet Guardians. Many of the returning characters were also given completely different personalities that makes them different from the previous series. One final new change is that all the girls are introduced in the first episode and then in episode 7 to show how they all met Tenchi, rather than introducing them separately as shown in the previous series.

[edit] Criticism

Tenchi in Tokyo was met with mixed reviews. Some fans criticize the animation quality of the series; the characters were redesigned, and tended to use a cartoony sort of angular distortion for comedic effect, as well as more over-the-top behavior where their original flaws were overdone (like Ryoko being more violent and selfish than her prior incarnations, etc.).

Another cause of this criticism was the newest addition to the character rooster, Sakuya Kumashiro. Since she was a key player in the storyline, had a special link to Tenchi and he favored her at times over the other girls, lots of fans accused Sakuya of being a canon Mary Sue.

Finally, fans criticized the storyline, which uses the "villain of the week" formula until almost the end of the series.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

[edit] Characters

[edit] Recurring characters

Hotsuma (秀眞?)
Hotsuma is one of Yugi's servants. He is dressed as a scientist and has long blond hair. In the series, he tried to get the attention of Ryoko, and he succeeded in bringing her back to her former life as a space pirate, following Ryoko's heartbreak after seeing Tenchi and Sakuya kiss on the school rooftops. Hotsuma's determination to keep Ryoko away from her old friends is where he had framed Mihoshi and Kiyone for tipping off the Galaxy Police when the two had infiltrated their gang, and later reminding Ryoko that Tenchi has Sakuya, when Ryoko had started to miss the Earth.
Eventually when Ryoko was starting to get bored with her life as a space pirate, she found that she had been tricked after overhearing Hotsuma talking about her bad qualities during his conversation with Yugi. Thinking that at least she was honest with her flaws, she decided to leave and got ready to do so. When Hotsuma noticed Ryoko's presence, Yugi decided that he should just kill her and Hotsuma almost succeeded by blowing up their ship. Luckily Ryoko noticed that she forgot the pictures of her and Tenchi and left the ship in time which saved her life. Ryoko then fought Hotsuma and although he got the upper hand by turning into a monster, she managed to kill Hotsuma and get free.
Voiced by: Wataru Takagi (Japanese), Matt K. Miller (English)
Tsugaru (東日流?)
Tsugaru is one of Yugi's servants, and a master manipulatist. Distinguished by his brown hair, yellow shirt, and rather effeminate mannerisms.
Tsugaru first tried to kill Sasami in Tokyo until Ryo-ohki forced him away, and then he helped Hotsuma with gaining the trust of the Masaki family and dividing them apart. First, he showed Ayeka an image of Tenchi and Sakuya kissing and told her to call Tenchi and ask him; Ayeka did so, but she didn't obtain a satisfactory reply (Tenchi was just about to go out with Sakuya), and decided to stay home.
