Tenchi in Tokyo...and Grounded

Tenchi in Tokyo: A New Start

© 1997 AIC - Pioneer LDC, Inc. - Kadokawa Shoten - Sotsu Agency - TV Tokyo
Licensed by GETS

Genre: comedy (could be considered romantic/sci-fi) Length: 100 minutes (4 episodes) Audience Age: 12+ (this is not the Cartoon Network version)

Opinion: Interesting to see the newer attitudes of the great, established characters from the previous series.

This is a review of the dubbed, out of print VHS version.

This is one of the most popular titles in all of anime spawning multiple spin off series and films.

Anyone who knows anything about anime knows of "Tenchi Muyo!" It is great to know that high quality Japanimation can crossover into the mainstream since it is now part of Cartoon Network's Toonami line up. Great writing, a cool art style, and very neurotic characters put this series above the Japanese standby situation of a normal guy in an unusual scenario with three or more unstable women. 

Unfortunately, American producers feel any show that is imported from another country must make sacrifices to become mainstream. I will not even tell you where the producers can stick this idea. Tenchi just is not Tenchi without the sake jokes, the brief comedic nude scenes, and other jokes that are more or less meant for a PG-13 audience, so if you can afford to, buy at least one of the Tenchi Muyo! videos to see how much better it can be when you have a little more open sense of humor.

Yosho, Tenchi's grandfather, has given his grandson the opportunity to serve under a friend and fellow shrine care keeper in Tokyo. Despite the objections to his leaving and vicious forms of persuasion for him to stay by the girls, Tenchi decides to seize this chance to expand his horizons. This is not a total loss for the girls since Washu has created a dimensional tunnel between the Misaki residence and Tenchi's apartment in Tokyo.

For our hero's sake, hopefully he is not using the chance to train at another shrine as an excuse to gain some peace and quiet from the girls, because as long as he does not make his bed every morning, the aliens can visit him at any time. It also appears that Tenchi has not put much thought into how he can start up meaningful relationships with other girls, like his new classmate Sakuya, when Ayeka and Ryoko are set on winning his heart. This will definitely be an interesting time in this Juraian Prince's life that seems like it will be worth documenting on eight video tapes.

"Tenchi in Tokyo" seems to be aimed at an older audience despite the fact that the humor is rather tame. The series also seems to lack the flare and color of the first two series (Tenchi Muyo! and "Tenchi Universe"). Animation wise, it just seems to be pretty bland. 

Even though the animation may not be up to par, the writing makes this series viewable by at least open-minded Tenchi fans. Despite the fact that this series starts the Tenchi story line over again, the characters have all seemed to have matured. If anything, this is the only element that allows this series to be unique enough to tear up the continuity of the previous Tenchi stories.

The only flaw with the writing of this series is that our heroes always end up facing some one shot, minor villain. These villains are cleverly made, but seem to only be an attempt to make the series marketable to kids. This flaw can almost be overlooked by the opportunities for the character to interact with the new, almost normal character, Sakuya, and that you get to see all of the neurotic traits of the characters rise up whenever they are in extremely stressful scenarios. 

Tenchi's adventures in the "Neon Metropolis" are interesting for the newer attitudes of the great, established characters from the previous series, but it is not as laugh-out-loud funny as its predecessors. This is probably because of the tame humor. You have to want to enjoy a series based on character interaction to enjoy Tenchi in Tokyo. I guess the latest Tenchi series is an oxymoron of anime since the plots of each episode are almost identical to those featured in "Sailor Moon".

Image from the CG Shrines

Serial Experiments Lain: The Ideal Siri

Serial Experiments Lain: Navi

Genre: Sci-Fi (Dramatic) 

Length: 100 minutes (4 OVAs)

Audience: 16 Up

Opinion: No one can deny this series' beauty on virtually all levels.

This is a review of the subtitlede VHS release.

©1998 Triangle/Pioneer LDC, Inc.

There are a lot of junior high kids that are suffering from a disturbing experience. A girl who recently committed suicide is sending them e-mails. Lain, an extremely introverted girl, was included on this mailing list. Unlike her classmates who consider these letters to be a cruel trick, she is intrigued by the message that death is only leaving your body since the soul can now be transferred on the Wired network.

Lain's technology crazed father decides to buy her the most state of the art Navi computer, so she can investigate this new world. This becomes an exciting and addicting experience for our main character as the world of the Wired seems to already know her. Not to say that Lain had a great sense of reality, but her deity like status in this network can only further blur her perceptions.

It did not take much to inspire me to pick up this title. I was looking for something a little more mature than the series I was collecting at the time ("Martian Successor Nadesico" and "Bubble Gum Crisis Tokyo 2040"), but I did not know what to base the decision on besides the at least "16 Up" rating. What it came down to was box art, and still to this point there is no better cover art for anime than "Serial Experiments Lain".

Once I got back into the car after making this purchase, I read the plot synopsis and was amazed at how intriguing it was. Seeming irresistible, at least from my perspective, or that of anyone who can get into films like Cameron Crowe's "Vanilla Sky", this is an extremely promising title.

Lain is an anime that must be purchased since to catch everything about it requires many viewing. You cannot afford to blink or you will miss many little details in the story and the animation. Patience is also required because a premise is not really established for this series until after the end of the final episode of the video.

