Tenchi the Movie: Tenchi Forever DVD

One afternoon Tenchi disappears into the forest near the shrine, and nobody can find him. Six months pass. Ryoko and Ayeka — who have been searching the entire time — finally locate him in Tokyo, living in an apartment, working a regular job, and several years older than when he vanished. He has no memory of them. No memory of the shrine, the girls, the space pirates, or any of it. He is living with a woman named Haruna — beautiful, gentle, and completely unknown to anyone in Tenchi's circle. When Ryoko and Ayeka reach him, he disappears again. Washu's investigation eventually uncovers the truth: Haruna is a spirit, the ghost of Yosho's first love who died centuries ago before they could be together, and she has pulled Tenchi into a fabricated pocket world where time moves differently and he can grow old with her in the life she never had. The question the film asks — whether Tenchi should be rescued from a happiness he has chosen, even if that happiness isn't real — gives Tenchi Forever its unusually melancholy and mature tone.

Tenchi Forever! is the third and final Tenchi Muyo! theatrical film, directed by Hiroshi Negishi and serving as the concluding chapter of the Tenchi Universe continuity. It is widely regarded as the most emotionally sophisticated and visually accomplished of the three films — more restrained in comedy, quieter in tone, and genuinely interested in the interior lives of Ryoko and Ayeka, both of whom carry the film as its de facto protagonists in Tenchi's absence. The score was composed by Christopher Franke, returning from Tenchi in Love.

Originally released in Japan on April 24, 1999; released in North America by Pioneer Entertainment the same year, with a Geneon Signature Series DVD reissue on September 2, 2003. 

Notable Staff & Voice Talent

Director: Hiroshi Negishi (Tenchi Universe, Tenchi in Love, Burn Up W, Moldiver)
Screenplay: Ryoe Tsukimura (El-Hazard, Tenchi Universe, Sol Bianca, Magic User's Club)
Studio: AIC (Anime International Company)
Music: Christopher Franke (Babylon 5, Tangerine Dream, Tenchi in Love)
Ending Theme: "Harukanaru Omoi" performed by Megumi Hayashibara

Japanese Cast:
• Masami Kikuchi as Tenchi Masaki (Oh My Goddess! OVA, Moldiver)
• Ai Orikasa as Ryoko (Battle Athletes, Slayers, Magic User's Club, Sorcerer Hunters)
• Yumi Takada as Ayeka
• Kikuko Inoue as Haruna (Tenchi Universe, El-Hazard, Gate Keepers, Oh My Goddess!)
• Takehito Koyasu as Yosho (Slayers, Escaflowne, Gate Keepers, Sorcerer Hunters)
• Chisa Yokoyama as Sasami (Battle Skipper, Nadesico, Haunted Junction, Sakura Wars)
• Yuri Amano as Kiyone (El-Hazard, Burn Up W, Magic User's Club, Moldiver)
• Takeshi Aono as Katsuhito / Nobuyuki (Tenchi Universe, Slayers, DBZ)

English Dub Cast (Pioneer / Geneon):
• Matt K. Miller as Tenchi Masaki (Tenchi in Tokyo, Tenchi in Love)
• Petrea Burchard as Ryoko (Tenchi in Tokyo, Tenchi in Love)
• Jennifer Darling as Ayeka (Tenchi in Tokyo, Tenchi in Love)
• Wendee Lee as Kiyone (El-Hazard, Tenchi Universe, Gestalt)
• Sherry Lynn as Sasami (Tenchi in Tokyo, Nightwalker, Tenchi in Love)
• Kate T. Vogt as Washu
• Rebecca Forstadt as Mihoshi (Mahoromatic)
• Mona Marshall as additional cast (Steel Angel Kurumi, Mahoromatic, Ninja Cadets)

DVD Features

• English & Japanese 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound
• Production Notes
• Theatrical Trailer
• Pioneer / Geneon Previews

Spoken Languages: English & Japanese Audio, English Subtitles

Edition Details

Japanese Title: 天地無用! in LOVE 2 遥かなる想い (Tenchi Muyō! in Love 2: Haruka naru Omoi)
Runtime: ~95 Minutes
Director: Hiroshi Negishi
DVD Release Year: 1999 (Pioneer original release); September 2, 2003 (Geneon Signature Series reissue)
Original Release Date (Japan): April 24, 1999
Publisher: Pioneer Entertainment / Geneon Entertainment
Rating: 13+
Region: Region 1 (U.S. / Canada)
Genre: Sci-Fi, Romance, Drama
Themes: Ghost Romance, Pocket World, Tenchi's Disappearance, Ryoko and Ayeka as Protagonists, Tenchi Universe Finale

Media assumed VG+ unless otherwise noted.