I was introduced to Tenchi having first seen TinT on Cartoon Network around 2002, I wondered how a wonderful person like Ryoko could be so in love with the cruel bastard like Tenchi - who broke her heart with that skank Sakuya who wasn't even half as good. So I watched TU, and then the movies when they aired or renting through Netflix and it furthered my conviction. Reading fanfics by Diane Long and Krin Dreamweaver only furthered my conviction: not only was this Saint putting up with Tenchi, but Ryoko had to deal with bitch Aeka and the rest of the uncaring household -- even Sasami could be mean from time to time.

I eventually saved for OAV. It was not aired on Cartoon Network regularly and Netflix didn't have it at the time... I was so eager, it was the original but expensive! It cost about $100 at the time for the 2 OAV collection. And what I saw, slowly killed my worldview one by one: Washu was no sadistic, simpleminded mad scientist where half her crap didn't work -- and what's this? She was Ryoko's mom?! Freakout!!! What they said was true0.o Aeka... was bitchy at times, but for human reasons... and Tenchi... the backbone they took away from him later was there, as he stood up for the girl time and again without hesitation. But Ryoko, my saint Ryoko... she was not the angel of Krin Dreamweaver's pen nor the hapless victim brutalized more by Tenchi than by Kagato... as Diane Long liked to tell it. In fact... I couldn't tell her apart from most regular school yard bullies, actually - menacing at first, she played the victim when challenged. Not saintly, honorable, or even all that sympathetic.

I starting liking Tenchi (the boy) and cast around for someone deserving of him... I wasn't all that convinced of Aeka just yet, but thought long and hard about Sasami. When I reported my change of heart to the fandom, I heard shrieks and cries of pedophilia and other such nonsense. I said "She can grow up, she's only like 6-7 year apart from Tenchi. Ryoko is 5000 years apart. He can wait." And so the arguments raged.

One night, after I said my prayers, asking god nothing for myself and all for my family and went to bed, I woke up because I couldn't move or breathe. I was strapped down -- I looked up, and immediatedly saw cloaked figures -- from simulated red gems on the wrists and neck -- I knew these people were from the group I just left -- the RFFC - the dreaded Ryoko Forever Fan Club. The leader, having a monkey tail on the back of their cloak, hissed "No one ever leaves us b****! Renew your pledge to our mistress. Offer your eternal allegiance!"

I shook my head and she made some small motion. Immediately the others chorused ""Hail Goddess Ryoko!" and swung what seemed like socks toward my midsection. But they struck with a force, having been filled with rocks or something. I coughed. Again, the leader spoke "Offer your eternal allegiance and your punishment may get reduced. If not..."

She let the offer hang there and motioned. One of the others took the duct tape ripped the duct tape off my mouth. I spit up blood and once I caught my breath I just shook my head again. "Never."

The leader sighed and paced a steps away. The duct tape was replaced . The others took nary a second longer before chorusing again and starting the beating in earnest. I couldn't breath amid sounds of bones snapping. Everything was a flurry above me - the socks would have made it look like some massive pillow fight was occuring if they weren't slowly darkening red. Then I passed out.

It was darkness at first but then it brightened. Not like the stereotypical heaven, but like space with clouds. She was approaching. Then she was there. Unlike the darkness around us, somehow she was perfectly lighted, her soft smile assured me, she was heavenly. "Elise," Tsunami said, speaking an unfamiliar name. "It's not time to come home yet. So do I. Is there anything you want to know?"

"Is... is Ryoko really in the harem? They always show her..."

"Oh my..." Tsunami put her hand to her mouth. "Stupid animators, they keep forgetting the stripes on the cheeks. Well, you have an Auntie Minagi who is very nice, but Ryoko died killing Seto years before Tenchi ever married all of us. She killed Seto in the great purge along with Noike. That's when your auntie Kiyone, at detective back then, came to investigate and fell for Tenchi too...."

"That's all I wanted to know Auntie." I sighed and put my head back.

"Save your strength for Family Fun Night Wednesdays" she admonished, kissed my forehead, copped a feel, and sent me back.

When I woke up from my coma, several months had passed. I woke up to find my boring earth family bleet out their predictable well-wishes and condolences. The physical wounds had healed for the most part, but the psychological ones are still fresh to this day... The cowardly RFFC goons had gotten away, but I vowed to battle their hate no matter the price till the day I die and back to where I belong: Wet and sloppy family fun night wednesdays.

Now you know. What's your, obviously more boring, story?

Well that was entertaining.

