“Tenchi Muyo!: War on Geminar – Part 2” is recommended for fans who love sci-fi anime with a harem twist!
Image courtesy of © 2013 FUNimation. All Rights Reserved.
TITLE: Tenchi Muyo!: War on Geminar – Part 2 (異世界ã®è–機師物語)
YEAR OF RELEASE: 2010
DURATION:Â Episodes 8-13 (271 Minutes)
BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, English and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Subtitles: English
RATED: TV 14 LD
COMPANY: FUNimation Entertainment
RELEASE DATE: May 21, 2013
Original Creator: Masaki Kajishima
Original Character Designs by Hajime Watanabe
Directed by Koji Yoshikawa
Series Composition by Hideki Shirane
Music by Akifumi Takada
Character Design by Hajime Watanabe
Art Director: Kyou Inoue
Chief Animation Director: Hajime Watanabe
Mechanical Design by Naohiro Washio
Anime Production by AIC Spirits/BeSTACK
Featuring the voices of:
Ayumi Tsunematsu/Jami Marchi as Mexiah Furan
Hiro Shimono/Jason Liebrecht as Kenshi Masaki
Madoka Yonezawa/Jad Saxton as Lashara Aasu XXVIII
Natsuko Kuwatani/Morgan Garrett as Chiaia Furan
Chiaki Kanou/Trina Nishimura as Jozzy
Eri Taruta as Mahya, Yeliss
Erika Sudou/Karen Bright as Hannah
Hiroki Yasumoto/R. Bruce Elliot as Babalun
Hiromi Konno/Alexis Tipton as Lapis Razz
Hyo-sei/Shelley Calene-Black as Emera
Junko Noda/Lydia Mackay as Aura Shurifon
Kana Oomura/Caitlin Glass as Lithia Po Chiina
Young Kenshi Masaki has his hands full catering to the whims of an entire academy of oversexed schoolgirls, but a darkness looms on the horizon that will soon cast his life into chaos. The mysterious and enchanting Doll, controlled from afar by a power hungry madman, leads an unthinkable invasion that attacks the nubile students of the academy from inside its once protective walls.
To save his bevy of galactic playmates, Kenshi must summon the power of a Sacred Mechanoid and fight to preserve peace in a world that hovers on the brink of destruction. Should he survive, Kenshi will be mobbed by a hoard of comely coeds who want to make the hero their husband!
Babalun, Dagmeyer and the male Sacred Mechamasters have begun their attack on the Holy Land and have captured it! But with all hope is lost, the women of the Holy Land have one person they can put their trust in…one who may be able to save their lives…Kenshi!
Can Kenshi pull it off and will Kenshi ever return back home? Or will his friends or the temptation of so many girls wanting to marry him, will make him want to stay? Find out in the final part 2 of “Tenchi Muyou!: War on Geminar”.
What is “Tenchi Muyo! War on Geminar”?
In 2009, a spinoff OVA series that is a spin-off of “Tenchi Muyo!” was created by original creator Masaki Kajishima.
Presented in 13 OVA episodes which was released from March 2009-March 2010 and produced by AIC Spirits and BeSTACK, the OVA series would lead to a light novel adaptation by Atsushi Wada in 2009, a manga adaptation serialized in Comic REX in 2010 and now released in America on Blu-ray and DVD courtesy of FUNimation.
According to Kajishima, the anime is part of the “Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki” continuity and takes place 15 years after the events of “Tenchi Muyo! GXP”. Because “Tenchi Muyo!: War on Geminar” features the debut of Tenchi’s half brother Kenshi, this would lead many fans to discuss theories of Kenshi and its connection to the original series.
The series revolves around 15-year-old Kenshi Masaki who ended up in an alternate world of Geminar. This world has been waging war against each other using Sacred Mechanoids (humanoid weapons discovered in ancient ruins).
We are first introduced to Lashara Earth XXVIII, the 12-year-old ruler of the Shrtrayu Empire and her bodyguard Chiaia Flan who fights against intruders in the Holy Land. One of these intruders proves to be an excellent fighter and is revealed to be Kenshi.
Kenshi has been ordered to assassinate Lashara Earth XXVIII but can’t do it as he is not a killer. Seeing good within Kenshi, as the group hold him captive and to find out his whereabouts, it is quickly learned that Kenshi is not of this world. In fact, he was being used by the enemies of Shtrayu Empire who had promised him a safe return back to his homeworld, which became false.
Finding out he had been betrayed, he is rescued by Dark Elf Aura Shurifon, who returns him back to Lashara. But they realize that he has caught a disease and will die unless he receives treatment. So, everyone works quickly to try and save him.
For now, Kenshi can be useful to the empire who is suffering from enormous debt. So, as they try to find a way for Kenshi to return back home, Lashara Earth XXVIII has Kenshi become her assistant, so he can learn and assimilate with society (which the female population outnumber males by a very large margin). So, naturally many of the women he comes into contact with are impressed by his demeanor, his work ethic and are amazed by his uncanny fighting skills and bravery.
