Discussion: Episodes 16-20

Regarding the images seen on the Ai Tenchi plot page:

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It’s a long shot, being that the design of the choker is so different and her hair is black instead of teal. I’m going to say that it isn’t Kiyone, but could just be a callback to her Pretty Sammy iteration. Whoever it is, we haven’t seen them before and they appear to be a big enough deal to get an image dedicated to them. Perhaps even another character analog to the Monotaro legend? There’s only so much material to pull from there.

Follow that to the T and we’ll be fine. There are things some people don’t want spoiled for them but we still want to allow for discussion for those that do wish to peek ahead.

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Episode 16 is now subtitled and available!

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Back in the USSR feudal-esque timeline, Ryoko and Mihoshi get into it as one would expect an officer of the Galaxy Police and a legendary Space Pirate would. Unfortunately, whatever that rift is managed to suck both of them up into it. Perhaps that’s Washu’s way of collecting everyone who accidentally got scattered around in the different timelines? Seemed hilariously convenient that it would show up just long enough to slurp the two of them up like noodles.

Interestingly, Momo’s got her hands on the Tenchi-ken in this timeline. One wonders what a little girl like her would be doing with such a devastating weapon, or the strange powers she used to deflect Ryoko during the battle. The party has stumbled across the impact of the meteor that killed the dinosaurs, but no signs of Momo’s crashed ship. Towards the end, we get a little look at where at least part of the crew went. Beni Lugosi’s dead? Not quite!

Really loved the fight sequence in this episode. This timeline much more closely resembles the original Momotaro legend compared to the school timeline which takes liberties with the setting and overall plot elements. Makes you wonder how it will eventually combine with the regular timeline?

My running theory here is still that these two are alternate versions of the Ryoko and Mihoshi from the Universe continuity. Imagine, if you will, the rift taking the two of them out of “Universe Beta” (as opposed to “Universe Prime”, the actual continuity) before Ryo-Ohki crashes on Earth in Universe episode 1, perhaps crashing them both on this feudal Earth. Neither would know Tenchi, Ryoko would be ruthless, Mihoshi would still be bumbling. However, she seems far more competent here than she did in Universe. blush1 That too sets her apart from her “Universe Prime” counterpart.

Nil could be right about Washu pulling these two out and putting them back where they belong, though it could still be possible that the rift remains unstable. In which case, “Universe Beta” Ryoko and Mihoshi just got tossed into another variant reality. wth2 Then again, Washu might do that for giggles too. qt1

To the device in Momo’s hands, I do not think that it is Tenchiken, or at least not the one we all know. Notice that the guard is pink, rather than violet as in every other continuity, as well as its recent appearances in episodes 9 and 11-13. However, is it a variant of Tenchiken, just as Ryoko and Mihoshi were? I think it might be. gendo1

I had a thought between viewings of this episode. What if Momo is an alternate version of Tenchi, or perhaps Ayeka, or both? Say she was supposed to be given away for some political reason, but ran with her loyal guard (Beni) at her side?

This is all speculation at this point, but who knows? Tenchismile It is curious that Tenchi does not notice the device in Momo’s hands. I thought for a moment that perhaps he lent her Tenchiken just to give her a “security blanket” of sorts. However, the coloration and how she talks about it (i.e. “it’s supposed to let us see very far”) seems to the contrary, as well as common sense. Why lend a child a potential weapon, particularly if she is known to have some kind of power? wtfisthis1

As far as the crater and Beni are concerned, they seem both self-explanatory, at least until the next feudal era episode. gendo1

…is just another one of the alternate universes created in Episode 11 of Universe? And what if I then told you that it was none other than Tenchi-sensei’s ideal universe???

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For reals though, these “crazy” theories are fun, and Ai has given me little reason to doubt that the truth of the matter may end up being quite unusual indeed.