I got into Tenchi when my oldest sister bought some Tenchi VHS's back in 98 or 99. During this time, my sister had gone anime insane and was getting hooked on a bunch of anime shows and reading mangas. I had hated every single anime she had brought home, except Evangelion, until she brought home Tenchi. I was immediatly hooked on the show and couldn't stop watching it. Then when I heard it was going to start showing on cartoon network I was super psyched. I watched it everyday but then I started to forget about it. Miss a few episodes and then I completely forgot about it......untill 2 months ago.

I was on my computer looking for something to do. I was really bored and was just staring at my desktop then all of a sudden the fleeting images of this teenage boy being chased by girls started going through my head.

"Oh wtf is th....wait....I know this...I've seen it before! What is it? WHAT IS IT!?




TENCHI MUYO!

At that exact second all my memories of the series came flashing back all at once and I remembered how much I loved it. I immediatly went to youtube to see if they had any of the episodes and to my surprise, they had most of them. Since the middle of may this year I've watched all the epidoes of all the series and all the movies in two months, bought them all on DVD, except for OVA 3 series. I'm now working on getting the mangas.

And that is how I found Tenchi Muyo and then rediscovered it.

lady rolf your my hero lol.
that was a captivating story hahahaha!
dawg urs seems about right. alot of people seem to find tenchi muyo at a young age on CN.
and then rediscover it later.

my story on the other hand is quite unorthodox and late but like lady Rolf it all started with that spiky haired space pirate, Ryoko.

i would've been 18 i think or 17 going on 18 (im 19 now) but i was at my old job (Dominos Pizza lol) doing a night shift
with an older guy who loved anime and had got me into it and lent me some stuff in the previous months. that night
he had brought in his external hard drive which contained a fair bit of different anime shows on it. he said feel free to
go through em and check em out, so i did. i went through a few really cool ones (cant remember their names) but i stopped
when i came to one particular show which featured this intriguing spiky haired character who was sleeping up in the rafters
of a house, she went and woke up some other girl who was sleeping (thats right OVA3 the 1st recap ep). of course after
followed the scenes of her chasing tenchi on the roof. the guy was standing next to me, grinning and he said "AH Tenchi Muyo, Bloody hilarious show."

i only saw a few bits of the episode because we were at work obviously and had to get back to it but somthing about the show switched a very
faint light on in my head....it wasnt bright but it was still there in my unconscious, it was Ryoko, somthing about her was just....i dono how to
explain it but i guess it could have been love at first sight or something. however later on when i went home that night i had completely forgotten
about the show and her....or so i thought.

a few months later, im not sure what happened, i think i must have had a dream because i woke with that spiky haired girl
in my mind but i couldn't figure out who it was. i remember that she had something to do with that show tenchi muyo! so off
a sudden impulse i just typed the show into a torrent site and DLed the OVA eps 1-13..... that was it, my Tenchi Muyo addiction
had begun. soon after (with in like 2-3 months) i had managed to watch, read and view every single thing that had to do with the show.
i went OVAS>Universe>Tokyo>Movies>Manga>Mihoshi special>the snes game lol. i was totally nutz over the show and even more nutz over Ryoko.

so thats it. i honestly at times of my life. WISH i could go back and relive those days, the process of seeing everything for the
first time all over again. its just captured my heart and thats why it was inevitable that id end up on a forum like this.
from that day to this i am still rewatching random eps, drawing pictures and making AMVs about the show,
keeping that light inside me glowing that the show and that mischievous, spiky haired demoness had created.

so thats my story, strange that a mere cartoon can effect you so much.

I can tell you mine!

Back in the day before anime was really popular, once a year the Sci-Fi channel had "Anime Week" where they showed 1 anime movie such as Tenchi Muyo in Love each night for 5 nights. The movie on Monday night was Tenchi Muyo in Love.

I was at my friend Tom's house and his girlfriend was watching it in the other room. I saw the end when Achika fights Kain and was like wow that looked good. I knew the Sci-fi channel always re-ran all their content like 3 hours later, so I set up my VCR when I got home and at 12:00 midnight Tenchi started. I recorded it and watched it many many times.

Then the next day I looked up "Achika" on the internet and found out there was an OAV. I coudn't find it at any of the stores near me who sold anime. I happened to be in another anime store I frequently shopped at about 45 minutes away from my house and there was OAV 1,2,4,5, etc. I bought the 1st one (30 minute episode for 25 bucks omg) and loved it. I bought all the rest but had a hard hard time finding episode 3.

I finally was able to get it when a store opened up near my house called "Anime Crash" who sold japanese stuff like wall scrolls etc. Anyway, they were an awesome store and I was able to order the 3rd episode through them. That store's roof leaked and they went out of business. That's sad that place was awesome.

Anyway about that time, I was starting to teach myself how to create web pages. My first page was an Army of Darkness wav file site. I never put it on the internet but used it to teach myself how to do websites. My 2nd website was the beginning of an Ah My Goddess site. The third site was the origional Tenchi Site. That one I actually put online and over time it evolved into this page now.

