[Show Intro]
Jala
Hey, thanks for coming! I'm glad you're here. Come on in! 
Everyone's out on the patio right now. Looks like a couple of people are in the garden. I can't wait to introduce you! Can I get you anything? [turned away] Hey folks, our new guest is here!

[Intro music]

00:00.00
Jala & Dave
Hello world and welcome to Jala-chan's Place I'm your host Jala Prendes (she/her) and today I'm joined by Dave (he/him) and Marcus (they/them) hooray. It's my favorite folks. (ot really everybody is of my favorite folk that is on the show.) Um, but I love everybody seriously anyway. But yeah Marcus it's been um, a few months since the last time you were on.

00:20.89
Marcus
Yeah, it has it has but no but I'm back And yeah, we're gonna We're gonna talk about something a lot less serious than the last time so that's fun.

00:30.36
Jala & Dave
Um, I know it's because I I try not to pigeonhole the people that are on my show I don't want people to only be asked on when it's like a serious topic and then like never get to do the fun stuff or only be on for the fun stuff and never get to talk about the serious topics. So like.

00:49.24
Jala & Dave
I try to extend the offer you know out so Dave how are you doing I'm doing pretty good I don't remember the last time that I was on. It's been a little while but in the interim I've just been busy. Very busy.

00:50.82
Marcus
Which I do appreciate.

01:05.23
Marcus
Indeed. Yeah.

01:07.38
Jala & Dave
Very busy indeed and that's that's all of us for sure. Yeah, so today we are going to be talking about the Tenchi muyo in love movie. It was the first Tenchi movie before that though I want to give everybody a chance to talk about the stuff that they do for the folks who are not familiar. So I will throw to you first Marcus can you tell the nice folks about the current thing that you're doing.

01:29.53
Marcus
The current thing that I'm doing okay so a couple of current things. So I'm currently a personal trainer in trying to quit. But I'm reentering the world of animation and illustration I'm currently working on a very. What feels like a very large project and actually is being the only person working on it. It's a little four and a half minute ah short film based on the dimension twenty ah dungeons and dragons. Ah actual play series. Ah based on the the story called the unsleeping city um, which is. Dungeons and dragons in New York ah where you know some people can see magic and some people can't and you know the horse cop that walks by could actually be a centaur and not a person riding a horse. So. It's a very cool story. Um I'm working on a section of it that is. Really fun and kind of means a lot to me just ah as somebody who enjoys somebody who's a fan of the series and it's just a lot to put together. It's a lot of characters and I'm going to have to probably hire somebody or just beg somebody to work on the backgrounds for me because they're complicated. And the animation is complicated enough and like I said I'm just one person. So but yeah, I'm trying to raise some funds for that I have a go fund me. That's that's for that and um, yeah, working on that and also yeah, trying to get some work in the animation industry. That's a whole other thing that I could.

02:59.87
Marcus
Probably talk about maybe the next time I'm on.

03:03.77
Jala & Dave
Ah, yeah, yeah for sure. Well, you're going to be on um, a lot and you're going to be on like 3 episodes in the next four or something like that. so so yeah like the ah folks will be hearing a lot more from you. So um I believe.

03:10.61
Marcus
Nice, yeah.

03:18.70
Jala & Dave
That you're you're on this one. This one comes out at the end of September and then you're also on the next one along with Dave so it's the same 3 of us that are here today for internet and identity and then you have 1 episode off and then you come back again. Me you and Dave.

03:31.27
Marcus
Nice, nice, nice.

03:35.26
Jala & Dave
So um, yeah, there will be a lot of that combination of folks for ah, this fall. So yeah, very cool. Um, of course yeah, and of course I'll have those links in the show notes for everybody and Dave how are you doing like tell the folks about.

03:41.10
Marcus
Man We'll have some really good updates for you all.

03:53.93
Jala & Dave
Monster-deer monster. Yeah so I'm one of the hosts on monster de monster. It's a podcast where we explore monsters basically from their inceptions to their current pop culture incarnations. We go through various media. So it's not just films and books comic. Also and a little bit of video games will actually be when this episode drops. There will be probably an episode or 2 um in the bank for the current upcoming lies of p which is a steampunk pinocchio-esque game by a south korean developer.

04:29.98
Jala & Dave
Yeah, and actually on the note of that of course monster deer.monster is your url we will have that in the show notes as well. Um, of course Monster Dear Monster is part of our network anyway. But you know we'll still pitch that anyway. Ah so talking about the game dev being from. South Korea you know that's important because with the current state of things with sagaftra and the wga. Um, they are now at least sagaftra is voting about doing a strike against video games which is causing me to shuffle some of the stuff that I was going to be putting on ah later this year ah but teny ah Tenchi is an anime series that is not a struck work It also is from a company that no longer exists. So ah, it's safe and to to do this one. It is not a struck work. It is not a st struck company because that company doesn't even exist anymore. So.

05:29.75
Marcus
Yeah, interestingly on that note too. So 1 thing I've noticed is that like yeah, um, and like there's been a lot of votes out in different industries like you know vfx houses are voting to unionize. Um, there's ah, an animation. Guild that is they haven't union like they I believe they've unionized I'm not sure but they're not looking to go on strike yet because they I guess they feel okay but I know vfx houses are are lining up to go on strike next because they have not been getting a fair shake either so that'll be interesting.

06:03.16
Jala & Dave
Right? right? I mean like I still have books and comics to talk about too and actually um, a couple of the episodes that I have to switch out I was going to talk about dishonored but that is a struck work. So like if if they vote like as of this time that I'm mentioning this. They have not voted yet. They're probably going to do it. So. I'm going to shuffle those episodes bank them until later they'll come out in 2024 but um I will be putting in some cool episodes about comic books and graphic novels. So um, I'm still trying to figure out which ones at this juncture. But as soon as I have that information I will talk about it on the show anyway, um. 1 more little piece of admin before we move on I want to remind everybody about our coffee you can support this show by going to k o hyphen f I dot com slash fireart mediaia and either dropping us a onetime donation or subscribing and yes co has patron tears just like Patreon and there's extra stuff for subscribers. And any and all donations are given a shout-out on the show and are greatly appreciated. You can also rate and review us on your podcasting platform of choice. It gives me warm fuzzies to see each and every one of those. Okay, we're done now. Let us talk about Tenchi muyo in love. So. What is Tenchi Muyo and love dave oh yeah right there I've got put on the spot. Yeah, ah this is a ninety ninety six anime movie based on the 10 shi muo series by masaki kajichima.

07:34.47
Jala & Dave
It's the first of 3 movies. This particular one was directed by Hiroshi Neishshi written by Rio Sukimoda and hiroshi in the geshi the music is by Christopher Frank and it was the the production company at the time was Aic and pioneer. Um. Both of which are defunct and pioneer change to genian and I think something else. There's there's a lot going on the last twenty years Twenty five years of ah in-house production companies and things folding just for economic reasons in Japan. Um, yeah, that's. That's the yeah, the the bit of it that is the production stuff. Yeah, yeah, so I chose this movie to put on the show specifically because I was thinking in terms of like the um various gender episodes that I've done before and about. Um, say for example, the toxic masculinity episode which will come out right before this episode in that episode I talk about how I was affected by toxic masculinity myself in such a way that when I like engage with. People in the world or media or anything like I had a hard time really like liking and feeling some kind of attachment and and interest in female characters who are portrayed as being very feminine because toxic masculinity was doing stuff to my brain and making me not like those things.

09:06.19
Jala & Dave
At all like even if they're over there and it has nothing to do with me feeling insecure about who I was because I'm not you know a Cis woman and so making that very hard on me. Um, so that did some damage for a long time but the character Achika in this movie who is Spoiler Tenchi's mom. Um, that's not really like knowing the name is not spoiler. But anyway um, she is a very very feminine character who is also very powerful and she was really the first character that I really liked that was um, a a woman. But also presented as being very feminine with the feminine stereotypes and all of that while also still being extremely powerful and because of that like this movie stood out to me and was really important to me and then all of us when we watched it together I was like wow. This is a different experience watching it some twenty something years later but child me was very excited about this. Um I must have watched this movie when when okay, 1996 so like I was at the tail end of middle school. So like when this came out and I watched it I was. Young and impressionable and it was just like the best at that time. Um not so much now. Um I don't know that I would necessarily encourage everybody listening to go watch the Tenchi movie unless you are a fan of Tenchi in the first place. Fair yeah so um.

