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| Overall | Art | Animation | Character Design | Music | Series Story | Episode Story | Reviewer | |
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| Rent | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 |
 Ggultra2764
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[series:230#1552] |
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I guess you can think of Magical Project S as a TV series take on Pretty Sammy. The TV anime is mostly similar to the OVA in its setup and cast, though a number of supporting characters from the OVA (mainly other Tenchi Muyo characters) have their roles changed around such as Tenchi reduced to a one episode appearance as a director (instead of being Sasami's brother) and Ryoko and Ayeka having major roles they play in later episodes (instead of bickering schoolgirls), that I won't spoil here. Pretty much, Magical Project S retains the mahou shoujo parody mold it milked from the OVAs to a great extent as Sasami takes on her mahou shoujo alter-ego, Pretty Sammy, to dispose of "Love Love Monster of the day" threats with the occasional jokes poking fun of her situation and breaking the fourth wall. While the humor's fun for the most part, the "monster of the day" setup is pretty much the norm for the anime's storyline for its first 18 episodes and the lack of an ongoing storyline does cause things to drag a bit and get tiresome at points. Fortunately, the plot picks up steam in the final eight episodes of the series when Misao/ Pixy Misa's character gets some development and a new evil threat comes along to pose a greater threat to Earth and Juraihelm than comical baddie Ramia is. The animation is nothing to scream about as it is standard quality for a mid-90s TV anime, though Magical Project S retains the regular drawing style you would expect from most 90s Tenchi titles. Overall if you're either a diehard Tenchi fan or in the mood for a good laugh off the mahou shoujo parody coming from Magical Project S, the series is worth the time to check out despite its "monster of the day" setup dragging things out.
Last updated Friday, February 08 2013. Created Friday, February 08 2013. | ||||||||
| Rent |
 Stretch
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[series:230#628] | ||||||
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(All episodes watched--twice): If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then rewatching an anime series a second time would have to be the sincerest form of praise one could offer about it. And that's just what I've done with Magical Project S. The first time around I couldn't think of anything intelligent to say about it, and didn't compile a review; but this time I think I'll go ahead and write a review without saying anything intelligent, because this is such a fun series that I must cast my vote in it's favor. Why do I like it? Because this show is so whacked--those were the words I exclaimed to myself as I watched. Seeing as this is largely a parody of Mahou Shojo series, I kind of wonder why I like it so much, since I've never really gotten into shows of that sort (does Cutey Honey count?); or maybe that's exactly why I like it, because it seems to take a similar attitude to my own, that magical girl shows are pretty ridiculous to begin with. Either way, I am a Tenchi Muyo fan. Basically, Magical Project S takes the beloved cast of Tenchi Muyo, especially Sasami and Ryo-Ohki, and employs them to lampoon magical girl shows. The character of Sasami is brilliant as she takes a distinctly reluctant and mildly sarcastic attitude towards being drafted to serve as just such a girl. But as good as she is, my favorite character is her opponent, evil magical girl Pixy Misa. Her brash, arrogant personality is the diametrical opposite of her true identity, Sasami's shy friend Misao, which is hilarious. Perhaps best of all is her habit of speaking in Engrish; I doubt if any VA in the US could capture this charm, which might be why no attempt has been made to dub this series. Another character deserving of praise is Washu, here a brilliant and slightly mad scientist who is fascinated by magical girls. The characters of the original Tenchi Muyo OVAs show up here and there, such as when Sammy runs into Tenchi's father and grandfather at a strange amusement park (one of my favorite episodes). For some reason I didn't remember this show as being all that great from my first viewing several years ago, but I was pleasantly surprised the second time around. The clever mix of silliness and danger in the final episodes was especially fun, as were the SD modes characters would sometimes go into. I was left with a grin on my face at the end, and without thinking just said to myself "that was good". Magical Project S actually holds up pretty well even after ten years or so. It won't be for everyone, so I've given it the catch-all rating of "Rent"; personally, I bought my own set of used VHS tapes, and consider myself to have made a killing. My favorite line: "Starting next week: Pixy Misa and the diary of her glutinous journeys!" --Pixy Misa Last updated Tuesday, October 02 2007. Created Sunday, April 08 2007. | ||||||||
| Rent |
 dhrachth
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[series:230#962] | ||||||
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Wacky Sailormoon (Magical Girl) spoof. Not particularly interesting if you're just a Tenchi fan, but if you've watched a bunch of Sailormoon it's hilarious. Of course, making fun of another anime (but in a lighthearted way) wears thin after awhile, so you don't really need to see the entire series.
