Shadows of Afterthought

Shin Tenchi Muyo Omake

2009-01-24T21:11:00.000-08:00

Hello all.

Just recently while innocently surfing the web I was privileged to happen across some very interesting footage of Sakuya that I have never seen before. The photo attached is from a scene in the clip.

It was called Shin Tenchi Muyo Omake.

For those of you that may be unfamiliar with the term; Omake basically means bonus or extra in Japanese. Usually this entails deleted scenes or otherwise new content or footage released specifically or in tandem with a DVD for the audience/viewer of said purchase. So in the case of Shin Tenchi Muyo, which would make the footage that I've just described above, as bonus or extra material not released with the original television series, but special for that DVD.

What makes this (technically not new-but new to me) compilation so interesting is that it places Sakuya in a totally different light than she's normally shown. Unlike my discussion last time, here she is definitely not portrayed as a Mary-Sue. This time she's forced into a situation where she has to quickly come up with a way in which to rescue a kidnapped Tenchi and she literally goes out to save him, guns blazing. She even flips "the-bird" in one scene. One word to describe it for Sakuya fans...wow!

Personally I liked this assemblage of 6 clips because you got to see an interesting side to Sakuya that was only hinted to in the main/core (real) series; that of a fully competent heroine. The young-woman is completely capable of sustaining an entire episode all her own without the crutch of needing the main-ies there to interact with for extended periods of time. It just goes to show what I've known myself for years...Sakuya is interesting enough a character to put center-stage in a program all her own apart from the core Tenchi Muyo-cast. Like Seina Yamada in GXP, she's also capable of holding her own show. (And he set the precedence)

So here's the basic run-down of the clip I saw (keep in mind; the clip I saw is done entirely in Japanese with no sub-titles. I'm not fluent in Japanese so I may be a little off on the details, but I can certainly attest to what I saw.)...The following contains serious spoilers, so be forewarned.

The "film" starts with Ayeka, Ryoko, and the others of Tenchi's household seemingly plotting over candle-light something truly sinister.

...Cut to...

Tenchi and Sakuya are enjoying some quality "together-time" on a train. Their destination is Tenchi's hometown Okayama as is evident from the signs posted at the train-station terminal once they arrived. (perhaps this sequence takes place between episodes 8 and 9.) After the Tenchi Anniversary episode but before the Guardians of Old one) There is a celebration 'of sorts while on the train, as Amagasaki, Tsuchida, and the others are all enjoying sodas(sans hands), balancing plates on the ends of sticks, the works. It looked as though everyone was having a great time.

Tenchi steps away from her briefly and she is left to go to a nearby window to stare broodingly out of it. We see that even though she's lost in thought she's also balancing a plate on a stick just like Amagasaki and others were moments earlier.

After the title text or descriptor it cuts to "in-town" with Kione, Ayeka, Mihoshi, Sasami, and Ryo-Ohki, presumably plotting their foul deed to kidnap Tenchi. Ryoko isn't with them but that's only because she's elsewhere taking advantage of her abilities to get a better vantage-point of Tenchi and his whereabouts.

While Tenchi continues his friendly walk with his two best friends Amagasaki and Tsuchida, Ryoko and the others detonate a bomb underneath him that propels him high in the air. Once he lands Ryoko, Ayeka, and the others quickly pounce on the scene to scoop him up and carry him away. Sakuya gives chase in order to rescue him but is ultimately left empty-handed as the others fly mercilessly away with a kidnapped Tenchi high above the city in a transformed Ryo-Ohki.

Vowing to save him no matter what the cost, Sakuya begins exercising to get physically prepared for her eventual confrontations.

Later Sakuya, Amagasaki, and Tsuchida are all walking through the wilderness nearby Tenchi's house together in order to sneak onto the premises and set him free. Before they know it however, Amagasaki is caught victim of a booby-trap that hurtles him helplessly high in the trees.

Washu and the others are watching their hapless approach from remote and are not bothered by their unwelcome presence at all. Apparently they have planned for her eventual arrival.

After further conversations between Amagasaki, Sakuya, and Tsuchida, Amagasaki eventually manages to escape the first trap but is again caught in a second one which Tsuchida also succumbs. Sakuya is forced to carry on alone to her moment of destiny.

Meanwhile Ryoko, Ayeka, and the others, have stripped poor ol' Tench bare and are forcing him to bathe with them as well as scrub each other's back.

Once Sakuya eventually makes it to the Masaki household, she is dressed in an oversized poncho and loudly makes her presence known. The girls have now locked him at the top of an extremely large tower and are holding him captive.

