Customer Reviews

Tenchi Forever - Tenchi the Movie

5 star:		(78)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

I've heard that this is the final chapter to the Tenchi Muyo! saga I cherish so deeply... and then I heard that there's another OAV series in the making, which practically made me do cartwheels. Either way, I guess that's irrelevant since I'm reviewing this movie... but let it be known I'm VERY happy about learning this. Anyways, since everyone's already given the whole story away, I guess I'll do the same, heh. At the beginning of the film, Tenchi and the gang are sweeping at the Masaki shrine, and, as usual, Ryoko and Ayeka start fighting... this time, about a broom. They continue to argue until they want to settle it once and for all: they demand to know who Tenchi really loves. Tenchi does the sensible thing: he runs like hell. After taking off faster than Michael Johnson at the Olympics, he runs up to a tree that pulls him in... and he completely disappears. Next thing you know, it's six months later, and Tenchi's still missing. Tenchi isn't really missing though, he's in another world, a fantasy world, if you will. Difference being, he's older... and with another woman, Haruna, who created this alternate world. Ryoko and Ayeka are still looking for him all this time, and when they finally do see him (thanks to Washu and her Tenchi-tracker), he doesn't see them, he doesn't hear them, and he disappears yet again... and again and again. After this happens a few times, Tenchi goes into the little diner the two are working at (!), and he sits with his mystery woman at a booth. Ryoko and Ayeka still can't get to him though, even when Ryoko goes to grab him, her arms just go right through him. Of course, Haruna can see the two, and looks none too pleased about them, either. Ryoko and Ayeka learn from Washu, that the two worlds intertwine at times, due to Tenchi's lingering memory, allowing them to see him. With a little assist from Washu (and Kiyone, Mihoshi, and Tenchi's grandfather, Yosho [or whatever he's calling himself these days]), the two can go into that dimension allowing Tenchi to see them... of course, Haruna kidnapped and brainwased Tenchi in the first place, and it deosn't take a scientific genius like Washu to figure out she's not gonna to give him up so willingly. The story of Tenchi Forever: Tenchi The Movie III is as solid as a love story gets. In fact, it's THE best love story I have ever seen. I know what you're thinking: "Wha?! A love story?! But this is Tenchi Muyo!, not Titanic!" Oh, how very true, but unlike Titanic, you'll actually love this story, it's very heart-warming, sad, and beautiful all at the same time. What made the Tenchi Muyo! saga popular--the humor--is completely missing in this film. Even the fight scenes got as much time as the romace aspects in the Tenchi Muyo! saga... just not in this movie. I think the only time I laughed was when I saw Washu's devices to open up the parallel dimension for Ryoko an Ayeka, and even then, I didn't exactly roll in laughter (I chuckled). And guess what? There were no battles at all. The story is deeply rooted in romance, and honestly, I would not have wanted it any other way: the romance was why I loved this film so much. The character development in Tenchi Forever (Ryoko's, Ayeka's, Haruna's, and Tenchi's and his grandpa's, to be specific) shines with depth, personality, and lots of real emotion (they always have, but not quite like this). You REALLY feel sorry for Ryoko and Ayeka throughout this film. I hated Haruna at first: "Hey... why'd she kidnap and brainwash the Tenchinator? Hey! She seduced Tenchi! HEY!!! She gave an evil grin to my Ryoko! Grrr!" This, obviously, proves that she made one great villian... or was Haruna even a villian? No, she isn't really a villian at all. At the end of the film, you feel for Haruna as well, she's like all of us, in a way... she just doesn't want to be alone (something we all can relate to). The way she came about, through Yosho's past, was utterly brilliant. Even though her character only came out in this one film, she was very well constructed and held her own with the main characters. It just goes to show how beautifully written this story really is. When I think back on the story as a whole, it's actually pretty sad (not as sad as, say, Grave Of The Fireflies [which I admit to crying like a little girl after viewing], but sad nonetheless). The part were Ryoko goes back for me (err, I mean Tenchi, heh... sorry, wrong fantasy world there...) one last time was really touching. Okay... so what about the animation and dubbing, you ask? Well, the animation is beautiful. It's not as rich in detail as some of the other movie epics (Akira, Ghost In The Shell, etc.), but it's very colorful and looks just amazing. The rich backgrounds and vibrant colors really make this film come to life. The characters look a lot better here too compared to the previous Tenchi Muyo! stuff, which is always a nice bonus. The dubbing is absolutely flawless, not once did I think "This is great, but it would be better if this character shut their mouth when the voice comes out right there" like so many of us do to other anime titles (*cough-Sailor Moon-cough*). The voice actors aren't just actors, they really seem like they are their own character--why can't all anime dubbing be like this? *sigh* Thank Pioneer for actually caring about their products... they did one really amazing job here, folks. Even the film's soundtrack is amazing (a really nice change from the lame J-pop that usually accompanies anime), there's some very beautiful piano work to this film. Anyways, to sum it up, the animation is bright and colorful, top-notch stuff; and the dubbing is better than perfect. After watching Tenchi Forever: Tenchi The Movie III I came to one conclusion: this is the second best anime movie I have ever seen (first being Akira, which, let's face it, will never be topped). I honestly loved this movie that much. The story is beautiful and touching, I'm sure that will put off some people expecting humor and great action, which is one major loss for them... honestly, I have never seen a love story as half as good as this. Consider yourself cheated if you don't watch this.

