Tenchi Muyo - OVA DVD Boxed Set
Although the title means something along the lines of "no need for  Tenchi," everyone wants the hapless hero of this popular series. These  13 OAV episodes reunite the cast from the TV show, but with some  changes. Sasami is initially much younger and less domestic; grandfather  Masaki turns out to be Yosho, the long-lost Jurai prince who was betrothed to  Ayeka centuries ago; genius-in-residence Wasshu reveals an unexpected bond  with interstellar outlaw Ryoko. The tone is a little racier than the  broadcast version: Ryoko runs around naked and the attempts to seduce the  terminally klutzy Tenchi are more pointed.In the first adventure (episodes 1-7), Tenchi inadvertently wakes a  mummified demon who was imprisoned at the Masaki family shrine 700 years  ago--none other than space pirate extraordinaire Ryoko. The problems she  causes are dwarfed by the arrival of Jurai princesses Ayeka and Sasami,  bubble-brained Galactic Police Agent Miyoshi--and interstellar criminal  Kagato. Assuming the role (and costume) of the Crown Prince of Jurai, Tenchi  defeats the evil Kagato with a magic sword that resembles the lightsabers inStar Wars.Unexpected arrivals keep the Masaki household in chaos in the later,  shorter adventures (episodes 8-13), including a baby cousin of Tenchi's, a  shape-shifting robot who impersonates Ryoko, and the Emperor and Empress of Jurai. The writers occasionally lose track of the plot, especially in episode 13, "Here Comes Jurai," butTenchihas never been noted for  its logic. In  all the episodes, the filmmakers manage to balance interplanetary threats,  teenage romance, and  broad comedy with their usual aplomb.TheTenchi Encyclopedia(powered by Wasshu OS) offers short biographies  of the main characters with clips and stills, pencil tests, digital comics, Japanese commercials, and full credits for the series. A must-have forTenchifans.--Charles Solomon