Due to a combination of Anime Expo 96 programming and other priorities, I missed the premiere screening of the Tenchi Muyo movie. Not knowing what to expect, it was therefore with mixed feelings and doubt in my mind that I picked up the TENCHI the movie: TENCHI MUYO IN LOVE box set at my local laserdisc supplier. I disliked the direction the series took after the initial six OAV episodes, and worried that the movie would be of the same ilk, despite rave reviews from people who saw it at Anime Expo.
Much to my delight and surprise, however, I didn't really have to worry. The movie was a sheer joy to watch, mainly because it works on a more emotional level and doesn't resign itself to the stale "humor" that marred the OVA episodes that followed the original six. That is all I will say about the actual movie, since it was previously covered (in Issue 1), so let's get down to the core of this review: the technical aspects of the film.
Like all the recent P-Anime LD releases, the TENCHI disc is bilingual, with the English dub on the digital track, and the original Japanese dialogue on the left analog channel. There appears to be little difference in volume between the digital and analog tracks, although the digital one naturally sounds a little bit crisper. If we compare the quality of the voices on the two soundtracks, however, the Japanese track stands out as the better of the two; the voice acting is more subtle and natural-sounding, especially in dramatic scenes. The Japanese screams and shouts simply sound more believable than the English ones, which suffers from overacting - at least to this reviewer's ears. In the more quiet scenes, like the ending, the English dubbing isn't too bad, although some of the voices still sound wrong. Aeka's English voice is too squeaky, Ryoko's voice is too deep, and Tenchi occasionally sounds too much like a geek. This is just a minor complaint, however. If you hate the dubbing, just stick to the original Japanese dialogue.
The right analog channel has the sound in AC-3 format, although exactly what it contains I cannot tell, since I don't have an AC-3 decoder. I surmise that it is the English soundtrack, though.
Like previous P-Anime offerings, Close Captioned subtitles are also included. Unlike other anime LDs from Pioneer, and an anime first (I think), is that this disc is THX-certified! According to the executive producer, Taro Maki, they wanted the TENCHI movie LD (and tape) to be THX-certified "cause it's cool, isn't it?" The movie certainly sounds good, although it is by no means a JURASSIC PARK or a STRANGE DAYS in terms of sound quality. Both the Dolby Digital helicopter intro and the old LD-version of the "Grande" THX-intro are included.
The quality of the picture transfer is good--I have no complaints. The pictures are sharp, clear and colorful, and the movie is presented in a letterbox format that appears to be around 1.85:1. The picture looks slightly cropped to me, but since I never saw the original theatrical version, I cannot really tell. Regardless of any cropping--real or imagined--the picture is impressive.
The movie comes on two discs, four sides, in CAV format. This means a lot of flipping is required, but the side breaks are fortunately well placed, occurring during scene transitions. The break on side one stands out as exemplary. In addition to the movie, the viewer is also treated to four different trailers, as well as a trailer for the upcoming TENCHI MUYO TV series VHS release from Pioneer.
Also included are a very entertaining set of liner notes written by the producer of the first TENCHI MUYO OVA. While the liner notes contain a lot of grammatical errors, they are both highly interesting and very entertaining to read. A character sketch sheet, with all the Japanese voice actors' signatures on it, and a TENCHI MUYO-related Ani-Mayhem card is also included.
Unfortunately, all of this is packaged in a box of mediocre quality. The box design is laid on top of a granite-texture, which, although providing an impressive look, makes the text hard to read. Having most of the text printed in white doesn't help much either. The cardboard used to make the box also feels a bit thin and cheap - I would have preferred higher quality cardboard.
Still, minor criticisms aside, this is a great LD release, and I would not hesitate to recommend this to any anime fan, whether they are fans of TENCHI MUYO or not.

Tenchi The Movie: Tenchi Muyo In Love
P-Anime
PILA-1390A
Laser Disk Box Set 2 CAV LDs
English Dubbed/Japanese with English Subtitles
Image courtesy of AIC