Why do people hate the 3rd OVA?

[Y_Anthony_Who]

Unfortunately, this is a terrible narrative decision. You don't set up awesome fights, then not show them happen. Even if they are the heroes and are going to win, you don't just show the fight as a flashback immediately after they emerge triumphant from the aforementioned fight.

Actually, it was a great narrative decision because they were NOT awesome fights. That was the joke.

I see a lot of OAV3 hate centered around the fact that a lot of people don't appreciate Masaki Kajishima's sense of humor. I actually loved it. After waiting all those months, with that dramatic buildup, then the new episode comes out and everyone's tied up in the living room. Like, what were we expecting? That was the punchline. I laughed my ass off. It was a good joke. 

I also loved it when Tennyo first appeared, and it was this big dramatic moment, and we all spent months trying to come up with theories, and then the new episode came out and it wasn't even Kiyone!

Then there was Kiyone's death. The 101 TOLD US she died of natural causes! And somehow a lot of us just convinced ourselves he was trying to trick us! It was amazing! The twist was he wasn't lying! And it worked! It was hilarious.

It's like, at some point, we forgot that this show is primarily a comedy.

[AstroNerdBoy]

Unfortunately, this is a terrible narrative decision. You don't set up awesome fights, then not show them happen. Even if they are the heroes and are going to win, you don't just show the fight as a flashback immediately after they emerge triumphant from the aforementioned fight.

Actually, it was a great narrative decision because they were NOT awesome fights. That was the joke.

I'm not seeing how it was a great narrative decision. If it was supposed to be a joke, I didn't laugh. They set up a fight, but if they wanted to make it a joke on how easily Aeka and Ryoko won (after initially having problems), then  show the joke.

I don't mind Kajishima-sensei's sense of humor, but the only joke I saw was Washu's "fight" with her opponent. Sasami had a real fight, but it was shown after the fact. Ryoko was bloodied when her fight was set up, but then she won somehow. Nothing to see here. Move along. Ditto Aeka, with the joke coming after the fact when Ryo-ohki had the two dog things cowering in fear. We didn't see the end result. We were told of the end result.

But, that's just me.

(Edit: I had the rest of the quote in and forgot to remove it. Sorry about that.)

[Tenchi Ryu]

I just always chalked it up to the fact that it just became redundant to show since it's not much of a guess to what happened. Looks like Sasami dispatched Mashisu in seconds, and was barely phased or tired when she brought her into custody in the living room.

Her being assimilated with Tsunami and all, she's probably very advanced when it comes to fighting. Hell, Tenchi dispatched the most dangerous man in the galaxy in seconds once he got a lick of his vast powers. Sasami, taking out a typical mortal soldier is child's play.

[BlackAeronaut]

I just always chalked it up to the fact that it just became redundant to show since it's not much of a guess to what happened. Looks like Sasami dispatched Mashisu in seconds, and was barely phased or tired when she brought her into custody in the living room.

Her being assimilated with Tsunami and all, she's probably very advanced when it comes to fighting. Hell, Tenchi dispatched the most dangerous man in the galaxy in seconds once he got a lick of his vast powers. Sasami, taking out a typical mortal soldier is child's play.

Don't forget what her mother does.  Misaki is in charge of the Emperor's bodyguards.  Which means that woman, despite her sunny and cheerful demeanor is a walking death machine who I'd give even odds against Ryoko (based on Ryoko having only one gem to draw off of, and Misaki having mad skills).

It would not surprise me one iota if Sasami has been learning from her mother as early as possible.  With Ayeka-Yosho having been the heirs-apparent (before Yosho pulled his disappearing act), it would have fallen to Sasami to take her mother's place.

[Y_Anthony_Who]

I'm just going to point out that the "We're gonna fight!!" ---then cut to defeat" joke is not uncommon in anime, and that the six friends I forced to watch it with me after it came out all got the joke. Maybe the time interval between episode releases made you get your hopes up, but I thought the wait just made it funnier, same with the Tennyo joke.

