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General
Tenchi Muyo!
Pretty Sammy
Tenchi Muyo! GXP
General Why do some of the characters' names have several different spellings? When a Japanese name is written with the Roman alphabet (A, B, C, etc.) there are often several different ways to write it. This is due to the fact that there are several slightly different systems used to romanize Japanese words. The system familiar to most anime fans is known as the Hepburn system, which also has several minor variations. The Hepburn system is designed to maintain clarity of pronunciation for non-native Japanese speakers. For example, Ryoko's name can be romanized as "Ryoko", "Ryooko", "Ryohko", "Ryôko" or "Ryouko". The last of these is an example of the Wapuro Hepburn (Word Processor Hepburn) system which is best suited to entering Japanese characters using a QWERTY keyboard, and one which is favoured by many non-Japanese anime fans. However, it is common to exclude the second vowel of a long vowel sound, especially when dealing with names, so "Ryouko" becomes "Ryoko". This helps to clarify pronunciation, since the "ou" / "oo" in the name is not pronounced "ooh" (as in food), but as a longer "oh" sound (as in goal). The "Ryôko" spelling is an example of the Modified Hepburn system which is often used where greater accuracy is required whilst still maintaining clarity of pronunciation, such as a textbook or dictionary. In this system, long vowels are denoted by a macron (horizontal line) or circumflex (^) above the vowel. There are other differences between the Hepburn system variants, and even greater differences between these and the native romanization systems, but these are too numerous to explore in depth in this FAQ. This issue is explored in more detail in the article "When In Romaji: An Examination of Romanization" in the site's articles section. The name spellings used on this site are the same as those used on Pioneer's video/DVD releases in the US and UK, though popular alternative spellings are included on the character profiles pages where appropriate. Other romanized Japanese words on this site (e.g. song lyrics, entries in the culture guide, etc.) use the Modified Hepburn system, retaining long vowel sounds with circumflexes above the letter. I have seen the abbreviations OVA and OAV used. Which one is correct? Both. The terms OAV (original animation/animated video) and OVA (original video animation) are interchangeable, and mean exactly the same thing; a show produced for and released directly to video, Laserdisc and/or DVD. You will find the term "OVA" used throughout this site. Can you send me more information on / pictures of my favourite character? Sorry, but I cannot compile and send out information individually. I only have so much time to work on this website and its related correspondence, so I would rather spend that time putting together something that all the site's visitors can enjoy. However, you are welcome ask questions related to the series or the site and to tell me what else you'd like to see here. When will Tenchi be back on TV? Sorry, but I have no reliable or detailed information on future scheduling plans for the Tenchi shows. Now that Cartoon Network's broadcast rights have expired, it remains to be seen if CN re-negotiate the rights for future showings or if another network picks it up instead. Whatever the outcome, it seems unlikely that Tenchi Muyo! will remain off the air forever. Will you be putting fan fiction on this site? No. The primary aim of this site is to collect and present factual information about Tenchi Muyo! and its related shows in one place. The volume of fan fiction currently being produced makes including them, even just selected pieces, a formidable task which would divert too much of my time and resources away from the rest of the site. Besides, why bother competing with the colossal and expertly-run Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction Archive (http://www.tmffa.com/)? Tenchi Muyo! Why did the whole Tenchi Muyo! story restart from the beginning when Tenchi Universe began? The original Tenchi Muyo! series, of which there are a total of 14 episodes (2 series of 6 episodes each, plus two specials) made between 1992 and 1995, is an OVA (original animation video) series — that is, a series that was released direct to video in Japan, and later to video in the USA and Europe. The series went on hiatus for eight years before a third batch of episodes was released in 2003-2005. In 1995, a 26-episode TV series was aired on Japanese TV, and later released on video in the USA under the name Tenchi Universe. The TV series restarts the whole story from scratch with basically the same characters, but all-new situations and stories. The second 26-episode TV series (Shin Tenchi Muyo! or Tenchi in Tokyo), aired in 1997, is another new story, but rather than starting afresh, it assumes some familiarity with the characters, only filling the viewers in on the back story in later episodes. This practice is actually pretty common when an OVA series makes the leap to television (though less commonly when a TV series spawns OVA episodes). This is usually done so that anyone can start watching the series without needing prior knowledge of the characters and events in its other incarnations, although it may also be done just for the fun of seeing familiar characters in completely different situations. In what order do the different series run? In terms of release dates, the series run as follows; Tenchi Muyo! OVA
