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[Note: This is, more or less, just a stub of a homepage, to last until I find the time to make a real, full-fledged Tenchi Muyo website - if I ever do.]
If the two different versions of El-Hazard were confusing, Tenchi Muyo easily surpasses it, with a ton of different versions available!
In the original version, which was available only on video in Japan, the story is about Tenchi Masaki, whose grandfather owns a shrine meant to imprison an ancient and terrible demon known as Ryoko. Curious about the legend, Tenchi investigates, and accidentally frees the demon - only to discover that the "demon" is actually a very attractive female space pirate, and one who is quite attracted to Tenchi himself. Tenchi's life quickly becomes very weird, as other aliens join the fray (most female, and most bearing an attraction for Tenchi). But the greatest shock comes when Tenchi discovers that he, himself, is heir to an incredible, and unearthly power.
This, in spite of being...well...unfinished, is, in my opinion, the best incarnation of Tenchi Muyo available. The characters possess a depth of character that is somewhat lacking in the other series, and the plots are deeper and more moving.
After it became clear that the original Tenchi Muyo was a humongous hit, AIC, the producers of the show, wisely decided to spread the show to a larger audience by creating a television version. All the main characters from the original version were included - though most were slightly changed in the transition, and came to Earth in a different order and for different reasons - and one new main character was added. Tenchi's love interests this time were reduced to two: Ryoko, and her rival, the alien princess Ayeka. The basic premise of the show was also the same, but the storyline ended up taking a radically different path.
I really enjoyed watching the Tenchi TV series (marketed in the US as "Tenchi Universe"). But I couldn't help but feel that the characters had been rendered a bit shallow this time around, like the writers had taken the most amusing traits of each character and exaggerated them, largely ignoring the other facets of their original personalities. Nevertheless, I have not regretted buying both series.
After Tenchi Universe was through, and Tenchimania was still strong, a second television series was released; one that left longtime fans of the show kinda baffled. Once again, the characters had been provided with a new origin story, though most of the characters ended up almost exactly like their Tenchi Universe incarnations (with a few notable exceptions). This time around, though, Tenchi decided to leave his home to go live in Tokyo, leaving his love interests behind. To make matters worse, he found a new love interest in Tokyo, one who seemed to be an ordinary human - and one, it seemed, that Tenchi actually seemed to take an interest in. A new host of villains appeared, with their own agenda, and their own interest in Tenchi.
The second TV series (marketed as "Tenchi in Tokyo") is definitely an acquired taste. The animation is very different from the other versions, and the humor is, as well. The show is, quite frankly, wacky, and a vast departure from previous Tenchi adventures. I found it to be palatable, if I forced myself to think of it as a parody of Tenchi Muyo. Having watched it all, now, I definitely have to say that this is not a worthwhile addition to the Tenchi Muyo franchise. The new villains simply are not very inspiring, and their plans are cheesy, and contain flaws large enough to fly Ryo-Ohki through. It has a few shining moments, and the new major character, Sakuya, is interesting and fun to watch. All in all, though, only driven Tenchi enthusiasts are likely to enjoy this show.
The last, and quite possibly oddest, incarnation of Tenchi Muyo is the world of "Magical Girl Pretty Sammy". In this series, the focus is on Sasami, who in the other series, was the younger sister of the alien princess, Ayeka. This time around, she's Tenchi's sister, and all the characters who were aliens in the other series are human - though their characterizations remained largely the same. Sasami is granted magical powers by Queen Tsunami to protect the world of Earth - powers which transform her from an ordinary girl into the Magical Girl, Pretty Sammy! However, Tsunami's rival, Queen Rumia, has also selected a champion to foil Tsunami's plans: Sasami's best friend Misao, who now becomes Pixy Misa!
"Magical Girl Pretty Sammy" was originally intended as a spoof of the many Magical Girl shows common in Japan. Originally, it was only a set of three OAVs, but recently a TV series starring Pretty Sammy has shown up as well. I finally managed to collect the three-episode OAV series, and I must say that it is a riot. Magical girls aren't the only thing being spoofed here - Bill Gates takes a hit in the second episode. These are definitely worth watching.
Did I say last? As it turns out, Pretty Sammy has two universes of her very own! After the success of the Pretty Sammy OAV series, AIC decided that Sasami as a magical girl was cute enough to market to a wide audience. A TV series was created, starring Pretty Sammy. Once again, the Tenchi cast returned, but in much more minor roles - the spotlight focuses on Sasami and the other kids in her classroom.
Magical Project S is much less of a spoof than the Pretty Sammy OAVs were. It's more of a "serious" magical girl show (insofar as ANY magical girl show can be considered serious). I haven't seen it yet, so I can't say much more. It looks as though it has plenty to keep people amused, however. ^_^
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