wwwwhhhhoooo

Nope, and I think I’m okay with this. wth2

– Ep. 28 –

Momo must truly be special, as she has thus far been spared the “Vengeful Ryoko” treatment (maybe this is the new, more passive “scorned by Ryoko” treatment?). Even though Tenchi didn’t do anything wrong, I can’t help but cheer my girl on for finally holding him accountable in some way and having some respect for herself (& don’t worry guys, Tenchi’s a trooper, he can handle it).

Interesting, as normally Ryoko would have gone into “attack-mode” on any potential rival within arm’s-length of Tenchi…then again, she was never outright aggressive towards Sasami…maybe she goes easier on the younger ones? Then again, she kinda almost killed Mayuka…maybe that was because she’s Tenchi’s daughter (and annoying)?

It seems with this series they have actively made decisions to have the characters slightly different to reflect the passage of time, yet one can plainly see it’s not a case of the director or writers misappropriating traits or misunderstanding who these characters are, as feudal-era Universe-esque Ryoko plainly demonstrates: Ryoko in those episodes is as “Ryoko” as I’ve ever seen her in any incarnation.

P. S. Someone gets a cookie for calling it: Touri had a moment in the sun (even though it was after dark).

P. P. S. Look at that, Greg! They heard your pleas for more cartoonish, SD Tenchi faces and delivered.

Yeah Beni and the others are great, but Yuki and Rui have grown on me more than any other of the new girls.

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That’s actually a funny point. Tenchi’s a student teacher, so will we ever see him teach?

I believe Episode 23 is indeed foreshadowing major events, but perhaps more dire ones than immediately apparent. This episode created a stark change in how I view Ukan, though I’m not entirely sure why. I think the weather at the announcement–too perfectly suited for the mood–hints that Miss Kurihara is in control of more than just the day-to-day affairs of the school.

Warning: fan-based theorization ahead!

I think Ukan may in fact be not only the primary antagonist of the series, but also the person Washu has been alluding to this entire time: the common factor between the overlapping dimensions. It would make sense, therefore, for Tenchi to be close to her (teacher’s assistant) for the purposes of his mission.

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What’s more, this mysterious warping of reality (space and time), or perhaps realities, would also serve to explain how or why Hachiko, Hana, Touri, Momo, Beni and even Tenchi end up at the school: not only does it serve as the epicenter of the apparent ‘dimensional crisis’ premise and the catalyst for the plot to follow, but perhaps also for whatever plans Ukan has been harboring.

Not only is Ai still entertaining with its high-school high jinks (Tenchi is a prize? Well, of course he is!) but now I’m very intrigued with the overarching plot.

I might need a refresher, but as far as Tenchi OVA vs entire franchise goes, I don’t see why AIC producing would act as a condition on whether it was OVA continuity or not (they’ve been involved with most if not all movies and spin-offs).

Regardless, just from viewing experience alone I’d definitely put Ai in its own sandbox. It’s very comedic (akin to Tenchi in Tokyo) and several scenes and motifs pay homage to Universe. Kajishima is also not directly involved, and anything related to Ryo-Ohki circa (approx.) post 1994 has always been his vision.

Good question, though!