But as Lashara and those working for her try to keep Kenshi’s identity secret, there are those in the Holy Land who are working for the enemy and are keeping their eyes on Kenshi.
“Tenchi Muyo!: War on Geminar” features the following characters:
Kenshi Masaki – The younger half-brother of Tenchi Msaki and the son of Tenchi’s father Nobuyuki Masaki and his second wife, Rea. Kenshi traveled from Earth to the alternate world of Geminar and is trying to find a way to go back home. He was used by one faction to assassinate Lashara Earth XXVIII in exchange for information to bring him back home, but not a killer, Kenshi made the decision to not hurt her. So, Lashara decides to help Kenshi but he may disguise her as her servant and keep the fact that he is from another world as a secret. So, for now, he must try to fit in with the people in the Holy Land.
Lashara Earth XXVII– The 12-year-old ruler of the Shtrayu Empire. She is thrusted to inherit the throne and rule the land after her father’s sudden death. She takes Kenshi in as a servant and tries to get him to take part in duties int he Holy Land. She may have feelings towards Kenshi but because of her royal status, she is unable to show those feelings towards him.
Chiaia Flan – Lashara’s personal escort and bodyguard. Attends Holy Land Academy to complete her Sacred Mechamaster training. She has a crush on her childhood friend Dagmyer, but although she is seen getting upset at Kenshi a lot, she may be having some feelings towards him.
Maria Nanadan – A young princess from the country of Havoniwa and is currently attending Holy Land Academy with Lashara. Both are cousins but they are not fond with each other and are constantly trying to one up each other. Although she supports Yukine’s emotions towards Kenshi, she seems to also be falling for Kenshi.
Yukine Mare – A shy servant of Maria but very skilled at information gathering. She is attracted to Kenshi.
Wahanly Shume – A brillliant inventor and good friend of Lashara. She looks like a teenager but she is actually 97-years-old. She also starts to have feelings towards Kenshi.
Lithia Po Cheena – Granddaughter of the Pope of Geminar and President of Holy Land Academy’s Student council. She is bitter, sarcastic and blunt. She sees Kenji as a “wild animal” (in a literal way) but she may have feelings towards him.
Aura Shurifon – The Dark Elf Princess of the Shurifon Kingdom and member of the Pilgrimage Route Guard. She is often protective of Kenshi and develops feelings towards him.
Mexiah Flan – Mexiah is a person who is very sexual around Kenshi and often seen taking off her clothes when she is around him, often making Chiaia concerned when Mexiah is near Kenshi.
Dagmyer Mesut – Chiaia’s childhood friend and the one responsible for manipulating Kenshi into assassinating Lashara. He is constantly recruiting students for the invasion of Holy Land.
Ulyte Mesut – Dagmyer’s uncle and the younger brother of Babalun. He is a instructor at the Academy and also wants to invade the Holy Land for another reason.
“Tenchi Muyo!: War on Geminar – Part 2” features the first six episodes. Here is a brief spoilerless summary of each episode:
- EPISODE 8 – Dagmeyer and the male Sacred Mechamasters attack the Holyland. Meanwhile, Chiaia’s big sister Mexiah…is she friend or foe?
- EPISODE 9 – With Babalun taking over the Holy Land and having the Shield of Gaia in his possession , meanwhile Chiaia is ordered to kill Kenshi. Can she do it?
- EPISODE 10 – Kenshi and the King partake in a competition, meanwhile the Church is attacked by Doll.
- EPISODE 11 – Ceres is attacked by bandits, Kenshi must go to the aid of Ceres.
- EPISODE 12 – Babalun tries to take control over Kenshi, leading to a battle.
- EPISODE 13 – The final battle between Dagmeyer and Kenshi. Gaia has been revived with a Doll inside of it and Kenshi must take on the Doll.
VIDEO:
“Tenchi Muyo!: War on Geminar – Part 2” is presented in 1080p High Definition. Because the series is an OVA series and not a television series, I was expecting the picture quality to be vibrant and fully-detailed. If anything, “Tenchi Muyo! War on Geminar” seems more like a television series when it comes to picture quality.
There is a hint of softness, but the series does feature good shading, character and mechanical designs designs but similar to the original series, tends to use a lot of lush backgrounds, blue skies, mountains, a lot of trees, etc. But there are some emphasis on building structures, cement walls and most importantly its use of mechanical designs with Mecha featured throughout the series. There is also a good use of CG for floating structures and backgrounds. There are some indoor scenes which are nicely detailed but overall, picture quality is good but it is a bit soft.
