Hey everyone, welcome to my collab with Scott from Mechanical Anime Reviews. A while back, Scott and I were talking about space girls and we realized that we both like the classic sci-fi anime Tenchi Muyo. And that’s how this collab was born! A big thanks to Scott for inviting me along 🙂

However, this is actually the second part of the collab. Part 1 is on Scott’s blog, so we please make sure to check it out before you start reading here, so you can see our thoughts on different characters like Tenchi, Ayeka, and Sasami.

Without further ado, here is Part 2. Please enjoy~

Scott: So we talked about girls with blue and green hair. What about if we go another direction. How do you feel about the mad scientist, Washu?

Rai: Washu… is THE GREATEST! I find her personality and experiments absolutely hilarious. I tend to like very quirky, zany characters and she hits the mark perfectly. She is also the creator/mother of Ryoko, so how can I not appreciate her? The fact she has pink crazy hair also adds to her awesomeness.

Scott: I absolutely agree with you about Washu. SHE’S AMAZING! Her being the mother and/or creator of Ryoko and having pink hair does already say a lot about her, but I love how multifaceted she is. Her quirky and zaniness with all her wonderful inventions she creates in her room just adds so much to her. I also like how mature she can be as well. She is so multifaceted and interesting! :D. Oh Washu.

Rai: She IS amazing! You are right that she is multifaceted. I love how her genius and her inventions can create the solution to a problem… but they can also cause a lot of crazy situations that everyone else needs to deal with haha. I think part of her appeal and multifacetedness is that fact she can transform into an adolescent or an adult, at least in the OVA. It kinds of gives her an entire array of traits, good and bad. Plus, her past and experiences (I don’t want to give away too many spoilers) add to her interestingness. But I agree. Oh Washu <333

Hmm, before we get to Ryoko (our favorite character), we still have another character or two! What do you think of Mihoshi, the clumsiest girl in the universe? xD

Scott: All the love for Washu! She deserves it all!

Oh Mihoshi. I feel conflicted about her. On one hand I feel like she is incredibly adorable and loveable. I mean, she isn’t the brightest bulb in the show at all, but she certainly tries her best. Even if that best causes a lot of problems for other people. On the other hand I can’t help but feel she is incredibly unnecessary.

Maybe I am too hard on her. What do you think?

Rai: I agree that she is adorable and lovable. She makes me laugh so much. And yes, she does cause a lot of problems for others (doesn’t she destroy Tenchi’s house more than once? xD), but she is so great, you can’t be mad at her.

Hmm, I never really thought about that actually since I like her so much. But I can see what you are saying – she doesn’t play the biggest role in the story. She does have a more important part in some of the spinoffs, though, like Tenchi Universe. Hmm… I guess it wouldn’t make much a difference plot-wise if she wasn’t there, but I would miss her so much! I also like how she is tan-skinned and gives POC some representation… though she isn’t the brightest bulb like you said x_x

Scott: Oh, I didn’t think about representation at all. It seems like the way I think about things is too narrow sometimes so thank you for opening my eyes to that. Mihoshi is still a very fun character to have around, so I don’t see anything wrong with her at all. Just ignore my meanness towards her. Mihoshi is still wonderful.

Rai: No worries! When I was younger, I didn’t think too much about it, but as an adult, I see how there are rarely any tan-skinned anime characters, so they need to all stick around. Especially wonderful Mihoshi 😀

Before we get to the queen, let’s talk about the show’s mascot: Ryo-ohki! She is a cabbit (cat x rabbit), and she is also Ryoko’s pet/daughter/spaceship/robot… wow, that must sound really weird out of context haha. Anyway, depending on the series, she plays different roles but she is always the cute and cuddly mascot. She’s adorable as both a cabbit and as a human.

Do you agree that she’s super cute? And which form/role do you like her as?

Scott: RYO-OHKI IS THE CUTEST THING EVER AND DESERVES ALL OF THE CARROTS THAT CAN BE PRODUCED. *cough* I mean, she is definitely cute. Does that sound biased? Maybe it does. At this moment, I don’t care. When I did the thirty day anime challenge a while ago, I put Ryo-ohki as my favorite animal mascot or pet and I still agree with that and my reasoning on that post.

