Tenchi

Tenchi Muyo! (天地無用!, Tenchi Muyō!?), is an anime, light novel, and manga series about a boy named Tenchi Masaki and the alien women that love him.

The original series, Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki, is a six episode OVA (Original Video Animation or Direct-to-Home Video) series; released in Japan in 1992–93. As its popularity grew, it spurred a seventh episode (also known as the Tenchi Special) and the stand alone Mihoshi Special. In 1994-95, the second OVA series was created and released, featuring episodes 8–13. From 2003 to 2005, a third OVA series was released, with episodes 14–19, centering around the three goddesses introduced in the second OVA series. This is then followed by a special twentieth episode which centered around some of the remaining plot threads towards Tenchi’s mother, as well as Noike, who was introduced in episode 15. The series can be somewhat confusing to newcomers because it has several continuities.

Before the popularity of series like Love Hina, to American fans Tenchi Muyo! set the benchmark for a series with a somewhat meek but kind male lead surrounded by attractive but often bizarre women, an anime sub-genre (harem comedy) which would later become common. The TM franchise is also well-known in having a manga developed after an animated version was released, when typically the reverse is true.

Tenchi Muyo! was one of the early successes for AIC , the animation company behind it, which went on to create El-Hazard, Battle Athletes, Oh My Goddess!, Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventure and many other anime series. The main artist for the series is Masaki Kajishima.

The name of the manga is a play on words. Tenchi muyō (天地無用, Tenchi muyō?) in Japanese means “This way up”, a phrase written, for example, on boxes to show they should not be upturned. The word muyō also means “unnecessary”, thus with a lead character “Tenchi” this name could also mean “unnecessary Tenchi” and is more often than not translated to “No need for Tenchi” (even so far as the episode titles for the first TV series to have the running gag of having the titles start with “No need for…”) The name ‘Tenchi’ also means ‘Heaven and Earth’ so one could also take the title to mean “No Need for Heaven and Earth.”

IF you are ineed a fan, you’ll know there is WAY too much tenchi stuff out there. But if you love it, show it :’D

Wikipedia Entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenchi_Muyo! 

Official Site: http://www.tenchi.com/