Last updated Thursday, September 11 2003. Created Thursday, September 11 2003. | ||||||||
| Rent | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 |
 AstroNerdBoy
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[series:230#436] |
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This series is supposed to be a parody of Sailor Moon and to a degree is succeeds there. However, the formula for the first 18 episodes gets old and boring. Ramia hatches a plan. Ru-kun is dispatched to force Misao to turn into Pixy Misa. Pixy Misa creates a Love-Love Monster. Pretty Sammy shows up and dispatches monster. Misa returns to Misao, who never remembers a thing. Story over. BOOOOR-RRINNNGGG! While I like Sasami and there is a "kawaii" factor, it doesn't have any depth which harms the series. Around episode 19, the series gets interesting. The writers take time to deal with the Misao-Misa issue and they do a pretty good job with it. Finally, a character gets some depth and development. This leads nicely up to the final story arc with Pretty Sammy having to travel to Juraihelm to help Tsunami. Seeing Sammy and Misa work together actually works. The various Tenchi members show up in the series. Mihoshi is Sasami's teacher. Kiyone is the annoying former classmate of Mihoshi and fellow sensei. Washu is a professor from America who comes over to study magic girls and Pretty Sammy specifically. Tenchi shows up in an episode as a director for a Power Rangers clone show. Nobukuki and Katsuhito (as Genjuro) show up as rivals of a theme park. Aeka shows up as Romio, a canidate for Queen of Juraihelm. Ryoko shows up as Oryo, one of Tsunami's bodyguards. So that was neat. There were a couple of amusing El Hazard jokes in the first episode which would be missed by those who've not seen that series. There are some other parodies as well, but as a parody series, the show just isn't that interesting. Bottom line: Good at the end, but 18 episodes of tedium make this almost below a Rent.Last updated Friday, April 23 2004. Created Saturday, August 23 2003. | ||||||||
| Rent | 7 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 7 |
 Kaitou Juliet
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[series:230#137] | |
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This is an entertaining little series, although it has very little to do with any version of Tenchi Muyo. The story in a nutshell: Sasami Kawai (an ordinary fourth-grader in this version) is chosen by Tsunami, queen-elect of the magical planet of Juraihelm, to help restore the balance of good and evil by turning into Pretty Sammy and bringing more good into the world. Tsunami's rival Ramia sends out her own magical girl, Pixy Misa, to mess things up for Pretty Sammy. The girl Ramia chooses is Sasami's shy best friend Misao—but neither girl realizes that Misa and Misao are one and the same! The series is pretty Monster-of-the-Weekish in the early parts, but I didn't mind because I enjoyed the way it poked fun at the conventions of the mahou shoujo (magical girl) genre. For instance, Sammy/Sasami is extremely embarrassed by her costume. Sasami's parents are also very amusing, especially her father: he has all kinds of hidden skills, yet he never realizes that the reason Pretty Sammy reminds him of his daughter is because she is his daughter! Later on, the series settles down and develops an exciting multi-part plotline. Some episodes are even quite touching, like the two-part arc where Sasami discovered Misao's secret identity. If you've seen any of the other Tenchi series, you'll get an extra kick out of spotting the regular cast. For example, Mihoshi is Sasami's homeroom teacher and Kiyone teaches the class next door. Sasami's magical guide is Ryo-Ohki who is male and talks in this version. Tenchi isn't Sasami's brother in this version, but he does turn up. And one of her classmates is the cousin of Jinnai from El-Hazard! Note: This series is not available dubbed in the U.S. at this time. Kids who don't mind reading should enjoy it, however. If you're looking for angst and grim realism, stay far away from this series. If you want fantasy, fun, and friendship, look no further. Last updated Tuesday, August 28 2001. Created Tuesday, August 28 2001. | ||||||||
| Rent | 6 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
 Mark Clifton
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[series:230#126] |
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Like true AIC fashion, this spin-off of the OVA version of Pretty Sammy is similar, but completely different. This time though, they actually had enough episodes to create a more interesting storyline. The animation and artwork are held to the same standards as you would find in the OVA version, but at least the characters are just as lively. This series was actually made for a younger audience; thus the reason why it has a lot of slapstick comedy in it. Overall, it is a good series, even if it gets insanely silly at times. Last updated Tuesday, January 23 2001. Created Tuesday, January 23 2001. | ||||||||
Other Sites
| Name | URL |
|---|---|
| AIC | http://www.anime-int.com/e/ |
| Tenchi Muyo! Another Universe | http://tmau.cjb.net/ |
| THE site for all things related to the various Tenchi anime titles. | |
| Tenchi Muyo! FAQ | http://www.astronerdboy.com/tenchi/ |
| A TM!R FAQ with some info about the other series as well. | |