Tsugaru later shot down Mihoshi and Kiyone's shuttle on their way back to Earth and then attacked them. Mihoshi and Kiyones normal guns had no effect on Tsugaru, until Tsugaru was killed when he was shot by Kiyone's gun, which was loaded with an anti-matter bullet which vaporized him to dust. Kiyone had first given the loaded gun loaded to Mihoshi, intending to act as a decoy and have Mihoshi shooting Tsugaru; but right then he attacked with full force and Mihoshi chose to take the blast for Kiyone. Enraged, Kiyone retrieved her gun and shot the anti-matter bullet, killing Tsugaru.
Voiced by: Masamichi Ohta (Japanese), Richard Cansino (English)
Matori (真鳥?)
One of Yugi's servants created by Yugi in Episode 4 to help carry out of her mission. Matori is distinguished by her black hair and the red marks on her face. Her speciality is that she can create guardian spirits from inanimate objects. She first created Daidara Hoshi by tricking the girls (minus Sasami and Washu) into constructing him. Matori then created a fake Nobuyuki Masaki to kidnap Sakuya Kumashiro and draw the real Nobuyuki and Tenchi to him to bring Tenchi and Sakuya together. During Yugi's attack on the Masaki shrine, Matori cut off the dimensional tunnel from Tenchi's side so the girls could not escape to Tokyo.
Near the end of the series, Yugi assigned Matori to kidnap Sasami to make her part of her kingdom. Despite her initial protests, Matori carried out these orders, and with her guardian spirits she easily destroys Ayeka's defense system and injured Ayeka. Then, she kidnapped Sasami and took her to Yugi; Ryo-ohki managed to escape and went to Tokyo.
When Tenchi broke free from Yugi's illusionary dimension, Matori attacked him but was driven back when the Masaki family appeared in Yugi's dimension. After Sasami tried to convince Yugi to give up her mad scheme, and after Matori suggested to Yugi that they should just kill all of them, in a fit of anger Yugi killed Matori.
Voiced by: Yuriko Yamaguchi (voice actor) (Japanese), Julie Maddalena (English)
Kazuhiko Amagasaki (尼ヶ崎 和彦 Amagasaki Kazuhiko?)
Other than his brief appearance in the Tenchi Muyo OVA series Kazuhiko Amagasaki also appears in this series as a regular. Tenchi first met Amagasaki in this series when he moved to Tokyo. Amagasaki and his good friend Umanosuke Tsuchida hang out with Tenchi and although Amagasaki doesn't seem to be bright Tenchi was able to help tutor him when he needed it so he could go on summer vacation with everyone else. Amagasaki also has an interest in professional wrestling and was once able to defeat Sadako Ikarinu in battle.
Voiced by: Toshiharu Sakurai (Japanese), Michael Sorich (English)
Umanosuke Tsuchida (土田 馬之介 Tsuchida Umanosuke?)
Umanosuke is one of Tenchi's new friends after he moves to Tokyo. He is the grandson of Dokuzen Tsuchida, the Shinto priest that Tenchi is apprenticing to. Unlike Tenchi, Umanosuke has no interest in inheriting his family's shrine. He is also good friends with Kazuhiko Amagasaki and like Amagasaki, Umanosuke also has an interest in wrestling.
Voiced by: Takehiro Murozono
Sugano (菅野?), Yoshinaga (吉永?), and Matsuno (松野?)
These three girls hang out with Sakuya Kumashiro and other than gossiping with her about boys, they are also trying to match her up with Tenchi and bring them together.
Sugano voiced by: Manabi Mizuno (Japanese), Sherry Lynn (English)
Yoshinaga voiced by: Yukari Tamura (Japanese), Wendee Lee (English)
Matsuno voiced by: Ayaka Hibiki (Japanese), Hisoka Moriya (Japanese), Rebecca Forstadt (English)