10:35.80
Marcus
That's a reasonable assessment. Yeah.

10:39.33
Jala & Dave
What okay Marcus your experience with this movie is that you thought you watched it. But actually you watched tinci forever which is the third movie.

10:45.66
Marcus
Yeah, so I yeah I like so watching it with y'all I was like wait a minute wait. What? what's happening. Why does why is this nothing like I remember like the character designs were not that were different the animation was different the poll animation like the like the director style was different and yeah and it's because I I had actually the attention movie that I'd watched was the third one not the first one. So this was a whole new experience and upon like giving myself a little bit of a rewatch because I got interrupted while we were watching it. It was just like okay yeah I see I see why. My brain immediately leaned towards the other one. Um, just in terms of like okay because in 9096 I was already working for an animation studio. So this is back when I was first working in animation. So I already had ah kind of a mind for animation and like an eye for. What to look for in terms of animation quality and things like that. So so watching this now this many years later it's just like yeah I can see why I might have liked this then but I can also see how I would have been critical of it then just from a technical point of view. And then of course looking at it now having had more education and more experience and things like that and just like yeah this movie doesn't really hold up very well but it's still kind of fun, but it's just like and it's not so good. Um, in terms of the characters though. Like 1 thing I do.

12:17.10
Marcus
Feel like is important to point out is yeah like Agiica as the as a strong female character is different than the other all of the other strong female characters like in the series you know and also. Just kind of the way we have the quote unquote strong female character in media like Achika is not like most of them. Um, one thing I noticed is that most I feel like we should give it an acronym like sfc's strong female character. You know I feel like most of them have like. They they're like Brady or they're or they're like oversexualized in a certain way or both or like there's some kind of there's always something really trophy about them and it's they're like kind of over the top. A lot of the times and Achika is not like that at all. She's just a normal girl. You know she's just a normal.

13:12.25
Marcus
High school kid who like in the course of things like she does a thing because she cares and her powers awaken and like that's it. It's not like you know it's it's not like Buffy The Vampire Slayer where she's like really quippy all the time or and she's not even like. Like I said not even like the other characters in the show like she's not like Ryoko who is just like brash and harsh and like rude and vulgar all the time. She's not like ika who is like super regal like if anything she's the most like sasami in that she's just a little girly girl who happens to have power. You know.

13:51.33
Marcus
Um, but yeah, she's kind of refreshing in that way because just like a person. So.

13:57.90
Jala & Dave
Um, yeah, right, right? because ah the characters that I had watched and been acquainted with up until this point were like um Lena inverse from slayer's you know, short temper going to blow up the entire everything if you just.

14:14.48
Jala & Dave
Look at her differently you know or whatever. Ah those kinds of things or like all of Ronma where you've got it. Basically every female is jealous of every other female and that's that's their shtick. You know that kind of a thing and everybody gets mad at at Ronma for one or another reason. Yes, so um.

14:23.99
Marcus
Um, you know they can all punch holes in walls. Yeah.

14:33.66
Jala & Dave
So I mean like that's the kind of of stuff that I was seeing in Japanese media. You know, like from the anime I was watching at the time then in like western culture. It was like there was Demona, Demona from Gargoyles who I loved Demona But then they just made Demona lose her mind.

14:47.73
Marcus
Right. Yeah.

14:53.55
Jala & Dave
And then just be I don't know she just goes off in a direction but there was a point where I really liked that character before she went off in a direction and then like every other thing that I watched like I watched Darkwing Duck and I liked Goslyn when she first appeared because she was a little tomboy and she was tough and but she had a a heart of gold. But then they changed her character.

15:13.37
Jala & Dave
Very quickly. It made her not so tough you know, not so rough and tough and tomboy and independent anymore. She wasn't after that certain point same thing happened to Babs the same thing happened to Babs over in Tiny Toons land. Um, the the about the only thing that.

15:19.76
Marcus
Um, really oh man I Missed that? um.

15:29.42
Jala & Dave
I didn't see that because like Babs started to just fall all over herself for Buster and like do all this number and I I was not down for how they changed the character over time. Um, yeah, so but like stuff like Xena. Xena was about the only. The only thing know.

15:37.59
Marcus
I Know that's unfortunate.

15:47.78
Jala & Dave
For me like and so like when I was looking for characters to really look at and you know look up to or whatever there wasn't much that you know and you know, especially not on the like in the line of a strong female character that I could relate to for you know, taking action and doing this that in the other and Achika. Was just again so different that I was like oh I I Actually really like this character a lot. Um I can relate to a lot of of just how she is and I like the fact that unlike with these other things these other things I was absorbing.

16:24.76
Jala & Dave
Ah, her character is such that she doesn't change. You know everybody else changes when they get power. She's not changing when she gets power and that's notable and different. So well. You also recently talked about the portal video games on the last episode that was talking about like a media thing.
16:32.99
Marcus
Yeah, let's grow.

16:44.13
Jala & Dave
And in those games in portal two the character Wheatley goes mad with power as well when he gets power and so like that's something that happens to all different kinds of characters. Um, but I feel like the way that they handle it here where it's just it just awakens and she's not.

17:03.58
Jala & Dave
Freaking out about the fact that she has these powers. She just accepts it and just does what she needs to do and then is just like very calm and just accepting of everything and it's very you know has some very very strong feminine energy and Dave you had a lot to say about you know like um eastern.

17:12.10
Marcus
Right.

17:23.30
Jala & Dave
Concepts of feminine energy and everything we were having this ah talk on the green room I will let you talk about that a little bit. Yeah, so her character in this.

17:36.15
Jala & Dave
You have to kind of keep in mind when you're watching this and this is something I was thinking about not not specifically with her character but with the movie in general. It's going to land I think a little flat if you're not familiar with these characters like if you don't watch this show. The movie is not very strong for that They don't.

17:55.15
Jala & Dave
Spend any time do get that the runtime is shorter. They don't give the time to establish these characters. They're already pre-established and because of that everyone is is at their can say tropius is not the right word. Um, they are at like the distilled version of them. Like whatever, whatever growth or whatever they were getting out through the series. You just get that snapshot of them and I feel like that's kind of the way it is with Tenchi's mother her character is for him like ah, a bare memory. She passed away shortly after he was born.

18:33.95
Jala & Dave
And she exists in his world as like this snapshot video of a mother he he gets his interactions with her through old um Eight millimeter tapes that his dad used to record like back in high school so she's. Like a living memory in his mind and the movie doesn't change that. Yeah, it's something where normally another piece of media might take the chance to like say easily I can say back to the future because this movie is basically it's the plot of back to the future. Um.

19:12.41
Jala & Dave
Down to like little references and then she kind of like partially disappearing until they have a macguffin that stops that from happening. Um, but in that ah Marty would go back and meet his mother and his she's like. Not the she's I guess the idealized version of his mother because he he knows his mom in that series in this achiica doesn't have she doesn't have the time to change or or have anything to do with her powers because her life is so short and. The movie's only taking place in like her the the flower of her youth years in high school you get that just that little snapshot of her. So I don't feel like there's there's not ah, a moment for growth. You don't get to see a character arc for her because she didn't get to have 1.

20:05.86
Jala & Dave
She has this moment in time and that that's all she gets to have but it's also ah because of that it's like an encapsulation of like the best of her you get to see her at her like strongest her strongest point and the values that she's kind of. Espousing here are a lot of the Yamato and nadeko ah traditional japanese woman values where she is and like an epitome of beauty she has ah like ah a sort of ah like a magnetism that draws everyone to her like everyone is happy to see her. Um, and that's that's too like speaks to the character. Um, because we only get to see or for you know this this brief amount of time. But even the other um Ayeka and Ryoko are constantly even though this which is endangering the mission because it's time paradox. They keep trying to get her together with Tenchi's dad and Tenchi's like no don't you're going to ruin something somewhere and then I won't be born so maybe don't do that. You're going to split the timelines but they they love her and that's a testament to her draw.

21:08.60
Marcus
Exactly.

21:20.37
Jala & Dave
Um, but she doesn't ever take advantage of that like she's um, very like even keeled. Ah, she's not using. It's not just her her gerion blood power. This is also her.

