I first saw “Tenchi Muyo!” on Cartoon Network. Actually, that’s not entirely true. I saw “Tenchi Universe” on Cartoon Network, and liked what I saw. The interaction with the characters was terrific, the animation was pretty clean for what a television audience is used to, the dialogue was very funny.

The next time I went to Mayhem to rent tapes, I saw tapes of “Tenchi Muyo!”, the original OAV series that spawned “Tenchi Universe” and “Tenchi in Tokyo”. I rented the first tape (along with the first volume of “Haunted Junction“), took it home, and watched it.

I was sorely disappointed.

There was only one episode on the tape, and I loved every minute of it. The episode involves the young Tenchi meeting up with the demon Ryoko, and as soon as the episode was over, I wanted MORE. Damn Pioneer’s black hearts!

But Christmas was coming up soon, so I hatched a plot. I wouldn’t watch any more of the series until I owned the DVD box set. The box set retails at around $90 at most places online, and I didn’t want to spend that much money. So, I asked for it for Christmas, and my mom gave it to me. I was pretty shocked, seeing as how it was damn expensive, but I was very glad.

My brother got a DVD player for Christmas, and the first thing we did was watch all 13 episodes in the box set. It was the best way I could have spent that seven straight hours.. Mainly because there’s nothing else to do in Osage, Iowa, but let’s ignore that…

The plot of the series is pretty deep. A nondescript teenage boy runs into a series of gorgeous alien women, who all wind up staying with his family, and they all vie for his affections. Tenchi is amazed at his luck, but all is not as it seems with Tenchi. More is revealed about Tenchi’s heritage, and to reveal any more would spoil some plotlines. And since I’m NOT writing a spoiler, let’s move along to the rest of the review.

One thing I HATE about Pioneer’s DVD box sets (I also own the Ranma ½ OAV DVD box set) is the packaging. They come in a flimsy cardboard fold-out that is supposed to slip into the plastic cover very easily. Except it’s not easy to put the plastic over the cardboard. In fact, in both box sets, the edges are chewed up where the plastic case caught while I was trying to put it on. Very shoddy, in my opinion.

The thing that makes this WORSE is the fact that I have several multi-disc sets that use a sturdy plastic case, which makes it seem much worse when I wrestle with the cardboard casing, trying to not inflict any more damage upon it. However, after viewing the series several times, I learned to live with the shoddy packaging

Despite my hatred for this type of packaging style, it’s very gorgeous. It features the sexy demon Ryoko on the front, and the name of the show both in English and kanji. Since I’m a fan of Ryoko, this is a big plus in my book.

Except for the cover, what makes this such a good purchase? Well, it’s unedited, for the first thing. There is quite a bit that the suits at Cartoon Network had to cut out and digital matte over to run some of the episodes. There are double entendres and nudity, and those are best left for relatively older viewers.

The animation is a key drawing point for this series. The series is nine years old, and DVD transfers seem to be a tricky thing. The animation and art for this series is awesome, and the DVD transfer has to be one of the most perfect transfers I have ever seen.. The animation and art are crystal clear and perfectly clear. Pioneer did a perfect job with the visuals on this three disc set.

The audio is incredible, as well. It’s done in Dolby Digital, and it has the customary two tracks, Japanese and English. There are also two sets of subtitles, direct English Translation and closed captioning. This is a nice touch. The audio is perfect and also crystal clear. It never drops, there is no peripheral sounds added… just gorgeous.

I have to add that you have to see this series in English AND Japanese. The Japanese dialogue gets pretty raunchy at times. As proof, I give you the scene in the seventh episode when Washu is running some tests on Tenchi. Just watch it in both languages.. You’ll get a kick out of it, I promise.

How’s the DVD layout? There are seven episodes on the first disc, six on the second disc, and the final disc is the “Tenchi Encyclopedia v 3.0”. The Tenchi Encyclopedia is a collection of all the information about the series tied up in a neat little package. Still don’t understand what the fuck “Tsunami” is? You’ll find it there.

Also added into the Encyclopedia are Japanese commercials for different “Tenchi Muyo!” Movies (there are three) and an ADORABLE spot for a Ryo-Ohki doll.. Ryo-Ohki is SOOOOO CUTE! I JUST LO… oh. Ahem! That’s added in as well.

There’s also an Easter egg hidden in the set. I won’t mention where it’s at, but our friends at Anime on DVD will! It’s not much, but it’s pretty cool.

After slobbering about the set, I have another complaint. A few months ago, I picked up the “Tenchi Muyo! RPG Guide and Sourcebook”: It’s pretty cool, but it was a snap judgement purchase. I probably wouldn’t buy it again.

Anyways, the book has a complete listing of all the episodes of “Tenchi Muyo!” made. They have fifteen episodes listed in the book. Now, if you’re like Josh, and slow in the head, I’ll break this down: there are apparently two episodes missing. This bugs the shit out of a completist like me. I could have waited for the final two episodes to be added, but I can’t get that.. Even worse, I don’t think they even released the episodes in question on VHS in the US, so I’ll never get to see them.

*ahem*

DAMN YOU, PIONEER!

There, I feel better.

Then again, Pioneer gave us “Trigun”, so all is forgiven.

In closing, the bad things about the set are the cardboard packaging (which is a pet peeve of mine) and the possibility of two missing episodes. The rest is gravy. If you have the opportunity to pick this up, do so immediately.

RATED 10 out of 10.

(Originally posted on ohemgee.com (defunct); reprinted by permission of the author.)