Paradise War is a spinoff in the Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki universe from creator Masaki Kajishima. The series consists of three novels, the last published May 30, 2014. The cast of Paradise War are then introduced in the fifth season episode of Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki, Welcome to Tabletop Island, on August 28, 2020, which takes place soon after the end of the novels and integrates them into the larger story. Whether any more direct sequels will be released remains to be seen.
On September 25, 2022, to celebrate Tenchi Muyo!'s 30th anniversary, Kajishima announced in his then latest doujinshi, The Night Before the Carnival: Original Edition 22.08, that he is producing an anime adaptation of the Paradise War novels. On December 22, 2022, it was formally announced that a new anime titled Tenchi Muyo! GXP- Paradise Shido Hen (Paradise Starting), was in early production, but with no timeline provided.[1]
Paradise War takes place early in the first decade of the 21st century. Approximately 5 years after the initial events of Tenchi Muyo! GXP, including the ambiguous time spent in the Renza Federation which is still being chronicled in the GXP novels, but several years before the events of War on Geminar.
Synopsis
The story centers around Shou Kukoma who is forced by his poor parents to move to the avowed paradise, Banjo Island (AKA "Tabletop" Island, a literal translation of the Japanese characters that sound like "Banjo"). Shou's mother was given a pamphlet asking for emigrants to the island by Kyoko Yamada, via a Yamada supermarket. She and her husband then told Shou he'd either have to move there or move out, get a job and fend for himself, as they could no longer afford to support him. When Shou arrives it is revealed that all of the students in his school are aliens and he is now the Earth's representative in a proxy "War" that will determine who will be the leader of a new federation of nations made up of the previously splintered space pirate guilds, whose territory will include the Sol System (including the Earth.) He is forced into a survivalist lifestyle on the island as he meets the proxy warriors of the most powerful guilds, all beautiful young girls, who are all lower representatives of each group.
Shou and girls novel illutstration
The war is resolved with Shou victorious when he is given the chance to change the rules and he institutes a final "battle" based on Janken (Rock-Paper-Scissors) - Which Shou always wins. By winning, it means that Earth is technically the capital of the new federation of the pirate nations. However, a coalition of disgruntled pirate groups that never planned to honor the results of the war arrive in the Solar System to force the surrender of Shou and to claim Banjo Island as their own. Minamida then reveals that the island is actually a Fourth Generation Juraian Royal Treeship (lacking the "will" of other earlier generation ships) and it is now Shou's responsibility to use it to defend the Earth and defeat the pirates. Through Shou's direction, the help of Minamida (who uses Zinv to obscure the fleet from Earth), the cabbits, and a trick they picked up from earlier battles, they are able to capture the leader of the group, disable the fleet's engines, and end the attack.
It is shown in OVA 5's third episode that other pirate groups continue attempts to invade Earth, take Banjo Island, and claim leadership of the country, but Washu, Tenchi and probably others, can now aide them.
Banjo Island
Banjo Island Treeship in battle
Banjo Island was created by parking a 4th Generation Juraian Treeship in the ocean south of Japan, terraforming the top of it, seeding it with vegetation and then putting it behind an impenetrable shield and accelerating the speed of time within. Over the course of a year or two on the outside, the inside aged thousands of years into a natural habitat.
Initially, when it needed to become a ship, the entire island had to raise out of the sea, with a force shield protecting the habitat. In OVA 5's third episode, Washu is able to separate the ship from the Island so the island's natural habitat can remain undisturbed.
Characters
Shou
Shou Kukoma
Shou's character design differs significantly between the novel illustrations and his appearance in doujinshi and OVA 5. His look in the novels featured a softer and gentler look compared to his later design.
He’s a young teen, initially a first year in High School, who is from a poor family that forces him to move to Banjo Island, not knowing what they were sending him to do. He is completely unprepared to be the proxy in such a competition and is not actually expected to win. He has one odd skill, that he never loses at: Janken (Rock-Paper-Scissors).
He is actually victorious and becomes the owner of Banjo Island and the ship at its core. His win makes Earth the capital of the new pirate federation but does not make him leader. His duty now seems to be the captain of the ship and protector of Earth and its interests, he may also be a governmental representative for the Pirate nation in the Galaxy Federtion. When he gains a Guardian System it has the ability to shield himself from powerful attacks.