21:36.72
Jala & Dave
Feminine power. She doesn't use that to her advantage. She just exists and that's the same way when she has her doion power. It's not really I don't think it's an awakening I think that that she is fully aware of what she has in her in her veins and and that legacy and that power she just. Figures. Oh This is the time I'm supposed to use it just she's just very cognizant of like this is the time in place I have something that can save everyone and I'm fully willing to use it fully understanding like the side effects. So she's in that way that very selfless ideal and that's. Again, That's just refreshing to see because you just don't get that and right can I can I Can we insert a real quick spoiler Free summary because I do want to put a spoiler wall so we can talk spoilers after that. Um.

22:33.13
Jala & Dave
Can I do a quick summary or did you have something else on on that particular idea Marcus. Okay, so ah, the spoiler free summary of what this movie is about so Tenchi is a milk toast japanese schoolboy who pokes around in an old shrine tended by his grandfather one summer in the mountains.

22:51.70
Jala & Dave
Only to awaken an ancient demon trapped in the shrine by his ancestor Yosho this demon happens to be a wanted criminal alien space pirate and thus upon her awakening. God and everybody and from space starts to show up and tenci's house which was in Tokyo gets lifted into a spaceship and eventually drop next to his grandfather's shrine in the sticks tinji his dad his grandpa all settle into a new routine with a whole harem of female aliens in one cabbit. Also female. Ah. Hanging out and fighting over Tenchi and that's essentially what the series is about so this movie is as Dave said basically back to the future Tenchi the Masaki house and even his grandfather's shrine start to disappear and the gang have to go back in time to save Tenchi's mother Achika. Whose life is being threatened by space pirate class a 1 class criminal Kain Kain was once captured in a joint effort by planet Jurai's royal family and the Galaxy Police and when he escapes from subspace travels back in time to exact revenge. Tenchi is only stabilized due to a shield that Washu a high profile alien scientist creates as a temporary fix. So the gang all has to go on another of Washu's ah, experiments like pieces of equipment. She's like this is highly unstable I'm not sure if you're going to make.

24:15.36
Jala & Dave
It so it'll probably be ok bye and sends them back in time so that they can do their thing so she basically runs support from the the present time and um, that's the spoiler free part I know we're digging into Achika as a character. Um, but before we move past the spoiler wall and actually dig super super into like what the movie is doing and everything do we have any pre spoiler wall thoughts about like Tenchi as a series the movie. Overall. In like you know broader strokes Dave sure. So this particular series. It's not 1 of the first anime that I'd watched but it was probably 1 of the more formative given that I saw this in high school along with el hazard so that sort of they're not the very proto. Harri Mane but they're pretty much the the beginning of it and it's it's a vibe as the kids say I don't know that all of the things aged terribly well but I can say that the the format and the the. Archetypes of these characters carried forward and then changed over the last like couple decades into things that I don't think is better I I still have a fond view of this. But I also think that this movie's not a very good movie.

25:46.36
Jala & Dave
Like it's kind of entertaining. It's more entertaining if you've watched the series. It's not a good standalone film I think I should say.

25:53.39
Marcus
Yeah, that tracks like ah tenci was one of the first um one of the first kind of like yeah boy with a harrem kind of animes that I ever saw. Um and it was funny because it was like the ovas were like a favorite of mine. Although. I do think that mostly it was like just the ovas that were really good like I enjoyed Tenchi in Tokyo which is a later series but like in terms of like yeah the original Tenchi stuff like just the ovas were fun. They were very self-contained which I like you know is your standard like hero's journey. You know tenci. Oh no discovers a thing. And gets launched off into space and figured and you know has his adventure comes into his own power and then lands back on earth and the story's over and it's just like okay, cool done right? I didn't really I didn't watch much past the the original series until ah. Until Tenchi in Tokyo came on cartoon network so I didn't have anything else to like color. My experience of it. Um, and like I thought tenci was okay as a character like he's just you know he's a kid who discovers he has alien blood. Okay. That's you know that's kind of your standard thing and like similar to what you were saying Dave it's like we are watching this movie. It's fine. You know it's not amazing. It's it's all right? Um I think looking at it now.

27:21.92
Marcus
Part of me feels like I would have rather have had a story like if they were going to redo the entire Tenchi mythos I would have rather actually just had a story about Atchica to be honest, ah because Tenchi is boring and Achca actually seems like a much more interesting person because like even you know when you in the ovas when you see Tenchi as a student.

27:28.78
Jala & Dave
Right.

27:41.48
Marcus
He's not even a normal like agica is like this kind of you know she's idealized. Everybody likes her kind of student. Ah Tenchi is just a goofball and and like while I can relate to being a high school goofball. It's not aspirational at all.

27:59.93
Marcus
You know and it's just kind of like a he's just some guy and white. Yeah exactly is this like I is he's he's he's there. Okay, and yeah and there's nothing terribly interesting about him until you know until he discovers like you know the the.

28:00.17
Jala & Dave
Um, yeah, our hero ladies and gentlemen right.

28:18.52
Marcus
Light saber looking sword and everything else is just like oh now there's all this stuff and like what I like about Achika. Ah well, Okay, if I talk about what I like about Achika we're gonna get into spoiler. So I'm goingnna stop there and then then we'll get you into that. So.

28:33.62
Jala & Dave
Okay, so I'll interject a little bit of ah my feelings for Tenchi in particular I again I don't like him as a character he's he's the the standard definition of like milk toast character and doesn't.

28:51.14
Jala & Dave
He learns and grows throughout the series a little ah but he kind of ends as he starts. He doesn't have a particularly strong arc and he has particularly not like a good draw So it it becomes really hard to understand why a lot of these like fantastical figures are just drawn to him and.

29:00.80
Marcus
Ah, and.

29:11.11
Jala & Dave
We and we know that that's the wish fulfillment put the viewer into the place of the character and oh you know the Alien Princesses would love me if I had the the my my special sword right? right? so.

29:20.30
Marcus
Right? Yeah yeah I was going to say something like okay so a similar kind of story to this is oh my goddess right? You know normal kid.

29:28.59
Jala & Dave
Oh oh yes.

29:37.29
Jala & Dave
Um.

29:38.95
Marcus
Discover oh my god celestial girlfriend right? But in that case ah Kache the main the main character in oh my goddess is actually a much more interesting person like he has hobbies like he's like you know he's an engineer like he makes like he can build and. Take apart and rebuild motorcycles and do all this stuff and he's got like all the stuff that's actually going for him that makes him interesting and I think that that's more like just as a starting point. He's already more interesting than Tenchi and also he doesn't have any powers. So like he doesn't and he doesn't gain powers over the course of the thing like all the other things that happened to him in his life are because these goddesses are doing the thing but then like if you look at some of the stuff especially in the Mongo with Kache like if you took the goddesses away. He would still have a story. He has. An ex-girlfriend and you know in his family life and his sister and all the college stuff going going on and like things with like his motorcycle club and everything so like he already has a life you know and the goddesses just show up and make it weird. Ah, which is where more of the entertainment comes in but like if they didn't show up. You could have ah he could have an entire slice of life anime without them and I think that's why tenci is as a character is just kind of and you know like by comparison you know.

30:57.30
Jala & Dave
Um, I do but do oh yeah I was just going to say that for um and oh my goddess that so um, he he reminds me of like the cast from here is greenwood where it's like it's just.

31:02.19
Marcus
Say.

31:14.66
Jala & Dave
It's just a slice of life thing. You could do a slice of life with him and it would be fun and he has it's it's he has his like Motorcycle Bros and they could just go on little mini motorcycle adventures and I I would watch that here is greenwood.

31:17.74
Marcus
Yeah, um.

31:25.17
Marcus
Right? Yeah and he's got a and some stuff. Yeah.

31:29.72
Jala & Dave
Yeah, here is greenwood is absolutely fantastic I love here is greenwood but I wanted to say so about Tenchi series and my thoughts on it. Um, so I watched the ovs I watched the Tv series I don't think I ever got to Tenchi and Tokyo but.

31:34.65
Marcus
Um.

31:48.49
Jala & Dave
Ah, with the OAVs at first they don't know what they're doing with Ryoko's character and she changes drastically from like episodes 1 and 2 through the rest of them. Um, and that's really unfortunate because like they start off with her being really naive and this that and the other but then they like.