[edit] Minor characters

Dokuzen Tsuchida (土田 独然 Tsuchida Dokuzen?)
A shinto priest and an old friend of Katsuhito Masaki, as his ancestors had helped build the Masaki shrine. At his request to Katsuhito, Tenchi was sent to Tokyo to serve as Dokuzen's apprentice so Tenchi could train as a Shinto priest and be able to inherit his family's shrine as part of the favor that Katsuhito owes to the Tsuchida family. Dokuzen is a good natured and friendly priest although he has a tendency to have Tenchi perform his duties for him as he is getting on in age. Dokuzen is also Umanosuke's grandfather.
Voiced by: Kenichi Ogata (Japanese), Bob Papenbrook (English)
Mr. Fujisawa (藤沢先生 Fujisawa-sensei?)
The teacher of Tenchi's class, bears a resemblance to Masamichi Fujisawa of El-Hazard, another anime series also produced by AIC.
Voiced by: Kōji Ishii (Japanese), Eddie Frierson (English)
Ine Suzuki (鈴木 イネ Suzuki Ine?)
A guardian spirit created when Sakuya Kumashiro prayed to the marriage goddess at the Love Knot shrine. Ine Suzuki tried a couple of times to put the thread of fate on Tenchi and Sakuya's fingers during multiple romantic settings, but wasn't able to succeed. Ine Suzuki eventually drew them into her dimension, the hill of legend.
After successfully placing the thread, Ine Suzuki was surprised to see so many threads on Tenchi's finger, as they represnt the rest of the Masaki clan. It drew both Ryoko and Ayeka into her dimension and although they had a little trouble dealing with her thread at first, they break free and make a huge ball of her own thread and crush her to death with it, and sending Ine Suzuki's spirit back to the shrine.
Voiced by: Satoko Kitō (Japanese), Jennifer Darling (English)
Yoshiaki Zumino (ズミノ ヨシアキ Zumino Yoshiaki?)
A guardian spirit created by Yugi, through a discarded cell phone. He was able to disrupt all cell phone calls, as well as corrupt Washu's surveillance units that were observing Tenchi. Once Washu found out that something was corrupting her units and traced Yoshiaki Zumino's location, Ryoko headed out with Sasami and Ryo-Ohki and easily killed Yoshiaki Zumino.
Voiced by: Wataru Takagi (Japanese), Richard Cansino (English)
Daidara Hoshi (大駄羅法師 Daidarahōshi?)
A giant construction worker guardian spirit brought to life when Yugi's servant Matori tricked Ryoko, Ayeka, Mihoshi, and Kiyone into building Daidara Hoshi for her in exchange for money. Daidara's job was to build a palace suitable for Yugi.
An enraged Kiyone alongside Mihoshi tried to take him down with their GP blasters, only to find it had no effect. Then Kiyone noticed a weak spot, which Mihoshi admitted she caused when she tripped and made a mess earlier by making a hole in the wall. The two then fired at the weak spot and caused Daidara Hoshi to fall into the bay taking a partly constructed palace with him.
Voiced by: Toshiharu Sakurai (Japanese), Michael Sorich (English)
Satoru Zuimoto (ズイモト サトル Zuimoto Satoru?)
A monkey guardian spirit created by Yugi to steal the gems from the Masaki clan after Tenchi returns home for their anniversary and have Sakuya Kumashiro blamed for it, when she decided to follow Tenchi and meet his family. After an angry Ryoko left, Washu is able to use a device to track the gems to the real thief Satoru Zuimoto. Ayeka knocked him out of the house with her fan, and following him to the lake where Ryoko was, Ryoko finished him off when she found out the truth.
