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Tenchi Muyo! GXP

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Tenchi Muyo! GXP
Screenshot of the title card of the TV series Tenchi Muyo! GXP
天地無用! GXP
(Tenchi Muyō! Jī Ekkusu Pī)
GenreAdventure, Harem, Science fiction
Anime television series
Directed byShinichi Watanabe
Produced byYamashita Hiroshi
Ueda Yasuo
Ohashi Yutaka
Inoue Hiroaki
Written byKuroda Yousuke
Music byTada Akifumi
StudioAIC
Licensed by
Original networkNTV
English network
Original run April 3, 2002 – September 25, 2002
Episodes26 (List of episodes)
Manga
Written byMasaki Kajishima
Published byKadokawa Shoten
MagazineMonthly Dragon Age
DemographicShōnen
Original runJune 2002 – September 2002
Volumes1
Novel series
Written byMasaki Kajishima
Published byKadokawa Shoten
Original runApril 25, 2003 – February 25, 2011
Volumes7
Related series
  1. Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki

Tenchi Muyo! GXP (天地無用! GXP, Tenchi Muyō! Jī Ekkusu Pī) is a Japanese anime series created by AIC and broadcast on NTV from April 3, 2002 to September 25, 2002.[1] It is the fourth installment of the Tenchi Muyo! line of series, succeeding Tenchi in Tokyo, localized in North America by Funimation. On November 11, 2012, it began airing on Adult Swim's revived Toonami block.[2]

Plot

Seina Yamata is a young Japanese high school student living with his parents and younger sister in rural Okayama, Japan. One morning, following a hapless bike ride through the country, a large spacecraft crashes into the lake behind the Masaki residence, causing a violent tsunami that Seina is unable to escape from and thus, sinks almost drowning. He regains consciousness shortly after to the mild introduction of Amane Kaunaq, the pilot, who having rescued him and performed CPR, hastily describes her work as a Galaxy Police officer, handing him an application and then leaving.

Befuddled by the encounter, Seina returns to his neighborhood with the application, showing it to his family at home. Mistaking it for a contest entry, his mother and sister aggressively force him to fill it out, after which he retreats to his room and falls asleep. The following morning, awakened aboard a vessel in orbit, Seina is informed by an official that he has successfully joined the Galaxy Police. It also reveals that the Galaxy Police were originally meant to recruit Tenchi, but they got Seina instead.

Setting

Unlike Tenchi Universe and Tenchi in Tokyo, which are spin-offs of Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki, GXP occurs during the events of it, making it a parallel series to the show. As such, the more recognized cast do not play central roles, though they do make cameo appearances.

Characters

Seina Yamada (山田 西南, Yamada Seina)
Voiced by: Shigeru Mogi (Japanese); Tony Oliver (English)
The unlikely protagonist of the series, Seina, a fifteen-year-old[3] high school student with a supernatural penchant for bad luck, is mistakenly enlisted to the Galaxy Police after being coerced to fill out an application, which was meant to be given to Tenchi. His ultimate decision is to enroll, finding that, in company of others and as the captain of his own ship, his otherwise unfortunate talent proves incredibly useful in rounding up pirates and other lawbreakers.
Amane Kaunaq (雨音 カウナック, Amane Kaunakku)
Voiced by: Mariko Suzuki (Japanese); Dorothy Elias-Fahn (English)
Amane is a twenty-year-old[3] Galaxy Police detective whose crash landing at the start of the series is solely responsible for the events that later ensue. Her mission on Earth was to give the application to Tenchi, but she mistook Seina as Tenchi's apprentice. In spite of her justified decision to give Seina an application, she is demoted from her position as an officer to that of an instructor in order to better supervise and train him. With a genuine crush and empathy for the boy, Amane grows to like her new responsibility, becoming a weapons specialist when the group are assigned their own patrol.
Kiriko Masaki (正木 霧恋, Masaki Kiriko)
Voiced by: Kumi Sakuma (Japanese); Wendee Lee (English)
Kiriko is a thirty-three-year-old[4] Immigration Officer for the Galaxy Police whose double life in the agency is completely unknown to her family and peers on Earth. Having grown up around Seina and developed a sympathy for his misfortune, she is the most familiar with him and self-assigns herself the role of being his guardian and caretaker when he is accepted to the academy. Unfortunately, her pride and distinction comes with a price, and in a manner identical to that of Amane, she too is demoted.
Ryoko Balta (リョーコ バルタ, Ryōko Baruta)
Voiced by: Aya Hisakawa (Japanese); Barbara Goodson (English)
Ryoko is a nineteen-year-old[5] space pirate captain and member of the notorious Da Ruma guild, who in spite of her ruthless profile, exhibits behavior quite the opposite of her profession. She is introduced to Seina early into his travel to the academy, bestowing a humble, competitive respect for him when his paranormal luck aids in the arrest of several dozen ships of her fleet. Her admiration for him develops into a more passionate one however, and with her conscience run thin, Ryoko finds herself caught between her feelings and her allegiance to the guild.
Neju Na Melmas (ネージュ ナ メルマス, Nēju Na Merumasu)
Voiced by: Nana Mizuki (Japanese); Sandy Fox (English)
Neju, contrary to her stature and demeanor, is a two-thousand-year-old[6] former priestess of Melmas, a distant planet of religious psychics. Following a brief, unelaborate encounter with Seina, she makes a more established presence when he and the group are asked to escort her aboard their ship. To the blatant angst of the other girls, she grows ardently fond of Seina, looking up to him as an older brother figure and even making plans to marry him.
Fuku (福, Fuku)
Voiced by: Tomoko Kaneda (Japanese); Lara Cody (English)
Fuku is an infantile cabbit, developed as the nucleus of Seina's succeeding vessel, the Kamadaki II. As the heart and powerhouse of the ship, Fuku exercises superseding control over its entirety, most notably its energy output, which is influenced by her emotional vigor. She is initially troubled by the stress of belligerence, stunting her from exercising full potential, but soon finds the strength to rise to the occasion and become a paramount member of the crew.

