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Shelf Life - Ai Tenchi Muyo!




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Zin5ki



Joined: 06 Jan 2008
Posts: 6680
Location: London, UK
PostPosted: Mon Sep 10, 2018 2:57 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
Asuka Kurashina dreams of competing in an airborne sport known as Flying Circus, but she'll need to master the use of anti-gravity shoes in order to participate.

I assume that the choice to call the sport "Flying Circus" didn't exactly resonate with viewers in the anglosphere in quite the intended way. Hopefully the standard array of Python references were iterated while this was airing.
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I_Drive_DSM



Joined: 11 Feb 2008
Posts: 217
PostPosted: Mon Sep 10, 2018 2:59 pm Reply with quote
I grew up on the original Tenchi Muyo OVAs and the TV series. I still remember when Pioneer first released the single episode OVAs on VHS back in the very early 90s and if you asked me what series I enjoyed the most from the 90s Tenchi Muyo in any form would be in my top five.

I really tried to put into effort to watching Ai Tenchi Muyo but I couldn't complete it. I had qualms with most of the mentioned issues but what was really nagging at me about the series was it left me feeling like I was supposed to take an established character I knew, and thus subsequently knew how he was (or should) react to things, and accept him alongside a brand new cast. Of course the old cast was still there but they were kind of "back stage", for lack of a better term I can think of. I had a difficult time dealing with this seemingly "new" Tenchi Masaki.

I feel like this series as a whole is something that could have been done differently. Like if you wanted to show off Tenchi throw the old characters into some short five minute gags or situations, or even introduce yet another male lead (a la GXP). I'm sure any of those could have tied in well to the Takahashi tourism needs.

Then again I had similar qualms when Tenchi in Tokyo first was released, and it wasn't because of the updated character designs, but rather because most all the humor and gags were major forced on the viewer. At times it felt like I wasn't watching Tenchi. I got the same feeling out of Ai Tenchi Muyo.
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invalidname
Contributor



Joined: 11 Aug 2004
Posts: 2434
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
PostPosted: Mon Sep 10, 2018 3:10 pm Reply with quote
Zin5ki wrote:
I assume that the choice to call the sport "Flying Circus" didn't exactly resonate with viewers in the anglosphere in quite the intended way. Hopefully the standard array of Python references were iterated while this was airing.

Not that Monty Python itself was ever particularly worried about how their material would play overseas. As an American, I had no idea WTF this was about when I first saw it: http://montypython.wikia.com/wiki/Blancmange

As for Anokana, they used to advertise the heck of that in Dengeki G's magazine ("out of the sky, into the firmament", read the strap line), but like most recent visual novel anime, it went absolutely nowhere (someanithing.com says it sold an average 1,257 discs per volume).
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pachy_boy



Joined: 09 Mar 2006
Posts: 1323
PostPosted: Mon Sep 10, 2018 3:16 pm Reply with quote
As a completist and long-time Tenchi fan, I enjoyed Ai Tenchi Muyo by default. The new voice actors of Washu and Ayeka took some getting used to but they did a fine job, and I definitely appreciated seeing a somewhat older Sasami. The only major complaint I have against the series itself is that cute adorable Ryo-Ohki had a blink-and-miss cameo within the show's literal last minute. And the only major complaint I have against Funimation's release is that this would've greatly benefited as a marathon-play like they've done with Attack on Titan, that way instead of skipping the end-credits every five minutes one could easily watch the whole thing in one 3-hour sitting. Now that Universe and Tokyo got blu-ray releases Japan, I can only wish that Funimation might get their hands on those next in the future (no one's missing anything if they skip getting the 4th season OVA).
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belvadeer





PostPosted: Mon Sep 10, 2018 7:05 pm Reply with quote
I'm surprised Vatican Miracle Examiner is sub only. You'd think a dub would be perfect for that one.

The price tag for the Garden of Sinners movies, just yikes. They literally want you to trade your soul (or a quarter chunk of your paycheck) for them.

It's a small shame they couldn't get Jennifer Darling and Kate T. Vogt to voice Ayeka and Washu again, as that would have made the "original set" complete save for Kiyone not being in this. Jennifer most recently voice acted in FF Type-0, so it's not as if she's retired from voice acting. Although I can understand not getting Kate to come back as she seems to have vanished from the voice acting scene entirely. Jessica Gee was a fairly good soundalike for her in GXP, so it's also a little odd they didn't call on her again either.


Last edited by belvadeer on Mon Sep 10, 2018 7:10 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Alan45
Village Elder



Joined: 25 Aug 2010
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 10, 2018 7:53 pm Reply with quote
@Zin5ki

To me the reference to a "flying circus" is a reminder of the Red Baron and WWI air combat. Until you mentioned it, I had forgotten that the term had something to do with Monty Python. I never could get into Monty Python. The humor was hit and miss (mostly miss) and a lot of what I saw made no sense at all. I expect I was raised in the wrong country to understand them.
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Levonr



Joined: 19 Nov 2003
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 10, 2018 9:26 pm Reply with quote
The best part of Ai Tenchi Muyo! was the dub, otherwise disappointing. The way it was constructed annoyed me, 50 five minute episodes that were confusing time-slip order especially in the beginning. It shouldn't be this hard to make a simple wacky harem but somehow they made a mess out of something so simple.
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Joe Mello



Joined: 31 May 2004
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 10, 2018 10:15 pm Reply with quote
Zin5ki wrote:
Hopefully the standard array of Python references were iterated while this was airing.