32:05.77
Jala & Dave
They eventually figure it out and when they do they sink into it and then she's fully realized but like it kind of makes the oes a little less strong to me because you know like at first they did 1 thing with her character and then suddenly after some switch of episodes. She's totally different and it's like okay, cool I guess. Um, so you know that that's kind of a hard putt for me on that plus when I was watching like the Tenchi tv the stuff like the different things that they put forth in the OAV's were then like redacted and then like changed they changed some of the stuff when they did Tenchi tv and the Tenchi tv all the characters are realized from the beginning and they basically retell the story a slightly different way and you don't like add different characters like Kiyone and everything but at the same time like I actually preferred the OAV's in a lot of ways. It was kind of weird because like I liked the fact that the characters were. Stronger from the start in the Tv but the o ivs are overall better. So for folks listening to this who don't know anything about tiny watch tiny but be patient for for the first like 2 or 3 episodes because Ryoko's character changes drastically. Ah.

33:05.35
Marcus
Bring it.

33:22.10
Jala & Dave
But some me if they redid all of Tenchi and they wanted to have a male lead I vote for Yosho I want Yosho, let yoho's story come to the fore. Um, so yeah, sit and drink tea for a while yeah, sit and drink tea and just watch all the shenanigans I would love.

33:29.48
Marcus
Um, rolling out. Yeah, absolutely.

33:39.18
Jala & Dave
Ah, story about him just ah, you know.

33:39.75
Marcus
Um, right? Yeah exactly I think because he knows how to you? You know he knows how to use the sword and the raddiant hawkings already. You know he just comes in. He's like yeah I got this, you know.

33:50.33
Jala & Dave
Yeah, but he just like he he just gonna take a backseat and let the grandson do it off with you. You know k have fun with that. You know he even pawns off arch you gun Tenchi he's like I'm gonna hide myself in this old body even though I actually am not this old looking you know and have fun.

34:02.50
Marcus
Um, right? yeah immediately.

34:06.16
Marcus
Right.

34:09.76
Jala & Dave
That Tenchi you have her I don't want anything to do with that. So.

34:13.74
Marcus
Right? I will say 1 thing about the OAVs that and this is just a personal thing. Ah I will forever love the theme music from the OAVs over and over any other Tenchi series ever that opening theme music is amazing.

34:30.67
Marcus
And I will listen to it on loop. So.

34:30.92
Jala & Dave
I I love the opening to that I also love the opening to the Tv series that is unlike my playlist my workout playlist as well. But both of them are so but that that opening the animation and everything is just so great.

34:40.27
Marcus
Um, yeah, yeah, it's so smooth. It's just like it's nice.

34:48.12
Jala & Dave
What Even even the ending theme. That's just like let's just watch a habit over the time like farm a little carrot. Yeah, yeah, oh and the folks who don't know what a cabbit is a cat rabbit. It's It's what it sounds like um, it's actually a spaceship that has the body of a mixture of a cat in a rabbit.

34:53.16
Marcus
Right? yeah.

35:07.31
Jala & Dave
That meows but whatever and eats carrots. But it's actually a spaceship you have to watch the series to understand that one. Um, so I think that's pretty much going to wrap me on non spoilery stuff. Are we ready to go post Spoiler Wall

35:23.59
Marcus
I am.

35:26.37
Jala & Dave
All right I have erected a spoiler wall here. Yay and I'm actually doing hand motion I don't know why nobody can see it all right? Ah, spoiler wall is fully erect. Let us continue Marcus you're so good I was waiting for you to make a comment.

35:38.49
Marcus
Yes I was gonna but I was like I didn't know I This isn't that episode. Yeah.

35:45.95
Jala & Dave
Yeah I this is this is my test this this is my test for folks. Ah because like on the the Portal episode I said it and immediately like everybody was just like Jala you used the word. Yeah yeah, okay, all right.

35:55.79
Marcus
Um, no I just said I just sat here grinning um so voice the spoiler. Yeah.

36:03.60
Jala & Dave
Yay! So let us let us go ahead and knock out talking about like what the the larger part of the story arc is doing and then we can kind of sit with the series sit with the characters and talk about some of the discussion questions I've got so ah, all of the crew Tenchi and harem ah so all assume roles at the school Tenchi's parents attend. So they can keep an eye on them and guard them from Kain because remember the plot of this movie is back to the future. They've got to protect the parents because Achika was erased from the Timeline. So ultimately Kain and and like during during that time when they're doing that. Um, they're getting to know Achika. And you know everybody's just falling head over heels for her and Tenchi cannot play a role in the school because he's not supposed to meet his mom because that would mess up the timeline. So he's like off the Bushes with Sasai who's too young to play a role and you know like they're both in the Bushes. And you know he's just kind of like dreamily looking at her like wow, it's my mom I love her you know and and all of that and anyhow, yeah, yeah, so they the whole of everything like everybody's like just.

37:06.18
Marcus
Um, Sigmund Freud would have a field day with this.

37:18.70
Jala & Dave
Enjoying themselves you get to see that Nobuyuki who is eventually Tenchi's dad is an architect he and atica are bonding ayka and Ryoko are inserting themselves and getting into trouble. Ah, all of this is happening ah during the course of just like the slower part of this. Show and then the entire class goes on a trip to Tokyo from wherever they live and they go to see Tokyo tower and washu has done a bunch of readings remember this is person from the present day who is the scientist who. You know is basically like their commsperson slash backup or whatever. Ah, she's like okay I've done calculations and the attack is probably going to happen in Tokyo you know wherever there's a big transmitter. Oh well, we happen to be going to Tokyo tower of course it's Tokyo tower how many anime.

38:13.92
Marcus
Right? And exactly.

38:14.90
Jala & Dave
Happen at tokyo tower. So ultimately when they go to the tower. Everybody is trying to defend Achika but Achika and Nobuyuki are kidnapped by Kain and taken into subspace he just kind of appears. Rips a hole in the tower and you know Tenchi in the others fight inten she says I don't want you to touch my mom and then you know all of this other mess and and then you know let let's that slip and then they go into subspace and all of that. And meanwhile wasu from present day says I don't know how we're going to take him down. He's so strong. Okay I've got one one bet we have a dimensional cannon which is a big piece of thing that can take out a galaxy and so she sent a little overkill.

39:02.84
Marcus
A little bit overkill.

39:07.45
Jala & Dave
She sends that into um into the past along with Kiyone who is a Galaxy Police officer. Um, so apparently she knows how to operate dimensional canons. Ah.

39:22.75
Jala & Dave
And they use this dimensional canon like their their intention is to open up subspace long enough to shoot the dimensional canon into it and then get everyone out before it explodes you know so that Canin is destroyed in subspace rather than wrecking our Galaxy. So. Um, Tenchi is wounded and this ends up triggering Achika's latent powers and she just turns and sees him and goes enough and then just you know, pulls out a sword manifests a sword and just like tears the crap out of Kain and. Everybody is like fleeing because the dimensional canon is warming up and just as they're all leaving oka like the last one to go and kain grabs onto her hair and is like you're not going to get away I'm going to pull you in and destroy you anyway and um, so.

40:19.68
Jala & Dave
At that point like they happen to pull her out just in time without her hair getting cut I was like time for her haircut. A she got like just cut her hair off real quick. You know, um, but they managed to shoot the cannon into the subspace hole just as it closes. So the you know Cannon go in.

40:39.39
Jala & Dave
Can go boom just as the little portal closes and everybody after that um is just kind of in the aftermath and immediately because it it doesn't have very much runtime after that happens immediately after that Washue is like giving them. Giving the ah people from the present day these little like sticker thingies to put on everybody's foreheads that were in the past so that they forget everything that happened because if they remember everything that will warp the timeline. So ah, they have that and then aka has this one last little speech. With everybody where you know everybody's like choked up about it because they know she's going to die and she knows she's going to die you know ah the use of her power they say in the show is probably what caused her because she you know burned so much power fighting Kain that. That probably is what effectively shortened her life because she just you know, um, burned so bright for so short a time and so she tells everybody you know time is short and Nobuyuki and I will live our lives to the fullest I swear and then everybody like. Goes back to the future and back to the future and then everybody is like together and reflecting on it and then just being normal chaotic Tenchi household at the end and I'm surprised I didn't cry saying that because every single time she says that line I cry every time I've watched this movie.

42:11.88
Jala & Dave
But like I haven't watched it for I don't know twenty plus years so going back to it now. It's a little bit different and like you know, um, it's still affecting but it's not like the way it was when I was oh you know in middle school. You know so.

42:27.99
Jala & Dave
Um, this was a very formative movie for me very very formative. Um and really critical for me to have seen at that time but again like the animation is not as good as the O A V's animation interestingly for a movie. Ah, the sound design is very good.

42:41.47
Marcus
Um, yeah, that's something I was actually compromised by.