I concur with Pii’s theory with regards to how much Washu is in control of things: she always gives off the vibe that she’s completely in control of everything she’s meddling with (true to form, as a scientist). Yet there are always variables, unseen factors, and of course things simply outside of the realm of at-the-moment knowledge…even for the great Washu (I’m thinking of Beni surviving…Washu saying “oh, I guess she died” sounds more like Washu assuming based on lack of signs of life versus somehow divining the answer).

On a similar track, and of course due to it being reference by the show and discussed here, my thoughts move towards how Washu “cleaned up” the last big mess involving multiple timelines/dimensions: “Time and Space Adventures” of Universe. In those three episodes, Washu’s approach was systematic, fixing each problem one by one.

Connecting this to the recently-aired Episode 16, though the exact origin of these rifts, and the extent of Washu’s control over them, is currently unknown, the fact that a rift opens up juuuust long enough at juuuust the right moment to scoop up Ryoko and Mihoshi–and no one else–leads me to believe that this particular occurrence was no accident: it looked like Washu “cleaning up” her mess.

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Episode 17:

Sparks are flying and somebody’s gonna be dying! Loved the little maid cafe setup in the school, pushing the old girls towards the new. Ayeka’s handing of the tab over to an enraged Yuki reminded me of the bar episode in Tenchi Universe with Nagi and her tab. Seeing Ryoko in the bouncer outfit was probably my favorite part of the episode though, the way she just lurches over and “takes care of business”. She should sport that getup more often!

And then there’s Washu, acting as cupid… or Dr. Drew on Loveline before this is all said and done. She’s got some sort of plan in action, otherwise I doubt she’d risk leaving her lab. Going to be veeeeeeeery interesting going forward.

There were so many fun moments in this episode, it’s hard to single any out: fade in to credits roll, this episode was fantastic. Looking at this episode in particular and looking back at the whole series thus far, the number of interesting characters and factions, along with all the callbacks and high jinks intertwined in a compelling overarching narrative…all of this blending of old and new in such a short span of time to boot…in short, Negishi’s really demonstrated why he’s the one in the director’s chair. He’s showed us his moves, that he’s still “got it” and he does not disappoint.

If you can’t enjoy Ai Tenchi Muyo! then God help you, because for a short spin-off that simultaneously reboots a classic franchise and brings it into modernity while making it fun again after being stuck in the mire, it doesn’t get better than this.

Meanwhile, in the hallway, we apparently get that Tenchi was carrying festival decorations out of the “Temple of Storage” last week. However, I get this sense that people are nudging Tenchi and Momo together. Hana and Tori step aside to munch on festival goodies while Hachiko leaves to help with stage decorations. Then, Washu of all people happens by and pushes Momo into Tenchi. Washu, what’s your scheme? butts1

Although, I bet she is just messing with him. blush1 “Romantic” contact between a teacher and student is quite taboo universally. Having been a professor herself, she likely knows this and might be getting him in trouble for fun. Yet, on the other side of matters, it is possible that she is nudging Tenchi and Momo together for some other reason. While we might think that this school universe is the “main” universe of the series, this could still be a splinter universe from the rift seen in the feudal episodes. This is a wild theory, but it could be that feudal Tenchi and Momo are later drawn into the rift and deposited in another universe, i.e. the school universe, and somehow forget what has happened. Depending on how many years had passed, Tenchi could have aged and gone to teaching while Momo became a teenager. Hence, Washu is trying to jog their memory, or some such. Again, this is not a fully developed theory. Kiyofacepalm1 I did chuckle at Ukan reprimanding her protege. blush1

Oh, and I think Ryoko’s gonna have… words with someone soon. sakuyafinger1 Did see that coming at all, did you? tuxedodouche

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Episode 18 is now subtitled and available!