I apologize, but those responsible for the Monty Python references have been sacked.
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CatSword



Joined: 01 Jul 2014
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 10, 2018 11:25 pm Reply with quote
Chiibi wrote:
~post removed~


I agree with you on how the (original) Tenchi series treats its fanservice compared to the harem series it inspired. There's still plenty of eye candy (and more nudity than some series that call themselves "ecchi", which they should be embarrassed by), but it takes place in situations where it makes sense to be there without a focus on male punishment or turning into a cliche gag.

I'm disappointed that it sounds like Ai Tenchi Muyo! went that route.
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EricJ2



Joined: 01 Feb 2014
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 11, 2018 12:30 am Reply with quote
I_Drive_DSM wrote:
I grew up on the original Tenchi Muyo OVAs and the TV series. I still remember when Pioneer first released the single episode OVAs on VHS back in the very early 90s and if you asked me what series I enjoyed the most from the 90s Tenchi Muyo in any form would be in my top five.
Then again I had similar qualms when Tenchi in Tokyo first was released, and it wasn't because of the updated character designs, but rather because most all the humor and gags were major forced on the viewer. At times it felt like I wasn't watching Tenchi. I got the same feeling out of Ai Tenchi Muyo.


The first thing anyone ever mentions about Ai Tenchi is "Oh, yeah, that's that one the tourism department came up with, right?"
Which means it's never really been taken seriously, either by casual Tenchi fans, or those longtime enough to know that the "real" Tenchi series ended after the "Forever" movie.

Ever since, it's been AIC pasting their one best-known house franchise brand-label onto whatever sci-fi or comedy will fit it, like the Terminator-sequels of anime.
Tenchi in Tokyo at least gets some street-credit for being one of the last official series with some tangible connection to the original Universe series. (And has its defenders. Anime catgrin ) Anything after that is trying to sell you something.
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Wrangler



Joined: 11 Nov 2007
Posts: 1346
PostPosted: Tue Sep 11, 2018 8:27 am Reply with quote
I watched it as it came out, frankly I hated they were sub-divided into 10 minute slots.

I heard someone had slice 10-minute segments into full episodes, which makes it more bearable to watch.

I try watch this stuff disconnected, because I think foolish to think for moment original scifi/comedy/adventure is in same mine-set. Overall plot of this is fine, as a stand alone (stealthily Tourism city advertisement funded) anime. Harem wise, its at least it's not as horrible as some that has come out since after this was first shown.

Tenchi now older in this one was refreshing and especially it's not STUCK frozen in time at the house doing northing. The recent OVA about Tenchi's Dad getting remarried was incredible waste time, barely funny.
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Chiibi



Joined: 19 Dec 2011
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 11, 2018 11:38 am Reply with quote
Joe Mello wrote:
Zin5ki wrote:
Hopefully the standard array of Python references were iterated while this was airing.

I apologize, but those responsible for the Monty Python references have been sacked.


I see what you did there. Laughing

Looks like my original post was removed....for reasons I don't understand (do you know how much SAO gets bashed even worse and nobody does a thing) but yeah, not even the dub could save this for me. #notmytenchianymore.
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Redbeard 101
Oscar the Grouch
Forums Superstar


Joined: 14 Aug 2006
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 11, 2018 12:08 pm Reply with quote
Chiibi wrote:


Looks like my original post was removed....for reasons I don't understand (do you know how much SAO gets bashed even worse and nobody does a thing) but yeah, not even the dub could save this for me. #notmytenchianymore.

It was removed for being a giant pointless rant.You didn't add anything to the discussion with it. You just ranted and went on about how it sucks, and this other show sucks, and this trope sucks, etc. If you don't want to watch the show then fine, but don't go and post like you're on youtube or xbox live. As for SAO, we actually do remove plenty of posts that pointlessly bash it. More would be removed if people bothered to report them so we were notified of them. Moving on.
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Spastic Minnow
Bargain Hunter
Exempt from Grammar Rules


Joined: 02 May 2006
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 12, 2018 2:16 pm Reply with quote
I do think people get confused about Tenchi series. Apart from the Kajishima OVA related shows (which include GXP and Geminar) which has an extremely dense show mythology that is kept strictly to its canon, the other shows largely stand on their own or split off from a previous iteration.

I didn't really like Ai when it came out. I'll probably buy and rewatch it when there's a sale, just for completist's sake, but I'm not too angry about it anymore. It's just the most "simplified" of the series, in length and characterization. It's not "MY" Tenchi either, but it IS A Tenchi. And in a franchise that has at least a half dozen different iterations, not even counting Magic wielding Sasami variations, this weird Momotaro-ized version (really surprised that wasn't mentioned in the review) isn't going to affect the versions I like better.
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