AUDIO & SUBTITLES:
“Tenchi Muyo!: War on Geminar” is presented in Japanese and English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. I have to admit that I was so excited for the lossless soundtrack because the opening theme really comes out crystal clear and utilizes the surround channels immediately. But the overall presentation, while clear, is not as immersive as I would have hoped. Audio is primarily dialogue driven and center and front-channel, while music gets the surround sound treatment. But for a television series, audio is could and didn’t notice any difference in terms of surround sound use on both Japanese or English lossless tracks.
Subtitles are in English.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“Tenchi Muyo!: War on Geminar – Part 2” comes with the following special features:
- Audio Commentary for Episode 13 – Joe McDonald, ADR Director interviews the English dub voice talent and technical crew.
- Information and Sneak Peek of the Pay-Per-View Program 7-13 – (3:33) The Japanese previews for the pay-per-view commercials for “Tenchi Muyo!: War on Geminar”.
- Presale Promotional Videos – (:43) Promotional videos for the “Tenchi Muyo! War on Geminar” DVD.
- Teaser Trailers 3-5 – (4:27) Teaser trailers for “Tenchi Muyo! War on Geminar”.
- A Taste of a Day Recording Tenchi Muyou! War on Geminar’s Radio Broadcast – (8:04) Featuring personality Hiro Shimono (voice of Kenshi) and guest Mie Sonozaki (voice of Yukine) and a footage from the episode radio broadcast.
- Web Trailers – (3:42) The web trailers for “Tenchi Muyo!: War on Geminar”.
- Textless Opening Song “Follow Me”
- Textless Opening Song “Destino”
- U.S. Trailer – U.S. Trailer for “Tenchi Muyou!: War on Geminar”
- Trailers – FUNimation trailers
EXTRAS:
“Tenchi Muyo!: War on Geminar – Part 2” comes with the Blu-ray and DVD version of episodes 8-13.
I have been watching every “Tenchi Muyo!” series since it was first released in Japan. A big fan of the original OVA’s and animated films, it’s always fascinating to see how the storyline is without the characters that fans have followed for many years.
First with “Tenchi Muyo! GXP” and now with “Tenchi Muyo! War on Geminar”, what will interest fans the most is the introduction of a 15-year-old named Kenshi, the half brother of Tenchi Masaki. How did this happen? Fans will find theories from other fans about who Kenshi may be. But in terms of the series, we have Kenshi stuck in another world and for the first half, the series is more introductory to the characters and a secret plot taking place behind-the-scenes.
The second half of “Tenchi Muyo! War on Geminar” focuses on Babalun and his son Dagmyer along with the male Sacred Mechmasters of the Academy capturing the Holy Land. But also Babalun possessing the Shield of Gaia and trying to defeat Kenshi and restore the Sacred Mechalord Gaia. But to save the land, Kenshi must do all that is necessary to stop Gaia’s revival.
The series does tend to play out as a harem anime series with flocks of women, not just a few, wanting to marry Kenshi. But fortunately, a much more deeper storyline is presented in the final half of the OVA series.
There are references to the “Tenchi Muyo!” characters in the anime series such as Washu and others when Kenshi is questioned about his home and these crystals that belong to him. But also his unusual abilities that surpass normal people in the planet.
As mentioned in my review of “part 1”, there is a little sexual humor in the series, so you may not want to watch this series with children in the room.
As for the Blu-ray release, I have to admit that I was a bit surprised that the OVA series looked more like a television series. Back in the day, “Tenchi Muyo!” was a series that captivated our attention at anime club screenings as the series was known as a quality series on LaserDisc at the time. Fast forward to 2010, when this series was first released, while shown on the Animax pay per view channel, I was hoping for sharper, crisper animation and less softness. But the series was soft and while many scenes did have good detail for its art backgrounds and some scenes and characters were well-shaded, it seemed more like the picture quality of a TV series than OVA series.
As for the lossless soundtrack, I loved how the music was utilized for the surround channels but I was hoping the action sequences would feature a bit more LFE and surround use. Dialogue and music are crystal clear but was hoping for something more immersive.
For special features, you get many of the Japanese special features included such as the commercial previews or trailers, a behind-the-scenes radio featurette and an audio commentary featuring the English dub voice talent and the FUNimation crew that worked on the series.
Overall, “Tenchi Muyo!: War on Geminar” is a harem sci-fi anime series that is enjoyable and fun. While the first half of the series is more about the fun and harem side of Tenchi, his gullible nature and the women who love him, there is more story, more action and things become a bit more deeper for the second and final of the OVA series.
If you are a fan of “Tenchi Muyo!”, while none of the original characters appear in this OVA series, we are introduced to Kenshi Masaki, a 15-year-old half brother of Tenchi that is stuck in an alternate world and with his kind nature and his special ability, he proves himself as important in the lives of many people. But will he stay or will he go home back to Earth?
“Tenchi Muyo!: War on Geminar – Part 2” is recommended for fans who love sci-fi anime with a harem twist!
