Tenchi Universe Part 1 Episodes 1-5

For Tenchi Masaki, life was simple: school, homework, chores, a peaceful life in the country.  Then, one day, a vivacious alien girl fell into his arms and all hell has now broken loose.  Tenchi’s about to learn the hard way that there’s a vast universe beyond his quiet little life.  Torn between beautiful but deadly Space Pirates, elegant but high strung Princesses, and incredibly overworked Galaxy Police Officers, Tenchi’s about to become the universes luckiest bachelor…or a young man cursed with terrible luck. 

 
Welcome back to the Gundam Anime Corner, Mr. Masaki.  Been a bit hasn’t it? Our year long look at the Tenchi Muyo franchise (the Toonami era stuff, or as I’m now calling it: The Tenchi Toonami Saga) continues with Tenchi Universe.  Kind of in the same vein as Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight, Universe is a TV Series retelling of the first of the two Tenchi OVAs we looked at back in April.  Unlike the horrendous Lodoss War TV adaptation though, Universe starts at the very beginning making distinct changes while still keeping the heart and fun we knew back in Tenchi Muyo, though there’s a better mix of humor and action this time around.  The big takeaway:  it’s good to be back with this crew of wacky characters.
 
With a 26 episode run time, the beginning of Tenchi Universe can take its time reintroducing us to the main cast and their slightly adjusted roles.  It’s Washu trapped in the Masaki Caves instead of Ryoko due to her penchant of insane science experiments.  Sasami appears to have no connection to the ethereal Tsunami, nor does Tsunami herself look to make an appearance in this iteration.  Ayeka isn’t obsessed with tracking down Yosho and Mihoshi’s…well still pretty much the same, as is Ryoko for that matter.  So yeah, everyones origins have been tweaked but everyones still the same more or less.  Tenchi’s father, Nobuyuki, looks to be getting an expanded role as well as he’s heavily involved in the intro events along with Tenchi’s Grandfather, Katsuhito (jury still out on his Yosho identity but it’s probably intact and will come into play later).  Naturally, Anime’s most loveable furry mascot Ryo Ohki is still around and her penchant for carrots lands one of the funniest moments in the series opener.
 
The Tenchi Universe premiere adds a sixth femme fatale to Tenchi’s dream harem of girls: Kiyone, Mihoshi’s high strung partner who comes to Earth to find her.  Design wise, Kiyone is the only one of the girls who could rival Ryoko on the sexy scale.  Blue hair and fills out the Galaxy Police uniform better than Mihoshi, I have high hopes for Kiyone, who comes with her own unique personality and, to keep things fresh, doesn’t seem to have any real romantic interest in Tenchi himself.  Kiyone’s showdown with Ryoko was definitely a highlight, which speaks to the action overall in the premiere.  There’s far more of it than in the OVA’s beginning and it balances well with the humor.  Tenchi Universe isn’t looking to take itself as seriously as its OVA counterpart, settling for a more laid back and carefree slice of life/scifi/harem combo that really, really works.
 
Everything else is just as we left it with the OVA, which isn’t a bad thing.  Ryoko and Ayeka are still the two main gals pinning for Tenchi and their back and forth is still golden.  The scene where they share different versions of how they first met, with exaggerations of their childhood selves, is a fun moment.  I like Ayeka a bit more in Universe but Ryoko should never really change from her OVA roots and thankfully, she doesn’t and she’s still my favorite of the six girls (Kiyone has a chance to usurp her though).  Oh and what about Tenchi?  He’s the same loveable lucky guy who’s in the wrong place at the wrong time dodging space lasers, mecha battle suits and boobytraps in caves.  I like that Tenchi’s more at the forefront of things compared to the second half of the OVA where he seemed to be a bit player in his own show. 
 
Despite this being a fresh start point for a new Tenchi chapter, Tenchi Universe has a damn good beginning that isn’t focused on establishing an overarching plot.  Instead, the first five episodes reintroduce Tenchi and the gang brilliantly and then just lets us enjoy hanging out with them and the schenanigans they get into.  Nobody’s really changed all that much and Kiyone looks to be a fine addition to the gang.  Honestly, I know we’ll get into some more story centric territory later.  But if this little “Carnival” as Tenchi and Ryoko called it, continues, I’m content to just sit back and enjoy the seemingly endless fun.  See ya Next Monday for more Tenchi Universe right here at the Gundam Anime Corner.