42:47.94
Jala & Dave
The soundtrack is amazing and you know like I like again Achika's character and the whole con seat that they do here where you get the group going back in time and actually seeing Tenchi's mother who is otherwise not a character in the series at all. So. So what do you? all? think about the rest of the movie in the post spoiler section.

43:12.52
Marcus
So one of the things that kind of struck me um, well something I thought was interesting. Okay, so like we have no okay like unless you watch the trailer you have no idea that Achika has powers right. And they don't like mention it like you know it comes up like in the movie or you know they mention oh well, you know she died when I was little and blah blah blah blah blah but like it's just like oh wait. She's like you know, super human. Um, one of the things that I noticed watching it is that like there's a moment when. Kain attacks and she stands up to protect Nobuyuki right and she just goes and she goes hey like it's but it's kind of like this. It's yeah she does this standup it just goes enough and you just this. Energy just kind of radiates out of her like real quick it like she stomps her foot in like all the glass in the room breaks and there's just kind of like oh shit, you know and that's the first inkling you get that she could possibly be powerful enough to defeat this guy because even he takes a step back for a second because he realizes oh you're the you know. You're the juraan power I sensed because even Kain thought it was Tenchi at first. Um and I just one of the things that has always bothered me about ah you know character suddenly awake suddenly realizing their power type stories.

44:39.61
Marcus
Is that you never get like in this one much like other ones they you don't even get an inkling of it at the beginning. It's not a checkoffs gun situation. You know it's not a thing is like oh we have a clue that this might be happening or that this is kind of happening and it'll come up gradually. It was just like. She's perfectly. Normal. Nope now. She's basically Kryptonian you know and and then it's over you know and I me personally just as somebody who likes writing stories and doing all this stuff I I personally prefer to. When a character is going to do something really badass at the end of the movie have an inkling that the person has the potential to be badass like really early in the story. Um I feel like for me personally like it gets me more excited for the payoff if I have a hint of it early on you know. And that's just a personal kind of a personal gripe I have with a movie. Um.

45:36.87
Jala & Dave
And it's interesting that you say that because for me, it's more appealing that you don't see oh she she might possibly have a power or she mentions some weird thing that you know she has this innate ability or something I prefer the fact that. You see her as just like a normal character and what you're expecting to happen is for Tenchi to save her that is what you are expecting and yeah and they subvert that and for me again like my my perspective at this time when I was watching this was I was hungry for.

45:59.13
Marcus
Right? Yeah no I do get that? yeah.

46:12.28
Jala & Dave
A representation of a strong female character that wasn't this negative stereotype and so like to see that was just the best for me, you know in my formative years. Not that Tenchi was a series that was designed with little girls in mind but you know yeah yeah, you have to go to? um.

46:31.70
Jala & Dave
Ah, was that the is this Sasami series where she's a magic. Oh magic magical pretty song I hate magical girl pretty Sami with such passion I hate it I hate it I hate it I hated it then I hate it now. It's terrible.

46:47.76
Jala & Dave
Sorry if you love it. It's not for me, not not my cup of tea. It's not a good show. Um, no so I was going to say is that in in this particular instance, the foreshadowing done is the legwork that the show did before the movie.

46:51.88
Marcus
But.

47:06.29
Marcus
Ah, oh yeah.

47:06.44
Jala & Dave
Which is why this is not as friendly of a standalone film or our our understanding of her not being mentioned the entire time is that while she's the daughter of Yosho and he's pretty ridiculously powerful. So that's the bloodbline connection that Tenchi gets.

47:22.52
Marcus
Right.

47:24.57
Jala & Dave
And for some weird reason the power like maybe like just genetics it It skips it jumps around and skips like intensity in generations. So you'd think you'd think it wouldn't get stronger as it went down the butt line because Nouki's not the.

47:31.97
Marcus
Um, or something right.

47:41.64
Jala & Dave
Incarnation of like power unfortunately. However he is a little bit more of an interesting character than Tenchi and I'm also here for just the um if it was his adventures with space aliens because he clearly does not want anything to do with.

47:44.41
Marcus
Um, yeah know nobody nobody.

48:00.56
Jala & Dave
Other worlddly powers. He's like I don't yeah I'm not here for that which is so funny because he's living with his father in law and at the time his wife and he's just like that's about as neck deep as you're going to be going to get into that you can't get away from your father in law.

48:02.10
Marcus
You right.

48:13.40
Marcus
Right? yeah.

48:16.20
Jala & Dave
Right? right? and I like again, it's it's part of part of that is because Nobuyuki is interested in tinkering with technology and he's an architect and he has dreams and hopes and aspirations and you know feelings and thoughts that don't revolve around being a cipher for you know. Ah, other folks to to you know, plant themselves in the story and I like that because he is a a character more than tenchy is a character in a lot of ways. So so yeah.

48:44.88
Marcus
Yeah, yeah, that's actually 1 reason. That's actually 1 reason I liked I enjoyed Tenchi in Tokyo um, it's just I liked Tenchi as a character a little bit more intention in Tokyo when I watched it because like you know. He's training to be. He's he's training to run a shrine so like he actually has a thing that he's trying to do that you know he would still that he would go ahead and just do if he wasn't if it wasn't for the fact that you know aliens had come up aliens showed up and decided to implant themselves in his life. You know and I don't know it's just. Tenchi's boring. Yes, what's your boring character like what? Ah why do you name the show after the person who does the least you know.

49:27.64
Jala & Dave
Well and and that's the thing is that like Yosho you can see why people would gravitate to Yosho because of his characterization you can see why Achika but you can't you can even see why you young Nobuyuki but you cannot see why anybody did.

49:46.60
Marcus
Right? yeah.

49:46.86
Jala & Dave
You know, except for the fact that wasu is a scientist and wants to study him and have him as a guinea pig she has a legitimate reason for being there. Well I mean that's that's literally the title of the show Tenchi muo like that's no need for ten chi. Yeah because no one needs this guy. Yeah.

49:51.70
Marcus
Um, right I'm right? yes.

50:01.68
Marcus
Um, it's yeah, no need for attention. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

50:06.81
Jala & Dave
Yeah, so absolutely. But I my favorite character if I have to pick one of the harrum for a favorite character would be Washu. That's my favorite for sure handstown. Um, why because she is ah only the best Genius scientist in the entire galaxy you know.

50:27.61
Jala & Dave
First multiverse. Whatever whatever, she's claiming at this time. Um and she just she's kind of like yoho in that she's just like taking a back seat and she's like off in her lab doing experiments and every once in a while pops out for the dais ex maina you know and that's like her role and.

50:28.79
Marcus
And right.

50:45.90
Jala & Dave
You know she's too powerful to wield in the show all the time unfortunately but she is a very fun character because she willingly chooses to um, you know, step back from Society and fame and you know even being an adult she has a kid body specifically because of her Character. Arc. And what happened to her in the past. Yeah I was just going to say like yoho, she's she stepped away from it so where he went with like I'll just hide myself in old Age. She's like I'm going to just be a little Washue and people will underestimate me and I can go do science and then.

51:05.31
Marcus
Um, yeah, yeah.

51:15.30
Marcus
Yeah, and.

51:20.63
Jala & Dave
Pop up when when needed because it's even funnier for me to just destroy everything. Yeah.

51:25.42
Marcus
Right? yeah yeah I want 1 thing that I think okay here's something that also bugs me about ah this show and this movie and just it's they wasted a character. Sasami is Tsunami spoiler for the ovas ah sasami is also extremely powerful and she never does anything. She has one moment in the ovas where she like you know, pulls out her Tsunami powers and does the thing for like 2 minutes

51:47.94
Jala & Dave
Um, nope.

51:59.56
Marcus
And she never does it again. I'm just kind of like what you know she? ah.

52:02.10
Jala & Dave
Yeah, yeah, nothing that I remember watching of the later series had her doing anything in particular either which is kind of weird but well she's a God so they they don't like.

52:13.34
Marcus
Um, yeah, um, deep right.

52:20.37
Jala & Dave
It's reality bending if she shows up so she just is locked into Sami body right.

52:24.68
Marcus
Ah, yeah, and that's just a shame because so like ah and similar to why like why? you at least she has a reason for doing it sasame. They're just like we're just not gonna you know.

52:33.47
Jala & Dave
Yeah, they don't they don't give any rationale for that like Yosho. Also he is super strong and he is not a nonplayer in all of everything except every once in a while when he has to step in for a second and that's because. You know he has willingly chosen to have a quiet life on earth and that's what he wants. He just wants to be on the earth and just do his thing so you know but Sasami is a young girl who you know has her entire life ahead of her and is also a giant space tree I mean like.

