Tenchi Muyo in Love

Notorious A-1 Class Criminal Kain escapes from prison, destroying the Galaxy Police Headquarters and fleeing into time itself.  At the same time, Tenchi begins fading from existence.  Something has happened to his parents in the past, something that could spell disaster for the rest of the universe if they are not protected.  Tenchi, Ryoko, Ayeka and the gang embark on their most important mission yet as they travel to the 1970 where they will meet Tenchi’s Mother, Achika, and confront their most powerful adversary yet.  For Tenchi to live, Achika must survive…no matter the cost.

Ohhhhh it is so good to be back in the land of Good Tenchi.  After the epic disaster that was Tenchi in Tokyo, I couldn’t just let a year long look at the early legacy of one of Anime’s most eligible bachelors end on a sour note.  Nope, hopefully we can end it on a better one as we start our final dive into Tenchi Muyo (for now) with the Tenchi Trilogy.  And it must be said, the bar has been set pretty high for the next two movies because what an awesome beginning we have here.  Tenchi Muyo in Love (released as Tenchi: The Movie-Tenchi in Love in the US) is a sequel to Tenchi Universe and offers everything that made that series great while delivering better animation, a movie worthy plot and soundtrack, perfecting the character interactions and giving us one of the most adorable romances in all of Anime.
 
Many movies carrying on from a TV Series run the risk of feeling like extended, two part stretches of episodes.  Tenchi Muyo in Love never comes close to feeling like this at all.  Like Cowboy Bebop: The Movie and The End of Evangelion, Tenchi Muyo in Love still retains the character designs from the TV Show but spruces them up to look more big screen ready.  In fact everything looks so cinematic and gorgeous and deserves to be seen on a big screen (if you ever get the chance).  The Tenchi Soundtrack even gets an upgrade with Christopher Franke, famous for the hit scifi classic Babylon 5, stepping into the composer role.  Never has a Tenchi score felt more epic and yet I loved the gentler theme’s for Achika and the films closing song, “Alchemy of Love.”  Bring all of this together and you know you’re watching a Movie, not a TV show you can watch from the comfort of home week after week.  Tenchi deserved a presentation worthy of the big screen and you know the studio put in the time and effort here.
 
As you’d expect, everyone from Tenchi Universe is back.  And yet, the comedy and characters are still the same as they ever were…if not a bit better.  Ryoko and Ayeka still get some classic destructive banter over who will get Tenchi but they both feel like theyre continuing to grow from where they left off at the end of Tenchi Universe, knowing when to bury the hatchet and back up Tenchi when the need arises.  Washu might not join in on the time travel schenanigans directly but still provides logistical support and backstory from her own realm.  Kiyone gets a more sizable role, which I was thankful for since she was one of my favorite characters from the series.  Sasami and Mihoshi’s role, however, seem to diminish as the film progresses and all but vanish from the final battle altogether.  Still before this, they do get time to shine.
 
But let’s face it, Tenchi Muyo in Love wouldn’t work if we didn’t care and care quickly about Tenchi’s parents.  It’s so bizarre to see a young Nobuyuki as a shy and aspiring architect and not the older, lecherous comic relief he eventually becomes.  Tenchi’s Mother, on the other hand, has been talked about and hyped across every iteration of Tenchi.  While each version is different, this is the first time we get to spend time with one of them.  And the moment you first see Achika in old video footage Tenchi shows the others, you instantly know she is a girl worth going to hell and back to protect.  She’s beyond beautiful, kind and gentle to a fault but also possessing a playful side when it comes to Nobuyuki that makes their romances all the more believable and cute.  I would gladly take a full on Tenchi prequel focused on their continued love story, even if it does result in a sad ending.  Achika is basically perfect and every scene she’s in is something special, especially when Nobuyuki is included.  Oh and she gets to kick some major ass in the films epic finale.  Do not mess with Tenchi’s mother.
 
As much as I love, love, love this movie, Tenchi Muyo in Love has faults, not big ones but ones that do distract.  For one, there’s the inclusion of a lone survivor of the Galaxy Police HQ attack that opens the movie who finds his way into the past.  He’s kind of just here to give the movie a little more action, particularly for Ryoko, when things were going fine without him.  This character could be excised without much lost though he is on the receiving end of a pretty brutal scene with Kain.  Speaking of the movies big bad, Kain might have a fearsome design that mustve been a pain to animate.  But beyond that, there’s nothing too deep to him and Kain basically becomes a Villain of the Week you find in your average Dragon Ball Z or Naruto Shonen film.  Yes, he brings the menace with his nightmarish look and plot that will erase Tenchi from existence (not that he’s aware of that).  But beyond that, Kain’s just too basic and is missing that fun personality that made Kagato such a great villain in two Tenchi iterations.  And like I said, Sasami and Mihoshi getting sidelined, when I have complained in the past that Tenchi finales have habit of not giving everyone something to do, feels kind of wrong when this is a story with stakes that requires all hands on deck.
 
Tenchi Muyo in Love is a beautiful film that is everything a Tenchi Movie should be.  The romance is believable and effective in such a short time.  The balance between comedy, action and drama works better than ever.  The visuals and music are both movie level excellent.  And at the end of the day, it’s just straight up fun, which is what Tenchi Muyo always should be.  I think this movie more than earns a place with the aforementioned Cowboy Bebop: The Movie and The End of Evangelion as an Anime Film sequel that matches if not surpasses the TV Anime it spawned from, flaws and all.  Tenchi fan or just a fan of romantic or action packed Anime…this is a movie for you.
 
Tenchi Muyo in Love gets a 9/10.
 
On Friday, we’ll return for the sequel to this story with Tenchi Muyo in Love 2-Distant Memories.  But before then, we’ve got one more quick film to go over.  Is it as good as the epic adventure we just watched?  Might have to cut it some slack but we’ll see.  See ya tomorrow for Tenchi Muyo: The Daughter of Darkness, Part 2 of the Tenchi Trilogy, right here at the Gundam Anime Corner.