Voiced by: Masamichi Ohta
Yu-Ohki (雄皇鬼 Yūōki?)
A cabbit created by Yugi to separate Ryo-ohki from the group after she was blamed by Sasami for damaging Katsuhito's golden statue (which was actually caused by Ryoko and Ayeka who were fighting). Once Sasami found out the truth she and the others (minus Washu and Tenchi) followed them to the moon. After Sasami's feelings got through to Ryo-ohki, Yu-Ohki grew to a giant form, only to defeated by Ryo-ohki's mecha form and ran away. Yu-Ohki was then killed by Yugi.
Voiced by: Toshiharu Sakurai
Pseudo-Dad (オヤジモドキ Oyaji Modoki?)
A guardian spirit which is a fake of Nobuyuki Masaki created by Matori from one of Nobuyuki's discarded cigarettes. Although her plan was to use him to capture Sakuya Kumashiro and bring her and Tenchi together, Pseudo-Dad had a problem of picking up any pretty woman he sees.
Once Matori had to discipline him, Pseudo-Dad carried out his mission and took Sakuya to the Tsuchida shrine. Matori then lured the real Nobuyuki right to them, and Nobuyuki bought a traffic safety exorcising arrow from the Tsuchida shrine and used it on Pseudo-Dad which finished him off.
Voiced by: Takeshi Aono (Japanese), Bob Papenbrook (English)
Masayo Manuketa (マヌケダ マサヨ Manuketa Masayo?)
Masayo Manuketa is one of the twin comets brought to life by Tsugaru, who takes on the form of a female motorcycle racer. She would help Ayeka and Sasami in their attempt to hitchhike their way to Tokyo. During a lunch stop, Masayo tells a story to Ayeka on how she always tunes up her motorcycle to catch her boyfriend, Isao.
Voiced by: Shinobu Adachi (Japanese), Lara Cody (English)
Isao Ketauchi (ケタウチ イサオ Ketauchi Isao?)
Isao Ketauchi is one of the twin comets who takes on the form of a male track sprinter. Eventually for Masayo to catch up with Isao, Ayeka, Sasami, and Ryo-ohki had to jump from the sidecar on Masayo's bike to lighten the weight and make it go faster. Masayo and Isao then immediately went back to being comets.
Voiced by: Takehiro Murozono
Sadako Ikarinu (イカリーヌ 定子 Ikarīnu Sadako?)
Sadako Ikarinu was a masked joshi puroresu (female professional wrestler). Yugi brings Sadako's spirit back to life as a guardian spirit from her mask. Her goal was to prevent Amagasaki from interfering during Tenchi and Sakuya's meetings. Amagasaki eventually defeated her with one of his own wrestling moves on the school roof.
(Note: Based on actual female wrestler Sadako Inokari from the 1950s.)
Voiced by: Mizue Ohtsuka (Japanese), Brianne Siddall (English)
Empress Hinase (樋拿畝?)
The Jurai Empress from 3,500 years who had sealed away Yugi. Although she knew that Yugi wasn't intentionally harming the Jurai people with her playful mischief, Hinase still sealed Yugi away as her power was simply too dangerous to allow her to roam unchecked.
(Note: Empress Hinase's appearance is similar to Tokimi in the OVA.)
Voiced by: Yuriko Yamaguchi (voice actor) (Japanese), Brianne Siddall (English)
Spoilers end here.

