Tenchi Muyo! Daughter of Darkness known as in Japan is the second of three films set in the Tenchi Muyo!

Tenchi Muyo!

, is a Japanese anime, light novel, and manga series created by Masaki Kajishima and Hiroki Hayashi.The generally accepted translation of the title is No Need for Tenchi or Useless Tenchi, though at the time of its appearance it was also translated variably as No Heaven and Earth and This Way Up...

multi-verse directed by Tetsu Kimura and written by Naoko Hasegawa. The film was released in Japan on August 2, 1997 as a double feature

Double feature

The double feature, also known as a double bill, was a motion picture industry phenomenon in which theatre managers would exhibit two films for the price of one, supplanting an earlier format in which one feature film and various short subject reels would be shown.The double feature, also known as...

, along with Slayers Great

Slayers Great

is a 1997 anime film directed by Kunihiko Yuyama and Hiroshi Watanabe and written by Hajime Kanzaka. It is the third film to be released in the Slayers saga...

. The film was later released in North America on DVD

DVD

A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....

 on August 8, 1998. Tenchi Muyo! Daughter of Darkness was later re-released along with Tenchi the Movie: Tenchi Muyo in Love and Tenchi Forever! The Movie

Tenchi Forever! The Movie

Tenchi Forever!, known in Japan as , is a 1999 Japanese anime film based upon the popular Tenchi Muyo! series, and was directed by Hiroshi Negishi...

in a collectors' pack. Funimation Entertainment

Funimation Entertainment

Funimation is an American entertainment company. Originally founded in 1994 by Gen Fukunaga, the company became a subsidiary of Navarre Corporation on May 11, 2005...

 announced distribution of the film, along with several other Tenchi properties, on July 2, 2010 at Anime Expo

Anime Expo

Anime Expo, abbreviated AX, is an American anime convention held in Los Angeles, California and organized by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation . With rare exceptions, the convention is traditionally held on the July 4th weekend and lasts for four days...

.

Plot

Prince Yosho

Katsuhito Masaki

is a fictional character in the anime Tenchi Muyo!.-OVA:In the OVA, Katsuhito, also known as , fled Jurai over 700 years ago to "retire" on Earth. He was once the greatest swordsman on Jurai. Currently Katsuhito is a Shinto priest who is not only training Tenchi to be a Shinto priest but also...

 met a young girl during the annual Startica celebration on Jurai

Jurai

is a planet in the AIC anime Tenchi Muyo!, and also the name of its royal family. The planet and royal family of Jurai appear mostly in the Ryo-Ohki OVA and Tenchi Universe series and briefly in Tenchi in Tokyo...

. It turns out that the girl is actually a demon named Yuzuha

Yuzuha

is a fictional villain in the Tenchi Muyō! series, appearing in the 1997 movie Tenchi Muyō! Manatsu no Eve, released by Pioneer in the U.S. as Tenchi the Movie 2: The Daughter of Darkness...

 and was driven away by the palace guards. Seven hundred years later, Yuzuha wakes up and discovers that Yosho is alive and on Earth celebrating Christmas with the family. Yuzuha believes Tenchi Masaki

Tenchi Masaki

is the main protagonist of the Tenchi Muyo! series. Tenchi's name means 'Heaven and Earth'. It is the same as 'Tenchi' in the Shinto Kojiki which contains some of Japan's oldest myths and legends.-Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki:...

 thinks he is prince charming

Prince Charming

Prince Charming is a stock character who appears in a number of fairy tales. He is the prince who comes to rescue of the damsel in distress, and stereotypically, must engage in a quest to liberate her from an evil spell...

 due to the fact he is surrounded by a group of women. So, she decides to send Tenchi a present. She obtains a lock of Tenchi's hair and takes a piece of her own and places it in a container.

Six months later during summer; while walking down the steps of the shrine, Tenchi meets a teenage girl named Mayuka

Mayuka

is a fictional character in the Tenchi Muyo! series, appearing in the 1997 movie "Tenchi Muyo! Manatsu no Eve", released by Pioneer in the U.S. as "Tenchi the Movie 2: The Daughter of Darkness....

, who calls him daddy. Tenchi takes the girl back to the house where she introduces herself as Tenchi's daughter. This, however, angers Ryoko

Ryoko (Tenchi Muyo!)

is a key character in the various Tenchi Muyo! anime series by AIC. While details of her character differ between the various series, Ryoko is typically shown as an attractive, semi-reformed powerful space pirate who is madly in love with the series main character, Tenchi Masaki...

 and she attacks Mayuka, who defends herself by summoning a faux-Lighthawk Sword; but before she can attack, Katsuhito stops her. Washu

Washu Hakubi

, the self-proclaimed greatest scientific genius in the universe, is a fictional character in the anime and manga Tenchi Muyo!. Her character differs depending on the continuity, though she sometimes displays a number of innate powers which she rarely uses, preferring to solve problems with reason...

 tells the group that Tenchi is in fact Mayuka's father and suspects that she is from the future. Mayuka takes Tenchi away from the gang and tries to transport him to Yuzuha. Before she is able to, Ryoko breaks the trance and carries Mayuka away. Katsuhito finds Mayuka and brings her back to the house, where she once again tries to bring Tenchi to Yuzuha. Katsuhito and Washu interferes and Mayuka runs off into the forest.

