Tenchi Muyou! Manatsu no Eve

Title:Tenchi Muyou! Manatsu no Eve
Tenchi the Movie 2: The Daughter of Darkness
天地無用!真夏のイヴ
Overall:Watch
Keywords: , , , , , , , , ,
Notables: AMANO Yuri
INOUE You
IWAO Junko
KAJISHIMA Masaki
KIKUCHI Masami
ORIKASA Ai
R1 License - FUNimation
YOKOYAMA Chisa
Startica is the Summer Festival on Jurai. Many years ago, Tenchi`s grandfather, Yosho, met a young girl during Startica and just as their relationship blossomed, she was attacked by the Jurai Palace who revealed that the girl was Yuzuha - the Demon of Darkness!
Wounded by the attack, Yuzuha fled, but many years later her feeling of betrayal lead her to plan her revenge by taking Yosho`s only grandson; Tenchi!
On a hot summer day, a fetching young girl named Mayuka appears to Tenchi, calling him Daddy! Jealousy and envy follow as Ryoko and Ayeka battle for Tenchi`s attention with an apparently new rival. Who could the mother be?!
Sasami befriends Mayuka as they compare Earth`s Christmas and Jurai`s Startica celebrations and Mayuka is welcomed into the Masaki household.
However, Mayuka is just a puppet of the Demon, Yuzuha, and it`s her plan to bring Tenchi to the Nightmare World completing her revenge! Will Tenchi be able to resist Mayuka`s love? Can Sasami convince Mayuka to change?
It`s a battle for Mayuka as she chooses between her parents; Tenchi and Yuzuha! To be the Daughter of Light or the Daughter of Darkness!
60 minute Movie.

[edit] The ↗Tenchi Muyou! franchise (original and still ongoing):

"↗Kajishima original canon" stories: Note: The GXP anime series is trumped by the novels from series creator KAJISHIMA Masaki. The canon GXP novels confirm that "Dual!" is set billions of years ago and why some of the characters are reincarnated in OVA 5. The "Paradise Wars" novels are included in the canon, which are also referenced in Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki OVA 5.

"↗Hasegawa canon" stories: Note: The full Hasegawa spinoff continuity is captured in novel form.

"↗Negishi canon" stories: Non-canon Tenchi remake: Magical Girl Pretty Sammy (spin-off): Sasami (spin-off): Ai Tenchi Muyo (spin-off):
OverallArtAnimationCharacter Design MusicSeries StoryEpisode StoryReviewer
Watch 8 7 8 6 6 Ggultra2764 [series:38#1552]
This was the only Tenchi Muyo movie I had yet to see before renting it via Netflix and after seeing it, I can definitely see where fans of Tenchi would have issues with it. This movie's only about an hour long and it's not in continuity with Tenchi Universe and the two excellent Tenchi Muyo in Love movies. From what I understand, it's of a different continuity based off the OAV series yet ignores the later 13 episodes of it to create its own canon. However, doing this makes the plot a bit of a mess. Kiyone's around for who knows what reason when she was never even introduced in the OAVs and a number of major elements with the characters are ignored for the convenience of plot development as I found myself dumbfounded with what was glossed over with character traits and abilities seen from the OAVs. The movie pacing looked a wee bit rushed compared to the Tenchi Muyo in Love movies where events quickly progressed and the appearances of Yuzuha and Mayuka aren't explored in great detail compared to when I seen Kain, Achika and Haruna from the other two movies. This makes relating to the two new characters rather hard as they seemed a bit shallow with their personalities. The movie's still watchable as it still has the same old mix of harem comedy and adventure you expect from the franchise. Just don't expect it to be a gem.

Last updated Friday, January 28 2011. Created Friday, January 28 2011.
Watch Stretch [series:38#628]
I sat through "Daughter of Darkness" with a pen and paper to take down clever lines and unusual features, but nothing much worth recording seemed to come to me. The animation was pretty good... Grandpa's voice seems to be done by somebody new... Finally, near the end, a little lightbulb clicked on in my head and I made a connection--this movie reminds me of the half-hour Yu Yu Hakusho movie! A pseudo-supernatural being is pissed off for something that happened to her(right?) as a child, and is still acting like one today. Why does Yuzuha blame Yosho for the incident, when he apparently got the crap beaten out of himself as a result? Her bizarre appearance (half Elf and half rat?) seemed inappropriate for a film which claims to be a sequel to the superb OAV series. I didn't feel much sympathy for Mayuka 'till near the end, since it was originally unclear whether She was good or evil, and after that it still wasn't clear if she had a mind of her own or was just some sort of puppet. No doubt the overall quality of the two previously mentioned movies seeming about the same contributed to me making the link.

