Why do people hate the 3rd OVA?

[shades of blue]

these aren't my reasons, they're just the usual excuses I hear. Just wanted to clarify that

I'm aware of that. If I thought they were, I would have gone through the trouble of making each part a quoted line, instead of simply highlighting them in bold.

[Tenchi Ryu]

You just shouldn't waste time on frivolous things.

This is where artistic license imo comes into hand. Kajishima lets us know that the Kuramitsu family is pretty important to him, and in essence is a reflection of Kajishima's own life and family. People always talk about how they think Tenchi is Kaji's fantasy role, but I think Kaji actually visualizes himself within the Kuramitsu's somewhere. So for him to put so much emphasis on caring about them, I think its a case of what you consider frivolous he considers an essential element to his story. That and he's let us know for a LONG time (since 93) this was one of his most anticipated arcs. Kaji finally getting the complete freedom after Watanabe directed GXP probably made him fanboy his excitement in finally being able to animate a piece he's looked forward to doing for an entire decade.

I'm tempted to even say Misao IS Kaji's self-reflection here. From going from the Siscon immature brat to the very mature and laid back general we see in GXP, that looks exactly like something Kaji would go through. Hell, he even made a eerily similar looking character in Anata Dake that Shades can vouch for, who was banging JUST as many (maybe even more) girls as the protagonist himself. Talk about wish fulfillment 

And Kajishima was given 6-7 to work with, totally in line with the norm of the show up to then.  Mashisu was frivolous, character development of a tertiary character.

I actually DON'T think 6-7 episodes is enough TBH. Even if you split OVA 1 and 2, I think individually they would still work, but feel kinda incomplete compared to how we usually pair them together as 13 episodes. But looking at GXP and ISM which both essentially have 26 30 min episodes, I think he's learned his lesson in setting appropriate time management. Hell, he sounded pretty butthurt for AIC fucking with shit in his afterword in Tenchi x Noike Omake.

There were other problems.  One of the biggest irks for me is Rea claiming she was a huge part of Tenchi's life.  Yet we don't see her or hear about her until OAV3.  I would much rather hear the claim that Nobuyuki hid her and their relationship than anything - perhaps due to Tenchi's devotion to his mother.  Tenchi isn't supposed to have had women in his life, it would explain part of him, being raised by only men, having that look of yearning for a family when Funaho confronts him in episode 13 - about taking Sasami and Ayeka away and if he wants to come with.

I agree with you that Rea just popping in does seem a bit misplaced, but I give her leeway since she is pretty much just here to give Kenshi a way up in here. I compare it to the Vegeta x Bulma relationship in DBZ where you're left scratching your head like "What the fuck?", but in the end, the results produced positive feedback in the long run, which in our case was Kenshi's adventure. Its a little better we can familiarize ourselves with Kenshi's parents in advance compared to watching ISM and going "Who in the hell did Nobuyuki sleep with?". I also think her potential plotwise is FAAARRRRRRR greater in ISM compared to Tenchi, as does Kaji since he has added new developments such as her being the missing artificial human and sister of Rea/Lea and Doll/Mexiah

Info dumps are not ever necessary imo.  It's the exact antithesis of story telling.  A lot of story telling is the journey from information point to information point, in presenting it, in playing the audience.  So much of propaganda is the narration, because that's telling a story.  Info dumps have no narrative.  If we were talking science, yes, but we're talking fictional worlds here.

Not necessarily a fan of them either, but I compare it to complaining about the sauce on a Big Mac. No matter how much you hate it, its been here forever and just part of the entire sandwich. But I once again forgive Kaji for episode 20's info dump. He had to squeeze possibly 4-5 more episodes of revelation into 30 mins, all of which wasn't his choice at all.

Pressed for time, I would have made the episodes less ambitious, and slapped an indefinite "To be continued...." on there rather than info dump

As your fellow sekirei fan, I can tell you I absolutely hate this type of ending, especially since you don't know if you will even have the funds TO continue. Its been 2 years now, and we still haven't heard a WORD about sekirei season 3, and might not ever. For Kaji it's even worse because he didn't have the fall back plan like anime companies and just adapt another series. This literally is make it or break it for him, so might as well get as much info out as you can in case you don't ever get a chance to make a continuation, which unfortunately might be the case here for the OVA series. 

