Reviewed on November 5th, 2006

Visually

The artwork was very nicely done; it looks like the original anime series that aired on TV, but the art is much smoother and clear. The setting takes place in the rural and quiet area of Japan. The farming lands filled with country air and fireflies, radiant and sunny. I love the artwork at the Final Battle; it was so touching and beautiful that it gave me goose bumps.

Audio

For the first time, it would seem that the English dub surpasses the Japanese vocals. The voice actor for Tenchi was sort of girlish and did not suit the strong character he is suppose to portray. The background music is subtle, but very light and whimsical; enjoyable and soft.

Storyline

On a lovely festive night, a young boy and girl were exchanging gifts and innocent friendship when all of a sudden, a giant ship appeared and soldiers were sent chasing after the girl. It turns out that the girl was the Demonness of Darkness called Yuzuha, and she was forced to depart from Earth. After many long years of being hidden in the darkness, she decided to take her revenge on Tenchi Muyo’s family, by genetically creating a girl out of her hair and Tenchi’s. On a hot summer day, at the cemetery steps, Tenchi encountered the charismatic young girl and she called him “Daddy”! The girl, Mayuka, slowly was being accepted into the household, despite the jealousy raging from Ayeka and Ryoko. As the family grew fond of her and developed a strong bond, Yuzuha ordered her to snatch Tenchi (Ryoko come with) away to the Dimension of Darkness. Now Tenchi must fight for the sake of his family and friends, including Mayuka whether or not she was his real daughter. The story unfolds as the truth is revealed, "Imagine the Darkness in love with the Light..."

DVD

Since the Japanese vocals didn’t please me, I enjoyed the English dub of the DVD. Still, if you enjoy the original anime voice actors then the DVD is fully equipped with English and Japanese subtitles and dubbing. The DVD also entails hidden angle videos of the movie and a Tenchi Encyclopedia as a bonus.

Overall

A grudge that lasted 700 years due to an unrequited love; a daughter of Darkness can only envy the light or succumb to it. A very touching story with a great ending. Buy it, watch it, and enjoy it.

by Sooyung