[edit] Music

  • Opening: Yume wa doko e itta? [Where Did the Dream Go?] (performed by Linda Yamamoto)
  • Ending: Yamararenai, Yamerarenai! [Unstoppable, Unstoppable!] (performed by the Japanese Tenchi Muyo cast)
  • Ending 2 (episode 24): Kataomoi [Unrequited Love] (performed by Mayumi Iizuka)
  • Background Music: Shunsuke Kikuchi

[edit] Episode list

The original Japanese titles take on the form of haiku.

  1. Separation Anxiety (sakura saku / hana no miyako de / URA URARA [Cherry blossoms fall, flower of the capital, ooh la ooh la la])
  2. Four's a Crowd (enmusubi / kimite wa yubiki no / akai ito [Love knot - decision by a red thread on the little finger])
  3. Long Distance Lunacy (daikonsen / tsutegoto GÊMU wa / RABU GÊMU [Seriously crossed lines - the whisper game is a love game])
  4. The Eternal Pledge (akogare no / anata to aruku / BÂJIN RÔDO [The yearning to walk down the wedding aisle with you])
  5. Money! Money! Money! (kane kasege / sâ KANE kasege / kane kasege [Earn money, come on, earn money, earn money])
  6. Play Date (saso warete / fushigi no kuni no / meikyû (RABIRINSU) [Invitation, a mysterious place, a labyrinth])
  7. The Day We Met (koi koi to / yobaretaru ka na / uchûsen [Love-love and the calling of a spaceship])
  8. Tenchi Anniversary (ki ga tsukeba / anata ga zutto / soba ni ita)
  9. The Guardians of Old (ka no chikara / akumu hakobishi / chiga iseki)
  10. Ryoko's Big Date (kuchibiru ni / omoi wo takusu / RÛJU ka na [A thought entrusted on your lips - rouge, isn't it?])
  11. Moon Mission (shikararete / uchû e iede / MYA MYA MYA MYA MYA [Scolded space runaway, meow meow meow meow meow])
  12. Stupid Cupid (NISE OYAJI / RATIN no RIZUMU de / PAPA iyan [Fake father, Latin rhythm, no Dad!])
  13. The Eye of the Destroyer (gekitotsu no / tsuki to yamiyo to / inazuma to [The moon, the moonless night and a crash of lightning])
  14. Tokyo or Bust! (KAttobase / Okayama -> Tôkyô / musenryokô [Flying off the handle - hitchhiking from Okayama to Tokyo])
  15. Love Match (bunkasai / ai no hajimari / heiwa no owari [Culture festival - the beginning of love, the end of peace])
  16. Carnival! (sakura saru / hana no miyako no / koi moyô [Cherry blossoms fall, flower of the capital, love pattern])
  17. Drifting Away (hôkôi / uchû no anata ni / Ryôko tatsu [Wandering - Ryoko leaves to wander space])
  18. Game Over (hanareyuku / kokoro to kokoro / wakare no hi [The day of parting, the separation of hearts and minds])
  19. The Lonely Princess (tomo chire te / Aeka kokuhaku / todokamu omoi [The parting of friends, Ayeka's confession, an unfulfilled wish])
  20. Old Friends (shoku shirazu / MIHO KIYO, DOTABATA / sennyû sôsa [Knowing early summer, Mihoshi and Kiyone sneak noisily in to investigate])
  21. Real Friends? (semi shigure / kanashiki yûgi / yume no ato [An outburst of cicada chirps, sad after a dream of playing])
  22. Sakuya's Secret (hanare kite / kokoroshiki / omoi hito [Coming to leave, the thoughts of a lonely person])
  23. Here, There and Everywhere (natsu honbon / acchi kocchi de / kyû tenkai [Summer performance, here and there, a quick development])
  24. Yugi's Shadow (kagerô no / gotoki aruwa no / yumegatari [The account of a dream is like a hazy reality])
  25. The End of Time (hana chiramu / kimi sarishi ato / ...... [Scattering flowers, you're leaving me behind......])
  26. Payback (daidanen / datte watashi wa / otona da mon [The grand finale, but I am becoming an adult])

[edit] Trivia

  • In episode 9, a commercial plays after Ayeka's show was finished, with the caption reading, "Denchi muyo!" (No need for batteries!).
  • In episode 10, Pretty Sammy appears twice: she first appears on one of the photo booths, and on the karaoke monitor (alongside Pixy Misa, wearing the Magical Project S version of her costume).
  • In episode 22, Rio Kinezono and Yuji Naruo (from Burn Up W) have a cameo appearance, appearing as a dating couple witnessing Yugi's descent into Earth. Also, Photon (from the anime series Photon) appears in this episode.

[edit] External links

Tenchi Muyo! series

Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki series

Tenchi Universe series

Pretty Sammy series

Other series

Manga

  • No Need For Tenchi! (1994–2000)
  • The All-New Tenchi Muyo! (2000–2005)
Tenchi Muyo! characters
Main Characters
Tenchi | Ryoko | Ayeka | Sasami | Mihoshi | Washu | Kiyone | Ryo-Ohki | Noike
The Chousin
Washu | Tsunami | Tokimi
Villains
Kagato | Dr. Clay | Z | Yugi | Kain | Yuzuha | Haruna | Seiryo | Tarant | Yakage | Shima Brothers | Yume | Mikamo & Yataka | Garyu | Dark Washu
Masaki Family
Katsuhito | Nobuyuki | Achika | Tennyo | Airi | Rea
Guardians & Royalty of Jurai
Azaka & Kamidake | Azusa | Funaho | Misaki | Seto
Galaxy Police
Seina | Minami | Misao | Sabato
Pretty Sammy
Sasami Kawai | Pixy Misa | Ramia | Rumiya | Chief Pretty Sammy characters | Chief Magical Project S characters
Others
Nagi | Sakuya | Mayuka | Zero | Minagi | Hiwa | Asahi | Kazuma | Tama | Chief GXP characters
Miscellaneous
Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki | Tenchi Universe | Tenchi in Tokyo | Tenchi Muyo! GXP | Pretty Sammy | Sasami: Mahou Shoujo Club
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