52:56.38
Marcus
Yeah.

53:06.59
Jala & Dave
You know, ah there's there's so much that would have been interesting to see what they could have done with that. But at the same time I feel like why why they didn't not only because it's reality bending. It's like the Superman problem. Um, but also the fact that then it would become the sasami show not the Tenchi show.

53:07.21
Marcus
Um, then.

53:17.40
Marcus
And.

53:24.41
Marcus
Right.

53:26.34
Jala & Dave
And they wanted to focus on the harem they wanted to focus on Tenchi and Tenchi's little misadventures not on Sasami's powers and like wander off with one of the characters because the other characters are more interesting so you know like that's one of the unfortunate problems of. Having something like ah, any kind of these harrem shows because all the the haram people like oh my goddess they're all goddesses I mean like that's far more interesting even though even though Kachi is has his own story like the more interesting stuff going on for a lot of people anyway, like there are people who prefer a slice of life. But um, for most people they're going to be more interested in whatever's going on with the goddesses than with kche so you know it's the same kind of thing here and it's like well that's not what the series is about so like you know, somebody somewhere or the producer or whatever said no, it won't make enough money if we switch it to x but then they made.

54:07.40
Marcus
Ah, yeah.

54:22.39
Jala & Dave
A sasami split off series. But then they made it magical girl pretty Sammy instead of being like Tsunami focused and like serious why they're just doing sailor moon and then just Tsunami just shows up. It's like well forget this you.

54:29.61
Marcus
Um, right right? Yeah I right? yeah know isn't There is a lot of.

54:40.20
Jala & Dave
Queen of the moon I'll show you? Oh yeah, ah.

54:47.61
Marcus
So many things they could have done differently and they just didn't and it makes me sad. So but whatever they had to stick with the thing they had to you know, stick with the boy main character because because I guess.

54:49.90
Jala & Dave
Um, yeah.

54:58.81
Jala & Dave
Um, shonan ah that you know like just just because so they they were trying to appeal to the people who like stuff like ronma and you know yeah.

55:05.39
Marcus
Right? Yeah, but right even Ron was more interesting than well I mean Ron was more interesting than most characters and how are manim amaze like from the start you know he already had he already had enemies before anybody else showed up, you know.

55:15.39
Jala & Dave
Um, yeah.

55:22.66
Marcus
Like I would have watched an entire series just him fighting re yoga you know, right? Yeah yeah.

55:24.55
Jala & Dave
Yes, to say he has an eternal child rival multiple of them for when he was like a child. Yeah, he's got that going forum and the thing that's very fun about ronma as a harra man I a versus Tenchi is that Ronma is unique because Ranma is both a girl and du boy. And so ronma has different harms with different people in them and like even as girl roma he will manipulate other guys. You know to to get whatever he wants and then how many times has yoga fallen in love with the pigtail girl you know and a kuno of course and you know whatever.

55:44.20
Marcus
Um, yes, um, right.

55:57.83
Marcus
Yeah, no half works enough.

56:03.62
Jala & Dave
And she does you know Ranma girl type will just do whatever she wants and like you know, um I think we've talked about it before Marcus but like ronma was definitely a lot of folks like sexual awakening but also like queer awakening you know like oh actually you know.

56:16.92
Marcus
Right? Yeah, good hopeful. Yeah can I Just like dump a cup of ice water on my head and be a girl sure that'd be amazing. All right? You know? Yeah, but because then of course you're run into the same problem but clothes not fitting you know, but.

56:26.26
Jala & Dave
Right? right.

56:34.24
Jala & Dave
Yeah, yeah, all of those things we've talked about before all the the dRanmas and things about that. But of course ah female. Roma has no problem getting like little bunny outfits and we're like where're she adding all of that. So.

56:38.90
Marcus
Yeah, yeah.

56:45.76
Marcus
Why where is all that coming from well to be fair, a lot of it's coming from the beki. So yeah.

56:51.48
Jala & Dave
Yeah, yeah, that's true. That's true. She got a you know like that Nabiki would be like the the owner of only fans like that's.

56:59.30
Marcus
Um, right exactly right? Yeah, oh my god.

57:01.70
Jala & Dave
You have some debts to me, you need to show some feet picks now right? Oh man see. But yeah that that's like HarRanman I may done right? That's why ronmo was so long you know it was like the forever show because it was done the way that it should have been done and like it's great because it's like.

57:12.80
Marcus
Yeah.

57:20.81
Jala & Dave
A harem of women a harem of men and then also everybody who hates him in either form that he takes like because he's got rivals in both both ah bodies. So um, that's that's very fun and goofy and that's why that went on forever. But.

57:25.97
Marcus
Right? Yeah, exactly.

57:34.39
Marcus
Well Rumik Taka Hashi is also a way better writer than most of the people who are writing the these other haram animes right? I mean because like she started with uder say yasra you know the premier haram anime you know, um and then.

57:52.82
Marcus
Yeah, went on to do you know Maison Ikkoku and Ranma and then totally switched up and did freaking Mermaid Forest. You know it's so good.

57:59.59
Jala & Dave
I will talk about the mermaid saga at some point I love it also ah, nobody nobody else I know read £1 gospel but I sure did.

58:08.48
Marcus
I Read a good half of it.

58:12.20
Jala & Dave
I read One Pound Gospel and it was so cute because I had a friend back in high school because it was coming out when I was in high school and um I would tell her every day you know every time that I got a new issue or you know new Graphic novel or whatever I would tell her what was going on with the boxer and the nun and she would just like vicariously learn about anime and then you know like. Eventually even in my yearbook when we were graduating was like whatever happened with the boxer and the nun you know and stuff like that because I would just tell her about like all these different things So That's very fun. Yeah, but um, circling back though to.

58:46.75
Jala & Dave
Tenchi I know we we were talking har amount ie for obvious reasons but like too Tenchi and this movie and Achika we were talking about like how Achika is this kind of standout character. It's kind of interesting because although we find her to be more interesting. She also registers as being a very cookie cutter idealized character because she is you know Yamato Nadeshiko she is you know like this um female archetype this ultimate female like embodiment and she doesn't.

59:22.96
Jala & Dave
Demonstrate having hobbies you know when they ask her? What do you want to be when you grow up. She says I want to be a bride I mean come on. Um she is super super super super. Um, you know lady very very much like the feminine energy going there. So um.

59:42.73
Jala & Dave
It's interesting that that is even more of an interesting character than Tenchi? Ah I mean that's that's just like lifting. You know an archetype and then dropping it down and everything like yes here's the provider destroyer. Archetype.

59:46.12
Marcus
Right? Yeah, well.

59:54.90
Marcus
Yeah, right? Yeah and I think like part of that has to do with the fact that you know this takes place in the 70 s.

59:59.14
Jala & Dave
Because this is how your how our entire country was formed.

01:00:11.87
Marcus
You know? so there wasn't like it's the 70 s in Japan like the you know the kind of feminist movements that took place in the west haven't hit there yet you know and so yeah, so yeah, her whole thing is yeah I want to get married and have children and be it but blah and it's like.

01:00:30.42
Marcus
Ah, okay I guess but you know it's It's um, it's not what we it's not what Western audiences expect when they see when they talk about like you know, an ideal like woman character in anything. Um you know, like in the West. We always think of like you know. Either think of like career woman or super Mom. You know who is usually a career woman. You know? So Yeah I don't know we usually think of somebody who can who balances all of that and somehow still looks like she did like somehow can still fit into her like her high school prom Dress. You Know. We have this whole idea about that and it's It's very interesting to see just the differences in what we think about ideal femininity.

01:01:16.37
Jala & Dave
Right? And that's something that the Barbie movie which I'm doing an episode on when I can after the strikes. Um, that's something that the Barbie movie gets into real deep as well are these ah, the absolute nonsense which is.

01:01:32.57
Jala & Dave
The expectation of female strength in the west and you know, kind of compare but I wanted to compare contrast like that to this. But since we're not talking about that because of strike instead we'll just talk in general terms about. You know like Western ideas and the thing is with the the western ideas of feminine anything like for the longest time you know femininity and everything was just seen and still is by large swaths of unsavory individuals as being you know, like. A weak thing. A terrible thing a negative something. You don't want which is all all of the toxic masculinity that I was suffused with when I was growing up in this very traditional household where my mom you know did all of this stuff and was self-sacrificcing but also.