Last updated Monday, March 29 2004. Created Monday, December 15 2003.
Watch 8 8 7 5 4 Kari [series:38#798]
This is the Tenchi Muyo! movie that features the slap heard by Ryoko fans everywhere. The soundtrack to this doesn't really appeal to me. The animation's nice, but the plot makes me want to bang my head against the wall.



So now some chick claiming to be Tenchi's daughter, comes from the future seeking revenge for her mother...what? And why is it Yosho's enemies never attack him directly?



Of the 3 Tenchi movies, this was the only one I really hated...that slap made me hate it even more. Regardless of the fact that I despise this film, I bought it just to add it to my collection, after all it was only $3.99 to buy it on DVD. Even though it was cheap, it's still a pain to sit through. I recommend watching this.


Last updated Friday, November 17 2006. Created Monday, June 30 2003.
Watch 9 9 7 6 6 AstroNerdBoy [series:38#436]
This is the only Tenchi Muyo! movie set in the OAV continuity. However, it's not considered canon material for a whole slew of reasons. This movie is based off of the Naoko Hasegawa's novels that are based on the first OVA series. So everything from episodes 7-13.5 are ignored.

Storywise, a girl named Mayaku shows up at Tenchi's house claiming to be his daughter. While this doesn't set well with Ayeka and Ryoko, it is Ryoko who is able to see that there is more to her than meets the eye. Ryoko is right as a female demon named Yuzuha is looking to seek revenge against Yosho and thus the royal household of Jurai.

Of the characters, only Ryoko remained interesting to me. She showed that she indeed does truely love Tenchi and she was motivated to protect him with her life in needed. The other characters were mostly a waste. Mayuka seemed to be created to play with the incest fantasy since there are several times where she's used to sexually come on to Tenchi by Yuzuha. It was very out of place.

Because this ignores the 2nd OAV and the OAV special (episode 7), the other characters feel so out of place. You wonder why certain things don't happen or why certain characters don't know things. I was wondering when talk of Tsunami came up why everyone seemed dumb considering what had been revealed about her. Yosho's history was modified to fit into this tale and it just doesn't work. In fact, nothing but Ryoko's willingness to fight and die for Tenchi made sense.

Bottom line: Ryoko fans will enjoy watching her at work, even if she is only a shadow of her OAV self. The other characters are just there, typified by Kiyone (Tenchi Universe) being in this movie. Huh? Anyway, if you aren't a serious Tenchi fan or a Ryoko lover, you won't even like this movie.

Last updated Tuesday, March 30 2004. Created Monday, March 24 2003.
Avoid 10 10 10 5 3 Tsunami [series:38#323]
After I saw Tenchi in tokyo I thought that no worse a story could spawn from Tenchi's world- but I was wrong . . . so very wrong . . .
I have never written a negative review on this review site until now. I love tenchi- the first and last movie were great, but the daughter of darkness? So who's the envader this week you ask . . . grandpa's ex girlfriend (from childhood even, not teen age years, but childhood. Full fleged five year olds.) This little elf-girl-thing decides to get back at grandpa or, tenchi, or someone, by taking tenchi's DNA and fusing it with her's and creates a child. (Which was about the only part I liked of the whole film, the feasco of tenchi's baby's mama needing to be found *snickers*) Then there was some licking while Tenchi was asleep, and some weird christmas tree . . . . *sigh* Oh, poor tenchi. I can't even bare to watch- run away- run like the wind.

Last updated Thursday, December 19 2002. Created Thursday, December 19 2002.
Watch 8 8 8 7 nodoubt [series:38#399]
After watching the masterpiece that Techi Muyo In Love was, I bought the other two tenchi movies. I saw Daughter of Darkness next, which was a disappointment, not by the movie's fault, but due to the hype that had built up after watching the first movie.
However, Daughter of Darkness is a fun romp through the tenchi universe. I really don't know how or where this movie fits in the different universes but I'll evaluate it as a standalone movie. The story is okay but seems like they just tried to slap together a movie to milk the tenchi franchise. I did like Mayuka, the new character in the movie. Daughter of Darkness is short, roughly 60 minutes long, but pretty enjoyable for tenchi fans.
10-14-02

Last updated Monday, October 14 2002. Created Monday, October 14 2002.
Rent 10 10 10 9 8 Jack Walrath [series:38#375]
Okay, this is the weakest of the Tenchi movies, but I still think it is better than any of the series. Yes, the story is sporadic and it may make some people feel uncomfortable, but the animation is good (especially the final fight scene0 and the movie has some good tender moments. I also liked the summer outfits that the characters were wearing and the overall summer feel to the movie.

Last updated Wednesday, September 25 2002. Created Wednesday, September 25 2002.
Buy 10 7 10 7 8 Red XIV [series:38#309]
Now, I'm definitely in the minority here, but Manatsu no Eve is my favorite of the Tenchi movies. Why? Largely because it's derived from the OAV. It's not actually part of the OAV continuity, but it's close enough until the real OAV continuation comes along next year.

