Quick & Random Tenchi-Related Questions

You mean how they blew it halfway up? 😆 Indeed, it appeared extensive (as did the Seto bridge being sliced in two). But in order to perservere the momentum of the plot, these details were largely overlooked, & for the better imo (I don’t want to hear in extensive detail how the Seto bridge being destroyed affected Japanese economy within the context of the show, nor do I need to; a quick news cap the following morning suffices).

On that note (since ova3 has been a while for me) didn’t they reference the fact that the school had undergone massive damage in ova3? Can’t remember atm.

I believe so. In many other, subtle ways, we see–particularly in the ova series–a meshing of the ancient religious and spiritual elements of Japanese culture with fantastic, alien/sci-fi elements that constitutes the backbone of the premise. In my rediscovering of Tenchi Muyo! more recently, I’ve found Kajishima’s strategy of utilizing history, legend, religion and culture in his work fascinating, and applaud his brilliance at being able to pull it off so well to create a masterpiece of fiction I’ll remember my whole life.

(I think it’s a cool idea. It’s like the ‘Ancient Aliens’ concept before the wacky, conspiracist-nurturing program on History Channel existed) 🙄

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I like TLF’s explanation for how Kagato wound up with Washu (like, “with” Washu in their version) & likely how he trapped her. He didn’t outsmart her, he used his sex appeal 😯 😆

But back on topic, those would be interesting as well, Lighthawk93. But with works of fiction, there’s always going to be some things left to the imagination (plus sometimes it’s more convenient for the author)

Also, special thanks ANB for the thorough answer to my original question. Not that I’m unsatisfied with the response, but just for entertainment’s sake: if that’s where the cat part of Ryo-Ohki being a cabbit came from, then where doth the rabbit part come from?

Good point. In those instances, I would say she followed him around & observed his routine during the 17 odd years he’s been alive prior to Ryoko being released. & by “followed” I mean using her astral projection, which we see alluded to in a flashback in ep 5 (ova)

(Good “random” questions)

Yeah, well I’m sure Tenchi at some point wondered “How did she know my name?” but all things considered, he was dealing with a whole mess of other stressful details and mental strains to sort through at the time (why is there a demon chasing me? How will I get out of this alive? Why is the demon sexy? Am I secretly enjoying this? etc.) 😆

For the latter, think JG gave a great answer:

It was a stasis/prison… if memory serves she was pretty much “dehydrated” from her energy and outside sources after Yosho took her last gem.

She could float around after a very long time in her astral form because she collected a little energy, but not do anything else. Tenchi had to break the seal.

I think the short answer here is she wasn’t kept at bay primarily by being physically contained as much as it was the fact Yosho somehow–whether it was entirely by removing the three gems or not, but likely imo–drained her of her strength/energy/life. Being imprisoned by the seal, she literally didn’t have the strength to free herself.

However, as mentioned, she had been slowly collecting energy during this time (700 years, not much else to do) and forming her own “pseudo-gems” to replace the ones she had lost (these of course were imperfect imitations, but powerful nonetheless). Thus, by the time Tenchi freed her, she had collected a substantial amount of energy to regain her former strength (& youthful apperance) it’s just that she needed someone to let her out. *cue Tenchi’s entrance, stage right

Again hits on the combining of sci-fi, fantasy and religious/spiritual elements (as seen in Tenchi In Love for example, Washu’s device gaining power from holy places) in a captivating way. How was Ryoko sealed away? Yes, by Yosho, Funaho, the gems & the master key…but did those Buddhist writings and seals have anything at all to do with it??? …

You only asked one yes or no question in there 😉

They were given to him.

I suspected as much, though personally I always read from that particular scene that Tenchi thought he got the one-up on his grandpa and stole (or, ‘borrowed’) the keys.

When I first watched it, I thought Tenchi really pulled one over on the old man. But in hindsight, speculating on my end, I think Yosho knew Tenchi had obtained the keys, and seeing as how he was becoming an adult, decided to let him make his own decisions and mistakes (though it depends whom you ask if releasing Ryoko was truly a mistake other than it being unintentional on Tenchi’s part) and deal with the ensuing consequences.

Very astute observation, and let me start off by saying ‘no’ I don’t think it’s a stupid question at all. I think it’s definitely hinted at in Episode 2 that Gramps is playing matchmaker a bit (he leaves the two of them to be alone…in the woods…hint hint) and Yosho’s intentions seem much more evident in episode five when he very plainly states something to the effect of ‘you two would be great together’ clasps their hands together and everything (then of course, does the same thing essentially with Ryoko and Mihoshi…that we know of, at least) 😆

Before you brought forth this question, ML, I would think Ayeka and Sasami arriving on Earth when they did (or at all, for that matter) was merely the result of Ryoko being awakened, Funaho sending signals into space which Ryu-oh then picked up, and Ayeka followed up on Yosho’s trail…(we know the rest). So I thought no knowledge beforehand on Yosho’s–or anyone’s–part.

However I personally find it interesting to speculate on such matters after seeing the fulfillment of Kajishima’s vision for the Tenchi narrative via ova3. With the introduction of Lady Seto, and the big reveal that she’s been searching for a suitable match for Tenchi, it’s not illogical or a great leap of faith in my mind to think Yosho’s mother might not try the same tactic (Azusa clearly tried the same thing as well, albeit for Ayeka) as it seems typical for royal types to want to monitor and control the bloodlines very meticulously.

