The film opens on a peaceful summer afternoon at the Masaki home in Okayama--where it's never peaceful for very long. A mysterious girl appears and begins calling Tenchi "Daddy." Predictably, she causes uproar among the women of the Masaki household. Ryoko takes an immediate dislike to her; Sasami quickly befriends her.
Mayuka was created by the demon Yuzuha, the embodiment of the Tree of Darkness. She fell in love with Yosho, Tenchi's grandfather, when he was a child on Jurai, but was driven away by his guards. After centuries of nursing her hatred, she plans to strike at Yosho through Tenchi. Ryoko and Tenchi battle Yuzuha in a weird netherworld filled with vicious but saccharine-looking toys. They finally defeat her with the help of Ayeka, who enables Tenchi to use his Jurai powers: he cleaves the demon in two with the Lighthawk sword. The second Tenchi feature is the oddest of the three, with the strongest conflicts among characters: Tenchi even loses his temper and slaps Ryoko. It's less playful than the other entries in the series, but still entertaining.
The one-hour feature comes with a Tenchi encyclopedia--different from the one included with the Tenchi Muyô! DVDs--that offers useful information about the characters, although its links are a bit temperamental.
Unrated; recommended for ages 12 and older for brief nudity and cartoon violence. --Charles Solomon
