Tenchi Forever!

Original Title: 天地無用! in LOVE 2 遥かなる想い
Romanized: Tenchi Muyou! in Love 2 - Haruka Naru Omoi
Literal: This End Up! in Love 2 - The Distant Love

Plot Synopsis

One fine spring day, after fleeing yet another of Ryoko and Ayeka's little tiffs, Tenchi vanishes. After six months of searching, the crew has gone their separate ways to help track him down; Sasami is exerting her influence in the Juraian Empire, Washu is overseeing the whole thing from the Science Academy, Kiyone and Mihoshi are playing lackey to Washu, and Ayeka and Ryoko have set aside their rivalry to search far and wide for their lost love. Washu has narrowed it down to one city--Tokyo--and Ryoko and Ayeka have been scraping by on a part time job while continuing the search. But when they finally do spot Tenchi, something is very wrong; not only has he aged several years, but he seems to be living the quiet life with a beautiful woman named Haruka. Worse yet, he doesn't even seem to remember them. Was Tenchi kidnapped, or did he come here to flee the conflict at home, and what will become of him in the hands of this mysterious new love?

Quick Review

Rating: 3.5 / 5
Reviewer: Marc
Review Date: 2006-09-30

The apparent sequel to the first theatrical Tenchi Muyo film, Tenchi Forever was billed as the final installment of the series, and though it actually isn't, it fills that role in the way I think it should: A conclusion without really ending the saga. The movie is also drastically more serious and has a much more subdued mood than any previous Tenchi Muyo incarnation, so I'm somewhat torn; it's an interesting take on the characters and a good movie, but it seems to have sacrificed some of the Tenchi Muyo spirit to make it work. To give the movie its due, the more subdued mood allows for some very interesting character development. Something of a detached love story, we get to see Tenchi in a very different light, but the film is as much about is the relationship between Ryoko and Ayeka. The new level of character depth is carried very well by the classic Japanese voice cast, and backed by refined, somewhat more realistic character designs and beautiful background art, as well as a mellow but sufficiently theatrical score that backs the story without being overpowering.

In all, Tenchi Forever is a very different, character-development-focused take on the series. As a "final installment" in the beloved saga, I'm disappointed that it loses something of the series' spirit, but pleased by the way it handles everything else. Some Tenchi fans will hate it, many will love it, but it's a very nice production, and I'd say it's interesting and creative enough to be worth at least a shot by any fan. This is not, however, the place to start if you're not already indoctrinated.

US DVD Review

A beautiful DVD; it includes attractive and slightly animated menus providing access to crystal clear Japanese and English Dolby 5.1 THX soundtracks (yes, both of them), English subtitles and English captioning, a thorough scene index (with chapter stops picked by the director himself), and several production sketches. The video transfer is beautiful--one of the best I've seen--and the subtitles are done in a very nice looking off-white. The disc claims to be both Region 1 and 4. It has since been re-released in a Signature Series edition with no notable changes.

Content Guide

Less crude jokes, but more explicitly mature themes than the rest of the series; Pioneer appropriately calls it 16-up.

Violence: 1 - Not much physical violence.

Nudity: 3 - Not detailed at all, but definitely nudity.

Sex/Mature Themes: 3 - A couple of surprisingly explicit scenes.

Language: 1 - Not much.

Notes and Trivia

The third Tenchi Muyo theatrical movie. The three movies have their own continuity to a degree; they don't quite seem to fit in with either the original TV series or the OAVs, but borrow elements from both. The only thing this movie can be said to be a direct sequel to is the first movie, hence its subtitle, "Tenchi Muyo in Love 2." The lack of Mayuka means that it can't follow the second movie, and while the movies appear to follow the OAV continuity more than the TV series, Kiyone is present.

The Japanese subtitle ("Haruka Naru Omoi") is, I believe, something of a play on words; it literally means something along the general lines of "Love Becomes Distant," but given the name of one of the characters, you could also read it as "His Love Becomes Haruka" or "Thoughts of Haruka."

Availability

Available in the US from Geneon (formerly Pioneer) on hybrid DVD, more recently in a signature series re-release of the original disc. Was previously also available on subtitled or dubbed VHS.

Looking to buy? Try these stores: RightStuf (search) | AnimeNation | Akemi's a(nime)Store