& we do know Yosho’s good at keeping secrets…as revealed by the apparent ‘true’ nature of Tenchi’s mother Kiyone (ova).

I’m just being speculative, of course, and I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with asking these sorts of questions (especially, for some of us, having our world turned upside down our first time watching ova3).

The trope of the dad/middle-aged man gawking over younger girls is one of those things that just wouldn’t and shouldn’t be considered funny in real life, but in anime it’s hilarious.

At least Nobuyuki’s pretty tame, imo, as far as anime standards go…

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😆

LOL

So how is zero related to ryoko? I remember where washu said” I couldn’t controll the mind of a complete unit, so ryoko is going into one body”. She also said that zero was a complete copy. Then again zero was dr.clay’s creation. Anyone else find this confusing?

I will say I found it confusing the first time or two I watched ova2. Definitely crosses all kinds of philosophical lines and sci-fi tropes if you have a robot that has the ability to completely copy your likeness–appearance, vocal pattern, memories and emotions–onto itself. How does that make Zero Ryoko different from Ryoko? Or rather, more specifically, if Zero now has Ryoko’s feelings, what makes ‘original’ Ryoko’s right to exist more legitimate than ‘hers’? I think Washu, being a brilliant mind yet ethical and very compassionate, simply eliminated this variable in the equation by merging the two Ryoko’s (which are both essentially Ryoko: Ryoko+Ryoko=Ryoko, right?) into one being.

That’s no lie, being a dedicated fan of Tenchi definitely requires homework, and there’s NO WAY anyone would get these kinds of details their first run through.

I think Dr. Clay knew the gems existed, much like he seemed certain that Lady Tokimi existed; it’s just he (& Zero) didn’t know exactly how, meaning he couldn’t fully comprehend it. This was, I believe, done in ova 2 largely for foreshadowing purposes with regards to Tokimi’s (& eventually Tsunami/Sasami’s and Washu’s) identity.

Being Chousin “goddesses” the three sisters exist outside of the limitations of time and space within our universe (i.e. they were created/born before our universe). As such, trying to compute their existence purely in mathematical terms (as Zero attempted) is ultimately fruitless, because not only are they beyond our scope of knowledge, but the “vocabulary” and concepts of mathematics are insufficient to describe or define them. Probably like trying to ascertain the colors of a rainbow if you and everyone else you know can (and always have been able to) only see in black and white.

I think the point being driven home by this is there are things beyond us, beyond our very limited understanding of the world/universe in any field, science, philosophy, religion, etc. (not that we necessarily shouldn’t try to understand all we can).

“Think you of the fact that a deaf person cannot hear. Then, what deafness may we not all possess? What senses do we lack that we cannot see and cannot hear another world all around us?”

Well…even the great Washuuuu was trying to figure that out 😉

It’s answered in ova3. Have you seen it yet? (okay, well even if you have, it still was probably as clear as mud) At any rate, the answer is:

**SERIOUS SPOILER ALERT AHEAD!**

Tenchi is GOD! 😯

& I’m not joking

http://tenchi.wikia.com/wiki/Kami_Tenchi” class=”bbcode_url”>http://tenchi.wikia.com/wiki/Kami_Tenchi

p.s. for the safety and well-being of our forum members, please let either myself or a fellow board member know beforehand if you intend to watch ova3 for the first time. There’s some, err, ‘things’ you might want to be made aware of.

‘How’ is he a god? Good question, because even the Chousin (who seem to have a grasp on everything else in the universe) don’t really know. One might be inclined to think it’s his ability to create lighthawk wings on his own *(as opposed to, as Nobuyuki mentioned, being merged with a Jurain Royal Tree) but apparently this is not the case. As you are aware, Z can self-generate lighthawk wings as well (two more than Tenchi!) yet he’s not “God” or a “god” but Tokimi says that he’s close but just doesn’t quite fit the bill. Z’s existence emerged through Tokimi’s “randomness of the universe” approach to discover “God” but he didn’t quite measure up. (I interpret this as it was Tenchi’s desinty to be Kami, and it’s not something you can attain…Buddhist implication there? meh I’m just thinking out loud)

*Yosho’s ability stems from this fact and is also largely interconnected with him being of the Royal Family. Most (if not all) Jurain Nobility are joined with a tree that is a descendant of Tsunami herself, which is where lighthawk wings more-or-less come from. All her “offspring” (the trees) have this ability, though it weakens with each successive generation (thus 2nd gen trees are more powerful than 3rd or 4th) and the trees join with Jurain nobility because Tsunami acts as a Matriarch to the Jurain people, because she knew from their line, Tenchi–aka the “God” they cannot comprehend–would eventually be born.

I think you nailed it dude! 😆 as far as the rest of the characters, no clue (Iunno what kinda deodorant girls use)

How bout this: do you think Tenchi will sport the stache when he gets older? (Grampa, dad, seems like a tradition going on there). How would the girls feel about this? (I think Ryoko would like it, in OVA her fantasy involving cooking for him included one mustache-wielding Tenchi).