evilpii

translation thread, which might not have been the best option. Now that we have an actual discussion thread, it seems more natural to have this here. ^^v[/size]

Chapter 11 brings Haruna Nakazato’s manga adaptation of 2014’s Ai Tenchi Muyo! to a close. This final segment reflects events in Episodes 51-60 of the anime, but with substantial reduction.

The chapter opens with the Galaxy Police headquarters appearing in orbit of Earth directly above the Japanese islands. In a video conference, the director-general of the GP is questioned by the high commissioner of some Terran organization, presumably the United Nations or Earth’s “extraterrestrial civilization department”. Specifically, the director-general brought the entire headquarters, a fully armed military or paramilitary space station, into orbit to handle only a small number of people, which can be easily construed as an act of aggression and force. However, the director-general defends his action by stating that the individuals in question, namely Momo and Beni, are from another time axis and are straining the spacetime continuum to the point of singularity, threatening the entire universe.

The conversation here is not that dissimilar from Episode 51, though the manga keeps the director-general much more matter-of-fact and less condescending than his anime counterpart. Later in the chapter, the director-general launches a dimension-oscillating bullet at Junai Academy. Sadly, the manga does not have the discussion between the director-general and his subordinate, named “Gishou” in the anime, where the bullet’s purpose is explained. Specifically, the bullet’s oscillation would stabilize the growing rift caused by Momo and Beni’s presence long enough for the GP SWAT to detain them.

Chapter 11 and Episode 51 highlight some details uniquely explained in this incarnation of Tenchi Muyo!. First, the Galaxy Police have a standard protocol with the governments of Earth, particularly when concerned with Okayama prefecture. Considering that the GP are a law-enforcement agency, this should be expected once official first contact and diplomatic relations are established. Hints of this are mentioned in the third OVA series, that the Jurai royal family has significant political sway in the government in and around Okayama, though nothing is specifically stated in regard to the Galaxy Police. Considering the main thrust of the third OVA series, Jurai and the Galaxy Police are distinct entities, so arrangements for one need not affect the other.

Second, the Galaxy Police headquarters is first revealed to be mobile, having the capability to teleport itself into orbit around a planet. The headquarters was first seen in the Episode 4 of the first OVA series when Mihoshi was introduced, though its abilities and armament are not described in the OVA. The headquarters appears more prevalently in Tenchi Universe in Episode 15, where Mihoshi and her partner Kiyone Makibi return to headquarters for the latter’s promotion. This episode has the two discover more intrigue surrounding the coup d’etat on Jurai, which has ties to corruption in the Galaxy Police. Upon discovering this connection, the two detectives must escape legions of armed officers, as well as the station’s own batteries of cannons upon its hull. The station is seen again in the 1996 film Tenchi Muyo! in Love, when the headquarters is heavily damaged, if not outright destroyed, by the Super-A criminal Kain’s escape from the subspace prison aboard the station.

As a bit of trivia, the dimension-oscillating bullet also arose from Tenchi Universe in Episode 8, where Washu recalls the crimes that first had her sent into exile. One of those very crimes was developing the dimension-oscillating bullet.

Meanwhile, the burst of light around Momo from the end of the last chapter has started to unlock her memories of 1300 years ago. Tenchi finally reveals to both her and Beni that they are not from this Earth, that they arrived on a spaceship and were caught in the dimensional warp. His dialogue is very similar to Episode 53, though the manga has him expound that Beni was locked into cryostatis while Momo was pulled through the distortion to the modern era.

However, here is where the manga diverges significantly from the anime. The manga has Tenchi offer Momo’s sword to her, so that she might set all to right once more. Yet, Momo is afraid to lose all the memories and friends she has made in this era, to lose what she has become. Frustrated, Ryoko demands that Momo just do what she must, lest the planet be destroyed because of her hesitation. Beni once again comes to Momo’s defense, and the two have a moment, Momo asking her protector if she can condone losing what she is to be what she was.

This is a difficult question, one that Beni has been confronting throughout the entire story. Beni’s entire character conflict has been to regain her memories, to know who she is, why she has such strength, why she is so different. On the precipice of that knowledge, Momo would have to sacrifice her entire identity and revert to the child seen in the feudal episodes of the anime. In a sense, for Beni to reach her goal, she would have to lose the Momo she has come to know. This action would contradict her own instincts to protect Momo.

Beni, however, turns to Momo and declares that she will stand beside Momo whatever she decides. This declaration closes her character arc, returning her to the role of Momo’s protector, regardless of any temporal reset. She embraces who she is, memories or not.

