Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki 4

BuddhaBless Jun 18, 2020

6

WARNING!! If you have never watched Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki, Tenchi Muyo! GPX and familiar with The War on Geminar plot the YOUR GOING TO BE LOST! Thank you.Lets open the Tenchi Muyo Wiki people and get ready to be searching character names because this four episode OVA is all about merging story lines. So the events of OVA 3 pretty much set the stage for the what took place in GPX and on Geminar. OVA 4 goal it seems is more about setting the stage for what is to come next, tying up some story loose ends and large helpings of fanservice. Infact the OVA is more of an exposition dump than I'd call it a four episode story. There is nothiing to spoil here as nothing really happens. Its mostly three episodes of talking and one huge fanservice episode. You could very well read the OVA's synopsis and know all that there was to about it. You also get the feel that is less about revisiting the Tenchi clan and more about the GPX clan and bringing them into the Tenchi Muyo! main storyline.  One new addition is the concept of a "Misaki Clan" and we learn a bit more backstory from Katsuhito's desendants as they prepare for Noboyuki and Rea Masaki (damn this family is incestuous) wedding ceremony (which I will say was disappointing). Rea, who we learnt was from Geminar in the last OVA, gives us the other purpose of the OVA i.e. linking the main storyline to that of the Geminar War spin off. The OVA wraps up with a display of massive fanservice as all the women of the Tenchi Muyo Universe get wet, do frontal nudity and put on lingerie. I kid you not. What they are talking about doesnt even matter after that point. Its mind numbing and its an all time low for the series. Lets hope they never do that again. So you must be saying well why watch this OVA? Well because you missed all these characters. Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki OVA 4 feels like a gentle welcome back to the Tenchi Muyo Universe.  Its was made ten years after last OVA and GPX and five since War on Geminar. Made for fans that still cared about series and while there are absolutely zero conflicts thats ok. Welcome back Tenchi.

CaptainSlow Jan 14, 2018

2

What I Liked: The retro style of the first and second opening theme, and the majority of the soundtrack. The sub-plot involving Airi trying to get to the wedding. What I Didn't: Animation is very plain, with a henious lack of dynamic shots. Spoken exposition out the wazoo. Those who are only familiar with the Ryo-Ohki canon might be confused by the sudden onslaught of new but established faces from GXP. The fact that Tenchi's aunty tries to join the harem. The soundtrack, as good as it sounds, is very limited with the various opening and ending themes a mixed bag. The pacing is absolutely terrible - the first three episodes take place over two days, whereas the last episode spans years. Final Verdict: Fans of Tenchi Muyo! GXP or War on Geminar may get a kick out of seeing familiar faces, but for everyone else this is a disappointingly bland way to link the various off-shoots of the Tenchi Muyo! universe. It strips away the gaudy comedy and (much of the) fanservice the franchise is known for and replaces it with talking heads and abysmal pacing.