This is gonna be a long post and I do apologize, but I’ve honestly been thinking a lot about this topic.
Tenchi cannot survive in this current animated environment.
A lot of my love for Tenchi comes from the characters and nostalgia, but a lot of aspects are bothersome.
As such, Tenchi needs an overhaul.
There is enough nostalgia and love for Tenchi for it to warrant a new series, a possibility of creating a new ending for a beloved movie, and talks of an OVA 4…
*shudder*
But the problem is that Tenchi will forever be known as a “harem show” when I feel it can be something a bit more relatable. What do I mean? Well, read this description:
A teenage boy with celestial origins on his deceased mother’s side lives with a bunch of alien women and struggles to control his own newfound defensive powers, adjust to the life he now has, and become a hero.
Sounds like Tenchi Muyo, right? Well I can think of another show airing right now that this can also apply for:
That’s right: Steven Universe.
Steven Universe, for those who are uninformed, follows Steven, a young teenager, who lives with the Crystal Gems, three otherworldly women who possess extraordinary abilities thanks to gems embedded in their bodies. Steven’s mother, Rose Quartz, was also a Crystal Gem who “left this world” in childbirth. As such, Steven is half human/ half Crystal Gem and has his own gem on his stomach. His ability is to create shields when focusing on his emotions.
Can you see the similarities in plot already?
Steven: Tenchi
Rose Quartz: Kiyone/Achika
Greg: Nobuyuki
Pearl: Ayeka
Garnet: Ryoko (to a point) and Washu
Amethyst: Mihoshi and Ryoko (to a point)
Lion: Ryo-Ohki
Gem Homeworld: Jurai
Steven Universe is a fantastic show that takes a few cues from Tenchi Muyo!. However, it succeeds where Tenchi is having difficulties. Why? Well there are certain differences in the shows approach to the premise that make it relatable to a modern audience.
Tenchi may be able to survive if it adapts to these differences, but not directly copies them.
The biggest difference has to do with the main character. Steven and Tenchi are both audience surrogates. They want adventure (sometimes in Tenchi’s case) but the show’s focus on them in two completely different lights. When we watch any given Tenchi show, most of the time Tenchi has nothing to do. He is there because he has to be, or to be used as a catalyst to get the ball rolling for the girls. This isn’t bad, per say, but we as an audience care for Tenchi less as a character and more as a means to further enjoy, say, Ryoko or Ayeka.
Steven, on the other hand, nearly always has something to do. He grows a little every episode. Even if the episode is focusing on a side character, like Greg, the framing always has Steven get involved. STEVEN moves the plot forward by getting himself involved in situations he does not understand, not by situations occurring around him. We care about him because we are just as interested in what is going on as he is!
This is what the Tenchi franchise needs: for Tenchi to do something! I know the joke is that there is “no need for Tenchi” in this series, but it’s time to retire the joke. Give him some motivation and faults. He needs to be more than just the good guy. Give him a goal and watch him try to achieve it. For added effect, make the goal something the girls are against to bring more humor to the forefront.
Hmm…this sounds familiar. I’ll think about that as I go on.
Now spicing up the formula was actually done rather recently in Ai Tenchi Muyo! In it, Tenchi took on the role of a student teacher. Okay, this is new and interesting! How will the girls react to this? What made Tenchi want to teach? What is his philosophy?
However, they ruined it by making nearly every one of his students have a crush on him. Add in humor like a focus on panties and you have yet another imperfect Tenchi series, albeit one that did all it could do in those conditions. But Ai reinforced the harem aspect yet again by focusing on girls (and I mean girls) who want Tenchi. This follows into my next point: romantic relationships as a whole.
Tenchi is all about relationships and how EVERYONE wants him to a certain extent. If we are to include Kajishima’s doujins, then even RYO-OHKI wants him!
If Tenchi is to survive, the love angle needs to be toned down considerably. I’m not saying keep the relationships out of it, but don’t have that be Ayeka and Ryoko’s main motivations. Give them something more. At least Ayeka initially was focused on her mission to find Yosho. Perhaps have her explore the Juraian influence that shaped early Earth, or give Ryoko a hobby, like drinking!
And for heaven’s sake: kill the family tree. Ayeka does not need to be related to Yosho beyond a Juraian link. Heck, if you want the original “Search for Yosho” angle, have her search for the greatest Juraian warrior to help stop the evil Kagato.
You know, like Star Wars, which OVA 1 draws a lot from.
This is where characters like Sasami and Washu thrive. The two are memorable for reasons beyond wanting Tenchi. Sasami likes to cook, so have episodes focusing on her cooking. The manga had side stories of her entering cooking competitions and baking cakes for a local shop. Those make us connect with the character. Washu, on the other hand, is probably the most rounded given her giant level of screen time in OVA 2. She may want Tenchi for…adult purposes, but she wants Tenchi to crack the Juraian power code. She wants him as a guinea pig. It adds to her character as a mad scientist. Universe focused several episodes on her new inventions, some led to humorous hijinks and other had deadly effects. That could make for some great episodes.
The characters need to be more than just strong women with strong personalities. These girls need to be flawed beyond “being snobby” or “clumsy.” The strongest two moments in OVA 2 were Sasami believing that she had died when she was fused with Tsunami and Washu’s heartbreaking reasoning why she keeps the form of a child. This shows us character depth.
Imagine more moments like that for the other characters.
Take Mihoshi. She is clumsy yet lucky. That is her charm. But what if behind her clumsiness and cheerful demeanor was a frustrated woman who hated always crashing her ship and causing accidents? We can still have the moments of humor, but her character will grow and it will cause the audience to sympathize with her more.
