The following is a transcript of my YT review of “Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki”
The 1990s were arguably the golden age of OVAs in Japan, and few of them were as successful or influential as “Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki.” Developed at Studio AIC, this six-episode series would go on to spawn a series of sequel OVAs that continue to this day, as well as a plethora of spinoffs and other related media.
The story that eventually became “Ryo-Ohki” began as an idea conceived by Hiroki Hayashi and Masaki Kajishima during their work at AIC on the OVA series “Bubblegum Crisis.” Hayashi and Kajishima were then joined by writer Naoko Hasegawa after the first episode had been storyboarded. In essence, Kajishima’s character designs and ideas turned into a proper story by Hayashi, who served as the director, and Hasegawa, the main writer for the series. “Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki” was released from September of 1992 through March 1993, and quickly became a success far beyond its creators wildest dreams.
Tenchi Masaki, the eponymous main character of “Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki,” is a seemingly normal high school boy who spends time working at the Shinto shrine managed by his grandfather. According to family legend, the Masaki Shrine serves a dual purpose as a prison for an evil demon that was sealed away by Tenchi’s ancestors 700 years ago. Tenchi ends up accidentally releasing said demon, which turns out to be Ryoko Hakubi, a space pirate wanted by the Royal Family of Jurai. The events that follow draw the attention of a colorful array of characters — the Juraian princesses Ayeka and Sasami, Detective First Class Mihoshi of the Galaxy Police, genius scientist Washu, and the evil pirate Kagato, who plunders entire worlds of their treasures.
“Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki” is a truly impressive production, and one that manages to strike a balance between its various components whilst hinting at a vast, science fantasy cosmology in a manner that is effective and entertaining.
The core of “Ryo-Ohki” are its characters, and thankfully it is replete with a strong lineup of them. While Tenchi’s initial behavior left me a bit worried that he’d be immature and annoying — a common pitfall of harem protagonists — he quickly shows himself to be a generally likable lead character. Ryoko comes off as just as strong and distinctive today as she did in the 90s. Ryoko’s bold design and bombastic personality are on full display, leaving no doubt as to how she became one of the most memorable anime heroines of the era. Her main rival Ayeka is no slouch either, with a graceful appearance and proud attitude that contrasts nicely with Ryoko’s violent earnestness. Sasaki, Mihoshi, and Washu round off the main cast, and while they don’t receive as much characterization as Ryoko and Ayeka they all have their own appeal.
While the overall story of “Ryo-Ohki” is fairly straightforward, that helps to keep the plot moving at a pretty good pace. The OVA strikes a good balance between its character moments, comedic antics, and action scenes, and all of this is backed up by the show’s superb art direction and animation. The action is fluid and engaging, and the superb character design, mechanical design, and background art effectively create a world that is a unique blend of science fiction and traditional Japanese aesthetics. The soundtrack, composed by Seikou Nagaoka, reflects this through an addictive combination of synthesizers and classic Japanese instruments.
With all that being said, “Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki” is not without its flaws. Kagato is not the most thrilling of villains, though I do think he serves his purpose in the story well enough. Washu does feel somewhat unnecessary in this story, and in fact was a fairly late addition to it, added at the behest of character designer Kajishima Masaki in order to set her up for future stories. It’s also worth noting that this is quite an ecchi anime, with extended scenes featuring nudity. I personally don’t find the nudity and fanservice in “Ryo-Ohki” to be particularly egregious, and it never really gets in the way of the story, but this might be limiting factor for some viewers.
“Tenchi Muyo!” was not the first harem anime, but its success both in Japan and abroad helped to establish it as one of the defining works of that genre. The initial six-episode “Ryo-Ohki” OVA would receive a slate of sequels that continue to this day, and even all those OVAs together represent just one part of the larger and admittedly sometimes confusing franchise that is “Tenchi Muyo!”
Indeed, the sheer size of this franchise is something that may prevent people from watching anything contained within it, which is rather unfortunate. I do highly recommend “Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki” to anyone who can handle a bit of fanservice and who enjoys fun sci-fi or fantasy romcom anime. If you are interested in getting into Tenchi Muyo, this is a great starting point, and even if you aren’t that interested in the franchise as a whole, “Ryo-Ohki” is quite capable of being an entertaining standalone OVA thanks to its own merits.
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