(1992-2005) However, because each of the series are standalone and pretty much self-contained stories, there is no need to watch them in any particular order. Tenchi in Tokyo is a slight exception since there is no formal introduction to the characters and their back-story is only explained in episodes 8 and 9, so some familiarity with the characters is assumed. The first and third movies (Tenchi Muyo in Love! (1996) and Tenchi Forever (1999)) follow on directly from Tenchi Universe, continuing and concluding the story. The second movie (Daughter of Darkness (1997)) is a continuation of the books written by Naoko Hasegawa, which covered the same story as the first six OVA episodes, then went off on a different tangent, introducing Kiyone as a main character (which is why she is in the movie). There's a third OVA series? What happened to the second? The first 13 Tenchi Muyo! OVAs are actually two separate series. Series one comprises episodes 1-7, and series two episodes 8-13. The third series kicks off with episode 14 and ends with episode 20. Will Tenchi choose a girl at the end of this series? Who does he choose? Although it was implied in the interview with Masaki Kajishima in which he announced the third OVA series that Tenchi would "choose" one of his many female admirers, according to the series producers this will definitely not be occurring in the third OVA series. With the possibility of further OVA series in the future, it is unlikely the writers will take such a conclusive step — after all, the rivalry between the girls is a rich source of tension and humour in the series, and removing that would be folly. Where can I see the Mihoshi Special OVA? The OVA episode Galaxy Police Mihoshi's Space Adventure (often referred to just as the Mihoshi Special) was not included on the US DVD box set because at the time only the thirteen "core" OVA episodes were re-mastered for DVD (improving the picture quality, re-mixing the Japanese audio into Dolby Digital 5.1, etc.). The Mihoshi Special has since been released as part of the Pretty Sammy OVA DVD set, which contains this episode along with the three Pretty Sammy OVAs. It also appears in the newer releases of the OVA series on DVD in Japan. Where can I see OVA episode 13a ("Here Comes Jurai Part 2")? This special mini "picture book" episode has been included on most releases of Tenchi Muyo! worldwide. It is normally found immediately after the closing credits for episode 13 ("Here Comes Jurai"). On the region 1 (North American) Ultimate Edition DVD set, you'll find it on disc 2 at 3:06:57, right after episode 13. There is no chapter stop to allow you to jump straight to it so you will have to fast-forward past the credits. What does the title Tenchi Muyo! mean? "Tenchi" is, of course, the name of the lead character in the series. Tenchi's name can also be used to mean "Heaven (ten) and Earth (chi)". "Muyo" (also written "Muyou") means 'needless' or 'useless'. So the title literally translates as "No Need For Tenchi" (the most popular variant), "No Need for Heaven and Earth" or "Good-for-nothing Tenchi". However, the title can also be used to mean "This Side Up" (literally, "don't make this upside-down"), the same legend often found on Japanese boxes and crates, and alludes to the manner in which poor Tenchi's life is turned upside-down by the arrival of his alien visitors. The issue over the spelling of Aeka/Ayeka's name is an even greater bone of contention than the Ryoko/Ryouko argument. From an academic standpoint, the "Aeka" spelling is correct because it accurately reflects the sounds of the three kanji used to write her name in Japanese. "Ayeka" is a dubious spelling in this respect, because there is no longer a "ye" syllable in romanized Japanese ("ye" was used instead of "e" at the start of words in early editions of Hepburn's Japanese-English dictionary in the 19th century, and there was a distinction between "e" and "ye" sounds in pre-kana Japanese, but their separation has since been rendered obsolete). Despite not being a standard practice, the extra "y" was added (most likely by Pioneer's English translators) for the benefit of western audiences to clarify pronunciation. Why was Ryo-ohki male in the first OVA series and female in the second? This is an issue with Pioneer's translation of the series. Although the Japanese language does have gender-specific