Tenchi Muyo Movie: In Love Review by Rashad Moore
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	Audience:	13+
	Genre:	Drama/Action/Sci-Fi
	Average Cost:	$20 U.S. -dubbed-
	Contains:	Animated Violence, Psychic Violence
	Rating:	A-

The first Tenchi Muyo movie, takes place after the TV Series. Overall, to say that Tenchi Muyo in Love is excellent would be an understatment. This movie belongs with classics such as Wings of Honneamise, Ghost in the Shell, Evangelion and Akira. This movie achieves a awesome setting far superior to the TV Series. Everything about it yells quality. Now on to the review....

Storywise, ignore the misleading title of the movie. (Tenchi does not fall in love in the movie, maybe if you can explain his love for his mother.) It all start wtih an impressive opening sequnce, the mysterious and powerful supercriminal named Kain manages to escape and demolish Galaxy Police Headquarters. He soon heads for Earth in the year 1970, and he is after Tenchi's mother! If Kain wins, Tenchi will vanish from existance! Of course this incident doesn't go unnoticed and with the help of Washu's time machine, the crew go's back to 1970 to prevent this from occuring.

The animation and sound are stunning. The creators have achived a nostalgic and autumn-like world of Japan in 1970 that I literaly became immersed in. The characters from the Tenchi Muyo seemed to have developed from the TV

Series and Achika(Tenchi's mother played by Megumi Hayashibara) is a great character and a traditional heroine. I have only watched the subtitled version, but I highly recommend getting it instead of the dub for the full experience.

The score, is suprisingly composed by American Movie composer Christopher Franke. While Franke is definetly no James Horner or John Williams, he managed to create a score that perfectly matches the theme and setting of the movie. It all adds a huge amount to the experience of the movie. My only gripe is the cheesy ending song which could've been handled better with a Japanese songwriter or composer.

Tenchi Muyo is a far superior effort from the second movie,"Daugther of Darkness." While this movie is much more slower paced then the second, it manages to build up to the huge climax really well, and the ending is well

done and beautiful. This movie was the first I've heard of the Tenchi Muyo Series, although I don't reccommend watching this before anything else, it still provides a good introduction to the characters. The movie is also more

serious and dramatic than the TV Series which I think adds a level of maturity to the movie.

Tenchi Muyo in Love is a spectacle no one should miss. It is one of the best anime movies ever. (Check out the trailers at the end of the movie!)

 Image not created by me. July 99. Pioneer Ent. Review by Rashad Moore.