Dird
Dird Shank
She is the representative from the Shank Guild and currently 1882nd in line for the guild’s succession. She seems ditzy and air-headed, she is occasionally mischievous but is friendly and a mood-maker. She is quite like a puppy. Despite her cheerful demeanor, she grew up rather neglected and craves acceptence. However, she fights like a wild animal and is probably a more skilled fighter than your typical Juraian. When fighting, she uses a Guardian suit that typically features gauntlets and anklets for punching and kicking.
Alea
Alea Balta
She is the representative from the Balta guild. She is the youngest among Alea, Apuesta, Dird, and Palty. Alea has a sharp tongue and immediately called Dird an idiot upon arrival. However, when she learned of Dird's harsh upbringing, she softened to her and decides to be responsible for her. The other girls consider her the keeper of the "big stupid dog." She is an excellent marksmen, meticulous, and thinks proactively about problems, but is lousy at close combat. The Guardian she uses usually has a giant beam weapon that fires out by her head.
Apuesta
Apuesta Daluma
She is the representative from the Da Ruma guild and currently 215th in line for the guild’s succession. Her parents were killed in pirate battles and she grew up an orphan. When the guild fell apart and orphans were abandoned by the remnants she not only took care of herself but also the younger orphans. She has a great mind for business and developed a powerful network of associates. She has problems speaking as quickly as her mind works and uses an abacus-like contraption to aid her communication. She is a brilliant strategist but not a great fighter. Her favored guardian features a ball on the end of it's arm that can capture and deactivate other guardians.
Palty
Palty Jurai
She is the 18 year old representative from a group of Jurai pirates that broke from the empire thousands of years ago. She is the oldest among Alea, Apuesta, Dird, and Palty. Her mother is an ambitious woman who could no longer prove her place in the royal family and instead gained verifiable Juraian sperm and produced Palty by artificial insemination in a plan to force their way into the royalty Unlike her egotistical and conniving mother, Palty is diligent, gentle and kind. Her mother's treatment caused extreme trauma and gave her a severe case of claustrophobia. She practices ancient martial arts and pirate battle skills and is around the same level of fighter as Dird. Her Guardian uses hand weapons, like a two-arm broadsword.
Miron
Miron Pham
She is an observer representing the Earth group that knows of the various aliens residing in Masaki Village and at Tenchi's house. She serves as a teacher to Shou and the girls and is the only doctor on the island. She was a child genius who, until recently, looked like a little girl. She also lead a very sheltered life, never being able to connect with peers her age, protected by bodyguards, and typically working with and beyond the level of older scientists. Between her brilliance, her new found mature beauty, and a sudden independence she has become a forceful personality and a hard to control pervert. Once Fuku could change into her humanoid form, she takes it upon herself to control Miron's perverted acts by grabbing her and throwing her far into the ocean. She had been trying to figure out a way to gain access to space, including asking Seina to marry her and romancing Kou as well in case he succeeded (though she developed genuine feelings for him as well). After Shou's victory she becomes Earth's governmental representative on the planet in the new group and gains her wish of Galactic travel.
Minamida
Minamida
He is the observer from the Galactic Federation. Minamida is actually a pseudonym for Seina Yamada from Tenchi Muyo! GXP (if you rearranged the English syllables in a similar manner it would come out something like "nada seiyama"). He uses an alias as to not let them know he is the infamous Galaxy Police captain responsible for breaking up the Da Ruma Pirate Guild and the capturer of so many individual pirate ships.
M, F, K, D
Minamida is accompanied by four cabbits who, until the end. only stay in cabbit form in public but are actually Miki, Fuku, Kirche , and D, whose presence lessens Seina's bad luck. To further differentiate themselves from their previous appearance, they change their fur color to white. They go by the names M-cabbit, F-cabbit, K-cabbit, and D-cabbit and also serve for a time as Shou's guardian engineers and support team as he learns to control his guardian. To do this, they all have to reveal that they can talk and Miki momentarily shows him her humanoid form.
References
- ↑ Tenchi Muyo! GXP Project Gets New Paradise Shidō-hen Anime, Anime News Network, December 22, 2022