pronouns (kare for "he", kanojo for "she"), they are not often used in conversation and it is more common to use a person's name when referring to them. Because Ryo-ohki's sex was never referred to in the first series, Pioneer assumed she was male and used "he", "his" and "him" in the translation (for both the dub and subtitles). When the second series came out it would be pretty odd to continue referring to Ryo-ohki, who gains an obviously female humanoid form in episode 10, using male pronouns, so they switched. This has never been corrected, even in the subtitles, in subsequent re-releases of the show. Why did Tenchi refer to the same woman as "grandma" in episode 5 and "mommy" in episode 10? The two scenes in question are Ryoko's memories of Tenchi's childhood in episode 5 ("Kagato Attacks"), and Tenchi finding his mother's yukata in episode 10 ("I Love Tenchi!"). In episode 5, Tenchi calls the woman "grandma", but in episode 10 he says "mommy". This is due to a translation error. In the original Japanese audio, young Tenchi calls her okaa-chan (mother), but this was misheard as obaa-chan (grandmother), an understandable mistake considering the relatively loud background music and the reverb effect on the audio (the fact that the woman has grey hair may also have affected the translators' perception of the scene). The audio in the scene in episode 10 is much clearer. This error is present in both the English dub and the subtitles. In the third OVA series, we learn much more about the past of Tenchi's mother, so there is no question about her identity. Isn't Tenchi's mother's name Achika? Why is she listed as "Kiyone" in the family tree? Tenchi's family in the OVA series is significantly different from that in the TV series. His mother's name in the OVA continuity is Kiyone Masaki, a fact confirmed by the family tree diagram that appears in Tenchi Muyo! GXP episode 4. She is finally mentioned by name for the first time in the mourning scene in OVA episode 14. She is not to be confused with Kiyone Makibi, Mihoshi's long-suffering Galaxy Police partner; the name was borrowed by Naoko Hasegawa when she created the character of Kiyone for her novelization and continuation of the OVA series. Achika is Tenchi's mother in the Tenchi Universe series only (and the two movies which continue the story). I heard that some of the episodes of Tenchi Muyo! were edited for airing on television. What changes were made and why? There are two reasons for sections of material being cut / edited in the television airings of the show. The first reason is the running time of the episodes. The original OVA episodes (with the exception of episodes 7 and 13) are about 30 minutes in length, but to make them fit into a half-hour time-slot on television including advertisements, etc, the length of the episode needed to be reduced. This was achieved by removing the long opening sequences and end credits, some long shots of locations (known as establishing shots), any unsuitable material (see below), and so on. The episodes of the TV series (Tenchi Universe and Tenchi in Tokyo) were already 23 minutes in length (as they needed to be for showing on Japanese television), so cuts for time were unnecessary. The second reason is for the content of the show. The original OVA series was aimed at a young teen audience, and contains some mild profanity, violence, sexual references, nudity and references to alcohol. The US DVD releases are recommended by Pioneer as suitable for viewers aged 13 and over. To make the OVA series suitable for airing on family-orientated channels, most of the material that was deemed unsuitable was either removed or altered. Profanity and sexual references were, for the most part, re-dubbed or cut. Nudity was tackled by several methods. Firstly, some nonessential shots or scenes were cut altogether. Secondly, some shots were recomposed by zooming in on a smaller area of the screen (this was not often used, as it reduced the image quality). Thirdly, the images themselves were modified using digital painting software to cover the character's modesty. A prime example of this is the fourth episode of the OVA series, set at a hot springs, in which several scenes required Ryoko and Ayeka to have swimsuits digitally "painted on". Digital alteration was also used in some scenes to remove blood (Sasami's injuries in her nightmare in episode 7, for example). The two TV series did not require as much editing for content, as they are considerably "tamer" than the OVAs, with far less material to make it unsuitable for family viewing. Nevertheless, numerous cuts were made. A full breakdown of the cuts made to every episode on their initial UK and US television broadcasts is featured right here on this site. Subsequent screenings on timeslots or channels aimed at older audiences (the "Adult Swim" slot in America, and the Toonami channel (formerly CNX) in the UK) restored some of the deleted and altered material.