Yuzuha erases Mayuka's memories and takes Sasami hostage, which leads Tenchi and Ryoko enter Yuzuha's world so they can rescue Sasami. Mayuka attacks Ryoko and injures her. She then attacks Tenchi but after hearing Sasami telling her that the whole group loves her, she breaks free of Yuzuha's control and assaults her. Yuzuha kills Mayuka for her betrayal and transforms into a giant creature, but Ayeka appears and gives Tenchi a branch from the Tree of Light. He transforms, defeats Yuzuha, and they return home with Mayuka's crystal. During the ending credits, it is shown that Washu recreated Mayuka from the crystal as a baby.

Cast

Role	Japanese actor	American actor
Tenchi Masaki Tenchi Masaki is the main protagonist of the Tenchi Muyo! series. Tenchi's name means 'Heaven and Earth'. It is the same as 'Tenchi' in the Shinto Kojiki which contains some of Japan's oldest myths and legends.-Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki:...	Masami Kikuchi Masami Kikuchi is a veteran voice actor who was born in Nagano. He works for Kenyu Office.-Anime:* Air Gear * Aoki Densetsu Shoot * The Brave Express Might Gaine * Captain Tsubasa J...	Matt K. Miller Matt K. Miller Matthew Kermit Miller is an American playwright, stage, film, and television actor and voice artist. He is also known as Kermit Miller and Kermit Beachwood.-Career:...
Ryoko Ryoko Ryōko is a Japanese female given name, and the meaning may depend on the kanji used.-Spelling and meanings:* 涼子 - "refreshing / child"* 亮子 - "helpful / child"* 良子 - "good / child"* 諒子 - "understanding / child"* 遼子 - "distant / child"-People:...	Ai Orikasa Ai Orikasa is a popular Japanese voice actress and singer from Tokyo. She works for Production Baobab. Orikasa is also the Japanese dub voice for Jessica Rabbit in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Her debut work was Shoukoushi Cedie in 1988...	Petrea Burchard Petrea Burchard Petrea Burchard is an American actress, and voice actress. She is sometimes credited as Celeste Burch in the anime she appears in. Her most recognizable role to date is as the English voice actor for fictional character and space pirate, Ryoko Hakubi from the Japanese animated series Tenchi...
Ayeka Ayeka Masaki Jurai is a key character in the various Tenchi Muyo! anime series by AIC. While details of her character differ between the various series, Ayeka is typically shown as the beautiful first princess of the planet Jurai who has fallen in love with the title character, Tenchi Masaki...	Yumi Takada Yumi Takada is a Japanese voice actress employed by 81 Produce.-Notable voice roles:*Yoshinaga-sensei in Crayon Shin-chan*Etsuko in Hanappe Bazooka*Ayeka Masaki Jurai in Tenchi Muyo!*Ayeka Takada /Romio , Ghost Girl in Pretty Sammy...	Jennifer Darling Jennifer Darling Jennifer Darling is an American actress and voice actress. While her body of work as a voiceover artist greatly eclipses that of her on-stage career, she is, perhaps, nevertheless known best to most people as Peggy Callahan, the secretary to Oscar Goldman in the television series The Six Million...
Sasami Sasami Masaki Jurai is a fictional character in the anime series Tenchi Muyo! and its various spin-offs.-Personality and series role:In most series, Sasami is the younger sister of Ayeka and so is also a princess of Jurai. Within the family group Sasami usually takes on the dual role of younger sister/mother. She...	Chisa Yokoyama Chisa Yokoyama is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Tokyo. She is founder and head of her own voice company called Banbina after leaving Arts Vision. When she was a high school student, she was an assistant of Jump Broadcasting Station of Weekly Shōnen Jump...	Sherry Lynn Sherry Lynn Sherry Lynn is a veteran American voice actress, known for young girl roles in animation and video games. She is represented by Arlene Thornton & Associates...
Mihoshi Mihoshi Kuramitsu is a Galaxy Police detective in the fictional Tenchi Muyo! anime and manga series. Her given name "Mihoshi", , literally means "Beautiful Star", and is derived from a town in the Okayama Prefecture formerly known as Bisei.-OVA:...	Yuko Mizutani Yuko Mizutani is a Japanese voice actress working for Production Baobab.-Notable voice roles:*Alfimi, Katana & Byakuya in Super Robot Wars OG Saga: Endless Frontier EXCEED*Andrea Zuckerman in Beverly Hills, 90210*Anri in Bubblegum Crisis*Apple in Zillion...	Rebecca Forstadt Rebecca Forstadt Rebecca Lynn Olkowski , better known by her maiden name, Rebecca Forstadt, is an American voice actor who is best known for playing anime girls with sweet voices. She is also known as Reba West and Becky Olkowski.After studying theater at Orange Coast College, in Costa Mesa, California, Ms...