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Another fun episode today! Beni and Ryoko clashing like bulls locked at the horns, Rui and Yuki scrubbing plates clean to work their way out of their rather large bill, and Hachiko confronted with Tenchi during the crucial moments of a romantic Shakespearean play. I always knew I liked Hachiko the most out of the new girls, but she’s a thespian as well? Sorry other new girls, you’ve got nothin on Hachiko~

The Goriki robot from the Temple of Storage reappears, spooking Tenchi into hugging Momo, to protect her no doubt. qt1 I did find it rather humorous that it was designed to lift an egg carefully. Who builds a super robot for that? wth2 Perhaps this is just a presentation of its precision, rather than its other abilities, which Tenchi saw last week. Still, its reaction to Tenchi cracking all of its precious eggs was nice. kiyonesmile1 See you in the next time zone, Tenchi.

However, the big draw of this episode has to be the arm-wrestling match between Ryoko and Beni. Many have been waiting for a throwdown between one of the Masaki residents and one of Tenchi’s students, and we finally get it. iloveit1 As much as I would love Tenchi getting beaten by his student, Ryoko’s utter irony of “defending” him while disregarding him herself was delicious. gendo1 Okuda’s writing did that a lot, usually by having Tenchi complain that he was the “main character”. Nevertheless, amber eye to amber eye, the two women go at it, pushing each other to the limit. Good times. soawesome1

However, Ryoko makes an apt observation. As a space pirate, she is not exactly weak, and yet, Beni is holding her own the whole time. So, is Beni human (i.e. Terran, from Earth, etc.)? If this universe is tied directly to the feudal era events, that answer is probably “no”. Even then, who is she? Where does she come from? Who are her people? These are the things I must know. gendo1

Elsewhere, Tenchi lands in a coffin, somewhat appropriate with Halloween coming up. blush1 And, Hachiko must… oh… oh my. wth2 Tune in tomorrow to see who’s going to save Tenchi’s career! mmhmm1

Also, did anyone catch Touri sitting in the audience at the play eating Sasami snacks? You know, just like she said she wanted to do in Episode 17? 😆

I’m also curious: who was supposed to be the princess in the coffin? It was empty when Tenchi landed in it, right? Anyway, next episode should be good!

*But, you know, for real real, my girl The Devil Caller better not lose to the rookie!

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Episode 19 is now subtitled and available!

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So with Tenchi going full Makoto Mizuhara, some hijinx are sure to come next week. I imagine we’ll be getting some callbacks to Universe’s bikini contest episode. Dare I say we’ll see Nagi show up to take first place again? Also glad to see the Guardians show up today. We haven’t seen anything relating to them up to this point, so #TeamRyoOhki can still hold out hope!

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Can we please have these two perform a Meatloaf Duet or something?

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Admittedly, Tenchi is getting unfairly punished since he did not actually kiss Haciko. blush1 However, throwing back to Universe episode 21 does not disappoint me in the least. http://i1345.photobucket.com/albums/p661/evilpii/Forum/Smilies/sagami1_zps1dc517a9.png" /> If Ai episode 21 does end up being throwback to Universe episode 20 as Nil has theorized, I will be highly impressed. soawesome1 While I doubt my lady Nagi will appear, it would be funny to see Tenchi win the prize as the “newcomer”. http://i1345.photobucket.com/albums/p661/evilpii/Forum/Smilies/nagi3_zps5f45015a.png" /> Also, I currently have Matt Miller’s “Tenko” voice stuck in my head thinking about this whole endeavour. blush1

All around, this episode was more fun. I’ll enjoy watching the supercut tomorrow. Tenchismile

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Episode 20 is now subtitled and available!

Episode 20:

Recap #4, nothing too special. Momo’s giving a breakdown of how everything went at the festival so far and comments on how she felt spending so much time with Tenchi. She’s got it bad, bad, bad… she’s hot for Sensei. She just doesn’t quite know it yet. Though that comes to no surprise, look at who we’re talking about here.

Super Cut will be live as soon as we can get it ready.

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Super Cut of 16-20 is now available![/url][/size]

What awaits us next week? woooo1