I’ll be honest, I’d heard of Tenchi Muyo but just never really decided to check out the series. That’s after FUNimation Entertainment sent over Tenchi Muyo: Tenchi Universe for me to review as you can clearly read. I wasn’t sure what to expect since this is a classic show made in the mid 90’s. I know you’re thinking…Wait, FUNimation Entertainment re-released Tenchi Muyo Tenchi Universe on DVD? YES! Tenchi Muyo Tenchi Universe was originally released in 1995 in Japan and later on in the US. It was released in the US via Cartoon Network on Toonami at one point in 2000.

Anyways, what makes this series good or bad? That’s a good question to ask anyone who watches anime. There are quite a few things I liked about the series and disliked about the series. I’ll get to that later on. Want to know if this is a series worth buying? Keep on reading!

This series was directed by Hiroshi Negishi who worked on many other titles including two other Tenchi feature-length movies. Of course those movies will be a review in the future here on Marooners’ Rock. What is this series about? That’s a good question. Nothing is ever good for young Tenchi. Why? He has a pretty boring life of simply working at his grandfathers shrine, heading to school, and everyday life. Though I could see where everything being peaceful is great. That’s until one day while he’s walking home a ship falls from space after a battle above earth. Of course with any young person one will check to see what has landed in the distance. That’s where he meets Ryoko who happens to be a space pirate. You’ll be learning a lot about her throughout the series. From this moment on in the series you’ll go from wondering when the series will pick up to seeing action from then on. Later in the series he’ll meet Ayeka and Sasami who are royal princesses, Ryo-Ohki who happens to be Ryoko’s ship (long story), Washu a crazy scientist but I think she’s awesome, Mihoshi a not so bright police officer from space, and Kiyone her partner. Each character has his or her own funny values as you watch the series. There were moments I felt bored and that the series was slow but the characters made sure to pull you in for a few laughs and a good time. I would love to keep on going but I can’t spoil you with what’s going to happen throughout the series. Just know this: Tenchi’s life is going to be different after this adventure, whether it’s on Earth or in space.

From the start of the series I wasn’t sure what to really think. With knowing this is a classic anime title I was highly interested in seeing why everyone told me the series was good. When starting I felt that the series was very slow but after quite a few episodes and all the main characters being with Tenchi it’s when the series picked up. I’ve grown used to some titles starting off slow since the story writers are keeping you very detailed on what is going on. I approve of that effort since each episode provided me with enough information about each character. Lately in some titles I’ve noticed story boards jump from meeting the character, to a battle and repeat again later on. I’d like to know how the characters tick rather than action all the time. The story-line itself is very solid and detailed and spans 26 episodes. Even finishing 26 episodes felt like a big task but I felt great after completing the series. Again a series that can start out slow and end with me thinking this series is well worth the purchase is a very good sign.

What about the acting and graphics to the series? I’ll start with the graphics first since it’s one thing I like in any animated title. Even though this is a series back from 1995 you can tell a lot of time was spent with this title. From the moment you start an episode you can tell it’s from many years ago but I enjoyed the amount of details that was included in each episode. This can range from traveling in space, adventures with Tenchi, and the rest of the crew. Now as for some graphical details that would seem harder to draw it could range from the fights between the girls, traveling, battles, and other things in the series that I can’t talk about due to spoilers. What about the acting? The acting was interesting to listen to since you could tell that it was when everyone was just starting to get into dubbing an anime into English. The actors did a great job with providing the right emotions and acting throughout each episode. For this being a classic it has done a great job and I wouldn’t mind if a new Tenchi series was created in the future.

Overall, I’d say this is a series work checking out as soon as you can. With a classic like this offering such a good time it’s well worth the money. Haven’t seen the series either? Check it out! Tenchi Muyo Tenchi Universe provides viewers with a one of a kind story! You’ll be having quite a few laughs as you watch and for new comers to see what it was like years ago with anime titles. Me and friends will be sure to watch this series once more in the future.

Tenchi Muyo Tenchi Universe was provided by FUNimation Entertainment for review purposes. For more information on Tenchi Muyo Tenchi Universe or FUNimation Entertainement, please visit www.funimation.com