At this point, I would like to recognize that Beni seems much more the protagonist in the manga. She has often been the proactive party and the one who has matured the most through the events of the story. Seeing her embrace her role as Momo’s protector gives a great bit of closure, just as it gives Momo peace of mind to make the choice that she must.

Indeed, with the fate of the Earth in the balance, Momo chooses to return to their original time, setting right the temporal anomaly set in motion by Washu.

Sadly, Momo’s development in the manga has lagged behind Beni’s. While Chapters 9-11 have focused much more on the pink-haired princess, she does not have the same resonance that her amber-eyed guardian has garnered in Chapters 3-8. The pathos for her choice is far weaker at this point than seeing Beni’s quest fulfilled. Admittedly, her choice is all but decided already, since the alternative is the apparent destruction of Earth.

Compare the manga’s interpretation of Momo to the anime, where the student body president has just overcome a scandal, only for her body now to phase and disintegrate due to the distortion affecting the planet. The very fabric of her being was being torn asunder, held together only by Tenchi’s use of Tenchiken to stabilize her. Indeed, Momo’s plight here is starkly similar to Tenchi’s in Tenchi Muyo! in Love, where a temporal paradox threatened to erase him from time. Similarly, Tenchi himself grew with Momo, guiding her through using her sword alongside his to contact the sleeping Toshika below them. Upon awaking, Toshika envelops Tenchi and Momo, sending them into the timeline, always missing one another. The entire affair is very reminiscent of Doctor Who stories, such as “Girl in the Fireplace”. After having multiple hours to endear herself to the audience, Momo herself shows increasingly more resolve, first guided by Tenchi and then on her own when they are struggling to reach each other.

After Momo chooses to return to her place in history, Mihoshi alerts everyone to the incoming GP attack. Ryoko and the rest of the Masaki household boldly step forward to confront the GP, Ryoko relishing a chance to fight her old adversaries. Ayeka, of course, stands on principle as the GP have broken with protocol, an act that she will not overlook.

Sadly again, the story suffers from the manga’s brevity. The anime spends episodes 51-58 showing the Masaki household standing side-by-side with the students of Junai Academy to repel the GP. These episodes are action-packed and exciting, littered with numerous references to earlier incarnations of the franchise, as well as visual references to some other series, like FLCL and Alien. While the story of Beni and Momo has benefited from the compressed storytelling, the other characters have had little if any focus.

Momo’s goodbye to Tenchi is similar to Episode 58, though it lacks the same catharsis. By this point in the anime, Tenchi and Momo had been isolated from the others and were using their Juraian keys to maneuver through Momo’s timeline, missing each other and growing ever more desperate to rescue the other.

That said, Momo’s plea for Tenchi to remember her still resonates. On some level, this incarnation of Momo is ceasing to exist, despite that she will be renewed in her previous being. Much like the anime, the ending of the story is bittersweet, our young protagonists returning to their rightful place, presumably with no memory of the adventure. This is not unlike Tenchi’s mother, Achika Masaki, in the finale of Tenchi Muyo! in Love, where her memory needed to be wiped to preserve the timeline.

In conclusion, while I did criticize the manga heavily due to its compression of the anime’s story, it has a rather poignant and bittersweet conclusion. At several junctures, it cleaned some of the finer details of the anime, and certainly gave Beni a more focused character arc.

— Rogue Thoughts

The chapter opens with Momo pondering the meaning of her dream from the previous chapter, debating what to do. Embarrassed to confide in her friends, she decides instead to speak with Tenchi, thinking that since he is a teacher, he should be more understanding.

I do have a little problem here, as Momo’s relationship to Tenchi has suffered from the story’s compression. Indeed, the anime spends several episodes endearing our hapless hero to her, but most of that development falls into the few panels of the last chapter during the cultural festival. Compare this to Beni’s relationship to Tenchi, where she has had multiple chapters to fight alongside him, confront him, and now ask for his help.

In that vein, as Momo exits the classroom to find Tenchi, she immediately sees Beni with Tenchi as they head to the old schoolhouse, beneath which was the excavation from Chapters 3 and 4. At the excavation site are Ryoko, Ayeka, Sasami, Yuki, and Rui, all of whom are recruited to find the “treasure” beneath the school. According to Yuki, the treasure is likely a “cold sleep” system, likely some form of statis. The day previous shows that Washu confirms that they may be looking for some key, which Beni assumes is herself.

