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Episode 2 - Revenge of the Imperial Electronic Brain
  Dennô teikoku no gyakushû
  Denn� teikoku no gyakush�
Release date - 25th June 1996

Since Sasami was given the power to become Pretty Sammy, she has been keeping a picture diary of her eventful life. Pixy Misa, true to her word, has returned, and keeps summoning more and more bizarre beasts for Sammy to tackle. Poor Sasami wishes she had never agreed to become a magical girl...

Bif Standard - the man with the planIn the penthouse of the Standard Corporation headquarters, computer billionaire Bif Standard stands upon the threshold of the conclusion of his well-laid plans. His pioneering computer operating system "SynchroniCity" is now used by 95% of the world's computers. As he explains to his attendant, his plan is to standardise computers the world over, and with them those computers' users. Under his plan, which he has dubbed "World Standard", nobody will stand out as different from other people. The only thorn in his side is the Japanese market, where most computers still use native operating systems. This final territory is set to come under his control as he plans to take over the cyberspace hub in Akihabara. However, someone other than his attendant has been listening to his expository monologue - Ramia steps out of the shadows. Initially sceptical of this intruder's claims, Bif is finally convinced of Ramia's power when she crashes every computer in his office with a wave of her hand. Ramia tells him that she is prepared to use all her powers to help him realise his dream and put his operating system onto every computer in the world.

Meanwhile, in the kingdom of Juraihelm, Tsunami prepares for another day of monitoring Sasami's progress. Ramia is there too - or at least, a rather unconvincing decoy doll of Ramia that just repeats the same sentence over and over again. Tsunami, however, doesn't spot anything amiss!

Go, go Chihiro!On Earth, Chihiro, Sasami's mother, puts on her one-woman variety show for Sasami, Tenchi and Misao. Only Misao is enjoying the performance; she hasn't seen the exact same thing day after day like poor Sasami and Tenchi! Misao leaves for her prep school before Chihiro can launch into her medley of karaoke songs. As she walks home, she passes a happy couple and their son, and tearfully remembers the time when her parents were together. Suddenly, Rumiya, in his bird form, appears and lands on Misao's shoulder. He utters an apology to her and hypnotises her once again.

Back at the Kawai home, Chihiro is ready for some karaoke, and she unveils her latest purchase - a brand new PC with a Laserdisc player, which she intends to use as a karaoke machine. However, much to Chihiro's dismay, the machine didn't come with any karaoke discs, and worse still, its OS (operating system) has crashed. In fact, the shock of being denied her karaoke session is so great it causes her to pass out! As Tenchi and Sasami rush to their mother's aid, Pixy Misa makes her getaway; she was responsible for crashing their new computer!

Someone's being naughty on the Internet!That night, Pixy Misa stands atop Bif Standard's Japanese HQ in the middle of Akihabara (Tokyo's high-tech district with many consumer electronics shops). With a wave of her wand, Misa switches on every computer in the area and installs Bif's SynchroniCity operating system. As Bif and Misao overlook the proceedings, Bif's army of programmers hook all the computers up to the World Standard network. Across town, Washu spots the activity on the Internet and investigates.

The next morning, Tenchi and Sasami head to Akihabara to buy a new OS and some karaoke discs for their computer. As they walk through the bustling streets, Sasami spots Pixy Misa ducking into an alleyway and gives chase. However, she only finds Misao in the alley, and invites her to come shopping with them. Misao shows them a promotional T-shirt she got which bears the image of Bif Standard. As Tenchi tells them about Bif's international success, they reach the Standard Corporation HQ. Outside the building, they meet Bif Standard himself. Astonished to discover that they don't use his products, Bif offers them some free software. Tenchi politely turns his offer down, explaining he finds StandardSoft software too slow. This upsets Bif, and he launches into a pompous tirade about his software. Tenchi, Sasami and Misao make a hasty getaway.

After traipsing around almost every software store in Akihabara, Tenchi has still failed to find a copy of Pineapple Mach System 8, the operating system he needs for the computer; every shop is now stocked with Bif's OS, SynchroniCity. Fortunately, he has a plan. He sends Misao and Sasami to play in the arcade at the train station and heads off to a secretive, back-street software dealer, where he finds the last copy of the operating system.

Meanwhile, Bif Standard is ready to put the final stage of his master plan into operation. With the aid of Ramia's magic, his operating system connects every single computer in the world together, standardising all the information flowing between them. At the moment when Bif should be celebrating his victory, he spots Tenchi, who is heading home with his new copy of the Mach System 8 operating system and a Laserdisc of karaoke hits. Ramia suggests that she send Pixy Misa to deal with them.

Misao goes under Ramia control againAt the arcade, Sasami leaves Misao for a moment to get some more change. Misao spots a strange light coming from one of the arcade machines, and when she goes to inspect, she sees an image of Ramia's face and falls into a trance. When Sasami returns, Misao has disappeared. Ryo-Ohki senses that magic has been used recently, and suggests that Sasami investigate.