Production

Tenchi Muyo! GXP was officially announced on January 10, 2001 with a scheduled broadcast set for spring of the following year.[7] When asked to direct the series, Shinichi Watanabe, though welcome to the opportunity, was cited as saying that he was unsure why he had been chosen, and that after watching previous Tenchi episodes, found the task of envisioning GXP to be "tough".[8]

First looks into the series was published on October 10 by Tenchi-Web.com, showcasing artwork and teaser trailer.[9] More trailers were progressively added from November 2001[10][11] to February 2002[12] when it was announced on February 18 that GXP would premier on NTV on April 2.[13] Tenchi-web then, a day later, scheduled a preview screening of the first and second episodes in Tokyo.[13] In a similar fashion, Los Angeles based Anime Expo confirmed the attendance of Mamiko Noto,[14] voice actress for the series, and that AIC would host a screening of GXP at the convention.[15] Funimation later confirmed from Anime Expo New York that they had secured the licensing rights to the show.[16]

GXP finished airing on September 24.[17] Following a nine month period, Funimation unveiled the official English website[18] for the series on June 16, 2003,[19] later confirming its release for March 4, 2004.[20]

US Broadcast History

For many years, Tenchi Muyo! GXP remained one of the only mainline Tenchi Muyo! series not to receive a broadcast on US television (the third OVA series shared a similar fate until an episode was aired as part of an April Fool's Day prank on Adult Swim). However, it began airing on Adult Swim's newly-revived Toonami block on November 10, 2012. GXP is the second Tenchi Muyo! series to receive an unedited broadcast on US television (the third OVA, as stated above, had one episode aired as part of an April Fool's Day prank).

Reception

Tenchi Muyo! GXP was met with mostly positive reception. It was initially believed that the premiere would not draw noteworthy attention,[21] but the midnight screening of the first episode on September 9 reportedly garnered a 4.0%[22] viewing share, a figure considered double that of other premiers such as Aquarian Age and Kanon.[23]

The localization of Tenchi Muyo! GXP was met with generally positive reception as well. In a report by Right Stuf International on February 28, AIC became flooded with so much mail from American fans about its release that the company requested fans stop.[24] Industry aggregator Mania.com gave the commercial releases ratings A through B,[25] citing that "the GXP series was a lot of fun" but that "[it] was over by the time you really get into it."[26] Animefringe.com, an online magazine, published a positive review as well, citing a "well balanced storyline" and that GXP "still has plenty of potential to go forward and compete in today's booming anime world after its long absence from the spotlight."[27]

Media

Manga

Masaki Kajishima, original creator of the Tenchi series, wrote and illustrated a manga for GXP, serialized in Comic Dragon (now Monthly Dragon Age) from June to September 2002.[28] It was collected into a single volume and published by Kadokawa Shoten on August 29, 2002.[29]

Novels

In addition to the manga, Kajishima also wrote a current seven[30] novels retelling GXP from his perspective.[31] The books were also published by Kadokawa Shoten between April 25, 2003 and February 25, 2011, going into more detail than the anime.[32]