That's all I've got to say about it. I just wanted to clarify that is was a joke. Just trying to help.

[جبريل 無道]

Yosho beat Ryoko with all 3 gems when he was 30-ish.  And also blocked her punch like it was nothing at 730ish.  I have zero doubt Misaki would beat her.

Because Misaki already beat Ryoko in ep13 wtih 1 gem.  Airi already beat Ryoko in OAV3.  The multieyed ghost monster thing Ryoko summoned in OAV1 beat her in episode 4.  She ran from it in OAV2 while Washu took care of it like it was nothing (Washu was without any of her gems btw).  The Ryo-ohki inspired Masu in episode 10 beat her.  She couldn't beat Kagato alone (he pretty much beat her and other girls combined forces in ep6).  Washu believed if you took Ayeka out of the fight, it would've been over "by now", yet Ayeka was taken out of the fight and it wasn't over.  Washu was surprised by Kagato's version of the gems.  Zero beat her in OAV2.

About the only one challenged by her is a 720 year old princess with 20-odd years of life experience and the rest sleeping in the freezer.

In the OAV continuity, I think OAV3 is the only time we actually seen Ryoko beat anybody.  She's never been established as a particularly good fighter.  Quite the opposite.  The only reason people think she is badass in the series is that she toyed around with a 15 yo schoolboy in ep1 and crashed her ship against Ryu-oh in ep2.  The rest must be stuff outside OAV, like TU.

I don't doubt Ryo-ohki's fighting skills.  But Ryoko's past victories I take as pure brute force with 3 gems.  It's like if I ran over someone with a pickup truck.  That wouldn't make me strong or a good fighter.

And that fits in with the True Tenchi Novel's version of her.  A tool, a sledgehammer.  Kagato didn't send in Bruce Lee to Kung Fu others with skill.  He sent in a monster truck to run them over with its sheer size and weight.  She didn't have to think or practice.  Just bam.  Dead planets.  With that much power, there is no incentive to develop skill.

This pretty much mirrors Tenchi himself but he's 15 and practicing (ep3, with Katsuhito).  I assume he's going to get better.  But I wouldn't say  he's Miyamoto Musashi either.

[Y_Anthony_Who]

I agree with your analysis of Ryoko, except, it's my personal belief that Ryoko could take Airi if she were serious. I think she probably knew better at that point than to physically throw down with a guest in Tenchi's house. More than that even, I think Airi's intimidation skills were what really beat Ryoko. Ryoko'd been humbled too many times in the recent past, and Airi "doesn't afraid of anything, not even a Seto".

All of the other winners you mentioned were outliers; very singular characters. Ryoko herself is presented as a very singular character as well, even with one gem. I feel like Airi is presented as, physically anyway, a little more normal(for space).

I don't know though, maybe one gem Ryoko really isn't that strong, or maybe Airi is SOOOO strong that her technique can bridge the rest and overcome Ryoko in her inexperience.

[AstroNerdBoy]

I'm just going to point out that the "We're gonna fight!!" ---then cut to defeat" joke is not uncommon in anime, and that the six friends I forced to watch it with me after it came out all got the joke. Maybe the time interval between episode releases made you get your hopes up, but I thought the wait just made it funnier, same with the Tennyo joke.

That's all I've got to say about it. I just wanted to clarify that is was a joke. Just trying to help.

Actually, you have a great point here. We had a six month wait between the two episodes, and I was seriously angry when the next episode came out. I still need to rewatch OVA 3 fresh for my blog (which I've been promising to do for years), so I'll have to note that when watch the episodes back to back.

[Dr.Soviet]

Some incite from our friends over in japan about OVA 3 among other things.

"It is the fact a certain number of people here thinking 'OVA 3 is not good'. But I think there are few people thinking '3 ruined everything'. Certainly some people seem to be disappointed with OVA 3 and stop Tenchi-fan with saying 'Tenchi is out of fashion', but they are 'very light' fan in most cases, so we don't give a fuck. In Japan there are two types of Tenchi-fan, one loves most Tenchi works (incruding Kajishima works, Universe, and others, but many cases except in Tokyo...lol) and the other loves only Kajishima works, but both of them are looking forward to OVA 4 coming."

