The broadcast seriesTenchi Universe(1995) remains the silliest  and, probably, the funniest entry in the popularTenchi Muyo!("No Need for Tenchi!") franchise. Tenchi Masaki seems like a normal  high school kid, living near the family shrine in Okayama. But any  semblance of normalcy is shattered by the arrival of the outrageous  space pirate Ryoko, followed by bubble-brained Galactic Police Officer  Mihoshi. They're joined by Princess Ayeka of the planet Jurai and her  sister Sasami; Mihoshi's long-suffering partner, Kiyoni; and batty  super-genius Wasshu. Life is soon "like a carnival," as Tenchi says in  a rare understatement. Tenchi's grandfather turns out to be the  long-lost crown prince of Jurai. When Kagato seizes the throne, Tenchi  must defeat him in a dramatic confrontation between good and evil.  Before the battle, the plot careens along merrily, pausing for a  trans-galactic beauty pageant and a harvest festival that's engulfed in  a sea of pink goo when Mihoshi tries to operate a cotton-candy machine.  At the end of the adventure, Tenchi sighs for the days when "life was  like a carnival," but the peace that reigns in Okayama won't last. TheTenchiseries established the anime genre of the harem  comedy--all six women from outer space are after Tenchi. Many other  series have followed the formula, but few, if any, have been as much  fun. The new slim pack takes up about one-fourth the shelf space of the  original eight discs. (Rated 13 and older: cartoon violence, alcohol  use, brief nudity, risqué humor)--Charles Solomon