Tenchi Muyo! in Love

Tenchi Muyo! was never an anime I had pegged down as being able to comfortably make the transition from the standard 23-minute episode structure to a feature-length movie, yet I stand here corrected; ‘Tenchi Muyo In Love’ was a really enjoyable treat which managed to hold my undivided attention from start to finish.

With hindsight, I was perhaps a little concerned that this movie would attempt to match up the series’ trademark playful humour with a throw away ‘villain of the week’ type situation, i.e. nothing too deep and ultimately, something just for the fans.
And indeed, on its surface, ‘Tenchi Muyo In Love’ perfectly follows this cliché movie formula; but where as other anime franchises would be happy to let the story slide and rather not challenge their fans, this movie ambitiously builds up the story with several layers of heavy drama and personal angst, so much so that when we do eventually reach the climatic finale, you can feel a real sense of deep emotion running through the action.
Balance this out with the outstandingly funny banter between Ryoko and Ayeka and you will find a fantastic little movie that as enthralling as it is engaging.

Tenchi Muyo In Love kicks off with the monstrous space criminal Kain escaping from a maximum security prison and proceeding to destroy the galaxy police headquarters. Fearful that the Jurai will attempt to stop him again (the Jurai were the ones responsible for throwing him in to jail in the first place), Kain travels back in time to the year of 1970 in order to ‘terminate’ Tenchi’s powerful mother (Achika).

Suffice to say, it’s now down to Tenchi and the gang to travel back in time and save Achika before Tenchi slowly fades from existence.

If you keep in mind that Tenchi’s mother died when he was just a young child, I’m sure you can imagine the kind of angst that underpins a lot of this movie. Compounding his problem is the fact that due to ‘time travelling paradoxes’, Tenchi is unable to speak with his young mother- instead forced to just gazie at her from the shadows and ready to jump to her rescue at any given moment. This whole situation is really quite sad and lends the previously emotionally bereft Tenchi Muyo! some strong (and really quite memorable) sentiment.

Every good action movie needs an excellent villain, and I formally submit that Kain is one of the coolest looking anime bad guys I have seen for a long time. Looking much like a cross between the Grim Reaper and some weird futuristic cyborg, Kain quickly becomes someone to be feared.

Of course, the movie also features the classic larger-than-life personalities which have made the long running Tenchi franchise what it is today. As mentioned above, Ayeka and Ryoko are at their scathing top form, whilst many of the other supporting characters (like Washu and Sasami) each get their own moments to shine too.
Having been slightly concerned that these personalities could become over-bearing and a little too distracting within the frame work of a movie, their sharp banter ends up becoming a great release from the growing tension surrounding Tenchi’s sad situation.

In Summary
This is Tenchi Muyo! on top form; a movie that is armed with the trademark sharp wit of the series but also not afraid to take chances on the established characters and help them to develop a more mature, effortlessly tragic side.
While you should probably be familiar with the Tenchi Muyo! series before checking this out, I can’t help but praise Tenchi Muyo In Love as a thoroughly impressive piece of entertainment that surpassed my expectations in almost every way.

Artistic quality is not something I have come to expect from Tenchi Muyo, but this movie just goes to show that even a little ambition can go a long way.