I almost did not buy this DVD because of the many bad reviews from those who claimed to be big fans of Tenchi. Boy, am I glad I did not listen to the "fans" who hated this movie. I am too a fan of Tenchi. Having collected the OVA set and the first two movies, I decided to buy this movie despite the bad reviews. I have watched the movie three times and am still touched by it. It is a beautiful love story. Though it does not have the kind of actions (violence and gore) that some anime fans are used to (or look for), it is still true to the story of Tenchi. If this is the last of the Tenchi series, so be it; I thought this is a good place to stop; I like to remember all of the characters I have grown so very fond of in this series, living together happily ever after. Yes, this Tenchi movie is on the serious side...but it is still Tenchi...and one of the best in the series. If you have grown to care for the Tenchi and his friends, you will enjoy this Movie.

The first Tenchi Muyo movie gave audiences what they expected - action, fun, and fighting. Tenchi Muyo Forever, the third and last movie, breaks new ground and measures up to its predecessors without imitating them.

Rather than using the same formula as the first two, TMF explores the boundaries between love, happiness, and dreams in a similar style as the Urusei Yatsura movie Beautiful Dreamer. These themes are skillfully woven together into an engaging story about Tenchi's loves.

Instead of big bad villains and epic battles, expect to find better development of all the TM characters. What brought Tenchi's grandfather to earth? Can love be real when love is blind? Who is Tenchi's true love and more importantly, why? These questions and more are answered satisfactorily and consistent with the rest of the TM series.

For traditional TM fans looking for action and general silliness, you'll see a lot less of it here. But don't let this discourage you from seeing this movie. The characters are all there and plenty of interesting things are happening. However, this movie does demand a little more thought to extract everything it has to offer.Subtlties abound within the movie, so pay close attention to catch everything.

Tenchi Muyo Forever aspires to and succeeds at being a film rather than just a movie. It successfully intertwines several love stories into a single drama. It is a very worthy finale to the Tenchi Muyo saga.

For all of the reasons stated above, I rate this film the best of the three TM movies, with 5 very solid stars.

If somehow you managed not to ruin the plot for yourself by reading the previous reviews, I'll try to avoid doing so for you.

Though this movie was developed as a conclusion to the Tenchi Universe series, and is considered by many to be the end of the Tenchi Muyo series. However, it does leave things "hanging" enough that the series can nonetheless continue. There are also some relatively confirmed rumors that a third OVA series is being developed, although that may not be related on the same timeline as this movie.

I really liked this movie. It had all the trapping of a good and involving story, and made use of the personalities of all of the characters of Tenchi's unusual family. It's important to note here that this movie explores the real ramifications of the relationship between Ryoko, Aeka, and Tenchi and so most of the character development you will see is there. By the end of your movie you will know who Tenchi is most in love with, perhaps even better than Tenchi himself.

For those interested in the technical aspects, the musical score, animation, and english voice dubbling left nothing wanting, they all were quite excellent. I will note here for those interested in anime movie music that the musical score largely favors piano which is more suited to a more sentimental tale, like in the first Tenchi movie. Being a movie, the animation quality is higher than any of the individual Tenchi episodes. You will notice that the characters are drawn differently, but when those characters were brought into motion I was not alienated by their appearance. I rather liked this look as it seemed to bring them a little more alive.

For Tenchi Fans, this movie will either be good or bad depending on what you expect. There are none of the elaborate fight scenes seen in earlier Tenchi series and movies, and humor while noticeably part of the movie was not the emphasis of the movie. Most of the focus on this movie is in the personalities of the characters. There is quite a bit more adult content than any of the previous movies. This includes some upper body female nudity (, which is nothing new for Tenchi,) and implied intercourse (a first in the Tenchi series). I think this was tastefully done enough that I do not consider this truly pornographic, but parents should be advised you will want to review this first. Because of these reasons I think that this is a movie that the more mature Tenchi viewers will enjoy the most.

