Tenchi Muyô! In Love

My wife never had any experience with anime before she was with me; over the years I've sent her scurrying out of the room with much of what I watch... Tenchi Muyo In Love, though, kept her interest piqued.

The animation: beautiful; the usual Tenchi OVAs and TV-series are great, but the movie is a real knock-out. Unlike the big-budget anime movies of late (and Disney films) the scenes have a consistent level of quality. There aren't nine scenes of good animation, and one scene of mind-blowing 3D computer-generated/cel combo stuff... all of the scenes are great quality, with little to cause distraction.

The storyline: good. It draws somewhat upon knowledge of previous events in the Tenchi realm, but is accessible for novices. I would have preferred the story to stick with the emotional aspect- as exciting as a big demon fight is, the characters are even more so... but then again, I guess that's why companies make stuff like Kimagure Orange Road or Maison Ikkoku.

The translation: good. Unlike how I prefer most of my anime, I'm both used to and accepting of the English translation job done by Pioneer. They're the voices I first heard when watching Tenchi, and they settle okay with me. (My wife can't stand Sasami's English voice, however.) I don't feel like I'm either missing parts of the original dialogue, nor do I feel like the story is too Americanized. If I were used to the Japanese version, my feelings might vary- but I have access to both versions, and the English one usually wins out.

The storyline is good... Tenchi as a whole is not supposed to be unique, but a comfortable, fun ride. It delivers entertainment in droves, and the characters are so well-rounded that it's hard not to come away without feeling affected, despite feeling like you've just watched a mish-mash of SF cliches. Rather than the tour-de-force movies like Akira or Ghost in the Shell, this is the movie I'd probably show new-comers- "This is what Japanese animation can be like." When they're more willing to work at comprehending a story, then move on...

The storyline is a little lacking, but it is interesting none the less.

Where this movies really shines is in the music. The music is absolutely fantastic. It just fits so well with the movie. Most of the music is pleasant and flowing, and isn't harsh, but simply sits in the background, moving the storyline along. What's more: You can buy the soundtrack and sit there, listening to it, and see about half the movie in your head, just because the music is so good at pulling the images out of your brain.

Christopher Franke really is a sonic painter.

As an Anime fan to begin with, this movie is a delight. As a Tenchi Fan, it is a joy to behold. The addition of Christopher Franke's (Tangerine Dream, Babylon 5, Raven, M.A.N.T.I.S.)music is icing on the cake.

But, for non-Tenchi fans, or those new to this story , or Manga, a little introduction is needed. Even that is difficult for the stories have been reworked at least three different ways in different productions.

Basically the whole series revolves around Tenchi Masaki, a young man living in a rural province of Japan outside of Tokyo with his widowed father, an architect, and his grandfather, a shrine caretaker. But, his life is not as un-complicated as it seems, for his grandfather is a several hundred year old reigning prince of an extraterrestrial empire known as the House of Jurai, as his late mother was a princess to the same galactic domain. So his lineage has made him the target of both the scum of the universe, as well as an odd collection of women in his household: a 700 year old space pirate called Ryoko, who is also a stunningly lovely woman with a short fuse and super-powers, Ayeka, ruling princess of the House of Jurai and his grandfather's half sister (her mother pure blood Jurain, his mother human), her younger sister Sasami (who is psychically merged with a living all-powerful starship called Tsunami), Washuu, the exiled super-genius and professor of a galactic science academy (her inventions were a little destructive for the faculty, or the universe, to handle), Myhoshi, a ditzy member of the Galaxy Police force, Kiyone, her oft put-upon partner, and Ryo-oki, a cabbit (half cat, half rabbit), a creation of Washuu's which itself can transform into a living space ship.

Now, with that out of the way, this adventure pits Tenchi against a powerful master criminal called Kain, imprisoned by the Jurain Empire who escapes from Galaxy Police's temporal prison and travels back in time to take revenge by murdering Tenchi's mother, thereby destroying him in the present, as well as decimating the Royal House of Jurai. It is up to Tenchi and the ladies (all of whom have a love interest in Tenchi, to varying degrees), using Washuu's super science, to travel back in time to save Tenchi's mother when she was still Tenchi's age.

What follows is an adventurous, funny and often touching story as Tenchi meets the mother he never knew, fights for her life and his, as well as juggle the love and affection of the ladies (especially Ryoko, who is deeply in love with him and Ayeka, who desires him as a mate of royal lineage).

The film is a joy, as are the two sequels, which give a new and great creative take on the popular television and video series.

I waited to see this movie for two years, and had almost given up hope... But it was more than worth the wait. The central storyline is quite tightly scripted, though using a few too many (and now inaccurate) time-travel cliches and occasionally tripping over itself with continuity. It's presented with a visual style that ranges from pulp SF to classical Japanese, and with character designs that are among the best ever used in a Japanese film. Christopher Franke's wonderful soundtrack alternates between dramatic, soft, and tearjerking. The excellently-cast voice acting is indicative of what Pioneer does best, with particular kudos to Grace Zandarski, whose voice does so much to emphasise her character's loveliness. The script, however, does have numerous problems, and tends to over-rely on certain characters arguing, which does get ludicrous after a while. Still, despite its flaws, this is a spectacular film.

Tenchi Muyo! In Love adds fills a lot of holes in the original Tenchi story, cleverly adding some of the history of the Masaki family into the film as part of the main plot. In TMIL Tenchi's mother Achika is disappearing from the past, consequently dragging Tenchi out of the real world. Soon enough Washu convinces Tenchi and the girls to travel into the past to find the man trying to kill Achika. So, the film takes you into the past to Achika's life - and the thrilling hunt for her stalker. The plot has a few twists and turns, but a healthy amount of them so as it doesn't turn the film itself into an enigma that leaves you behind. Instead you are drawn even more into the mystery, and the closer you are to the end you wonder more how many more ways it could come to an end. Generally Tenchi has it's problems balancing comedy and serious story line - however TMIL will never leave you lost or confused. It's not like Tenchi in Tokyo where randomness ensues one episode after the next. TMIL is highly tolerable, consistent, and not sickeningly corny or unrealistic - leaving aside the whole idea of the magic of the Jurian family and sci-fi material. TMIL is a perfect mix of action, suspense and it's deep and fascinating enough to get you into the film and interested early on. It flows better than any of the other Tenchi films and even the 3 original series. You will not be disappointed, the film is well worth your time whether you're a Tenchi fan or not.