The All-New Tenchi Muyo: Long Goodbyes [Paperback]

The Tenchi Saga is a special one. A story about a simple boy and the zany women who love him, the series became a sensation in the early '90s and went to encompass a variety of media, from movies to video games to even music albums. In fact, the series was such a hit in Japan, it was quickly released in America where it was met with similar enthusiasm. To this day, many anime fans still credit Tenchi Muyo as the series that introduced them to the art form.

Unfortunately, by the early 2000s, the series began to wane in popularity as anime evolved from an underground movement of sorts to a mainstream cash cow. Suddenly, store shelves were crammed full with the latest animation and manga from Japan, and poor Tenchi was quickly pushed out of the public eye. It didn't help, either, that new episodes featuring the Tenchi cast had all but disappeared, with the last TV series, the mediocre Tenchi in Tokyo, being released back in '97. To make matters worse still, when a continuation of the original series, Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki, was finally produced in 2003, it was largely criticized by fans for its lackluster story and production values. So, what began as an epic tale of action, humor, and romantic intrigue ended on a grim and sour note.

Fortunately, Hitoshi Okuda's No Need for Tenchi and The All-New Tenchi Muyo!, two manga series that ran back-to-back during the rise and fall of the animated versions, have retained the quality storytelling and delightful characterizations that made the early Tenchi anime so memorable. In no other medium is Ryoko, the space pirate, portrayed so sympathetically in regards to her more violent, primal side, and the softer, gentler side she has developed through her love for Tenchi. And Princess Ayeka, far from being a snooty princess, is instead portrayed here as warm, gracious, and as someone who truly wants to be a good woman. And poor Tenchi--only Hitoshi Okuda truly brings enough emotional depth to the character to make him seem like a real, believable person versus the sometimes dull, forgettable individual he was in some of his other incarnations.

And this final volume of The All-New Tenchi Muyo demonstrates these points perfectly. Tenchi's joy of seeing his mother return is heartwarming and equally devastating when he begins to suspect she could be an imposter. His treatment of both Ryoko and Ayeka is surprising but understandable, and their reactions reveal much about their own respective personalities and the love they have for their would-be suitor. And let's not forget Princess Sasami and (Little) Washu, two individuals full of hidden complexities, insecurities, motives, and heartfelt desires that fascinate the mind and warm the soul.

This final volume is a masterful work and is heartily recommended. Although the ending feels a little rushed, the story still stands as a pinnacle of great storytelling for a series that has had many good tales to tell. Why someone hasn't decided to adapt these excellent stories into a fourth animated series is indeed a mystery.

This manga is the definitive version of the Tenchi saga. Buy it, read it, savor it, and take a trip back to the days when the world still remembered and cared about Tenchi and his beautiful female friends.