I certainly enjoyed this movie, it was even good enough to make me want to go back and watch it again after the first time I finished it. That is as much as I could ask of any movie.

Tenchi Muyo, what is it? It is the series that always keeps you guessing because you never know what's next. And this film is no exception. The Tenchi series is sometimes a sci-fi adventure, sometimes comedy, other times martial arts action, and sometimes a soapy daytime drama. This lastest endeavour falls squarely into the last catagory of a daytime drama, but not in any derogatory sense. I have seen some very wonderful romance stories on daytime dramas, but daytime dramas suffer from fundamental problems - very long and fractured stories - that "Tenchi Forever"/TMIL2 does not. The story here is told completely and proceeds at an even pace, much slower than "Daughter of Darkness", with time for the viewer to savor the emotion of each scene. The story is about three relationships: an old one, a current one, and a new one. The old relationship introduces us to Haruna, Yosho's old flame from his previous life on Planet Jurai. She turns out to the villain in this film, but Haruna is very unlike any previous Tenchi villian. She is not some great ogre, but a likeable, very human person. This is a common device used in daytime dramas - to give the villian redeeming human qualities to keep the viewers guessing about how she turns out in the end (you won't find out from me!). In the new relationship Haruna has drawn Tenchi into her own private world where he cannot recall any of his previous life. This part of the story is exceptionally well done. Theirs is a mature relationship, it has love and romance of course, but unlike Achika and Nobyuki's storybook romance, Tenchi and Haruna also experience anxiety, tension, and conflict. It is surprisingly real and lifelike. The third relationship is the "friendship" between Aeka and Ryoko. It starts out as usual with a fight which causes Tenchi to just want to get away from them. When he doesn't come back (Haruna has taken him) they proceed to search for him together, with a little help from the remaining Tenchi cast. After searching for six months with no luck, Ryoko and Aeka begin to deal with their separation from Tenchi in very different ways. They begin to open up to each other and share their feelings in a way never seen before in Tenchi Muyo. Any Tenchi fan is sure to enjoy seeing Ryoko and Aeka trust each other and become real friends. This film is very different from both TMIL and DOD, even the animation production itself looks more like "Grave of the Fireflies" than either of the previous Tenchi films making this probably the oddest collection of movies I have ever viewed. I can't wait to see what the next Tenchi movie is like, to see if AIC can produce another film completely different from the three we have now.

This is truely the best tenchi movie. I love this moive much more then the other two is because this movie contains no battling scenes. This movie is just what a tenchi movie should be. Just a simple fun loving relaxing movie. Here is a little spoiler...Tenchi really cares for ryoko more then ayeka(hahaha). As a ryoko fan I guess this is another reason I like this movie more then the other two. ^_^ Just get this DVD, you won't regret it because its the best.

Here is a little taste of the third moive...

The moive starts off with a scene where young yosho and haruna in a space ship going to earth. Then the movie really starts. Ryoko and ayeko fighting as always. Tenchi trys to stop them, but ends up wondering into the woods. He sees a camilia tree and the tree with a woman's(haruna) figure was calling to him. Tenchi goes off into a daze and walks into the tree. Now, the girls came looking for tenchi, but could not find him, and the search starts...

Get the movie and find out, or just read some of the other reviews and I am sure that you will get a rough idea of what's going on.

Don't forget to rate my review ^_^

This is not your typical Tenchi movie. For starters, it's not humorous at all and there is really zero action. There are moments of levity, but the tone is much more morose and brooding with the overall theme being dealing with loss. The character design is more the Tenchi in Tokyo style (but better than that abomination) than resembling Universe or the OVA like the first two movies. It's a little distracting at first, but I suppose necessary to portray Tenchi as he is drawn for most of the movie. The animation is, however, top notch. This is the most adult of anything done of Tenchi stuff too. There's always been a very prevalent sexual humor throughout the series but it has never been portrayed on screen. No, it's not hentai and is done very tastefully, and within the context of the movie is very fitting. Nothing you wouldn't see on daytime soap operas.

This is the most character driven of all the movies as well. It really explores the relationship of Ryoko and Ayeka. My personal favorite sequence is where they are sleeping and Ayeka wakes up from a nightmare and starts talking to Ryoko about what if Tenchi really never comes back. It ends with Ayeka saying, "You're so strong" and Ryoko replying, "Don't be stupid." To me, it just shows how deeply they care for each other, despite all the fighting in the past. With all the (much deserved) hate towards Ayeka, it really portrays her in a positive light and gives the character some positive qualities not previously seen before.