I loved Tenchi Muyo in Love. Loved the OAV 1 + 2, Loved the Universe, Tenchi the movie 2 was.... eh not as good. Tenchi in Tokyo hurt me bad. I still haven't finished buying or wathing it. Tenchi the Movie 3 was pretty good but I didn't like how all the girls essetially stopped chasing Tenchi and just let Ryoko have him. And I own OAV3 but havne't watched it yet. I really should. I really really should

wow thats a really humble beginning neelick.
i always thought seeing the last episode or the end of an anime series
was a good way to hook people in. the endings of most good animes
are always so overwhelming and epic.

i have allot of mixed feelings about the 3rd movie (Tenchi Forever). its a really
depressing movie but at the same time you get to see a beautiful relationship
bloom between Ryoko and Ayeka in how they comfort and actually really love each other.

i suppose Ayeka does sorta leave Tenchi to Ryoko cause in this movie you can really see
how much it hurts her not to be with him. i think Ayeka sees how much more Tenchi means to Ryoko.

Not only that, but Ryoko is the only one who could save him in the end because of their connection
that i suppose he didnt have with Ayeka. in the paintings he paints just her so its clear that Tenchi
and Ryoko have a strong bond, alot stronger than just passionate love or a simple crush.

I saw mine on Toonami. I was drawn to it like a magment, but then I saw the third episode. It was the scene when Tenchi was taking off his shirt and I was 10 and went "Bad show!" (You know, when I was innocent)
But after watching Tenchi in Tokyo I was in love with it. I thought it was the best series in the world. Start buying the DVDS and manga. Ryoko became my favorite charater because she was a ball and so strong.
Unfortunetly in the All-New Tenchi, it ruined it for me because they kept making lolicon (shudders) refrences, which got really uncomfortable to read.
Then they ended the series with OVA 3, which pretty much summed up the whole series, because it had so much story left into it and then they just ended it what would be a great series.
Thanks to Tenchi though I've become more creative in writing and my imagination (rainbow) has grown a great deal.

yeh the show does seem to be good at doin that
its inspired so many people.

If you don't watch anime, you must still be somewhat interested to post on an anime (Tenchi) board.

For me is was back when Cartoon Network was running Gundam around midnight. I had avoided it (Gundam) but I had seen a couple episodes here and there.

Prior to this my biggest Anime exposure had been MANY years before in the form of "RoboTech" (mostly the part made from Macross), of course in years before that I had seen Speed Racer, and "Battle of the Planets" (I'm watching the real Macross series now, Gatchaman soon)

The very FIRST night I deliberately turn on the TV to see Gundam, they ended it mid series (A re-run I guess, based on what I would see them do later) and they ran the first episode of this thing called "Tenchi Muyo".

Honestly what hooked me was A: What's this kid gonna do now with this very dangerous chick in his freaking bed?!? B: The fact that said chick was connected to a 600 year old Folk Myth, and C: that said gal was an alien...

The show grew on me quickly - and Kermit Miller (Tenchi) and Petrea Burchard (Ryoko) had A LOT to do with it. That and the artwork.

I can remember at the end of episode 6...

"You have stolen the one most precious to me, and I will make you pay!" -- Ryoko

... saying out loud to no one "I would NOT want to be Kagato right now!"

Then came Tenchi Universe - good, but not as good as the OAV.

Then Tenchi in Tokyo - and I vomited... Though recently I did see it all the way through, and if you shave off the idiocy/filler and simply accept the animation it's not a bad story...

That's Matt Miller... still used to the stage names? :p

Guess it's time to share MY story... it's not as well thought-out as yours, but it's a little fun. You see, up until the summer between 6th and 7th grade, I had scattered memories of Tenchi from the TV run; Time and Space, that episode of Shin (Tokyo) with the string of love, the opening theme... really just bits and pieces. I never really watched the show, somethin I regret actually.

So then, I go to a tech summer camp, and this kid says he's really into Tenchi. And I'm like "Hey, I remember that!" So I go to the rental store, and sure enough, they have the first movie. I rent it, and thus my very OWN adventures through time began... going from store-to-store searching for the OVAs, I found rental tapes at a no-longer-there store called Cine-East (site's still up tho). Then, I go to my friend's house and watch it; soon as that opening comes up, I get the chills. Those amazing chills that you get when your memories come back in full force.

And so, I desperately hunt down the series - in Chinatown. xD; bootlegs, but they got the job done. Tenchi Universe had this wonderful box set there, and I just couldn't resist. Thus, I dove further into Tenchi until I found the board...

Funny story about how I got the OVA, but that's for later. Hope my story, although not quite as grand as you guys', gave ya a little entertainment.