Who Am I?
Well, in case it had escaped anyone's notice, I'm a Ryoko fan. But regardless of this, I'm also a fan of the series in general and the subtle intricacies that give as much clue to the characters as anything else.
What I'm not a fan of, then, in short, are three line character biographies that don't even begin to explore the complexities of each character. It's fine to summarise, but that's just not my style. I'm afraid that I'm something of a geek when it comes to show analysis - and for that very reason, this site is predominately a Character Reference Guide - in as much detail as any fan of Tenchi Muyo! could possibly hope for!!
As I've already said, I'm a Ryoko fan. So it's impossible for there
to be absolutely *no* level of bias in my analysis. However, I have
done my level best to assess all of the characters based on the
evidence in the show rather than my own wishful thinking. (After all,
if it's not in the show, it's not real, is it? hehe).
My other small disclaimer is that I don't subscribe to the general view
about OVA canon and the 'true canon' concept. To me, if it's in the
show, it's a form of canon, even if it contradicts other canons. (And
they're not always so contradictory as people like to suggest, when you
come down to it, so I don't think there's too much of a problem
thinking this way!) While I have a healthy respect for the original
Tenchi creator and for the people who are loyal to the OVA, I feel that
a heck of a lot of character detail can be missed out on if you dismiss
other series out of hand. And, coming as I do from a community in which
if it's on the show, it's canon - if it isn't, it's not - I've applied
the same thought process to my discussions on this site. While I know
there is a wealth of other material associated with the OVA canon - for
the purposes of this website, canon is what appears in the anime
itself. Which yes, I'm afraid, *does* include Shin Tenchi Muyo and
Tenchi Universe as much as the Ryo Ohki OVA!
There will be spoilers in these pages. There has to be.