If you are impatient, it will be difficult to enjoy the story or the slowly gradual changes in the character of Lain. Being able to understand this character is crucial to enjoying the series because all of the other characters are nothing more than background drawing with the added dimension of movement.

I consider the series' artwork to be beautiful. It gives the feeling of being extremely realistic while maintaining the feel of reading a manga. The computer images used in this series are not too complex, but are placed properly to give the viewer the same sense of "aahhhh" and worry that Lain is experiencing.

The series soundtrack further adds to the show's overall beauty. With the exception of the closing credits' song. The eerie techno beats are perfect for this series. There is only one artist that I can compare this to and that is Trent Reznor, but due to the lack of violence or aggression, a Nine Inch Nails score would not be appropriate. Because of this, Lain's beauty is going to be difficult to match.

Serial Experiments Lain may only be enjoyed be minority cliques like Goths and Geeks, but no one can deny this series' beauty on virtually all levels. It is an expensive purchase ($24.99 dubbed, $29.99 subtitled), but it a necessity for any anime fan who does not have ADD collection.

Image from the CG Shrines

Neon Genesis Evangelion - The Alpha of Anime TV, Omega of Arguments

Neon Genesis Evangelion -

Collection 0:1

Neon Genesis Evangelion

© GAINAX / Project Eva. - TV Tokyo

Genre: Science fiction (Giant Robots) Length: 120 minutes (4 episodes) Audience Age: 13+

Opinion: I still have yet to see an anime series superior to Evangelion.

This is a review of the DVD release.

This series maybe the best known anime TV series that is not on Cartoon Network.

I know this statement may sound bold, but I still have yet to see an anime series superior to "Evangelion". When I first started collecting anime (spring/summer 1997), this was the only title that mattered to the critics I followed, and since I liked "Robotech" and "Voltron" (both series always seem to have questionable video distribution status until Robotech was recently acquired by ADV Films) I figured I would give this $25 a VHS, giant robot themed series a chance. A year later, I had all 13 tapes, the Taiwanese bootleg of the first soundtrack, a set of imported key chains, and Chinese-subtitled versions of the first two theatrical films. As far as I am concerned, this dramatic science fiction series which mixes the classic Japanese standby of giant beings using a city as an arena and elements of the book of Revelations, is the best science-fiction series ever made for television (Star Trek, "Doctor Who", and "Babylon 5" fans who object to this statement can reach me at bitemescifigeeks@animeflow.cubs). 

Desperate for more of this series, I decided to purchase the first DVD of "Neon Genesis Evangelion" with full knowledge that this would just be the first four episodes that I already had on tape. I guess I am evidence about how addictive watching the adventures of Shinji Ikari are since I am allowing ADV Films to sell this to me as if they were a shady person with a questionable substance at an 80's Motley Crüe concert and I was Nikki Sixx.

Fifteen years after the "Second Impact" disaster of 2000, Shinji Ikari, a 14 year-old who may be suffering from chronic depression, is called to Tokyo 3 by his father that abandoned him 10 years-ago to "focus on the fate of mankind". He was not given a reason to come to the new metropolis, but being compliant to avoid the trouble of determining his own fate, he arrive in the third Tokyo which quickly becomes a battlefield.

After being rescued from the chaos of United Nation jets' pointless battle with a giant beast known as an Angel, his rescuer, Misato Katsuragi, takes him to Nerv Headquarters, a base hidden beneath the city. Shinji's father hardly takes the time to welcome his only child as he tells him to get into a giant bio-mechanical being, Evangelion Unit 01, and face the Angel in hand-to-hand combat. 

He asks why he must pilot and is told that he is the only one who can. There maybe one other pilot, Rei, but she is already severly injured, so Shinji must decide whose life will be put on the line.

There are no doubts in anyone's mind that since "Evangelion" was finished in early 1995, the overall animation quality for this genre has improved a great deal, but there is yet to be an anime series that has stories equal to Neon Genesis Evangelion. This DVD has a really solid beginning and ending, so that if you are not as impressed as I was with the storyline after four episodes, you do not necessarily need to purchase the next DVD collection. If you do not currently have a DVD player, I am sure if you buy the first VHS of this series, you will undoubtedly pick up the second. 

Evangelion's first DVD also shows some of its unique aspects. The soundtrack is one of my favorites and you cannot help to be curious about a giant robot show that has its ending theme song be "Fly Me to the Moon". Plus, the opening theme song is real easy to get into. I am pretty sure about this since one of my friends band was considering to cover it.

Uniqueness on this disc is not limited only to the soundtrack. Evangelion's character style is nearly identical to some of the most popular mangas, Japanese comic books. This is most likely why it was so easy to make a manga for this series after its TV run. Probably most interesting thing about any of the design aspects would be the mecha design. Eva Unit 01's look was considered to be so awesome that it got a cameo in the police action/comedy "Burn-Up W". 

With all the great elements that form Neon Genesis Evangelion, anyone who is interested in starting an anime collection cannot exclude it. Since all TV sci-fi should attempt to have stories on par with Evangelion, perhaps all television producers need one of the tapes or discs in their video collection.