September 12th, 2016 
AstroNerdBoy Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki OVA 4 Tidbits
Hey gang. You know what’s scary? November 30, 2016 will be here before we know it. That’s when episode 1 of Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki OVA 4 is scheduled to be released in Japan on Blu-ray. It would be nice if it went up on Crunchyroll, but I have doubts this will happen.
That being said, there are a lot of new characters being introduced to the anime. Most (if not all of them) have appeared in earlier doujinshi works by Kajishima-sensei (the creator of Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki) or in the GXP novels he wrote. Three of them have the family name of Masaki, but are from Kiriko’s (GPX) side of the family, based on the kanji used. These are probably the decedents of Yosho and Kasumi.
As to episode 1, it looks as if the episode will be set around the events of Nobuyuki’s and Rea’s wedding at the end of OVA 3+1. This would account for Minaho, Tenchi’s aunt and the sister of his mother Kiyone, getting more focus. For those who’ve watched the GXP anime, she had a minor supporting role there on top of her cameo in OVA 3+1. I believe she’s had a greater role in the GXP novels. She’s in the Shin Tenchi Muyo! Jurai novel as well.
For those who can read Japanese, this is what the official website is saying about the first episode. (Any translations would be GREATLY appreciated. 🙂 )
第１話「前日宴」
物語は三期終了前後からはじまる・・・・・。
信幸と玲亜の結婚式を数日後に控えた柾木家では、ふたりの結婚式の準備に追われるもののいつもとかわらない征木家の日常を過ごしていた。
宇宙でも征木家ゆかりの人達が、結婚式に参列するための準備を行い、アイリは膨大な書類整理に励み遙照の生存公開をしていないため参列出来ない船穂は、祝いの品を水穂に預けるのであった。
結婚式数日前、宇宙より柾木家ゆかりの人達が地球に終結し、そこで天地は伯母である水穂と対面する。
『・・・母さんに、似ている・・・』それが天地の第一印象ではあったがやはりアイリの娘。
波乱の予感がするのであった。
Here are some pictures from the first episode, courtesy of the official website.
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Ouch!! November 30? I still didn’t watch GXP and War on Geminar (I planned to but never could). I think that I will not make it to that date. So probably I’ll watch this OVA next year….
Also. Seeing your Tenchi Muyo! FAQ I think that the novels and manga are not needed right? I also didn’t follow the alternative timelines.
And I need to read again your synopsis of the OVAs as I already forgot everything haha.
I don’t believe you will need to have watched GXP nor WoG. Both of those are set after OVA 3+1. Episode 1 of OVA 4 looks to be set right around the time of the end of OVA 3+1.
That’s correct. And the non-canon timelines/universes are certainly not required. 😉
Oh. Good to know! Thank you!
You’re welcome. ^_^
ctrn, actually I don’t think you really have a choice whether to read the novels or not, unless you can read in Japanese. They are not translated, at least last time I checked. At best maybe you could find some synopsis. I remember that for Shin Tenchi Novels the synopsis were rather lengthy, but still.
Yeah, and sadly, the company that had considered doing them bailed out on it years ago. 🙁
So the zaniness of GXP is going remain canon? I’m glad their bring the core series back, but i hope their able to make it more exciting this time around. It basically turned into a slice of life series (before there was a thing I think..) after the original run of the OVAs.
Well, GXP is kinda iffy. The core story is canon, but the novels trump.
Which is yet another reason for you to do GXP review. Especially if you could include a review/synopsis for the GXP novels as well. I suppose there’s quite a lot of differences.
I did start watching that again. I can’t read the novels, though I do own the first three or four.
I think that family name you were talking about was ‘Masaki’, not ‘Misaki’, right? Kiriko’s family name is written differently but sounds the same as Tenchi’s, if I remember correctly.
But it’s been a while sine I saw either the OVA’s or GXP.
I have to say, though, that, despite the idiot NB-antics, I really enjoyed GXP! The basic conceit of Seina being so cosmically unlucky that he doesn’t have a choice but to go on the most awesome journey into outer space, with all its consequences, including getting married to a harem of space babes, is both highly entertaining and super-economical story-telling.
The plot meanwhile going on in the background is so full of cool space opera stuff, even if it remains only at the narrative level of backstory – in other words “tell, not show” – it still pushes many of my buttons!
So, despite NB, GXP actually ends up giving me a lot more of the kind of entertainment that I would have wanted from Tenchi Muyo than the 3rd OVA series ever did, with its focus on Noike’s melodrama eclipsing almost everything else!
Not sure what to expect from the new OVA, but I’ll definitely be there to see for myself!
Yes. Man, I’m out of it all over. 🙁 Thanks for the correction.
Ditto.
Ditto. 🙂
I knew it couldn’t have been anything else than a typo, I just couldn’t stop my pedantic self either! 😉
But still – new Tenchi Muyo stuff (not to be confused with Shin Tenchi Muyo stuff! 😉 ), how cool is that!
Well, I appreciate you doing that. I need an editor at the best of times. At times like they are now, even more so.
And yeah, it is cool to get new canon Tenchi stuff. I never thought it would happen, to be honest.
You should change the “Misaki” name on your “Tenchi Muyo FAQ” too (section 2.3) ^ ^
And yes, NB is the worst thing ever but GXP is my second favorite anime in the franchise after OVA1. Sure it’s only a slice-of-life story, but the VERY detailled Galaxy Academy and Jurai ( at last!) backgrounds, customs, ways and traditions are something that any big space opera would be proud of.
Gah! This is what lack of sleep and long hours at work will get you. ^_^; Thanks for the notification. I’ve made the fixes.
BTW, I just finished rewatching GXP. I’ll post a review sometime in the near future.
I thought NB brought some life to the party, and he had his usefulness thought the first half of the series. After Kajishima took over, the party was over and I would rather have him forgotten instead of thrown in the dog house and come up for a couple scenes.
Kajishima-sensei wrote the whole story. He only directed episode 17, and that was to make sure Nabeshin didn’t change things and clash with OVA 3. After that, Nabeshin was at the helm again and NB was still his creation.