Discussion: Episodes 36-40

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Episode 37 is now subtitled and available![/url][/size]

*We apologize for the out-of-order upload for this episode. We were out at Chibi Pa Festival all weekend and were unable to upload episodes 33 through 36 on their respective days. We will be uploading them all shortly.

Episode 37:

So Tenchi fucked up on “saving” Beni and little Momo. Washu pulled him out just in time before he got swallowed by the void. There’s a missing piece to the puzzle, one that Washu’s gonna have to chew over while she sends Tenchi and the girls on a mission to gather the two who got mixed up in all of this. Loved the banter between Ryoko and Ayeka, Ryoko showing favor towards brashly getting the mission over with while Ayeka berates her for being so brutish.

Kinda makes you wonder what Ayeka will have to say when she discovers where exactly Momo and Beni are from Jurai. Washu may have just left that little detail out in the briefing.

I’m just happy we get some Washu time! soawesome1

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Episode 36 is now subtitled and available![/url][/size]

*We apologize for the out-of-order upload for this episode. We were out at Chibi Pa Festival all weekend and were unable to upload episodes 33 through 36 on their respective days. We will be uploading them all shortly.

Episode 36:

A fun little episode, the girls having a good time with Sasami’s cookout. I got a giggle out of Touri’s worship of Sasami, Ryoko constantly having the meat she desires being ripped from her grasp (a feeling she’s no doubt used to by now), and everyone’s empty stomachs bringing them together. Momo’s plan is finally starting to take shape, all it took was some damn fine cooking. Inching the plot forward just a little bit while providing a bit of comedy. Hopefully we’ll have the previous few episodes up tomorrow so you all can see how that roof got messed up~

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Episode 39 is now subtitled and available![/url][/size]

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Now, Yuki’s gotten into the phone device proper. If the student council doesn’t ruin the day early next week, I suspect there could be some very interesting insight coming up. Especially with Mihoshi’s rambling on about the “creator” of the world. If Yuki and Rui find out about what Mihoshi’s really up to, the creator will disappear? Sounds like Washu’s got more going on here than she’s let on. Or she just fed Mihoshi some silly information to make her feel more important and get her out of the house.

Kinda weird that Momo’s protector, is on the enemy Student Council team, that is opposing the Science Club, that Washu herself is supporting. Doesn’t Washu know the meaning of teamwork? (Or is there something more to that. I wonder.

And I wonder why suddenly, we haven’t heard or seen of Ryo-ohki, up until now. Remember that Energy wavelengths from the Gems and Jurai Trees are the same, so I wonder what the treasure is there too, suddenly. mmmm1

Secondly, I’m pretty sure Tenchi borrowed that phone from Washu, so that ‘loli’ moment would be trolling 1300 years in the making on Washu’s behalf.

Finally, I want to talk about what Mihoshi mentioned about the “world’s creator”; I previously theorized that Ukan would be behind the huge rifts from the feudal episodes, so it wouldn’t surprise me if she did indeed create this world. Don’t forget this sort of thing happened in Tenchi Forever the movie.

With the student council raging an assault on the Science club (again aquateencarl1 ), it’s only a matter of time before Tenchi tries to step in the middle and explain everything. by that point, it’ll be interesting to see how everyone reacts. Best case scenario, the council will lend a hand in getting this “treasure”… if it does exist.

With a whole month of episodes coming soon, it’s all hands on deck on what we can expect. come January time, I expect to hear this show get some merchandising out. I mean, come on AIC. “I have money, I want to give it you.”

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Episode 40 is now subtitled and available!

Episode 40:

Another recap, Momo commenting on how much she enjoyed that barbeque. Small glimpses of her personality again, though it did bring up an interesting point. The school’s traditions have been around for quite some time, with the battle between students descending from the need to prepare for a war between demons and humans. In one of the previous “feudal” era episodes, Tenchi is told about the legend of demons in the mountains. They eventually did find Ryoko in the forest in that era. Who may they find underground?

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Super Cut of Episodes 36-40 are now available![/url][/size]

Good thing he hasn’t had to do any TEACHING yet! mmhmm1 (Just sayin’.)

After watching episode 39, the creators of the series should have focus a little bit more on the Feudal Japan timeline. The Feudal Japan timeline happens to take place before Yosho’s arrival on Earth. By exploring the timeline a little bit more, the series would make a little more sense.

The absence of Ryo-Ohki needs to be explain. Ryo-Ohki is a very important character in Ryo-Ohki, Universe, and Tenchi in Tokyo. Episode 39 may give us a vital clue to what had happen to Ryo-Ohki. Strangely, I notice that the series is getting a little more serious. As the series reaches the end, let’s hope that it reflects how the first three Tenchi series progress. As the first three come near the end, they become a little more serious..

woooo1 kain2-1

At first I, and I think a few others here assumed cave-digger Mihoshi was the same Mihoshi from the Feudal Era who, like Beni and Momo, would up at Junai after getting sucked into the wormhole. But she seems to recognize them, so I guess this really is “their” Mihoshi and Washu must have sent her at some point before or after she sent the rest of the gang?

We finally know that Washu is behind the actions of the science club, which opens things up to a lot of possibilities plot-wise.

Also, I love her Eva/2001 communication monolith. That gave me a good laugh.