I've maintained since I first saw this movie that it should have been a 6-episode OAV. This would have given time to establish Kiyone's presence and to give more time to develop Yuzuha's character. And a bit more care on the part of the writer would've allowed it to fit perfectly into the established OAV continuity. It's a pity that AIC failed to do this.

But even with that shortcoming, I still highly recommend this movie. Basically, I see it as being what Shin Tenchi Muyo should've been. Yuzuha is similar in concept to Yugi, and there is an obvious Mayuka/Sakuya parallel (though Mayuka is a far more interesting character who's not put in a forced and unconvincing romance with Tenchi). And this movie packs more character development and a better plot into 1 hour than Shin Tenchi does in 13.

Last updated Sunday, April 03 2005. Created Monday, May 27 2002.

Watch 7 7 6 6 6 Courtney [series:38#80]
The sporadic continuity that it TENCHI has something of a hit or miss quality in my opinion. I found DAUGHTER OF DARKNESS to be my least favorite of the TENCHI movies for some reasons I can place into words and others that just left me with a dissatisfied feeling at the end. Maybe it was too short, maybe it need a better back story, I dont knowbut it seemed lack luster to the 1st and 3rd movies.
I guess Im just getting tired of the constant never before seen Yosho back-stories. Some of it was genuinely funny and sometimes it seemed like it was just trying to hard. Still, a TENCHI OTAKU must see because it is, after all, a part of the universes luckiest loser and his wondrously captivating companions history.

Last updated Monday, November 19 2001. Created Monday, November 19 2001.
Buy 8 8 8 5 7 Kaitou Juliet [series:38#137]

I liked this movie a lot. Mayuka is a fun and touching character. Yuzuha is an intriguing villain that one can even sympathize with just a little. The Christmas sequences are fun, as are the glimpses of Jurai customs and of Yosho's childhood. I liked the fact that Ayeka got to do something important in the climax instead of just being abducted, for once!

This may not be the place to go into detail, but I have a theory that Tenchi in Tokyo was based on this movie. (Sakuya = Mayuka, Yugi = Yuzuha.)

There was not really much nudity (just one scene in a bath, as I recall). However, there were a couple of moments where Mayuka seemed to be trying to seduce Tenchi. She wasn't entirely "herself" at the time, but it's true the scenes are a bit disturbing. Use your judgment about whether kids are ready for those scenes.

I loved the ending. It was very heartwarming, especially the little glimpses of the Tenchi "family's" Christmas celebration which appear during the closing credits.

As for the continuity questions, it seems that none of the Tenchi series and movies match up perfectly with each other, so I don't worry too much about it!



Last updated Thursday, February 06 2003. Created Monday, April 02 2001.
Rent 8 8 7 7 5 X [series:38#157]
This wasn't that bad of a movie. But it shouldn't have been a movie in the first place, it should have been more of like a 2 part OVA. The story made sense but really threw some parts of the background in the OVA off. Like Yosho's confusing relationship with the antagonist as well as Kiyone all of a sudden appearing in the series. It would be fine to watch, but every once in a while. Kids should not watch this not only for the nudity (although I found that scene funny yet very disturbing at the same time) but for the adult themes (you'll find out soon when you watch it).

Last updated Monday, March 26 2001. Created Monday, March 26 2001.
Avoid 7 7 2 2 2 The Coyote [series:38#64]
For a Tenchi this one is horrid I hated it and Tenchi Universe is my favorite all time anime. The story makes no sense and the caracters are not really what you've come to expect definatly avoid this one Parents a definite no go on the nudity

Last updated Tuesday, August 01 2000. Created Friday, July 28 2000.
Rent 8 7 7 7 4 Anonymous #63 [series:38#63]
It sortta made me feel disappointed
to find this is the only movie based
on the OVA series.
The story was intresting, but doesn't
really grip you. The whole body of the
story really just seemed like a waste
of time.
The story in itself doesn't go along
with the actual OVA series story.
(Kiyone is all of a sudden in the
series, Yosho's history is not
correctly displayed, ect.)
Plus, there were adult situations that
really didn't even fit into the show?!
You should rent this, not buy it.

Last updated Thursday, July 20 2000. Created Thursday, July 20 2000.
Watch 6 7 7 6 5 Dingle [series:38#35]
Unlike Tenchi Muyo in Love which takes place after the TV series, Eve takes place after to OVA? Over all this show is not all that good. It has little connection to any original stories and has no bearing on future stories. If you have not seen any Tenchi that is ok. Tenchi fans will like it because it is Tenchi. Other wise it is not worth watching.

Last updated Friday, May 05 2000. Created Friday, May 05 2000.

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