I don't think the case can be made that OAV3 has the natural flow of OAV1/2.  It just doesn't.

Go even deeper and say OVA 2 or 3 didn't have the natural flow OVA 1 did. Although I Love Kaji, OVA 1 makes it VERY clear how much better a project can be with multiple intellects compared to just one. Now THAT had a very balanced flow and natural progression. You had one theme, meet a new character and watch how Tenchi responds. That lasted ALL the way until episode 6 with him meeting Washu. When OVA 2 responds, as Shades mentioned, we start to see uneven flow in the story. We go from a Washu reflection arc, to a Tsunami arc, to a Zero Ryoko/Clay arc, to end with a Jurai arc. That's almost as bad as OVA 3. That's why when I argue against OVA 3 bashers, I always compare to OVA 2, because OVA 2 and 3 almost LITERALLY match up episode to episode in plot flow and progression. Even all the way down to the bonus episode.

[جبريل 無道]

Pressed for time, I would have made the episodes less ambitious, and slapped an indefinite "To be continued...." on there rather than info dump

As your fellow sekirei fan, I can tell you I absolutely hate this type of ending, especially since you don't know if you will even have the funds TO continue. Its been 2 years now, and we still haven't heard a WORD about sekirei season 3, and might not ever. For Kaji it's even worse because he didn't have the fall back plan like anime companies and just adapt another series. This literally is make it or break it for him, so might as well get as much info out as you can in case you don't ever get a chance to make a continuation, which unfortunately might be the case here for the OVA series. 

As an amateur fanfic author and avid fanfiction reader, my perspective is that stories are never really finished, the author just stops telling it after a certain point.  I guess one can argue clean break.  Like OAVep6 or ep7 was a clean break, and OAVep13-13.5 left too many threads hanging and was a "To be continued type thing..."

I really don't mind either style over info dumps.  I'll take it that MK probably knew it was the last OAV and was setting up for Sekirei and connecting dots to GXP.  But if Japanese really do consider other media (like doujin) part of the continuity and a must have for a real fan -- then I don't see the need to bring it into the anime.  Plus the things to set up Saint Knight didn't need so much info, just Rea's appearance and wedding to Nobuyuki.

As your fellow sekirei fan, I can tell you I absolutely hate this type of ending, especially since you don't know if you will even have the funds TO continue.

I think Sakurako Gokurakuin has the opposite problem of MK.  MK seems to have a lot of energy and wants to do everything.   Sakurako seems lazy.

[SimmyC]

I have to agree with most of the above. Especially looking at it from a story perspective AND the medium for which series X is in. When i said I 'don't blame Kajishima', I really meant to say that I don't blame him for wanting to, at least try to maintain his vision of the series. That being said, he was given a specific number of episodes to work with, and so, should have adjusted to that.

My previous example of Daimaou, the issue was it gave us so much info in such a limited amount of time to work with, could have been addressed in a number of ways. It was based on a light novel so it had a ton of material and story to work with. If they had hope that there could be like, a season 2, they could have left it as a cliffhanger. But if they knew that the chance of a season 2 was unlikely, the other way that could have helped the series was... cut out material. Instead, they tried to fit everything into a 13 episode format which made the series feel very rushed.

If I blame Kajishima of anything, it was that he failed to compromise on the material that would have made OVA3 flowed better. Leave the important stuff in, or stuff I thought would be more significant like the Choushin Wars, while reducing/eliminating the more fillereseque parts. Remove the recap entirely since you could simply say, hey, just watch OVA 1 and 2 instead. And stuff that, would have been better as a side story or added as supplementary material in say, a light novel as opposed to trying to force it into the OVA knowing how limited even 45 minutes could be in telling a story in the visual medium.