[antvasima]

Good to hear that the Japanese fans are more sensible than western ones.

[Tenchi Ryu]

Good to hear that the Japanese fans are more sensible than western ones.

Understandable, they really don't have to go through any hurdles to know stuff like we do. Them knowing the entire series' content is as simple as ordering the whole GXP book series for about 40 bucks on amazon.

Or just getting online scans since they can actually read the stuff and not need a translator like we do. For the people the series is actually intended for, they haven't had much issue at all.

[جبريل 無道]

Good to hear that the Japanese fans are more sensible than western ones.

Understandable, they really don't have to go through any hurdles to know stuff like we do. Them knowing the entire series' content is as simple as ordering the whole GXP book series for about 40 bucks on amazon.

Or just getting online scans since they can actually read the stuff and not need a translator like we do. For the people the series is actually intended for, they haven't had much issue at all.

Not even spend $$$.  They just have to go online.  Can't fudge too much when the source is the same language you read/speaks.

The amount of sheer misinformation and pure speculation passed off as fact in the western Tenchi fandom is astounding.  I bet most of the fan narratives built around the personalities working on the series would be news to them.

[LightHawkWing]

I just re-watched episode 15 and I believe it is a  bit offputting.

TThe Tennyo/Tenchi scene in the beginning was definitely jarring and I don't quite understand why Tennyo couldn't just see Tenchi in her regular brown haired form, especially when Yosho revealed his true form to Tenchi later that day.

Also, I've realized that Kaji really expects his fans to have already read his novels and doujin before having watched OVA 3 judging from.the conversation between Washu and Airi where Washu's childhood at the orphanage on Kanemitsu was referenced and compared to Noike's own similar life story, something a casual viewer wouldn't have understood from the dialogue alone simply referencing the two both having lots of 'brothers and sisters'

I've also realized this could be another connection between Washu and Naja as it seems to me, Noike is ultimately a clone of Naja. Both regressed back to childhood for one reason or another and then grew up at orphanage, ultimately to meet each other again when they both fall in love with the God of Heaven and Earth

[takahata]

I had attached a picture of Kiyone's funeral.  In the picture, Tennyo is on the right of her father Nobuyuki. She has brown hair in the picture. Since Tennyo looks like her mother Kiyone, she had to dyed her hair a different color. She dyed her hair brown, in order not  to confused her younger brother Tenchi.

In the same picture, there is a blue hair female between Airi's right  on her right and left of Tenchi's Aunt Kasumi.. Her identity is not known.  At first, it is likely  that the female must be one of Tenchi's female cousins.  It is likely that blue hair female is either Kiyone's  second sister or Tenchi's second sister.  The female cousin who happens to be Taro's mother is left of the young Kirko and her mother.

Lady Seto is the woman on the right of Tenchi's Aunt Kasumi.. She had attended Kiyone's funeral.

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[Tenbac86]

I just re-watched episode 15 and I believe it is a  bit offputting.

TThe Tennyo/Tenchi scene in the beginning was definitely jarring and I don't quite understand why Tennyo couldn't just see Tenchi in her regular brown haired form, especially when Yosho revealed his true form to Tenchi later that day.

Also, I've realized that Kaji really expects his fans to have already read his novels and doujin before having watched OVA 3 judging from.the conversation between Washu and Airi where Washu's childhood at the orphanage on Kanemitsu was referenced and compared to Noike's own similar life story, something a casual viewer wouldn't have understood from the dialogue alone simply referencing the two both having lots of 'brothers and sisters'

I've also realized this could be another connection between Washu and Naja as it seems to me, Noike is ultimately a clone of Naja. Both regressed back to childhood for one reason or another and then grew up at orphanage, ultimately to meet each other again when they both fall in love with the God of Heaven and Earth

Well the ones who could were the japanese fans. Foreign fans were SOL until we get the physical books and translator programs.