References

  1. ^ "Tenchi Muyo! Galaxy Police Transporter". AIC. Retrieved 2010-12-14.
  2. ^ http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-11-03/adult-swim-toonami-block-to-show-tenchi-muyo-gxp
  3. ^ a b "天地無用！ GXP". Tenchi-web. Retrieved 08.09.2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  4. ^ Matt Griffiths. "Trivia on Kiriko Masaki". Tenchi Muyo! Another Universe. Retrieved 08.09.2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  5. ^ Matt Griffiths. "Trivia on Ryoko Balouta". Tenchi Muyo! Another Universe. Retrieved 08.09.2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  6. ^ Matt Griffiths. "Tenchi Muyo! GXP Characters". Tenchi Muyo! Another Universe. Retrieved 08.09.2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  7. ^ ""Tenchi Muyo! GXP" TV series is scheduled to broadcast on TV Tokyo from spring, 2002". Tenchi-web. Retrieved 2010-12-14.
  8. ^ "Director: Mr. Shinichi Watanabe (Freelance Director)". Tenchi-web. Retrieved 2010-12-14.
  9. ^ "First Look at New Tenchi Muyo". AnimeNation. 10.09.2001. Retrieved 08.09.2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  10. ^ "New Tenchi Muyo GXP Trailer Online". AnimeNation. 11.19.2001. Retrieved 08.09.2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  11. ^ "Third Tenchi Muyo GXP Trailer Online". AnimeNation. 12.13.2001. Retrieved 08.09.2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  12. ^ "New Tenchi Muyo GXP Trailer Online". AnimeNation. 02.14.2001. Retrieved 08.09.2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  13. ^ a b "Anime News Service - February 18–21 Anime News". Anime New Sservice. Retrieved 08.09.2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  14. ^ "Anime Expo confirms new Guests". AnimeNation. 05.31.2002. Retrieved 08.09.2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  15. ^ "Tenchi Muyo! GXP at Anime Expo". AnimeNation. 06.03.2002. Retrieved 08.09.2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  16. ^ "FUNimation News from AXNY". AnimeNation. 09.03.2002. Retrieved 08.09.2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  17. ^ "Status of Current Japanese Anime". AnimeNation. 09.26.2002. Retrieved 08.09.2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  18. ^ "Welcome to Tenchi Muyo GXP". FUNimation. Archived from the original on 03.21.2004. Retrieved 08.09.2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |archivedate= (help)
  19. ^ "FUNimation Opens News Series Sites". Anime Nation. 06.16.2003. Retrieved 08.09.2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  20. ^ "Tenchi Muyo GXP Release Date Confirmed". Anime Nation. 10.16.2003. Retrieved 08.09.2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  21. ^ "Ask John: Why are Some Anime Broadcast so Late at Night?". AnimeNation. 06.28.2002. Retrieved 08.09.2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  22. ^ "９月２５日　いくぜっ！". Tenchi-web. 09.25.2002. Retrieved 08.09.2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  23. ^ "Tenchi Muyo GXP Premiers Strong". Anime News Service. 04.24.2002. Retrieved 08.09.2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  24. ^ "Tenchi Muyo GXP Request Overload". Anime News Service. 02.28.2002. Retrieved 08.09.2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  25. ^ "Tenchi Muyo Reviews". mania.com. Retrieved 12.14.2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  26. ^ Chris Beveridge (12-28-2004). "Tenchi Muyo GXP Vol. #8". Anime Fringe. Retrieved 2010-12-14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  27. ^ Ever Cheung (June 2002). "Tenchi-Muyo! Galaxy Police Transporter". Anime Fringe. Retrieved 2010-12-14.
  28. ^ "天地無用！関連コミックス" (in Japanese). tenchi.org. Retrieved 08.10.2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  29. ^ "天地無用!GXP: コミック&アニメ: ふるの無成" (in Japanese). Kadokawa Group Publishing. Retrieved 08.09.2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Text "角川書店・角川グループ" ignored (help)
  30. ^ "gxpの検索結果：ブックオフオンライン". BOOKOFF Online CORPORATION. Retrieved 08.09.2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  31. ^ "AstroNerdBoy". "TM!R FAQ -- Tenchi Muyo Continuities". astronerdboy.com. Retrieved 08.09.2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  32. ^ "AstroNerdBoy". "TM!R FAQ -- Galaxy Police Transporter (GXP)". astronerdboy.com. Retrieved 08.09.2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
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