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Seven hundred years is a long time to be hunting for your fiancé -- lucky for Ayeka, she has some form of suspended animation (no pun intended, I think.) You can imagine her reaction when she discovers that the source of her woes, Ryoko, is alive and well on the planet Earth. Worse, there's nothing she can do within their legal justice system to prosecute, as the Juraian (?) equivalent of the statute of limitations expired a mere five seconds after she discovered Ryoko's whereabouts. Taking a few pot-shots might not be in keeping with the Tenchi universe equivalent of the Prime Directive, but it's certainly understandable -- especially since Ryoko is suspected of being at least partially responsible for Yosho's (Ayeka's fiancé and half brother) disappearance. We also get a little more information about the Masaki family background, and Tenchi's possible ties with Jurai. (Just how is it that he's able to use the sword? And isn't it odd that the sword itself is named Tenchi...) Beyond that, however, this episode is mostly a vehicle to bring Ayeka and Sasami into the storyline: (Was that another pun? Maybe subconciously...) Ayeka, the older, more serious sibling with a temper to be reckoned with, and Sasami, the young mischevious girl. Beyond this, much of this episode is extraneous, and there is one aspect that I can't figure out: why on Earth did Ryoko decide that she had to destroy both ships? (OK, that pun was deliberate.) Where as the TV series used Ayeka's feelings towards Tenchi as a motive, and had a crazed Ayeka destroying the ships, the OAV series doesn't really adequately explain this... But at least we find out how Tenchi's house, originally in the city, ends up on lake-front property! Not a memorable episode, but not bad. - AN
What a way to be introduced to Tenchi's father. And boy does it give us an idea what he's like! Ayeka herself is a rather inconsistent individual, concerned about propriety... only when it suits her. She'll contradict herself if she want something done. Azaka and Kamidake, her guardians are a little different. Two logs which fly around, they accompany her most places. Unfortunately we don't learn much about them in this episode beyond their names and that they are Ayeka's guardians. The one decidedly odd thing I noticed in this episode is that only Ayeka seems to be under strict watch and, to a minor degree, control (bedtime?!). Little Sasami on the other hand is not, and indeed, Sasami seems to be free to roam at will.
Beyond that however, we have a cheesy bit of music when we first see Ayeka's ship above Tenchi's home. Can we tell where that music came from?! Beyond that however, the animation continues to be more fun than anything else, and while not great, it's more than enough to do the job. (Gotta love Tenchi when he goes running out of Ayeka's room!) Otherwise, we never did find out why Sasami wanted Ayeka's head ornament. The translations continue to be the weakest part of this episode and series with lovely ALL CAPS shouting and the somewhat awkward dialogue. For an international company, I really did expect better quality translations. -JYN
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