Where can I buy the Tenchi Muyo! in Pocket game? Unfortunately, these games are no longer in production, and are therefore very hard to obtain. They tend appear every few months or so on the larger on-line auction sites, but the high demand for them means that the bids usually get pretty ridiculous before the auction closes. If any other information on how and where to find these much sought-after games emerges, I will announce it on this site. Is there a fourth Tenchi movie being made? What is this Tenchi and John I keep hearing about? No, there are currently no plans for a fourth Tenchi movie, although it is quite possible one will be made at some point in the future. Tenchi and John is a hoax that was started on a website that catalogues the roles of voice actors in cartoons. It's a pretty poor hoax — does that really sound like a Japanese movie title? How is Dual! related to Tenchi Muyo!? Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventure (or just Dual! for short) is a 14-episode TV series which ran in 1999 and was created by Masaki Kajishima, the man behind Tenchi Muyo! and Tenchi Muyo! GXP. It tells the story of a young man named Kazuki Yotsuga, who is unusual in that he can see events occurring in a parallel universe similar to our own but where giant robots wage constant war with each other. Despite being different genres of anime, Dual! and Tenchi Muyo! share some story elements: 1. One of the robots
uses an attack that resembles the Light Hawk Wings. There are also a few very minor cameos from Tenchi characters throughout the series. Whether the two shows take place in the same continuity is a matter for debate, but one must take into consideration that it is not unusual for writers to re-use ideas and concepts in different projects, and to make references to past works by including existing characters in the background or a crowd scene, for example. Pretty Sammy Why do the same characters that star in Tenchi Muyo! appear in Pretty Sammy, but have different names, are related to different people, etc.? Pretty Sammy is a "spin-off" of Tenchi Muyo!. While many spin-off series tend to take minor characters and make them the stars but remain in basically the same continuity, the Pretty Sammy OVAs and TV series are unusual in that they take the familiar characters and drop them into totally new scenarios. Histories, families and even names are changed or ditched altogether to suit their new "roles" in the series. This is somewhat similar to the mini-stories in episodes 11, 12 and 13 of Tenchi Universe, which also presented us with familiar characters in different roles. Generally, this is done for the sheer fun of seeing your favourite characters doing new and different things — who could resist seeing Mihoshi teach fourth grade, or Ryoko, Tenchi and Ayeka going to the same school? The best approach to watching and enjoying Pretty Sammy is just to forget what you already know about the characters and take it as if you've never seen the stars before. Where can I see the Pretty Sammy movie? Unfortunately, there is no Pretty Sammy movie, despite there being a supposed trailer for it. This confusion came about as a result of the "omake" (extra / bonus) footage that was added on the Japanese Laserdisc releases (now made available on the US Magical Project S DVDs as well). Each episode was followed by short and usually pretty wacky skits and sketches. One of these was quite a convincing spoof trailer for a Pretty Sammy movie entitled God Boys vs Magical Girls. However, this was only a spoof, and the phrase "Of course, this is a big lie" (written in Japanese) near the end of the trailer neatly punctures the myth of any Pretty Sammy movie. Tenchi Muyo! GXP Tenchi Muyo! GXP is a 26 episode TV series that follows the adventures of Seina Yamada, a teenager who suffers from unusually bad luck. He joins the Galaxy Police after a series of bizarre coincidences, where he finds his talent for disaster can be put to good use in attracting and capturing space pirates. The series is set in the same "universe" as the Tenchi Muyo! OVA series (in fact, it takes place some time after the current Tenchi Muyo! OVA episodes), but follows a completely different group of characters. Do any of the original Tenchi characters star in the show? None of the main cast have starring roles in Tenchi Muyo! GXP, but they do make some brief appearances. The most notable of these is episode 17, where Seina and his colleagues go and visit Tenchi and the girls at the Masaki home. There are also appearances from some of the lesser characters, and relations of other characters. For example, Mihoshi's mother Mitoto and Tenchi's grandmother Airi appear regularly, and Ayeka's would-be suitor, Seiryo, (the pink-haired guy who appeared in Tenchi Muyo! OVA episode 13) plays quite a large role in the series. When will GXP be released in English / shown on TV? US anime company FUNimation have acquired the rights to Tenchi Muyo! GXP. The first DVD volume was released on 9th March 2004, with seven further volumes following at fairly regular intervals. There has been no announcement yet about whether the series will be shown on television, and early reports that Cartoon Network's executives were in discussion with FUNimation have so far proved unfounded. What about that set of 3 DVDs with English subtitles? Steer clear of those complete series DVD sets. They are illegally-made bootlegs, so not only would you be breaking the law by purchasing them, but you would also be taking money away from legitimate anime companies (and giving that money to organised criminals). Bootleg DVDs are invariably inferior products as well, often with poor picture quality, unreliable playback, badly-translated subtitles and other problems. The official releases are gradually being released on dual-audio DVD now — visit http://www.tenchimuyogxp.com/ for more details. |
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