While brief, this scene does give Yuki a moment to flaunt her personality some like she did in Chapter 3. Again, she draws many parallels to Washu: explaining scientific notions, taking an interest in watching people, using others for her benefit. Yuki even has her own foil in Rui, just as Washu has Mihoshi in the original OVA.

Beni is touched that everyone is there to help, but the moment is interrupted when Momo stumbles onto their gathering. The student council president is crawling down the steep slope of the excavation, much the same way she did in Episode 6 of the anime. However, unlike the anime, the slope is steeper, and her handhold gives way. Without hesitation, Beni rushes forward and catches Momo, much like she did in Chapter 4. Having overheard the entire exchange, Momo volunteers to help Beni in her quest.

Speaking of Mihoshi, she finally appears, and her costume is blatantly modeled after the attire of a Playboy Bunny: a corset teddy, pantyhose, collar, cuffs, and a cottontail with only the bunny ears replaced by her service hat. In Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki and Tenchi Universe, her uniform seemed much more sensible: a collared jacket with slack pants, not unlike a real police uniform. Admittedly, Tenchi in Tokyo changed her uniform to a bodysuit with an oversized jacket, but not as overtly suggestive as what is demonstrated here. Now, this is likely not the fault of the manga artist as this was also the design used for the anime. Instead, blame resides rather plainly with the concept designer for the series.

Tenchi acknowledges that he knows her, and Yuki and Rui state that she has helped them in the past. When asked about her purpose, Mihoshi openly admits that she is searching for evidence of tampering with spacetime, which immediately sets the others on the back foot. Fortunately, the bubbleheaded officer doubts she will find such proof, so she is really just there to search for treasure. She too joins the dig effort, rounding out the involved cast.

Despite her ridiculous costume, Mihoshi’s personality seems intact, her talkative nature and well-meaning naivety consistent with her previous appearances. Her dialogue is nearly identical to her explanation in Episode 39. On a somber note, the 2014 anime was the last time Yuko Mizutani portrayed Mihoshi before her death in 2016 due to breast cancer. I am very happy that she got this last chance to play the role, as well as to foil Washu’s schemes one more time.

Soon after the digging commences, Momo uncovers a very familiar artifact, a sword key of Jurai like Tenchiken. Beni reaches for it, and the device reacts. Momo pushes her peer out of the way and is seemingly enveloped in an explosion of light that frees her memories. The chapter ends with Tenchi running toward the scene.

The events here differ fairly heavily from the anime. Episode 38 has Washu scolding the Science Club members for not finding the treasure fast enough. Beni decides to recruit Tenchi into their number, while Ukan reveals Tenchi’s change in allegiance to Hana and Hachiko. The next episode has the two gather Momo and Tori to assault the old schoolhouse in force, disrupting the excavation. Yuki and Rui reveal a cellular phone Tenchi lost in his mission 1300 years ago. The following installment depicts a brief battle between a rebuilt Goriki and the team of Hachiko and Hana, before the two girls face Ryoko and Ayeka, respectively. Elsewhere, Momo and Beni hold the phone and allow it to detect where the treasure is buried. Episode 42 finishes the battles in the old schoolhouse while the sword key is uncovered by Beni. Here, both Beni and Momo reach for the item when it reacts, awakening the Juraian ship deep below them. The resulting earthquake swallows the key before Beni can snatch it.

While a bit contrived in the anime, the battles offered Ryoko and Ayeka a chance to shine, demonstrating their respective powers in modern animation. In particular, Ayeka actually showed an ability not present in other incarnations, firing beams of energy from her mini-guardians like turrets. Further, the contrast between the new characters and the classic cast was shown visually as the combat progressed. Also, Goriki himself essentially becomes the muscle of the Science Club after his reappearance in Episode 18.

Moreover, the anime has several visual allusions to other series. The black monolith is likely an homage to the Seele monoliths in Neon Genesis Evangelion. Hana declares in Episode 41 that their battle with Goriki is “punishment” while posing exactly like Usagi Tsukino from Sailor Moon. When the earthquake swallows the key, Momo is holding Beni as she is reaching for the artifact, just like Henry Jones and his son in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Sadly, I think this is a casualty of the compression of the story, which is my main issue with the work as a whole.

That said, the chapter served to move the plot forward, seemingly into the endgame. Indeed, Momo’s envelopment by the explosion of light is very similar to the ending of Episode 55. Also, the emphasis on Beni being proactive, sensible, and protective of Momo is quite welcomed. Contrast Beni’s depiction in this chapter to her desperation in Episode 42.

— Rogue Thoughts