This also relates to Steven Universe.
The girls in Steven Universe are there as a family unit, not as a love interest. You would think that would be obvious given Steven’s age, but consider the fact that the Tenchi girls are literally several hundreds of years older than Tenchi and still want the kid. With Steven, it’s all about his dynamics with the Gems. He learns about his Gem powers through them and, by comparison, they learn about the humans who inhabit the world they call home. Hell, that’s how Steven was even born.
What I’m trying to say is play up Tenchi’s curiosity more. Have him be interested in learning about Jurai, not just be amazed when he sees a space tree. Let us see Washu enjoy the simplicity of the Earth’s technological advancements. Heck, have her meddle and have her invent things in the public sector. Imagine a Steve Jobs like CEO trying to stop the “mysterious” Japanese competition. It would give her a reason to want to get involved with Earth besides Tenchi. Explore Nobuyuki’s past with Achika/ Kiyone and see his struggles as a single parent.
The manga does a great job with a lot of these points. I’ve already mentioned how much time is spent getting to know the characters. In Volume 9 of No Need for Tenchi, Ryoko is given a major dilemma: is she attracted to Tenchi because of Tenchi or because of a figure from her past that looks like him? The gang goes on an adventure for her sake. We learn more about Ryoko and she is given actual character growth beyond “I love Tenchi!” Her purity of a character is questioned and she instantly becomes more well rounded. It is a great thing.
So with all of this said, what could we do? Well looking at the suggestions already mentioned, there are a few ways, but amazingly one of them has been done: changing the formula to give Tenchi something to do. I discussed Ai already, but the closest we have come to getting a fresh start was Tenchi in Tokyo.
Tenchi in Tokyo took the biggest risk and suffered for it, but it’s premise is exactly what the franchise needs. Tenchi is given a want: to learn to become a priest like his Grandfather so he could man the Masaki Shrine. How does he do it? He moves to Tokyo to go to school. Naturally, the girls are pissed.
That sounds like a great premise! So why didn’t Tenchi in Tokyo work?
Well remember, I have not watched the show since its time on Toonami, but even I knew that there were issues with it. What kind of issues? Well, let’s make a list (that I am sure to enjoy looking back at when I get to the show):
1) Sakuya: Remember how a complaint I have is that everyone seems to want Tenchi? Enter Sakuya, a NEW girl who ALSO wants Tenchi! Wow!
Of course, this was the last thing fans wanted and it didn’t help that Sakuya was literally there only to want Tenchi. That was the extent of her character (until the last episode or two. I do remember what happened to her, but after the first few episodes I completely black out). You know what could have made her interesting: have her be like a cool older sister type who specifically DIDN’T want Tenchi. Tenchi could have confided in her and the two could have been actual friends. But no, she was more harem bait.
2) The animation: The animation for Tenchi in Tokyo was atrocious. I am all for switching up animation styles, but it was crap.
3) The Monster of the Week formula: Now I don’t know if this aspect was toned down as the show went on, but the early episodes of Tokyo followed a specific formula: Tenchi does something, the villain creates a monster designed to pester Tenchi, and it’s up to the cast to stop it.
It…it isn’t what you think of when you think of Tenchi, is it?
Now I have to applaud the show for attempting to shake up the established franchise while attempting to remain true to the roots. I truly believe that if more time was spent on crafting a tighter story and better animation we could have had a great show.
Instead we got a jumbled mess that couldn’t decide what it wanted to be. Was it a sequel to Universe? Was it its own continuity? What is the villain’s motivations? What are Sakuya’s motivations? What kind of tone is the show going to establish? Is it serious? It it humorous?
All of these things doomed the show and, as such, nearly all attempts to keep the franchise new. We either had the Okuda canon for a few more years or the Kajishima canon, all of which focus on the same premise.
Another thing that needs to be done is giving ALL of the characters enough things to do. Tell me, when has Nobuyuki been important to the story? The movie and the last episode of OVA 3. He’s Tenchi’s father and the breadwinner. Why don’t we see things from his perspective? How does he feel with his house being moved? How does he feel about Tenchi’s life choices. The biggest sin of OVA 3 (among many things) was not showing ANY development between Nobuyuki and Rhea. It was all informed. Hell, we get one episode of Universe to deal with the loss of Achika. The man seriously deserves some respect.
Now beyond just changing up the formula, Tenchi needs to start fresh and new, like this topic suggests. How can one start a new continuity? I see one of two ways:
1) Wipe the slate clean and start fresh ala Universe. Keep the core of the characters, but bring them into today’s world. I love the idea of exploring Ryoko’s past as a pirate. Use stuff like that to bring depth to the characters. Show, don’t tell.
2) Use a new character to be introduced into a pre established world. Think of Ai but without the sexual undertones. Have one of Tenchi’s classmates come over for dinner on a day that, say, Nagi attacks and is forcibly brought into Tenchi’s world. This could be dangerous, but it could be refreshing.
All in all, the potential is there. Tenchi is a sandbox waiting to be played with. Do something interesting. Have it turn out Kagato was trying to stop Washu and make her the secret villain. Force Katsuhito to confront a person from his past. Bring Ryoko to Earth court for destruction of property and watch Nobuyuki deal with the stress. Give Sasami a friend her age. Show Ayeka rule from Earth. Have Mihoshi adopt a puppy. Kiyone can be the big sister type to Tenchi since she is the only one who isn’t madly in love with him. Remember that Azaka and Kamidake exist.
Heck, if a Tenchi show can dedicate an episode to butt wrestling and three episodes to Sasami’s period, they’ve got nowhere to go but up.