Kiyone Kiyone Makibi Kiyone Makibi is a fictional character of the Tenchi Muyo! series. She is an original creation of first OVA series' co-scriptwriter Naoko Hasegawa, appearing in most Tenchi Muyo! canons with the exception of the official OVA canon accepted by the series creator Masaki Kajishima.She shares her...	Yuri Amano Yuri Amano is a Japanese voice actor. She was born .- Films :* Soreike! Anpanman: Baikinman no Gyakushuu , Akachanman* Mobile Suit Gundam F91 , Jessica* Tobé! Kujira no Peek...	Wendee Lee Wendee Lee Wendee Lee is an American voice actress. While she has done voice work for many video games as well as several episodes in the Power Rangers franchise, she is particularly prolific in the dubbing of anime. As of April 2009, with 223 credits to her name, she has more credits in this medium than any...
Washu Washu Hakubi , the self-proclaimed greatest scientific genius in the universe, is a fictional character in the anime and manga Tenchi Muyo!. Her character differs depending on the continuity, though she sometimes displays a number of innate powers which she rarely uses, preferring to solve problems with reason...	Yuko Kobayashi Yuko Kobayashi is a Japanese seiyū who was born on February 6, 1961 in Tokyo. She is currently affiliated with 81 Produce and is married to fellow seiyu Mitsuaki Hoshino.-Notable voice roles:*Washu Hakubi in Tenchi Muyo*Shigeru in Pokémon...	Kate T. Vogt Kate T. Vogt Kate T. Vogt is an actress who has primarily done voice acting for various animated films for most of her career. She also goes by "Kate Vogt", "K. T...
Katsuhito Masaki Katsuhito Masaki is a fictional character in the anime Tenchi Muyo!.-OVA:In the OVA, Katsuhito, also known as , fled Jurai over 700 years ago to "retire" on Earth. He was once the greatest swordsman on Jurai. Currently Katsuhito is a Shinto priest who is not only training Tenchi to be a Shinto priest but also...  and Nobuyuki Masaki Nobuyuki Masaki is a fictional character in the anime Tenchi Muyo!.Nobuyuki Masaki is Tenchi's father, and works in the city as an architect. Although he has shown that he is less responsible than his son, Nobuyuki does care deeply for Tenchi, and after losing his wife, Nobuyuki has worked hard to raise him...	Takeshi Aono Takeshi Aono is a Japanese voice actor and actor from Asahikawa, Hokkaidō affiliated with Aoni Production. He graduated from Hokkaidō Asahikawa Higashi High School....	Bob Papenbrook Bob Papenbrook Robert DeWayne "Bob" Papenbrook was an American voice actor. Fellow voice actors often nicknamed him "Pappy". He was very well known in the worlds of anime and video game voice-overs for his voice acting of "gruff" characters...
Mayuka Mayuka is a fictional character in the Tenchi Muyo! series, appearing in the 1997 movie "Tenchi Muyo! Manatsu no Eve", released by Pioneer in the U.S. as "Tenchi the Movie 2: The Daughter of Darkness....	Junko Iwao Junko Iwao is a Japanese voice actress who has also released several CD albums as a J-pop singer. Her most notable role is in Cardcaptor Sakura providing the voice to Sakura's best friend, Tomoyo.-TV Anime:*.hack *.hack//Roots...	Julie Maddalena Julie Maddalena Julie Lynn Maddalena is an American voice actress, sometimes credited as Julie Kliewer.-Anime Roles:* 3x3 Eyes - Ken-Ken * Battle Athletes Victory - Tanya Natdhipytadd...
Yuzuha Yuzuha is a fictional villain in the Tenchi Muyō! series, appearing in the 1997 movie Tenchi Muyō! Manatsu no Eve, released by Pioneer in the U.S. as Tenchi the Movie 2: The Daughter of Darkness...	Yō Inoue	Barbara Goodson Barbara Goodson Barbara Goodson is an American actress known mostly for her versatility in voicing original and dubbed cartoons. She is voted one of the ten best women to do the voices for young males in cartoons...

Reception

Jared Wietbrock of Mania reviewed the film. While saying that Daughter of Darkness was a "fun movie", he commented on the film being "too short" and "rushed". He also said he still didn't know what Yuzuha's problem was claiming "for all I know she was just bored and picked Tenchi out of the blue to be her entertainment". Despite this Wietbrock gave the film an A and called the film a keeper and said no Tenchi fan should be without it. Marc of Akemi's Anime World said the film was "[...] another confusing addition to the scattershot mess that passes for continuity in the series". He also said "[...] has the usual combination of touching sentiment, silly comedy, wild plot, and plenty of action". Marc praised both of Mayuka's voice actors, "[...] she sounds as sweet and naive as she looks, and you just can't help but like her".

Music

The music for the film was composed by Kow Otani and theme song of the movie is , which is performed by Mariko Nagai. In Japan, the soundtrack was released a few weeks before the film's release; however, it failed to chart on the Oricon

Oricon

, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...

.

External links