As for forms, does it matter? I like them all. Cabbit is arguably more adorable for me because I am kind of a massive pet person. The person form is rather adorable still, but not as much for me. That’s ok though. The ship form itself is rather awesome and I love the fact that a Cabbit can just turn into a ship. It’s the best thing ever.

Rai, is there anything you would like to add before we jump into Ryoko, our queen?

Rai: :DDDDDDDDDDDD

She deserves all the carrots in existence! She is my favorite anime mascot too. I have an old, beat up stuffed animal of her from like 2000 that I refuse to get rid of because she is just so cute! And I agree that the cabbit is definitely the best form, but the human form is adorable as well. It’s just too much cuteness to contain!!

And I think that’s everything… but oh man, I have so much I want to say about Ryoko that I don’t know where to start @_@ Would you like to take the lead?

Scott: Sure, maybe what I say will help what you have to say a little bit. 😀

So Ryoko. Besides being an awesome space pirate, Ryoko is honestly the hottest and most self assured person in the entire show. I honestly believe that. She’s ambitious, knows what she wants, knows how to get what she wants, doesn’t hold herself back from that, and is incredibly intelligent. I don’t think Fem Fatale is the right word for what Ryoko is, but she has a lot of the traits to be that way and can be a major seductress towards Tenchi and no one else. I may wish that I was Tenchi at times because of that *cough*. But the main thing I like about her is how free she is.

Also, she can fly, can fire laser beams, and fight with lightsabers from her wrists. She is like the coolest person ever. What isn’t there to like about her?

I don’t think I dug far enough with Ryoko, but did I give you enough to go on?

Rai: Yes, you definitely got the gears rolling for me >w<

I agree 100%. She is so confident and self-assured. She does whatever the hell she wants – even if it isn’t the nicest thing to do ^_^; – and doesn’t take no for an answer. As someone who is very shy IRL, I admire that about her and I find it very attractive. (She was actually, like, my first waifu ever. I had the biggest crush on her when I was little, although I didn’t really understand it until I was older and realized I was attracted to women.)

And you’re right; she is very intelligent. She is a trickster, which takes a lot of scheming. I found all of her “plans” for Tenchi hilarious to be honest. I think Fem Fatale is a pretty accurate word for her, but Ryoko brings disaster to to pretty much everyone she encounters, not just Tenchi LOL. But at the same time, Ryoko can be very kind to Tenchi and the others – when she feels like it. I think she is a nice person deep down, but life and certain circumstances led to her become a villain… at least until she settles down into a semi-normal life.

But OMG, she is such a badass! *_* The flying and laser beams/swords are awesome like you said, but don’t forget the fact she can summon demon/monster things. Like what?! However, I like that she isn’t too overpowered. She has some weaknesses physically and mentally.

I could literally babble about Ryoko all day… She is such an interesting, well-rounded, funny, and strong character. Hmm… is there anything else you would like to add?

Scott: I think you nailed everything that is great about Ryoko. Oh man, her confidence. That is always an attractive quality and there are so many times where I wished I had her level of it along with her guts and courage. I completely forgot about her ability of summoning demons and monsters. Ryoko is just the best. 🙂

Looking at the cast, there are more characters to talk about, but I think we covered the most important ones in the show. 😀 😀 😀 Once again, thank you for talking about these characters so much. I loved all the memories this chat brought back for me!

Rai: Yes, she is still #1 even 25 years after the original show aired. And she’s still one of my favorite characters (and waifus) of all time even though I’ve watched tons of other anime over the years. Yes, there are still other characters (especially with how the Tenchi franchise keep expanding), but we definitely covered most of the important ones.

And no, thank you! I also had a great time and am feeling tons of nostalgia. I need to go back and rewatch all the series again. I am also even more excited to watch the new OVA that was recently released in Japan and for the new Sasami series that’s coming out.

P.S. If you didn’t already, don’t forget to check out Part 1 of this collab.

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