Tenchi Muyo! GXP Paradise Starting Episode 5 Review
天地無用！GXP パラダイス始動編
Tenchi Muyo! GXP Paradise Shidō-hen Ep. 5

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

Tsukiko is sent to bed as her magic organ grows. She’s out for twelve days, during which she has a vision. Further, she is able to attune herself to the magic system. When Tsukiko wakes, the dryad Kalushushu and the reincarnated mage Jovia are there. Jovia produces a stew for the literal, starved Tsukiko. When Kalushushu says it is okay, Tsukiko consumes it. Back at Tsukiko’s house, her son Kai comes snooping about and finds a GXP pamphlet about Banjo Island.

Meanwhile, Tsukiko impresses Jovia by using magic at an accelerated rate, despite her weakened condition. Tsukiko mentions her vision. Jovia and the elf Airen are horrified when Tsukiko uses magic she saw in her vision to create a humanoid skeleton. Her magic runs wild, apparently taking magic essence from Kalushushu. Once she calms down, Masaki goes to see what happened. Tsukiko consumes a massive amount of food.

On the Mikagami, Seto and Kuis get a briefing on the pirate candidate situation. Back on the Kamidaki II, it is evening in the fantasy real bubble of the ship. Tsukiko creates an independent, magic essence body to talk to Seina. She gives him a kiss before she leaves, which is only observed by D in her cabbit form. Meanwhile, work continues on Banjo Island. Jovia complains about Tsukiko taking over. Seina discovers that Tsukiko has rebuilt his mansion. Later, Washu checks the progress of Banjo Island and declares it is nearly done.

Thoughts/Review:

Although I didn’t dislike Tenchi Muyo! GXP Paradise Starting Episode 5, this episode was filler with a possible death flag set.

Birth of a Mage

If I had to summarize Tenchi Muyo! GXP Paradise Starting Episode 5 in three words, it would be “birth of a mage.” Most of this episode was dedicated to Tsukiko becoming a mage, and an OP one at that. The problem is, I don’t care about mages or the magic system that is now part of the Tenchi Muyo! canon. I’m okay with elves and dryads as they are simply aliens from another world. And yes, the magic stuff is from another world. But since the use of magic isn’t limited to that world, then it becomes just another, boring, over powered power element. And to be frank, there are too many of those in this canon universe.

I would use the term “Mary Sue” for Tsukiko, but I sense a death flag may have been set for her. I think the vision Tsukiko had may have been another version of her from the past. She may well have been an elf in another world, just as Jovia was a human on Earth before her reincarnation on another world. I think something tragic happened, but this past life of Tsukiko’s explains why she adapted to magic so instantaneously.

Considering Tsukiko wasn’t in OVA 5, I kinda suspect that she may end up dying in the next GXP Paradise Starting episode. I may be overthinking things, but it seemed to me that there was a darkness in Tsukiko’s vision. And the fact that after she woke up, she created a human skeleton for some reason is really freaky.

We’ll see where things go, but at best, I think Tsukiko leaves for another world and at worst, she’s killed.

Final Thoughts and Conclusion

I’m insanely busy, so let me wrap up my review of Tenchi Muyo! GXP Paradise Starting Episode 5 with some final thoughts.

• Was Kai seriously into this notion of his mother banging Seina? Ugh.
• We got cameos from Minaho, Airi, and the annoyingly young looking Mikami. I like all three characters (Mikami should have been the grandmother type character all along), so I didn’t mind seeing them, but they didn’t add anything to the episode.
• The Seto and Kuis discussion of Palty means nothing if you’ve not read the Paradise War novels. Even if one has read the novels, did their discussion add to anything? I’d say not.
• Man, Masaki went from a character of reverence to a punching bag rather quickly. Can’t say I liked that. Washu doing her whacked stuff on Masaki is one thing. But then she starts acting like Jovia a bit, complete with Tsukiko giving her a punishment reserved for Jovia. Now, Masaki is just another slapstick, comic relief character.

In the end, I liked Tenchi Muyo! GXP Paradise Starting Episode 5 okay, but it is rather weak as it is a filler episode. If it is setting up something interesting for Tsukiko, then that’s fine. But if not, this was just Kajishima-sensei turning his MILF (pardon the expression) fantasy character into some insanely OP mage.