Ranked #3100

Tenamonya Voyagers

Earth or Bust! Unfortunately, it was Bust.

I actually watched this show out of pure curiosity. I was just looking up info on Akiyuki Shinbo (Director of pretty much almost everything SHAFT has animated like Zetsubou Sensei and Negima!?) when I saw this work listed. I've pretty much never seen much of his earlier directing works unless you count Nanoha Season 1 as his earlier works. For some reason, I chose this one mostly because the story sounded interesting enough and I was expecting an action science fiction drama sort of thing. At least I was right about the first two things. This turned out to be an action packed science fiction comedy, and boy did I joy every bit of it.

Story - I won't go into the details of the story, but this is pretty much the biggest weak point in Tenamonya Voyagers. It's not that it's badly executed or too simplistic. It's actually because it just ends at episode 4 with no closure whatsoever. Yes, the narrator pretty much says at the end, "Only God knows what happens to them. The End." Apparently, the DVD's didn't sell well enough in Japan to continue making episodes so pretty much the people who actually bought them got sort of a giant middle finger from the company at the end of the 4th episode. My heart goes out to those who bought all 4 volumes of the DVD in Japan.

Art - The animation is smooth and well done, but it's only expected from an OVA. The animation was done by Studio Pierrot (Bleach, Naruto) and I'm actually surprised they were able to churn out animation like this. Art-style wise, it may not be for everyone but I find it good enough. Their eyes are a bit big though, but this is anime so this complaint is null and void. Also, you get to see some of Akiyuki Shinbo's earlier directing styles in the animation and it pretty much shows that he still had that creative spark in his early days.

Sound - I'll be honest and say I really didn't notice the music all that much, unless it was during a battle scene. The music was sort of just there for atmospheric purposes and it worked. The voice actors for the Japanese version did their jobs well and gave the characters life perfectly. I haven't seen the dub because the DVD for this is incredibly hard to find and I wasn't able to find any videos of the dub. Also, I love the opening to this series very much.

Characters - The characters are all just a joy to watch. From the top athlete tomboy Wakana to the bubbly teacher Ayako to the ever persistent space officer Tatsue out to bring the space criminal Paraila to justice. The chemistry between each of the characters is just plain fun to watch and the way they act in their situations is always good for a laugh.

Enjoyment - This is just an incredibly fun watch. The situations they get into are always a joy to watch. From getting stranded on a desert island and Ayako teaching Paraila's former sidekick how to farm on a beach to getting out of the orbit of a burning star using baseball pitches to move the ship, it's always bound to keep you entertained. And, as mentioned before, seeing the characters interact is a joy to watch.

Cons - There's only one real con and that's that the story ends with no real closure and the future isn't looking good for a continuation almost 9 years later. We, or maybe just me, can only hope they do continue it. I guess another con is that it's really hard to find the Region 1 DVD because it's one of Bandai's first DVD's and it's out of print.

+ Very smooth and consistent animation
+ The voice acting is spot on
+ The chemistry between the characters
+ The situations they get into are very fun to watch
+ Akiyuki Shinbo's style of directing is simplistic but stylish
+ Consistently funny
+ It's short

- No story closure at all
- Very hard to find if you want to purchase the DVD of this
- It's short

Overall, if you manage to find this in a local *insert store of your choice here*, do pick it up. It's a very enjoyable and fun series even with the incomplete ending. read more

This Anime apparently was going good, but it never finished...

I'm betting it was supposed to be 6 episodes long, because the story has never been concluded and there's a 99.9% chance it never will...

Apparently, the ratings were so bad, that the company that made it must have lost a hell of a lot of money if they weren't willing to make 2 more episodes...

It is pretty funny, but so short it really feels like a waste of a good idea...

Overall the Anime is sweet and short, and if you don't mind never getting to see the end, it's a fun short ride...

if you haven't seen this, then you don't have to...

it's just a fun and brief Anime, nothing to get serious over, and nothing to seep into total fandom for... read more