I'll PM him on the funi forums and ask him to get over here.

yeh that image of ryoko with the child has always had me convinced that she and tenchi
do in fact end up together.

1. The cloak she is wearing is tenchi's. ( i can picture a scene where ryoko gets up in the morning after having slept with tenchi
and feeling cold, and tenchi getting up and putting that cloak around her) or something along those lines.

2. The way shes staring off into the distance seems to suggest shes thinking of him and her short hair could symbolise
her settling down (family ect).

3. That daughter of hers just looks so damn much like baby tenchi.

4. Another thing notable in this picture are the earings (or earing). which could suggest her being reunited with all of her gems. however, this would seem some what contradictory to her settling down. Although perhaps also, she
was given them all back as a sign of trust, that she would never again pirate.

so thats basicly what i thinks goin on it the picture.

It is my understanding that Ryoko does indeed get her gems back, much as Yosho is given Tenchi-ken back.

Anyway, Tenchi's son doesn't look like Ryoko, but more like Washu IMO.

From what I understand, that cover picture of Ryoko and her child is suppose to be 7 decades after the events of the OVA and that the child is Tenchi's. I'll see if I can find the site where I got that.

Let's face it. From a creators perspective, having Tenchi choose someone is going to piss people off. If he chooses Ryoko, you loose all these other fans. If he choses Aeka, the same. It isn't a winning scenario.

That said, it is pretty clear that Kajishima-sensei's choice was to have everyone be with Tenchi because that's what he likes. Look at all his other anime titles. Everyone of them has a harem ending save maybe Masquerade, which actually has a 2-girl ending with the possibility of more in the future. However, being an H-title, the lead there did sleep with all the girls so...^_^;;;;

I think that in K-sensei's H Tenchi doujinshi, the reason he had Tenchi with Noike was to thumb his nose while giving the bird to fans to (1) don't like Noike and (2) want a specific choice and not a harem solution.

There are titles were a guy makes a choice. Some, like Ai Yori Aoshi, the choice is made from the start, but the situation has to play itself out so that a harem grows and then dissolves.

From a story perspective, I've already laid out why the harem end is the one that works best for the story. I don't think we'll see any more "OVA" episodes starring Tenchi and company though. Assuming Saint Knights Tale ever goes into full production, we'll likely see Tenchi again, but I can't imagine Kajishima-sensei going back to the Tenchi well for a pure Tenchi title. I can see him maybe doing a 4th novel (not counting the GXP novels) about Mihoshi but even that's a very long shot.

its a good point, but i think a proper ending is better than none. also if the series writers are talented enough theyll be able
to write it in such a way that makes everyone (the characters and fans) accept it!

im not really lookin at this from an OVA perspective because IMO, they really screwed it up.
but if u look at all the series, theres always a strong connection between tenchi and ryoko. they
are the male and female cast members that are always highlighted. he meets ryoko first in all of
them ands its alway her feelings that are highlighted in the storys. face it, tenchi muyo is just written
in a way which makes the hero and heroin -> tenchi and ryoko.

an ending with any other outcome just feels empty and not really finished. and if they do get together
does mean the show ends of course not, as long as u have talented writers u could do anything with
the other characters.

yeh i often feel like the OVA could have been so much more.
would its faulty structure be due to external problems? like with the company, pioneer and ect.

the OVAs structure seems like it was only ment to be pilot or somthing.
its very compelling up to kagatos defeat but from then on it sorta seems like its confused with itself lol.
(actually the whole um docter V? was it? washus rival, ryoko zero ect, that part was good too).
but the very last episode when ayekas family comes to visit sorta planted a bad seed in the OVA IMO.

and from then on u were just bombarded with all these new characters and subplots which really (at that
stage of the series) had no relevance.

basicly what im sayin is the OVA structure is fatally flawed.

very interesting stuff there Astro, you seem to know your stuff!

what was Kajishima thinking? did he know what he had created?
i think if he realised the reaction people would have to this show, he might
have thought it out better in the beginning.

i have all the 'No need' doujinshi too and i have often said that i wish thats
where he took the series from right after OVA1.
there were some terrific characters in that and like Universe it was huge adventure.
id really like to see that done into a series. it would be brilliant.

Indeed Astro does "know his stuff" and if we ever get moving and put his affiliate link back on this website, then everyone would know that too! Alas, I don't know why we don't have his link back up yet.

ANB's Tenchi FAQ page: http://www.astronerdboy.com/tenchi/

thats an intense site, alot of information there!