01:02:30.60
Jala & Dave
Didn't you know ever get her own way on anything didn't ever get a say in anything just followed and you know, um, ah helped support my dad and whatever my dad wanted to do and to this day Still, it's this way you know, um.

01:02:50.20
Jala & Dave
And that's the kind of situation I grew up in and like for me my disposition as a human being is not to be like that and so it chafed immediately and I didn't fit boxes that I was put you know put into because this isn't me you know? and um, so.

01:03:09.89
Jala & Dave
So like yeah, the toxic masculinity influenced a lot of how I started to see myself as like some other thing that wasn't you know a Cis woman and also like feeling like because I'm not the same as these other women like they're there's something else like I I would treat them. In a way like I would be the bully beater that would protect girls and you know weaker boys from bullies I was the one who would open up the door for men or women and didn't matter but it started with me opening up the door for ladies.

01:03:44.90
Jala & Dave
And everything like that because I was being a gentleman because I didn't see myself I saw myself as the Knight I did not see myself as the princess. So um, you know I just was going to say that? Yeah yeah, so.

01:03:49.79
Marcus
Yeah, see so you would you would have been lady Oscar man.

01:04:01.21
Jala & Dave
In either case like my whole point is like you know that's why I liked Achika's character. That's why I was like you know I really like this this concept and that's another reason why I really fell into really enjoying. Anniee because ane has so many strong female characters in it and granted a lot of them are you know super short tempered like Lena in verse or you know they're Brady or they're jealous or whatever but there's still a higher ratio of.

01:04:36.31
Jala & Dave
Characters that are strong and admirable. Ah admirable in some way and also female in you know Eastern stuff than there is in the west or and like was in the west at that time I believe it's getting better Um, over time as we continue on.

01:04:54.21
Marcus
Well yeah, like there was just ah, there was the allowance to have a greater Breadth of character is really what it boils down to yeah and it's just and that yeah like when I remember. Okay so.

01:05:07.70
Marcus
In my early anime days. You know all the strong female characters were you know the girls in pink on the centtai team. You know you know it was you know Princess Allura over on Voltron and like the one the girl on like lets you know I can't remember any of their names. Ah other than Princess Allura but like you know.

01:05:27.21
Marcus
The girl on like saberrider and like the one from thunderbids 2086 and the pilot of aphrodite a and in mazinger right? like they were all but they were all different types of people. You know. And that is already more refreshing than most of what we got in the United States and until like the x-men you know so.

01:05:49.60
Jala & Dave
Yeah I would I would agree. There's a lot. There's a lot of um, female main characters or or just even a series that ah kind of rides on that so something like um, what is it.

01:06:05.55
Jala & Dave
It's not good and the gun. It's the or gunbuster as so the one I would think so that entire thing is riding on. Um, it's it's 2 female main characters and it's their initial rivalry rivalry.

01:06:23.52
Jala & Dave
That turns into comradeship to like defend the universe like against existential threats. Ah, but that's the like the beginning of kind of like the Yankee girl she's super energetic. Super positive.

01:06:39.30
Jala & Dave
But nothing's going to stop her and then nothing stops her which is great. Yeah, and when I was in high school I essentially was the genke girl like I I was the one who like formed a group of people ah out of like.

01:06:54.92
Jala & Dave
Bunch of different friends who didn't have their own little click to go to because everything was so clicky back then? um and so like I form my own little group and you know tried to get everybody going and cheer them up and all of that whenever they were feeling bad. So like I was definitely that person to a lot of people.

01:06:58.60
Marcus
Right.

01:07:14.67
Jala & Dave
Um, back when I was first starting to watch anniee. So like that that spoke to me is is kind of what I'm saying there and ah you mentioned Centai shows so I have to say you know I don't know if it was just me. It definitely can't be but when power rangers first came out in the Us. . and they had the yellow ranger pvi asian person. The black ranger be the black person and like you know pink ranger be like the the little white pink lady I mean like oh my god I was screaming. Yes, that ham saban did some strange things with these adaptations kind of the way.

01:07:40.14
Marcus
Yeah, it was a bit on the nose.

01:07:49.85
Jala & Dave
That um Carl Maik did with harmony gold and basically just took shows and made a different show out of it just like here's here's a robo techch and it's going be completely different than macros.

01:07:57.57
Marcus
Right? Yeah right? Oh my god yeah yeah, how in the world did all 3 of those shows take place in the same universe somehow like I don't even very careful ending. Yeah.

01:08:13.18
Jala & Dave
Um, careful editing right? right? Well so um I know both of you have a ah big big love of like sci-fi.

01:08:24.42
Jala & Dave
Anime stuff. Um more so than me like I was more into like the the fantasy type stuff I did dig into some sci-fi things um, mostly more like the battle angel kind of stuff you know like the darker grittier kind of stuff. Um, but.

01:08:42.27
Jala & Dave
From this era. Anyway, we're not talking like of all time but like of the era when Tenchi was out what were some other like sci-fi things that you guys were into hard question.

01:08:50.60
Marcus
Oh boy, oh geez. Okay, so one that immediately sticks out to me because I was I was trying to find every single video at the you know at the freakgging not blockbuster by the way at the the other video rental place around the corner that had all the obscure shit. Um, so yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly chimney video superstore. Ah, there was only one of them. It's not a superstore. But anyway, um, so let's see from that era. Let me think so there was a 1 shot called the battle for moon station dallos which was really cool. Um.

01:09:09.86
Jala & Dave
Um, like little mom and pop place. Yeah.

01:09:29.21
Marcus
And the other one that immediately comes to mind that has a whole lot of like women characters in it who are actually different types of people. Um is Don Gallo because Don Gallo was freaking amazing I loved that show so much and then course bubble gum crisis.

01:09:43.90
Jala & Dave
Yeah, that and um I think it's name made. It's like 96 so golf horse and then soul Bianca are that that those are entire female only cast and crew and everyone's a strong character in those.

01:09:51.43
Marcus
Um, oh yeah, yeah, those from it later right? Yeah yes I like bubble Gum crisis a lot because every single character had like their moment. You know, um over the course of the series.

01:10:00.78
Jala & Dave
Yeah. And yeah bubble gum crisis was one of those that I really dug into like I wasn't into like space opera stuff but like so futuristic stuff that had like you know some of those elements that was on Earth and everything I was really into those kinds like.

01:10:23.65
Jala & Dave
Specific kind of you know subgenre of sci-fi stuff at that time but bubblegum crisis is definitely one of those that ah Dave and I both want to record about at some juncture because though that's a fantastic series of ovas.

01:10:37.78
Marcus
Absolutely and by the way incredibly gay like I was not aware until looking at it the second time that like every single character on that show is gay as hell like um priss like you're Pris Gay

01:10:54.96
Marcus
Ah, silia ace probably um and the other 2 nanna and shoot what was the the one with the black hair and the headband ah Lena yeah, they were simping for pris's girlfriend in episodes 5 and 6 Um.

01:11:02.73
Jala & Dave
Um, lina.

01:11:11.74
Marcus
Ah, Leon and his leon and his cop partner absolutely gay. Yeah and it's just like all right? cool. Yeah, let's go man. So.

01:11:14.84
Jala & Dave
Oh Oh yeah, oh. Well and then the we'll probably eventually get into it. But then there's the sexeroid arc and yes, definitely all all gay. Yeah.

01:11:29.37
Marcus
Um, yes, all of them were gay. So yeah, it's just like that. There is a very like especially considering it premiered in what 87 that was a remarkably progressively gay show. So bring it on all of that. Hell yeah.

01:11:41.17
Jala & Dave
Yeah, yeah for sure well and then to one of my first anime was project a co that is so it's all lesbian very very lesbian. That's all it is is just ah like a lesbian love triangle that's it. So.

01:11:45.81
Marcus
Very getting definitely oh yeah, oh my god yeah yes yeah yes I wanted Bico's armor so bad I wanted I wanted that bikini armor for myself.

01:11:56.85
Jala & Dave
Boy because armor was so cool.

01:12:03.44
Marcus
Immediately as soon as it showed up I was like I need it.

01:12:04.13
Jala & Dave
Yeah, so I mean like that was definitely one for me and then too like I also liked key the metal Idol which is another weird another weird you know, futuristic with robot type guy.

01:12:18.41
Jala & Dave
Seeing you know that that's a weird and dark one I Really need to go back and rewatch that because that is just like Wow Um, there's so much going on. That's that one's sad the show like that you have to be ready to just be upset every episode. Yeah, absolutely.

