Tenchi the Movie 2: Daughter of Darkness DVD

On a sweltering summer day, a young girl appears in front of Tenchi out of nowhere and announces that he is her father. Her name is Mayuka — cheerful, innocent, and apparently about twelve years old, which creates immediate arithmetic problems given Tenchi's age. Nobody knows who her mother is. Ryoko is furious. Ayeka is suspicious. Washu is scientifically intrigued. Tenchi, who has no memory of fathering anyone, is completely bewildered but too kindhearted to turn her away. Mayuka settles into the Masaki household with unsettling ease, and everyone begins cautiously warming to her — everyone except Ryoko, whose instincts keep telling her something is wrong. They are correct. Behind Mayuka is Yuzuha, the Demon of the World of Darkness: an ancient entity with a long-buried connection to Yosho, a festering grudge against the living world, and a plan that uses Mayuka as its instrument. When Yuzuha finally reveals her hand, the confrontation forces Tenchi to fight not just for his friends but for a child he has come to love — whose existence is more complicated than anyone realized.

Tenchi the Movie 2: The Daughter of Darkness is the second Tenchi Muyo! theatrical film, directed by Satoshi Kimura and released in Japan on August 2, 1997. Unlike the first and third films which follow the Tenchi Universe continuity, this film more closely follows the original OVA continuity — featuring Washu, Ryoko, Ayeka, Sasami, and Ryo-Ohki in their OVA characterizations.

Released in North America by Pioneer Entertainment on VHS and LaserDisc in 1998; the DVD was released in 1999 and later reissued as a Geneon Signature Series DVD on August 19, 2003. Also available as part of the Geneon three-film Tenchi Muyo Movie Collection boxset. 

Notable Staff & Voice Talent

Director: Satoshi Kimura
Original Franchise: Masaki Kajishima & Hiroki Hayashi
Studio: AIC (Anime International Company)
Music: Takayuki Negishi

Japanese Cast:
• Masami Kikuchi as Tenchi Masaki (Oh My Goddess! OVA, Moldiver)
• Junko Iwao as Mayuka (Cardcaptor Sakura, Ceres: Celestial Legend, Rurouni Kenshin Trust & Betrayal)
• You Inoue as Yuzuha
• Ai Orikasa as Ryoko (Battle Athletes, Slayers, Magic User's Club, Sorcerer Hunters)
• Yumi Takada as Ayeka
• Chisa Yokoyama as Sasami (Battle Skipper, Nadesico, Haunted Junction, Sakura Wars)
• Yuko Kobayashi as Washu
• Yuko Mizutani as Mihoshi (Tenchi Universe, Dragon Half, Cardcaptor Sakura)
• Yuri Amano as Kiyone (El-Hazard, Burn Up W, Magic User's Club, Moldiver)
• Takeshi Aono as Katsuhito / Nobuyuki (Tenchi Universe, Slayers, DBZ)
• Yukari Tamura as additional cast (A Little Snow Fairy Sugar, Vandread, Gate Keepers)
• Yui Horie as additional cast (Kurogane Communication, Love Hina)

English Dub Cast (Pioneer / Geneon):
• Matt K. Miller as Tenchi Masaki (Tenchi in Tokyo, Tenchi in Love)
• Julie Maddalena as Mayuka (Kurogane Communication, Tenchi in Tokyo)
• Barbara Goodson as Yuzuha / young Yosho
• Petrea Burchard as Ryoko (Tenchi in Tokyo, Tenchi in Love)
• Jennifer Darling as Ayeka (Tenchi in Tokyo, Tenchi in Love)
• Sherry Lynn as Sasami (Tenchi in Tokyo, Nightwalker, Tenchi in Love)
• Kate T. Vogt as Washu
• Rebecca Forstadt as Mihoshi (Mahoromatic, Tenchi Forever)
• Wendee Lee as Kiyone (El-Hazard, Tenchi Universe, Gestalt)

DVD Features

• Theatrical Trailer
• Pioneer / Geneon Previews

Spoken Languages: English & Japanese Audio, English Subtitles

Edition Details

Japanese Title: 天地無用! 真夏のイヴ (Tenchi Muyō! Manatsu no Eve / Midsummer's Eve)
Runtime: ~60 Minutes
Director: Satoshi Kimura
DVD Release Year: 1999 (Pioneer original DVD); August 19, 2003 (Geneon Signature Series reissue)
Original Release Date (Japan): August 2, 1997
Publisher: Pioneer Entertainment / Geneon Entertainment
Rating: 13+
Region: Region 1 (U.S. / Canada)
Genre: Sci-Fi, Action, Drama
Themes: Mystery Daughter, Demon of Darkness, OVA Continuity Film, Ryoko's Instincts, Parental Love Under Threat

Media assumed VG+ unless otherwise noted.