Product Details

• Actors: Matt K. Miller, Megumi Hayashibara, Yuri Amano, Takeshi Aono, Petrea Burchard
• Directors: Hiroshi Negishi
• Writers: Hiroshi Negishi, Masaki Kajishima, Ryôe Tsukimura
• Producers: Hidemi Satani, Miyoko Miura, Naoju Nakamura, Tak W. Abe
• Format: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, THX, NTSC
• Language: English, Japanese
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Geneon [Pioneer]
• VHS Release Date: August 20, 1996
• Run Time: 95 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (175 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304099037
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #200,906 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential video

Although the first feature in this popular franchise is more serious in tone than Tenchi in Tokyo or Tenchi Muyô!, the characters prove strong enough to carry a longer story while remaining true to their established personalities.

When the criminal Kain escapes from prison, he destroys Galactic Patrol Headquarters, then moves to Earth to strike the Masaki family, whose link to the royal family of Jurai engenders his hatred. Capable of moving through time as well as space, he plans to kill Tenchi's mother, Achika, before she marries his father, Nobuyuki. If Kain were to succeed, Tenchi would cease to exist, the Masaki line would end, and his friends would disappear.

Scientific genius Washu transports Tenchi, Jurai princesses Ayeka and Sasami, space pirate Ryoko, Galactic Patrol officers Mihoshi and Kiyone, and cabbit Ryo-Ohki back to 1970 to defend Achika. The inevitable wacky contretemps occur--Ayeka and Ryoko get into a fight that brings Tokyo's commuter train system to a halt--and it's interesting to see Nobuyuki as an uncertain architecture student, rather than a comic lecher. The final confrontation with Kain takes on an unusual poignancy from Tenchi's feelings for the mother he never knew (she died while he was an infant).

Unrated; recommended for ages 10 and older for brief nudity and cartoon violence. --Charles Solomon

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Positively, one of the absolute BEST anime films out there!, January 29, 2000

By 

Brandon Victorian (Lafayette, Louisiana United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tenchi the Movie - Tenchi Muyo In Love (DVD)

I laughed (laughed my brains out, actually)at the antics of Ryoko and Ayeka, I smiled at the gentle romance between Achika and Nobuyuki, and I cried at the bittersweet and ironic ending (if U've seen the movie, U know what I'm talking about). This anime has got to be one of the absolute BEST that I've ever seen. The music complements the story extraordinarily well, the animation quality is befitting any Disney film, and the plot, though simplistic in a sense, is very good. This was the movie that got me hooked on the Tenchi craze, and though I knew of "Tenchi Muyo!" for the longest, I never thought much about it until I saw some of the TV series, and then, this movie. Then, I nearly kicked myself for not jumping into the fray sooner. This is a definite MUST HAVE for any anime Otaku, with a plot that, though in some ways similar, rivals that of El Hazard. Actually, my humble bit of praise doesn't do the movie justice, so all I can say is buy it, and check it out for yourselves. It's good for the Tenchi neophyte, and even better for the anime neophyte. Trust me, folks, it'll draw U in faster than it drew me in! I guarantee, if U see this, then U DEFINITELY won't regret it!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exemplifies the "Classic Modern" Anime, November 6, 2000

By 

Vic G (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tenchi the Movie - Tenchi Muyo In Love (DVD)

Tenchi Muyo in Love, aside from being the best all-around production of the Tenchi line of anime, rivals even the best anime classics of all time. It is a story told with all the elements otakus have come to expect from good anime plot construct - visual and semantic humor, romance, science fiction, character development, and the embodiment of the classical struggle between good and evil in man's free will.

Specifically to Tenchi fans, this movie offers a solid, satisfying glimpse into the life of Tenchi's mother, Achika Masaki, and his father Nobuyuki when they were Tenchi's age. Upon realizing that Achika has started to disappear in all the old films made by Nobuyuki 26 years ago, galaxy-class genius Washu discovers that an evil force code-named KAIN was responsible for wiping out the Masaki family in the past. Thus, Tenchi and his entire harem embark on a mission to save the past - and in turn preserve their own existences. The movie presents mature content without sacrificing the jovial traits fans have come to expect from Tenchi and the girls. Ryoko and Ayeka's bickering over Tenchi, Mihoshi's bubbleheadedness, Kiyone's exaggerated seriousness, and Sasami/Ryo-ohki's plain-and-simple cuteness are just a few things that are kept very much intact. The gradual development of the relationship between Achika and Nobuyuki, while corny at times, succeeds ultimately to paint a picture of their innocent love. The simple but solid plot twists carries the story to a very Jurai-esque climax and bittersweet resolution. It ends with Nobuyuki taking a group shot of the Tenchi family (it is only natural that he employs a Pioneer videocamera, perfectly drawn, to do this.) Tenchi the Movie provides a refreshingly new aspect of "love" in Tenchi for the audience, his love for his mother.

You get all this and still can expect to laugh your head off!

From the surprisingly unique introduction sequence that sets the scene (expect time travel to be confusing), to the smooth transition to the main plot, to the clever ways in which some events are revealed in achronological order, the concept of the non-linearity of time is sustained. Some very interesting techniques to look out for: the black-and-white film at the beginning of the movie that forms the complication of the plot is re-enacted in color when the team goes back to the past, Washu's occasional messages are broken up into chunks of audio flashback, the scrambling of past and present in the last moments brings the whole to a finality.

The wide spectrum of plots, themes, and cinematic techniques in this movie will appeal to a universal audience - diehard Muyoite, animation aesthete, or otherwise. Without a doubt, it numbers among the best in classic modern Japanese animation.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The next best thing to Star Wars, August 23, 1998

By 

Scott Thomas ([e-mail]) (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tenchi the Movie - Tenchi Muyo In Love (DVD)

The best movie is Tenchi Muyo in Love. To sum up quickly. Tenchi Masaki is the heir to the Jurai royal family which members are inhereted to an incredible power. Tenchi's Grandfather,Yosho, left the planet Jurai to a peaceful life. Their, Yosho had a only daughter who died after a few years when Tenchi was born. The story of TMIL is about a great evil called Kain that escapes from the Galaxy Police HQ. Kain Travels back in time to destroy Tenchi's Mother and Grandfather. Now Tenchi and his friends: Ryoko, Ayeka, Sasami, Kiyone, Mihoshi, Washu and Ryo-oki must deguise themselves as students, Teachers and Janitors to help save Tenchi's mother. Tenchi Muyo in love is emotional powerhouse, We see a great concern for Tenchi's mother and father in their teenage years. We also see how Tenchi's freinds truly care for him. Why Tenchi Muyo is like Star Wars is because the movie focuses on the true story rather than the cool special effects. All characters have true personalities to them and we seem with great concern (Plus, Tenchi has a lightsaber like weapon). I can't stress enough how fantasic this movie is. In my opinion, Tenchi Muyo ending will have you in pure emotional shock because of its sensitivity. It is true movie magic. END