Is Tenchi Muyo’s Story Too Complex for the Harem Genre?

Tenchi Muyo has spent 30 years building a wacky cast of lovable characters across various spinoffs. In part one, Is Tenchi Muyo’s 30-Year Harem Dynasty Worth Watching?, we looked at the spinoffs that acted as precursors to Tenchi Muyo Ryo-Ohki. As the franchise has grown, has the story become too complex? This time, we’ll examine the main series, GXP, and Paradise War. I incorporated War on Geminar into the OVA series. GXP, War on Geminar, and Paradise War are the franchise’s future and carry on its harem-for-life tradition. Let’s look at the series that made getting lucky as easy as finding a girl in suspended animation.

How I Met Your Mothers

After a fateful trip to his grandfather’s shrine, high schooler Tenchi Masaki discovers he’s not an ordinary boy. It’s all uphill from there as alien beauties appear on his doorstep. The intergalactic ladies he meets are:

• Ryoko. The infamous space pirate Ryoko terrorized the galaxy under the control of Kagato. Kagato used her to steal powerful artifacts from across the universe. Ryoko is uninhibited, aggressive, competitive, and horny. Plus, as a bonus, she wears a cat tail. She is the most devoted to Tenchi. Ryoko is my second favorite waifu in the series.
• Ayeka. The Juraian princess and the former fiancée of her half brother, Yosho, is a prim and proper ojousama with a talent for knitting. She’s confident, competitive, and enjoys getting drunk. In the harem hierarchy, she ties with Ryoko for the top spot.
• Sasami. Ayeka’s little sister. She is also the avatar for the goddess, Tsunami, Jurai’s patron deity. After her death during Ryoko’s siege of Jurai, Tsunami resurrected Sasami by merging with her. Sasami is the group’s little sister but does the cooking and oversees the chores. Sasami is your girl if a sweet and caring imouto is your flavor.

Daddy, What’s A Harem?

During the Second OVA, Tenchi gains three more ladies for his harem. They are:

• Ryo-Ohki. The world’s most adorable spaceship has three forms. Her first form is that of Ryoko’s ship, and the second is her cabbit (cat/rabbit). Finally, her third form is a cabbit humanoid, a bunny girl with feline mannerisms. She has an air of moe that makes you fall for her.
• Mihoshi. The Galaxy Police’s former star detective. Visually, she’s the dark-skinned gyaru type, but personality wise is messy and lazy. Overall she’s tall, laid back, and enjoys getting drunk in the hot spring.
• Washu. The greatest scientific genius in the universe. Despite being over 10,000 years old, Washu chooses a pre-teen look. Washu is my number one, Tenchi Muyo waifu. Who doesn’t love a perverted science girl who can build a giant mecha and help extract your “essence.”

Third OVA: Secrets and Gods

Tenchi discovers several family secrets, battles the godlike Z, and becomes a god himself in the third OVA. Also, he gains four new family members and a fiancée:

• Rea. An adopted member of the Masaki family and a mother figure for Tenchi. She lives with Tenchi’s father and later marries him. Rea may not be a part of Tenchi’s harem. But she helps to show another side to his personality as a family member.
• Tennyo Masaki. My favorite of the new characters is Tenchi’s older sister. Tennyo has a bit of a brother complex and always wants extra time with Tenchi.
• Noike. The last member of Tenchi’s harem and Ayeka and Sasami’s aunt. If a mature woman who gets things done is your thing, then Noike has the right stuff.
• Tokimi. The youngest of the Choushin, the goddesses of creation. Her sisters are Washu and Tsunami. While on Earth, she takes an adorable chibi form that makes you want to cuddle her. Who wouldn’t want to cuddle a goddess?

OVAs Four and Five

The Fourth OVA is about Rea and Noboyuki’s wedding and serves as a partial prelude to War on Geminar. It mentions parts of GXP’s storyline too. We also get a proper introduction to Tenchi’s aunt Minaho, a background character in GXP. This series shows you how politically powerful the women in Tenchi Muyo are.

The Fifth OVA acts as a bridge between Tenchi Muyo, GXP, Paradise War, and War on Geminar. This series covers Kenshi’s training for his trip to Geminar, and Tenchi chooses who he loves. The best part comes at the end when Tenchi builds a family with all the girls. It made the decades of waiting worth it.

Tenchi Muyo! GXP

Tenchi Muyo! GXP is the cornerstone of the franchise. Kajishima has used the series to world-build and connect the Tenchiverse together. GXP follows the adventures of earthling Seina Yamada as he joins the Galaxy Police Academy and fights space pirates. Seina, like Tenchi, gains a harem of powerful women. His harem had more wives, eight.

Paradise War

Paradise War is the last spinoff in the franchise, but it happens before War on Geminar. Earthling Shou Kukoma is the harem hero who wields the extraordinary power of rock, paper, scissors and never loses. Shou’s abilities garner him the admiration of several ladies from opposing guilds.

Endless Harem

Tenchi Muyo has come a long way. The characters have grown up. They no longer bicker and fight but have become family. It’s been a bumpy journey with long gaps between episodes and time skipping. The Fifth OVA ends Tenchi’s story on a high note, but there are still some holes. Paradise Begins will hopefully help a sequel to War on Geminar happen. The story may be complex, but that gives the series a depth that most harem shows lack. Although, a reboot that contains all the background stories that flesh out the series is ideal. It would make Tenchi Muyo accessible to a new generation. Finally, we all need the chaos and fun of intergalactic love.

Having a harem with six to eight ladies may be a bit much, so check out the Tenchi Muyo prequel, Photon, on Blu-ray in the J-List store. You can handle two superpowered women, right?