The reappearance of Tenchi’s smartphone was a big surprise, although I do find it odd that none of the science club members seemed to recognize the crab-symbol on the start-up/loading screens, when it’s plastered right on the front of their monolith. Or why they don’t immediately question why this “ancient” phone belongs to Tenchi. They just make a “Tenchi is a lolicon” joke upon seeing the wallpaper, but otherwise it doesn’t seem to phase them even after Tenchi brings up the beach trip himself. Rui even says “Masaki-Sensei from 1300 years ago…” as a lead-in to the joke, but does anyone stop and think “Hang on. Why does this 1300-year-old phone seemingly belong to Tenchi…?”

No, they don’t. aquateencarl1

But perhaps this will be addressed in the next few episodes.

I did appreciate the subtle Ryo-Ohki reference in the password. But where is the little bugger!?

EDIT:

I’ve now finished the week out with Ep.40

Momo’s narration had more potentially important and perhaps plot-related information that usual. A school legend about a human vs. demon war that the recent school activities are typically symbolically (but in this case, literally?) in preparation for? That can’t be coincidence.

That, along with Mihoshi’s earlier comments about the “creator” are two very big, suspicious question marks that will hopefully be answered soon.

With the central plot really ratcheting up, Episode 36 was a nice moment of solidarity for the cast as a whole. Not only are the Student Council and Science Club sitting down to dinner together, but also the core members of the Masaki household are leading the cooking. Seeing all the personalities mixing and interacting in a safe setting was a good image before what happens the next two weeks. In watching anime, I find this kind of episode usually foreboding. Usually, a very happy image like this one is just like finding a room full of ammo in an FPS. The next room inevitably has a hard boss to fight. This episode of Ai Tenchi was just that. gendo1

Episode 37 follows Episode 33, showing Washu recover Tenchi from the rift and prepare to dispatch most of the Masaki household to Junai Academy in some capacity. This effectively shoots down the dark theory devised by Wwwwhhhhoooo and myself during Chibi Pa. blush1 I laughed when I saw the “universal reset button”. Where have I seen that trope used before? qt1 However, note that Washu does not know why the reset failed. Again, Washu is not a god here. She is not all knowing, despite her claims to the contrary. What else could be in play? Or, more precisely, who else?

However, here’s another point of fact. Washu states that the “original girl was disseminated”. Presumably, this means that like in the Time-and-Space Adventures, Momo was shattered between multiple universes, cropping back up at Junai Academy. Since Momo was a child when this happened, might this explain Momo’s nearly crippling naivety and endless optimism? While her body is that of a teenager, her mind is still that of a child?

Episodes 38 and 39 begin preparing for a throwdown between the Student Council and Science Club. The series reveals that Washu has been behind the Science Club’s actions in recovering the “treasure”. Of course, I loved her use of a Seele-like monolith to communicate with Yuki and Rui. Interestingly, she comments one the “exiled one” she sent to help the two students. The camera pans over Mihoshi, still busily digging in the excavation site. Mihoshi, what did you do now? Kiyofacepalm1

Meanwhile, Beni stands off to the side, listening. Since her central goal has been the treasure all along, she chooses to get more aid, namely Tenchi and company. Swallowing her fierce pride, she humbles herself, particularly given all her recent actions. I think that is a character-building moment for her, to admit she needs her “teacher’s” help.

Elsewhere, Ukan is pissed that Tenchi has joined with the Science Club, and she incites Hana and Hachiko to action. Those two drag Momo and Tori into an assault on the club’s dig site. Again, at this moment, it seems that Ukan is pulling strings, which makes me wonder what her endgame here is.

Within the excavation, Tenchi and company encounter Mihoshi, who explains her involvement. She was assigned to investigate the “creator of this world”, presumably this “alternate” world as evidenced by meddling in spacetime. However, she says she just enjoys digging for treasure, and requests that no one tell what she’s doing. Mihoshi, you little sneak. Kiyofacepalm1 Presumably, Washu sent her here separately from Tenchi and the others, as the “exiled one” mentioned above.

However, this begs a major question. Why is Washu bothering with cloak-and-dagger games? Washu sent Tenchi to the feudal era to save Momo and Beni, and later sent most of the household to Junai Academy for the same purpose. If Washu also sent Mihoshi, why keep Tenchi and the others ignorant of her presence? Moreover, since Washu has been behind the Science Club’s actions, why not tell Tenchi so they could join forces early on? Washu can be a little imp, but she has always had a (semi-)rational scheme for her actions. What hasn’t she told us yet? butts1

Then, Yuki produces Tenchi’s cell phone, lost in the feudal era. Dating puts the device at 1300 years old, meaning that this timeline is the future of the feudal era scenes, or at least a possible future from that point in time. One could go into a discussion of past and future time cones, but I’ll save that for another thread. Tenchismile Naturally, the wallpaper incited several glaring looks at Tenchi. tenchiahhhhhh

Sheesh, some teacher Tenchi is, if he can’t even get the Kanji corrections right.

I know this is late, but looking back on ep 39 and the phone background, is it a reference to gxp ep 14? The swimsuit that Sasami wears is almost similar to Neige’s swimsuit. Although there are a lot of loli characters that wear that kind of swimsuit, but this is just my thoughts. It would be nice if it was really a reference.