Tenchi Muyo! Part 3 Episodes 8-10

Kagato has been defeated.  But a quiet life isn’t exactly what you’ll find in the house of Tenchi Masaki.  Now with five beautiful women from space all living under his roof, it’s a struggle to survive from dawn til dusk for poor Tenchi.  Those same women have their own trials ahead of them too.  Washu finds herself an unexpected mother while Sasami must confront a dark past that could threaten her future.  And, of course, it wouldn’t be a typical day without Ryoko and Ayeka fighting for Tenchi’s affection.  Yep, welcome to Tenchi’s new normal.

Before I begin this review, I should clarify some things.  My intention for 2022 is to review the three Tenchi Muyo shows that aired on Cartoon Network’s Toonami block back in the early 2000’s.  This includes Tenchi Muyo!, Tenchi Universe and Tenchi in Tokyo.  The first of these shows (the one I’m reviewing right now) is an OVA that is STILL ongoing today and when it aired on Toonami, only 2 OVAs out of a current 5 had been aired (the third didn’t even arrive til the mid 2000’s).  As such, I wont be covering this particular era of Tenchi past the two OVAs they aired as one on Toonami.  The first OVA was seven episodes long and covered the arrival of the Tenchi cast and the showdown with Kagato.  This second one is only 6, with an extended finale much like Episode 7 from last time.  Usually, I like to wait until a particular Anime is complete before I review it.  However, since it was unclear if there would be anymore Tenchi OVA’s after this and this was the first Tenchi Muyo I was ever exposed to, I’m making an exception and I will grade these two chapters as one series come Monday.  With all that explained, let’s jump into the second OVA of Tenchi Muyo.
 
If there’s one thing that stands out about this beginning of the second half of Tenchi Muyo, it’s the lack of actual action.  All three of these episodes focus on one core cast member each: in this case Washu, Sasami and, surprisingly, Ryo-Ohki.  That’s not to say that Tenchi Muyo wont survive without a space battle or duel of the faux lightsabers.  But if you’ve come to this show for a scifi adventure/comedy/space opera, you’ll only find 1/3 of that formula present.  Hopefully that doesn’t turn anyone away because these episodes aren’t bad in the slightest and proves just how likeable the cast of Tenchi truly is that action isn’t necessary to tell all of their stories.
 
I was so happy to see Sasami finally get an episode to expand her role in the series and clarify her connections to some of the bigger happenings in the series.  Not only do we learn Sasami will grow up to become one of the most powerful forces in the universe but we get a nice reassuring scene between her and Ayeka.  I think Ayeka’s been one of the more shallower characters in the series, focused on one uping Ryoko in her quest for Tenchi’s heart with a haughty and somewhat spoiled attitude.  So it’s nice to see that Ayeka does care about her family, specifically her little sister.  Honestly, Ayeka and Sasami could use more heartfelt scenes like that…even if they end with Sasami running to Tenchi for a hug instead of Ayeka because it’s the perfect punctuation.  Bonus points to the very end when Ryoko and Ayeka realize that when Sasami grows up to be Tsunami, she’ll become a possible rival for Tenchi’s love and they wont stand for that.
 
Washu’s little bit of backstory was just as heartbreaking as Sasami’s, except in this case it had to deal with the revelation that Washu was a mother a very long time ago.  Her bonding with Tenchi’s baby cousin, Taro, showed a different side to the comical and overconfident genius right away.  Washu never treated the baby as a science project and instead managed to take care of him properly and in a way that Ryoko, Ayeka and Mihoshi combined could not.  Washu’s tearful confession to Tenchi about losing her kid because of social standing was quite emotional, heck add that to Sasami’s own tale and it was time to bring the tissues to this viewing. 
 
Then, most surprising of all, Ryo-Ohki, the franchise mascot, got an episode all her own.  I like this because it’s easy to dismiss a character like Ryo-Ohki cause theyre an adorable furball and, as already mentioned, theyre the series mascot.  Taking the time to do a little bit of a dive into the Cabbit is sweet cause it shows she has emotions and feelings.  We even got a cute little glimpse into Ryo-Ohki’s mind via a mind reading device from Washu and see just how much she adores Tenchi and wants to help him.  Best yet, due to the episodes schenanigans, Ryo-Ohki now has the ability to take on a tiny human form, smaller than Sasami.  Not sure how much this will factor into other episodes but don’t worry, Ryo-Ohki can change back and forth between human and Cabbit, so the loveable furball version isn’t going anywhere.
 
Finally, we closed out the set with an ominous ship, with a giant female statue at the helm, slowly heading towards some destination in space.  Could this be the Tokimi Sasami feared would come and take Tenchi?  Or is this another big bad coming to pay Tenchi a visit?  Whatever it is, we’ll find out somewhere in the final 3 episodes of Tenchi Muyo.  Don’t be surprised if it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger…but rest assured it will be much better than say Bubblegum Crisis just stopped and didn’t wrap up anything satisfactory.  Ahem, sorry was about to go on a tangent there.  It’s the Series/Season Finale of Tenchi Muyo on Friday, see ya then.