Bif Standard confronts Tenchi as he heads for the station and orders him to hand over his non-standard software. Tenchi refuses and tries to escape down an alley, but finds his exit blocked by Pixy Misa. She summons a quartet of digital warriors to attack Tenchi and destroy the software. When Sasami leaves the arcade, she spots Misa's monsters and, after the usual coercion from Ryo-Ohki, transforms into Pretty Sammy and confronts them. Misa ups the ante by summoning three powerful Love-Love Monsters; Voltaic Vacuum Boy, a huge boy sitting astride a vacuum cleaner; Mach 12 Monkey Monster, an enormous monkey; and Leopard Lori, a skateboard-riding girl with leopard-striped fur. With Sammy outnumbered, the monsters snatch up the karaoke disc, then regroup to try and take Tenchi's new operating system CD-ROM. However, Rumiya interrupts and tells Misa that he has found out that Ramia's plan is to use energy from the Standard Network to cause the moon to fall! The Love-Love Monsters attack!At each of Standard Corporation's headquarters all over the world, huge electromagnets are pulling the moon closer and closer. As Bif Standard explains, he intends to crash the moon into the Earth so that he can build his perfect society from the ground up. This is too evil even for Pixy Misa, so she suggests a temporary truce with Pretty Sammy. Since Misa cannot undo her own magic, they are forced to fight her creations. Misa vaporises some of the digital warriors with her Magical Beam spell, and Sammy stuns the others with a Pretty Face attack. A Magical Wind attack sends Vacuum Boy flying, a blast from Misa's laser beam finishes off the Monkey Monster, and Leopard Lori simply crashes her skateboard.

With the Love-Love Monsters out of the way, Ramia decides to take a different approach. Broadcasting to Misa and Sammy via a video screen, she explains that when the moon collides, Tsunami will have failed in her bid for the throne of Juraihelm, meaning she, Ramia, will take her place and reward Misa with her own luxury apartment. This is enough to convince Misa to end her truce with Sammy. Bif Standard, with Misa back on his side, activates the moon attractors. Pixy Misa carries Bif into the air and uses her magic to attract all the pieces of consumer electronics in the area. Everything from computers to refrigerators coalesce into a vast ball with Bif and Misa at the centre.Bif and Misa's robot The ball transforms into a giant robot which fires a tractor beam - the last step in making the moon fall. Just when it seems all is lost, Washu's face appears on a monitor screen. She tells Sammy and Tenchi that she has been monitoring the situation and has managed to get hold of Bif's access codes, meaning she can isolate him from the rest of the Standard Network. It is then Sammy's job to finish him off.

Sammy launches her assault as Washu frantically disconnects Bif's network. Within moments of entering the robot, however, Sammy is in trouble - trapped by tickling wire tentacles, Sammy cannot move. In the cockpit, Rumiya pulls himself free of the washing machine he was trapped in. He transforms into his humanoid form and tells Misa that if she doesn't stop, she will lose everything - no family or friends to play with. Rumiya hypnotises Misa again, transforming her back into Misao, then collapses with exhaustion. Bif Standard enters and challenges Misao, but Washu appears on the monitor. She tells Bif she has freed Sammy from the tickle trap and, sure enough, Sammy arrives in the cockpit moments later. She orders Bif to call off his moon fall program, and Washu tells him that she has disabled the electromagnets, leaving only the robot to defeat. Ryo-Ohki leaps onto Bif's face, giving Sammy time to smash the robot's computer and cast her Pretty Coquettish Bomber spell. As the robot grinds to a halt, Bif himself is overcome with emotion from Sammy's love magic. Under Washu's control, the robot turns its laser cannon towards the penthouse of the Standard Corporation HQ building where Ramia is waiting and blasts it out of existence! Finally, Washu uses the robots repulsion beam to push the moon back into the correct position.

Bif Standard - changed man?Sasami and Misao are safe, and Tenchi has got his software back. Bif Standard, looking slightly the worse for wear, staggers out of the robot and falls at Sasami's feet. For a moment it looks like he has seen the error of his ways, but soon enough he is planning to resume his quest to standardise the world.

Ramia arrives back in the kingdom of Juraihelm just in time to see Tsunami being awarded more points for Sasami's success in halting Bif's plans. To Ramia's utter disbelief, Tsunami is still chatting away happily to the decoy doll!

Meanwhile, at the Kawai residence, Chihiro finally gets to test out her new karaoke system. Much to everyone's relief, it breaks down after only one song, and the shock causes Chihiro to faint again!

<< Episode 1 - Pretty Sammy, The Magical Girl

Fact! The original title of this episode, "Dennō teikoku no gyakushū" is a reference to the film "Star Wars - The Empire Strikes Back". In Japan the film is titled "Star Wars - Teikoku no gyakushū".

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