I agree with Dagon’s last statement. No one here is a “hater”. Everyone who has posted so far is in agreement that on at least some level OVA 3 was flawed, the disagreements lay almost exclusively in the realm of individual preference. I cannot speak for the larger fandom, but during my time at this forum I have NEVER heard anyone bash OVA 3 simply because “it’s different,” or “it’s stupid.” The validity of their opinion is, and aught to be, always open to argument, but the people here have always arrived at them by rational rather than emotional means.
Now that I’ve said my peace about that, I think I’ll wade into the fray (rationally of course! 😆 ).
First, I fully acknowledge the validity of ANB’s point that the lack of Japanese materials is a LARGE barrier to entry for western fans, especially with respect to the “new” characters. That being said, however, I felt that the “new” characters were a drag on the show purely based on their own faults. I felt that the Seto and Noike characters were the embodiment of Mary Sues; they were perfect and right %100 of the time, purely because that was their role in the series. Airi and Tenyo were a bit better in that they provided some comic relief/entertainment, but they were really just one-trick ponies and offered little of substance to the show itself. Little girl Kagato seemed to me to be thrown in purely because Kajishima thought it was cool/wanted to make a connection with the novels, no matter how unrelated to the matter at hand.
That’s my bit about the characters, I have more to say about OVA 3, but I thought I’d try (futilely perhaps 😆 ) to get this thread back to its ORIGINAL intent. If I were to remake OVA 3 I would try and stay as close as possible to the “heart” of the original material, as that is only fair to the creator’s vision. I would start by re-working the “new” characters’ personalities to make them more deep, realistic, and relatable, i.e. give Seto and Noike some faults and conflicts, give Airi and Tenyo more than one archetypal gag. Secondly I would jettison the flashback portion of the first episode and use that space to build the main plot. Thirdly, and most importantly, I would make a big effort to explain Z’s plan, the main plot, and especially the Counter Actor. Give an adequate buildup and background as to what it is, why it’s important, and why Tenchi is able to beat it in the end. Having it explained off-screen in a doujin, even if it were made available to all fans around the world, is not good enough when dealing with a major plot point of a franchise built around its Television component. Finally, I would tone down all of the GXP references and allusions. A spin-off should be propped up by its parent show, not vice versa.
Well there it is, my rationale for OVA 3. As I said, all of this is built around individual preferences, so approve or dismiss my opinions as you judge fit.
