Remember Tenchi Muyo? The long dormant but industry-changing anime has just gotten a Kickstarter. Support it!

Tenchi Muyo. More than Dragon Ball, more than Sailor Moon, this was the preeminent anime of the 1990s—the show that truly established Japanese animation in the West. More than beautiful girls and outlandish action and scintillating innuendo, it was every genre and every trope plunged into one outrageous package. Coming of age, slice of life, romance and humor and fairy tale wonder…Tenchi Muyo proved anime could be anything and everything. More than just another weird Japanese cartoon, it was art, it was heartfelt, it was poignant to the point of permanence, staying in the hearts of fans long after it faded from the public stage.

And more recently, it could be doomed.

Despite becoming the medium’s de facto example for nearly a decade, the Tenchi Muyo franchise floundered as anime itself got bigger and louder—i.e. more commercial. By the 2010s, “classics” like Tenchi, Slayers, Fushigi Yugi, and Project A-KO were barely recognized let alone celebrated, their legacies left to their ancient memorabilia now littering eBay listings. Indeed, the Tenchi phenomenon began to falter even in Japan, becoming but a weird curio to all but the greatest fans.

It’s a cruel irony, for sure, that a series so seminal could suffer such ignominy in the wake of inferior works. Despite changing the landscape of “Japanimation” for the better, despite introducing creative concepts and characters still largely unequalled, the franchise has yet to be revived in any meaningful way. Worse, the original creator, Masaki Kajishima, wants to move on. The property’s owner, AIC, can't seem to keep it relevant. And the franchise’s remaining fans, at this point, seem to be primarily of a Western persuasion.

And yet, that last part—the West—just might be Tenchi’s greatest chance. Whether by lucky happenstance or the blessings of Fate, I made a serendipitous discovery via a seemingly random YouTube stream: the venerable Tenchiforum is pushing a Kickstarter campaign meant to dredge Tenchi back from history’s bygone trenches. The plan is simple: relaunch the long-lost Tenchi comic written specifically for American audiences back in 1997. The six issues will be collected in a glorious omnibus which, should it be financed, will hopefully initiate the franchise’s comeback with a whole new slew of misadventures.

And considering the property’s fading state in Japan, this is all very fitting; the comic’s primary creators, JD Calderon and Matt Lunsford, are but a pair of simple gaijin who nevertheless “get” the characters better than many of their Japanese counterparts. Theirs is a story that respects the larger cast despite the antics and all the distraction. Ayeka, Sasami, Mihoshi, along with underappreciated characters like Nagi and Officer Kiyone, are all there, partaking in an adventure-fueled joyride set far away from the staid Masaki estate. This is the perfect action-fueled reintroduction, in other words, to a space opera many haven’t seen in decades…or ever.

But what’s sweetest about this wish is the talent involved; Petrea Burchard returns as the incomparable Ryoko, reprising her role in a nostalgic, 2-minute pitch explaining how it’s up the West to now keep the Tenchi legend alive. The franchise might be finished in its native land, but maybe, just maybe, the West can be its rebirth, its new beginning.

So, buy a book! Please check out the five-hour stream! Please check out my own love letters and inscrutable scrutinies of the Tenchi franchise right here on this website! This Kickstarter could be the, er, start of something monumental. And, more significantly, this could be Tenchi's final chance in restoring a considerable legacy teetering on oblivion.

Let’s keep the myth, the spirit, the ecstasy alive! Let's unveil and unleash these great characters unto the world again.--D

These marvelous girls (and guy) need this Kickstarter to succeed.

The anime remains unforgettable to those who originally witnessed it.

A popular manga also captivated fans for many years.

Americans got their own "manga," a Western take on the saga spread across six issues. This is the story that will be rereleased as a graphic novel...and hopefully, be the beginning of the series' overdue comeback.

As of 4/21/25, the Kickstarter sits around $29,000. Although $50,000 is the goal, doubling that would really show the property's Japanese owners how serious the West is about this series. Which then means, hopefully, sequels in all kinds of forms.

The Tenchi Kickstarter will bring a couple of beautiful books, paper and hardback, along with some cool optional swag.