Tenchi Muyo is one of the most iconic and beloved harem anime out there. It is a series that has spawned various tv series OVAs spinoffs and a tone of mechanics. All stemming from the original OVAs from 1992 titled Tenchi Muyo RyoOhki. With that said I was not introduced to the Tenchi Muyo universe with Tenchi Muyo RyoOhki but rather a spinoff show that is regarded as one of the better Isekai around Tenchi Muyo War on Geminar. As a person whos grown tired of the oversaturation of modern Isekais barring a couple of expectations I decided to check out all preSword Art Onlines Isekais out there and Tenchi Muyo War on Geminar ended up being one of my favourite Isekais. You dont necessarily have to be a Tenchi fan to enjoy this show as it can stand on its two feet as an engaging Isekai harem mecha story. As soon as I loaded the first bluray disc and pressed the play I was hooked on the story. Instead of the MC getting killed off or when the MC gets transported the moment the MC touches an object our main character Kenechi was kidnapped and brought into the world of Geminar against his will. He was assigned to assassinate the newly crowned princess Lashara if he wants to return back to his own world however due to Kenchi having a good heart she recruits him as a personal servant. There are two halves of the Tenchi Muyo War on Geminar. The mecha side and the slice of life school side. Out of the two the mecha side is much stronger writingwise although the slice of life school side of Tenchi War on Geminar is just as good. One of Tenchi Muyo War on Geminar biggest strengths is how well structured the story was. The biggest issue I have with modern Isekais outside of their wishfulfilment nature is that they struggle to form a competent storyline post the main characters transportation to another world. Sure some modern Isekai doesnt suffer from those issues but the majority of them choose to meander around tropes and cliches to a point where these Isekai barely have a skeleton base of a story by the end. Tenchi Muyo War on Geminar doesnt make that mistake as every episode has a point. The first half of Tenchi Muyo War on Geminar serves as the lighthearted slice of life hijinks where it spends its time developing its setting and characters while having a lot of fun. The show ensures that you like or appreciate the characters during the lighthearted half of the show. The second half aka the mecha side of the show is engaging and interesting to watch. Without going into spoilers the show really dives into the drama and lore of the setting and characters with the majority of that being dedicated to the war of Geminar. Is the writing perfect? Does it have flaws? Yes but I feel like Tenchi Muyo War on Geminar has merit and charm to a point where I can overlook most if not all its flaws. Tenchi Muyo War on Geminar is honest with itself. Tenchi Muyo War on Geminars biggest strengths are its characters and I ended up liking almost if not all of them. Sure some characters were better than others but I feel like the characters had a sense of importance to the story. Kenshi is a unique harem protagonist. Unique its harem peers Kenshi views female characters as acquaintances later on friends instead of his plays things to grope on. Hell in the first couple of episodes he often runs away from the majority of the girls as he doesnt want to get involved with their lovely dobby antics as he just simply wants to live and adapt to his new life at the academy. Besides that Kenshi is a compelling and well thought out character from beginning to end. I liked his character growth in the show where goes from someone who just wants to go home to someone who values his friends to a point he will risk his life to protect them. Hes also a badass that has strong talent in almost every field from swordsmanship martial arts to cooking. The female characters are fun compelling and charming. As much as I want to cover all the girls I will only be talking about four as they were the most noteworthy girls top of them being my favourites Aura Wahanly Chiaia and Lashara. I start with Wahanly aka Lasharas best friend. She was a joy to watch as I liked her various mad scientist antics that she pulls out on top of her geeky personality. Aura is without doubt the most intriguing character in the show being a dark elf shes the character that embodies the rich naturist culture of the setting on top of being the strongest female character in the show due to her skills being similar to on par with Kenshi. Chiaia was the character that surprised me the most in the show. Im usually against aggressive Tsundere characters in anime as 9/10 these characters tend to abuse the male leads for their selfamusement however Chiaia ended up being one of the few Tsunderes that I liked on top of being the character that grew on me the most. I liked her tough brother and sister dynamic with Kenshi as she makes sure he doesnt go out of line to embarrass himself as well as Princess Lashara the person that gave him a chance. Despite being harsh at times she deeply cares for Kenshi to a point where she would risk her life to project Kenshi Beyond her dynamic with Kenshi I found her to be compelling. Despite being the bodyguard of Lashara I like how she questions her values and worth without feeling preachy. Lastly we have my favourite character in the show Princess Lashara. Shes the character that ended up impressing me the most. Despite being a wealthy 12yearold leader shes mature and coolheaded who has strong leadership. She does her spoiled and selfish moments where she will do anything to get money and laugh it out to support her wealthfare at a young age. Shes the character that is bursting with fun and her dynamic with Kenshi was equally as compelling as the other girls. The rest of the characters are solid. Some were more memorable than others but I feel the supporting cast served their purpose well for the story. Gorgeous is the best word to describe Tenchi Muyo War on Geminar visuals. Despite the OVA coming out in 2009 it is still as visually pleasing to the eye. Its colourful nicely detailed and filled with life. The character designs are distinctive from each other character interaction especially the slice of life were expressive. The animation is smooth and fluent throughout. I didnt notice any times where the production values drop in quality. The mecha designs are unique and appealing to the eye. Oh how can forget the lovely tasty fan service that Tenchi Muyo War on Geminar has to offer. Ecchi fans will have a good time watching the show. Overall a topnotch production from ALC. The soundtrack was composed by Akifumi Tada who also did the soundtrack for Skip Beat and its great. Most of all tracks fit the setting/tone of the show and I liked the variety of upbeat adventure and classical fantasy tracks used in the anime. The opening theme Follow Me by Seira Kagami ft. Sound Around is a catchy high spirited song that captures the lighthearted adventurous tone of the show. The ending theme Destino by Alchemy+ is a slow catchy theme that nicely closes an episode of the show. Voice acting is topnotch in both languages but I prefer the English dub from Funimation. Its one of the more underrated dub offerings from Funimation as each dub actor blew it right out of the part. Best performances go to Lydia Mackay as Aura Cherami Leigh as Wahanly Jad Saxton as Lashara and Morgan Garrett as Chiaia. Tenchi Muyo War on Geminar was a blast. Its a breath of fresh air compared to the majority of its modern Isekai peers. I loved almost everything about Tenchi Muyo War on Geminar. Easily one of my favourite nonseasonal shows that I watched in 2021. If youre looking for a unique Isekai harem show then Tenchi Muyo War on Geminar is the anime for you. Tenchi Muyo War on Geminar thanks for existing and I hope it will get a season 2 in near future.
96 /100
17 out of 23 users liked this review