Tenchi Muyo! In Love!
(First Movie)
Tenchi Muyo In Love is a strangely named film, because of all the films, it really doesn't have anything to do with being in love. Yes, it has a lot to do with love - but not of that sort. Oh well. I guess they knew what they were doing!
It's said this film tacks on to the end of the Universe series, and because it includes Kiyone, I guess that's what people were generally thinking. It's not a perfect addition, however, so although it is Universe canon in some respects, I'm not sure it should be considered 'true' to that storyline. Several things have backtracked. We know at the end of the Universe series that Kiyone and Mihoshi both have a promotion, although we also see their silhouettes returning to the Earth. Does this also mean a demotion? Because they are patrolling the solar system at the start of the movie ( a good thing as it happens, since GXP headquarters is about to be blown to bits by an escaped criminal called Kain). Equally, back at the Masaki house, Ryoko, Sasami, Ryo Ohki and Ayeka are happily sitting with Tenchi watching old home movies. When we left the Universe series, Ayeka and Sasami were just leaving Jurai to return to planet Earth and Ryoko had Tenchi under the cherry blossoms. Ryoko even promised us a fair fight over Tenchi's heart - but nope, no fight here! And although Tenchi seems to make a choice at the end of the Universe series, he apparently hasn't remembered it very clearly by the start of the movie. And the other major canon blip is the fact that Jurai has an Emperor in this movie -although in Universe, the throne is apparently vacant. Anyone who's read my fanfictions will know how much trouble it took me trying to find logic in the Universe interpretation of the Jurai royal family...yep, there's the black hole, right there!!
Even so, I'm nit picking! The basics of this plot are simple. Kain is a very powerful criminal, who makes Ryoko look like a street pickpocket. And he's nursing a serious grudge against the Jurai royal house. He goes back to 1970 to kill Tenchi's mother, because apparently by doing so he can avenge himself on the whole Jurai line. Unfortunately, this is not good news for Tenchi, so Washu sends him and the gang back to 1970 to try and do one thing - protect Mother at all costs! They're not the only one in the past - a Galaxy Police official is there and is keeping his beady eye on Ryoko - although his main target is Kain and he stupidly believes he can recapture the creature on his own. Whoops. Oh well. It does mean Ryoko gets off the hook, anyway!
Of course, this film also shows us the budding romance between Noboyuke and Achika, Tenchi's mother, which is quite cute and shows nothing of the dirty old man Noboyuke is destined to become. And Ayeka, Ryoko and Tenchi wind up in another dimension trying to rescue the young couple before Kain decides to destroy them both and everything else, too. (Of course, it does help that Lady Achika is not entirely without defences of her own!)
RATING: 7.5/10 I like this film. I like it a lot. I just have continuity issues with how it supposedly locks onto the Universe series, so that's taken a hit off my rating. But it's a good story that works for the most part. Especially the scene where Washu calls Kiyone out of the bath to help her with a little problem...;) Very funny stuff.