New Tenchi Muyo, volumes 1 and 2

Volume 1

The first volume is called Alien Nation, which is interesting since there was a television series of the same name.

The story opens by pointing out Tenchi is part alien. Two weeks previously he had saved a girl from some bullies and she's become obsessed with him and hired someone to find out about him. Ryoko next makes her appearance, followed by Ryo-oh-ki in spaceship form first. Next is Ayeka and it's only a short time between Ryoko and Ayeka are fighting. Then its Sasami and Tsunami. Finally Mihoshi crashes her spaceship and appears. Finally Washu is introduced.

Washu shows up and wipes the memories of the girl and the guy so they can't cause Tenchi any problems.

Ryoko's trying to figure out how she can pitch in. Tenchi farms, Washu does her science, Mihoshi has a job as a police office, Sasami does cooking, and Ayeka does the laundry. So Ryoko tries getting a job.

Ayeka and Tenchi get an invitation to a fancy hotel. While heading home a crook (with a gun) knocks Ayeka over and tries to hijack a car. She gets really, really, really mad and attacks the car with the crooks in it.

Sasami makes a carrot cake that everyone likes. Some guy who runs a pastry shop wants to sell her cakes. Then there's a flashback to Jurai and we see a younger Ayeka, Misaki, the mother of Ayeka and Sasami, Funaho, Yosho's mother, and Seto, Misaki's mother. Sasami is such a wonderful character.

A Mihoshi-centered story is next. Washu makes something that supposedly will help her make softer landings and not crash so often. Mihoshi's take-off wrecks more stuff and Ryoko says she wishes Mihoshi would never come home. Tenchi's father conks her on the head for saying that.

The soft-landing device needs to be placed on the ground where you want to make your landing. Mihoshi carries it with her. Not-soft landing.

The next story is very confusing. Some space thieves try to steal something and Washu comes up with a security system. The thieves are captured, they explain what they wanted and find out it was was split open by a laser, then 'their souls just up and left.' It makes no sense. Maybe it's a translation problem.

The next story is one centered on Ryo-oh-ki. Ayeka wonders about Sasami and Tenchi out on a date and gets really jealous. Ryo-oh-ki goes to adult form and Sasami wants to help her to go on a date with Tenchi. She has a major problem with coordination in her adult form, though. Tenchi gives her a nice outfit as a reward for her work on correct movement.

Volume 2

The title of this issue is Doom Time and it has an incredible drawing of Ryoko on the cover.

Little Taro needs babysitting, and Ryo-oh-ki doesn't want to be the one to get the job. Meanwhile Washu has invented a time-stopping device. The two youngsters end up with the devices on them, though. Ryoko saves the day.

The next story is a Mihoshi-centered one where she encounters a bank robber, orders lots of food and nearly blows up the bank. Pretty standard for Mihoshi.

Ayeka orders some robots to help keep their house fixed but she orders faulty ones. They land at the school and Tenchi and the others have to rush there to capture them before they start eating the students. Sasami ends up enrolling at the school.

Sasami's father visits the school. Things don't go really well and he ends up fighting Tenchi for a bit.

The next story involves an evil scientist named Dr. Clay. He's out to get Washu, and the background story is revealed. A device she created 5000 years ago has come back to attack her. It has evolved into Dark Washu, a near-duplicate of Washu. Dark Washu wants to fight as a team of five Dark Washus against Washu and the others.