01:12:27.67
Marcus
Right? Oh yeah, another one was it another one from pioneer arm Armitage. The third that was that was a good one. Um, and.

01:12:39.97
Jala & Dave
Oh yeah, yeah, they they did the the poly matrix one um that was really good and then I I Just um, oh it's not scifi but um sons on eyes. Ah if you want a strong female character Pi is like top the list.

01:12:51.94
Marcus
Um, oh yeah, yeah, she was great. Yeah.

01:12:56.65
Jala & Dave
Absolutely well I think that we have exhausted all that we're going to say about teny harem shows the era of scifi and honeynie maye ah I think we have we have ah done our our job here today folks.

01:13:14.74
Jala & Dave
So ah, we will go ahead and do up so do some wrap up thoughts so ah, wrap up thoughts for me. This was super super formative I chose it for the show on basis of Achika herself as a character and wanting to talk about those female archetypes and how they differ from the west and in. You know Japan and other eastern areas and you know we covered that we talked about other female characters and other shows we talked about the type of show that this is we covered all the bases I wanted to cover. But um. Insofar as like ah the rewatch was concerned. It was really interesting to come back and watch it again with you know, like fresh eyes after not having seen it in twenty plus years and you know like I can still see why it appealed to me so much when it. I did watch it for the first time in the twentieth time back in the day but also like as a movie looking at it again now I can't I don't have the nostalgia rose tinted glasses ah like over my face shrouding me and you know like making me think it's still a really great movie. Um, it's fine. Um, it's not as good as the os are for this series but atchica is in it and for that alone it is worth watching just for her but the ovs are what I would recommend if folks are interested in checking tenci out.

01:14:42.40
Jala & Dave
So ah, that is my wrap up thoughts. How about you Dave yeah I'd pretty much echo those this is something that it's um I hadn't watched in twenty some odd years so it was nice to see that I so I still enjoyed it but I could definitely look at this critically and go okay. There's a lot that this is kind of not doing ah and it's cribbing from maybe too many things I don't know that I would say that oh this is ah a seminal mustwatch flagship thing. Yeah, stick with like the ovas they were that. That's the epitome of like the Tenchi series for me if you want to go that route.

01:15:22.22
Marcus
Yeah I think I would I would agree with that mostly yeah, like Jalla said it's fine. But yeah, watch the ovas um watch I would say yeah probably watch the actual Tv series for just better characterization of everybody. But um. But also tension in Tokyo is like it's it's cute. It's a good follow up to it and it's not like it's not groundbreaking but it's solid and I and I appreciate that and ah, yeah, ah, having not actually watched this movie twenty years ago having watched the third movie. Definitely was coming to it with fresh eyes and had a very critical view of it while watching ah I would like to rewatch the third movie now since that's the one I actually remembered. Um maybe that could be a different episode or maybe I'll just do a little blog about it myself.

01:16:10.46
Jala & Dave
Yeah, that that one's on there at least our our outside of the podcast watch party list that was one of the first Dvds aside from rogency that I owned so I watched that a lot and that one holds up still but it's.

01:16:27.10
Jala & Dave
It's different because I think I could identify more with high school or a college age tensee than just wandering nebulous high school Tenchi right? As long as we're not watching daughter of darkness the second one that was just not great. Dave says it doesn't exist just like his daughter.

01:16:30.28
Marcus
And yeah, that makes sense.

01:16:46.21
Jala & Dave
Just like his daughter not real. Yeah yeah, so um, but yeah, yeah, and ah, we didn't even mention it but there was like a wasn't there like a newer Tenchi series that has like totally they'd looked totally different or is it a totally different alternate Universe I don't even know what that was all about it's a spinoff or that it's It's a continuation of the ovas.

01:17:05.79
Jala & Dave
And then the current one is weird little 15 minute long ah short episodes that Tenchi's a high school teach. It's the art style is bizarre I I tried to watch some of it I got through like part of a 15 minute episode is like yeah it's not for me.

01:17:24.37
Jala & Dave
Dave will watch anything so that is telling you something folks because Dave will seriously watch anything. It will be like a 1 ne-star review on rotten tomatoes and he's watched many of those that are like 0 stars on Rotten tomatoes even and he is like oh it wasn't. And that bad I think it's more like a 3 okay I don't even know. So um, that's that's impressive if it was so bad. It made you turn it off after before 15 minutes was up wow well so um, yeah, the the first.

01:17:59.31
Jala & Dave
3 3 bits that we talked about have their their ups and downs the ovs. The Tv series intention in Tokyo um, but the ovs are kind of like the hands down recommend from all of us for sure. So.

01:18:10.10
Marcus
Absolutely.

01:18:13.24
Jala & Dave
All right? That is all we've got for this episode now for where in the world can people find you on the internet if you are to be found Dave you can kind of not really find me on the internet much anymore. Um, yeah, blues sky somewhere I don't remember what but it's I'm on there. It's fine. Um, don't look for me or you can I don't care. You can always find me at monsterdear.monster like send me a review on my podcast. Yeah listen to it. It's really fun. Um I have I do not watch any of the movies that they are talking about on there like ever. Ah. But I like to listen to them talk about it because they give you a very clear rundown and tell you about it and like sometimes it makes me curious enough to go Dave we should maybe watch a little of this sometime because I'm this sounds bonkers. You know so especially right now because they've been doing um a lot of. Foreign films because of the sa after a strike. Yeah, it's our it's our tobe trash days. So we've picked stuff that's independent like not a mainstream so ah struck thing and then cover that or just go to like a lot of older japanese films usually. Recently we just we just last night was a Tokyo gore police so people can look forward to that or that's that'll be up. Yeah, yeah, absolutely so that is a monster dear monster and although Dave says that you can't find him he will reply if you message him anywhere that he is to be found with all of the links that are in the show notes.

01:19:50.15
Jala & Dave
He's just ah, he he does it. He gets anxiety about like all the messages that are on. There is too much to look at I understand it. It's better to not be on the internet than it is to be on the internet these days anyway. Ah Marcus where in the world can people find you if you are to be found anywhere.

01:20:03.78
Marcus
Okay, where can people find me all right? So let's see on Twitter I am I got to look my own name up on Twitter underscare yes Marcus Underscore rasan on Twitter marcus underscore rasan on Instagram.

01:20:12.74
Jala & Dave
Um, Marcus_Rasaan

01:20:21.50
Marcus
I'm pretty much Marcus Underscore Rassan everywhere? Um, ah yeah, by the way I'm never calling it x it's Twitter um, screw you Elon musk. Um, let's see ah I'm I believe I am Marcus underscore something or other marcu underscore ressan on blue sky I think I just got the account.

01:20:40.00
Jala & Dave
They don't allow underscores so you probably don't have an underscore there will be a link.

01:20:40.66
Marcus
I rarely look at it I've made. it's it's probably not then yeah it's there um let's see what else I am if you look up rains animations on on Youtube that's where my animation is gonna be going up. It's my. Funny little brand name I am random reign on Patreon ah that hasn't been updated a bit but it's about to get a big one because I'm working on this animation all weekend. Ah. This entire at the next like 48 hours will be filled with me animating and probably passing out and then waking up and animating some more and then finally posting the thing when it's done so that's the thing that's happening. Ah if you want to help me fund this animation I'm working on I have a go fund me that link will be in the show notes. Um. Etc etc. Marcus Underscore Rasaan that's me if you look up. Oh if you want to find my old. No, that's right I deleted it never mind. Forget it forgot said anything anything never mind guys is on Deviant Art. But it's not there anymore. So.

01:21:40.36
Jala & Dave
Um, and I make it real Easy. You can find me any place that I can be found @jalachan in places including jalachan.place. Where you found this episode and all of the others so that is all for now folks take care of yourself and remember to smile.

[Show Outro]
Jala
Jala-chan's Place is brought to you by Fireheart Media. If you enjoyed the show, please share this and all of our episodes with friends and remember to rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice. Word of mouth is the only way we grow. If you like, you can also kick us a few bucks to help us keep the lights on at ko-fi.com/fireheartmedia. Check out our other show Monster Dear Monster: A Monster Exploration Podcast at monsterdear.monster. Music composed and produced by Jake Lionhart with additional guitars and mixed by Spencer Smith. Follow along with my adventures via jalachan.place or find me at jalachan in places on the net!

[Outro Music]