[Eric3285]

The thing that got me the most was that Ryoko's & Mihoshi's original English voice actress didn't come back, those voices are just so ingrained into my memory for those characters, anyone else doing them just sounds wrong, i guess other quips would be the unnecessary flashbacks, the lack in back story for Mihoshi, and just lack of more episodes haha. I love it though, OVA is the best series for me

[Dr.Soviet]

The thing that got me the most was that Ryoko's & Mihoshi's original English voice actress didn't come back, those voices are just so ingrained into my memory for those characters, anyone else doing them just sounds wrong, i guess other quips would be the unnecessary flashbacks, the lack in back story for Mihoshi, and just lack of more episodes haha. I love it though, OVA is the best series for me

Ryoko and Mihoshi's voice actor not being there I think was a funimation issue (the jap. version has all the original though!). also the flashbacks and lack of Mihoshi's back story I agree with as well,

[Eric3285]

Yeah, that is true, sucks Funimation couldn't get those two back also, i personally do prefer the dubbed version

[For Washuu]

Once again you guys have ruined my life by saying everything I could ever want to say about this topic... loooong before I got to the thread.
Well, at least I know I'm not alone. >_>

[takahata]

I have read  the previous replies before I had written mine.  For me,  OVA 3 was more like a prelude to GXP.  I did like the part of the story which focus on the Chousin Sisters.  OVA 3 had left me with more questions than answers.

If there is an OVA 4, I hope that Tenchi is starting to show more intimate feelings towrds Ayeka, Ryoko and Noike.  For most of OVA 3,  Tenchi wants to focus more  on studying and how to manage his emerging powers.  Strangely by GXP episodes 16 and 17, Tenchi had  already accepted  the fact that he is going to have a harem.

[Dr.Soviet]

I have read  the previous replies before I had written mine.  For me,  OVA 3 was more like a prelude to GXP.  I did like the part of the story which focus on the Chousin Sisters.  OVA 3 had left me with more questions than answers.

If there is an OVA 4, I hope that Tenchi is starting to show more intimate feelings towrds Ayeka, Ryoko and Noike.  For most of OVA 3,  Tenchi wants to focus more  on studying and how to manage his emerging powers.  Strangely by GXP episodes 16 and 17, Tenchi had  already accepted  the fact that he is going to have a harem.

Keep in mind a few years had pasted since the end of OVA 3 by the time of episodes 16 and 17.

[shades of blue]

I have read  the previous replies before I had written mine.  For me,  OVA 3 was more like a prelude to GXP.  I did like the part of the story which focus on the Chousin Sisters.  OVA 3 had left me with more questions than answers.

If there is an OVA 4, I hope that Tenchi is starting to show more intimate feelings towrds Ayeka, Ryoko and Noike.  For most of OVA 3,  Tenchi wants to focus more  on studying and how to manage his emerging powers.  Strangely by GXP episodes 16 and 17, Tenchi had  already accepted  the fact that he is going to have a harem.

Keep in mind a few years had pasted since the end of OVA 3 by the time of episodes 16 and 17.

That is incorrect, by GXP EP17 only around 6 months have passed since OVA3 ended. I say this because OVA3 indirectly tells you when Seina's story began and Seina spent an entire semester in space, which is roughly 6 months. But don't feel bad, a lot of people have been feed misinformation about when GXP begins & how much time has passed.

[Dr.Soviet]

That is incorrect, by GXP EP17 only around 6 months have passed since OVA3 ended. I say this because OVA3 indirectly tells you when Seina's story began and Seina spent an entire semester in space, which is roughly 6 months. But don't feel bad, a lot of people have been feed misinformation about when GXP begins & how much time has passed.

Oh my mistake. at what point in the OVA are we when Episode 1 of GXP takes place then?

[shades of blue]

That is incorrect, by GXP EP17 only around 6 months have passed since OVA3 ended. I say this because OVA3 indirectly tells you when Seina's story began and Seina spent an entire semester in space, which is roughly 6 months. But don't feel bad, a lot of people have been feed misinformation about when GXP begins & how much time has passed.

Oh my mistake. at what point in the OVA are we when Episode 1 of GXP takes place then?

look at that image again.

[Dr.Soviet]

look at that image again.

Oh I get it now 

[For Washuu]

Ooohhh.... that's a good anime to pull a screenshot from.  Props to you.






...and I don't get it.