Avoiding a spoiler, my only complaint is how Yosho's past has again caused the problem, and how it isn't exactly faithful to any of the Tenchi worlds in their explanation of events. You have to watch it to understand what I am talking about because to explain it any more would be giving away one of the more important plot elements. Overall though, VERY good movie.

I purchased this one about a year ago. The first time I saw it, I felt it was barely OK. Since then My Tenchi Muyo! collection has grown considerably. (I have a lot of goodies you need to go to Japan to get.) Well I popped this one in the ol'Pioneer and discovered a rather good show. I didn't miss anything the first time I watched it a year ago, I just have a deeper appreciation for it. (Tenchi Muyo! in Love 2) Tenchi Forever is a more serious show than the previous stuff. Pioneer rates the movie for sixteen and up. Some people have alluded that there is a lot of nudity. That is a lie. I suspect that they have seen only edited versions of the OVA and the two TV shows or they have only seen the first two movies. As I said this is rated for 16 and up. I feel it is mostly for adult situations. (There is a difference.) For this film to be enjoyed properly, You pretty much need to see the first TV series (Tenchi Universe). The character development is based on that version of the Tenchi "universe". This film can stand on its own but knowing the characters helps. Stylistically this is different from the previous offerings in most ways, from artwork to music. (Actually the music is quite interesting.) The acting is OK in the English version but the Japanese version is fabulous. Get it, enjoy it. Be careful of your comparisons. This will probably be the last Tenchi movie based on the first TV series. The next Tenchi movie will probably be based on the complete OVA, ("Tenchi Muyo! Rio Oki 3"),or the new OVA/TV series,("Tenchi Muyo! GXP"). These shows are scheduled to be out in Japan, spring 2002. One last thing. I thought that it was interesting that they used a plot device from the Tenchi Muyo! OVA as the basis for this movie's story. Of course, you should try to figure it out without checking. If you just don't know, try watching OVA episode 9 "Sasami to Tsunami". Tanoshimu! (Enjoy)

If you enjoy the Tenchi series mainly to see Tenchi bust our his Light-Hawk sword and slice and dice bad guys, then you should rethink getting this movie. There is absolutely no action is this one whatsoever. To be blunt, it feels like a drama. I admit, that when I first sat down and watched it, I was skeptical. Like many other Tenchi fans, I was curious to see how they could take a grand series that encompassed every genre from action to comedy, and just focus on the drama. After having watched it several times now, I can say that it works, and works well. The story goes back to the root of some of the first OVA's: the love that Ayeka and Ryoko have for Tenchi. No plot spoilers here, just to say that the two women are going mad since Tenchi has disappeared. To go along with this more serious plot, is a change in the art style. While it works very well for the type of anime that this is, it's hard to get used to after watching the OVA's and the other Tenchi movies. The music is another aspect of this Tenchi movie that influences me to give it 5 stars. It is very dramatic, and almost every part has some background music, which really adds to the emotional value of certain scenes. On a minor note, the other women we have all come to know and love in the Tenchi world have only minor roles in this movie, but it allows for a greater focus on Ayeka and Ryoko's feelings. Finally, this movie continues with one of the strongest underlying Tenchi themes: emotions. It is a powerful anime, and if anyone watches it and doesn't feel even a small twinge of emotion, then there's something wrong with you (j/k). Again, a great film, very powerful, and one you will not likely forget soon. (*Hint: watch the credits carefully at the end*)

You know I'd love to say I liked this movie as it had quite a few good parts, but the sloppy handling of much of the movie left me feeling more mad then you could imagine. This so called "piece of art" is filled with holes and problems including an awful new character named Haruna. I'd rather see Sakuya return then to ever have seen this character grace the screen. She has no care for Tenchi as some indicate, all she cares about is herself. And here we had to go through another girl x relationship to get nothing at the end. Although Tenchi chooses, nothing is shown of it in the film and it'll leave you feel cheated. This would've been somewhat ok if it wasn't for what they showed us of the Haruna/Tenchi relationship. The soundtrack doesn't fit and the character design is all off in the artwork (although the backgrounds were quite nice). Overall, if this had been handed to a more compitent writer this would've been spectacular instead of the simply ok movie it is. While it was refreshing to get something new, the sloppy sloppy work on the movie does not make the end result good enough to justify anything of a high rating. I almost cry when I think of what could've been if the movie was handed to a better writer.