Today’s review is from the iconic Tenchi franchise. Known all over the world, I think it’s difficult to find someplace/somebody that actually hasn’t heard of Tenchi. The series I’m looking at today, however, is a bit more obscure. A mini-series that is based off of an episode from Universe, this obscure gem has sadly fallen into the shadows, but today I’m bringing it back into the light! So sit back, relax, and read my review for Magical Girl Pretty Sammy.
Story/Setup
If you’ve never watch Tenchi Universe: Episode 11, here’s part of the wikipedia description:
“Washu invents a machine capable of generating alternative realities to the specifics of the user. Curious and competing members of the extraterrestrial group overwhelm the machine and disappear into the new realities.”
And here’s an excerpt from episode 12:
“In Sasami’s world, she becomes a magical girl heroine who interjects herself in the high school love triangle of Ayeka, Tenchi, and Ryoko.”
For something that’s a little more in-depth, here’s yet another excerpt:
“In the series, Sasami Kawai is a cute young Japanese girl who is asked by magical queen-to-be Tsunami of Juraihelm to become "Magical Girl Pretty Sammy", a champion of justice. She is constantly harassed by Pixy Misa, an evil, but friendly magical girl created by a rival candidate for queen of the magical world, Ramia. Sasami is unaware that Pixy Misa is actually her best friend, Misa'o Amano, who herself is unaware of the transformation forced on her via hypnosis by Ramia's brother, Rumiya.”
That’s basically the gist of the story. Unlike other entries, the plot doesn’t have much too it. For that matter, the world that this mini-series takes place in doesn’t have a lot too it either. This just feels like a setting that has elements of Tenchi sprinkled into it. It certainly makes things interesting, but at the same time there’s not much punch to things.
Animation
I’m often puzzled by the animation in this mini-series. It’s not that it’s bad, because it isn’t. It looks very similar to the OVA: there’s a high quality to the animation, that often times you think you’re watching a discarded episode from the original series. What puzzles me is that the quality doesn’t matchup from Universe (More on this in the eventual Tenchi Universe review). The two come across as opposites, but not extreme opposites. Suffice it to say, there’s differences. Notables ones at that!
Voice Acting
If you’ve watched the OVA, Universe, or Tenchi In Tokyo, you’ll recognize the voice cast right away. The original cast sounds exactly the same as within the OVA: their strengths are the same, as well as their weaknesses. We have some new voice actors play characters exclusive to this miniature world, and they perform their roles quite well. On a somewhat related note, the voice acting in general has managed to age remarkably well. Despite not getting re-released by Funimation (Read a little further down for this), there’s still a crisp element to the voices.
Characters
If you’ve watched Tenchi Universe, then you’ll immediately recognize a massive majority of the characters in this mini-series. If you’ve watched episode 12 of Universe, then you’ll recognize the mannerisms of most of the cast. The one notable exception to this is Tsunami: within the OVA she’s a very smart character, but in this mini-series she’s incredibly ditzy. In fact, her ditzyness mirrors Mihoshi from Universe, and the only way she accomplishes something is due to dumb luck, and the success/folly of others. If you didn’t like the Universe version of Mihoshi, then it’s certain that you might not like Tsunami.
A small number of characters exclusive to this mini-series appear. First is Chihiro Kawai: the mother of Tenchi & Sasami. A former idol singer, she’s now a music store owner, a massive karaoke addict, and a bit of an oddball. Ramia acts as the main villain, acting mainly through her reluctant younger brother Rumiya, and her chosen champion on Earth, Pixy Misa. Finally, there is Sasami best friend, Masao. A kind but shy girl, she’s has a sad past due to her parents being split up. This sadness is what allows Rumiya to use his magic to turn her into Misa, a dark & mysterious individual.
Perhaps the most perplexing addition to the cast is Ryo-Ohki. While a girl in the various other series, in this incarnation the character is a boy. On top of that, Ryo-Ohki can speak, and acts much in the same way that Luna from Sailor Moon acts (Although Ryo-Ohki in this series has feelings for Sasami). A strange change, but one that I don’t mind much.
Availability & Pricing
This is one of the more rare titles I’ve reviewed so far. Released in 2002 by Geneon/Pioneer, the series was actually part of a two-part deal: there is Pretty Sammy, and there’s the next title I’ll be reviewing. As far as I know, the only place to find this collection is on Amazon, or on the off chance that an FYE has this in it’s used section. New copes start at an astounding 98 dollars, while used copies begin at the more reasonable (But still somewhat expensive) 40 dollars. Although somewhat expensive, I suggest that you go for the used copies, but be careful if the copy you buy is in a questionable condition.
Overall Impression & Rating
Magical Girl Pretty Sammy is one of those strange little titles that has been forgotten in the sands of time. Considering that this came out at the height of Tenchi-mania back in the early 2000s, you think people would still remember it. Hell, you’d expect it to have been picked up by Funimation back in the early 2010's when they were re-releasing all of the other Tenchi series! Despite that, this little mini-series is a lot of fun. It will pass by you rather quick, but in the moments that you’re watching this, you won’t forget it!
Magical Girl Pretty Sammy gets a 8 out of 10
Until next time, when I’ll be reviewing the counterpart to this obscure entry in the Tenchi franchise. See you soon!
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