Sakuya yells up to them from the ground demanding that they set him free, but they are unwilling to do so. Pushed beyond her breaking point Sakuya immediately rips off her poncho and is dressed underneath in full-military style combat gear...complete with a huge gun. She quickly rushes into the tower and faces each of the girls head-on in consecutive one-on-one battles till she reaches the top.

First up; Kione...she is dressed in a bunny-bikini outfit and hiding underwater in a nearby aquarium behind a giant octopus. Once Sakuya realizes she's there she throws a grenade and defeats her easily.

Next up; Ayeka, armed with a samurai sword dressed as a waitress and waiting in a large icy room filled with penguins. Again Sakuya tosses at her adversary a grenade and ends the fight right before it begins.

Upstairs in the next room she must now confront Sasami and Ryo-Ohki who are armed with chained weapons with blades attached at the end. Dressed as an airline stewardess and pilot, Sasami and her cohort Ryo-Ohki look especially evil. After wading through deep waters to get to them, Sakuya effortlessly tosses another grenade at them once they lunge at her and ends their short reign of terror.

Now more determined to make it to Tenchi than ever, she storms up to the next room and easily dispatches Mihoshi who is sporting particularly lethal looking "Wolverine" claws on each of her hands while standing on a merry-go-round.

With only one more floor left until she reaches Tenchi, in the excitement she begins chanting Tenchi's name repeatedly while mentally preparing herself for her most difficult fight yet...

There waiting patiently in front of a naked (except for a fan covering his private parts) Tenchi, both Washu and Ryoko give the young would-be rescuing smug grins. Wasting no time in long drawn-out dialog Sakuya tosses a bomb at them but is surprised to see that Ryoko easily catches it, taunting her.

The two aggressors make a wager...if Sakuya can beat them in a battle of their choosing they will let him go. Sakuya agrees to the terms. Much to her surprise both Washu and Ryoko pull out sticks with plates and challenge her to balance them as well...the one who can keep them up for the longest duration wins. Thankfully this is no problem for the young heroine, as she displayed her prowess with this particular sport on board the train with Tenchi. As expected, both Ryoko and Washu are not as good at balancing the dinnerware as their adversary and they lose the battle. Now free to claim her victory, Sakuya immediately rushes to Tenchi to let him down from his undignified bindings.

However, before she can do this Ryoko flies in between them, removing Tenchi's fan exposing his "privates" to the world. Washu is ecstatic, Ryoko is pleased, while Sakuya is not happy with their display of poor sportsmanship at all and summarily tosses several bombs at then presumably leveling the tower.

It next appears that Sakuya wakes up from a dream while on the train with Tenchi seated quietly next to her. When she attempts to tell him of her nocturnal fantasy she is surprised to find that Tenchi has been kidnapped by Ryoko and the girls "for-real". In an angry huff she flips them "the bird" before once again appearing up at the roof of the train fully dressed in her camo-gear and ready to fight...

And that was the end.

As I watched it, I became immediately aware that even though the events never really happened within the confines of the Shin Tenchi Muyo story-line...they could easily be tweaked to add in as a type of dream-sequence episode between episodes 8 and 9.

I would love to see this episode again in its original quality...or even subtitled...

If anyone has a copy of it that they are willing to lend me, please let me know. I would greatly appreciate it.

Anyway, tell me what you think. Do you think it should've been released with the regular series as a one-off episode...or are you happy that they never aired it. I'd be happy to hear from you.

Mary-Sue Syndrome...

2009-01-18T11:44:00.000-08:00

I apologize ahead of time...the term Mary-Sue will be brought up quite frequently in today's blog.

But before I start on today's topic; to each of you I hope the transition from the year 2008 to 2009 was a happy and pleasant one.

For me, nothing new to report...I stayed home, slept late, and had plenty of fun playing some really enjoyable video games...same old, same old.

All of this just recently had me thinking as I was trying to direct a brand-new Sakuya-themed music video.

Controversy, controversy, controversy...Some people like to think of Sakuya as nothing more than an annoying interloping Mary-Sue, and while I can indeed understand this viewpoint, I would be remiss were I not to at least explain my stance on the matter as to why I emphatically believe this not to be the case at all.

I think most of us who are familiar with anime in general already know what it means to be a Mary-Sue; but for those that do not I will briefly explain by stating...a Mary-Sue (or Marty Stu; when referenced to a male) is basically a negative term given to someone (anyone) believed to be portrayed as an un-flawed or needlessly perfect character.

That said Sakuya Kumashiro in a lot of ways on the surface would seem to be a natural front-runner for such a pessimistic category. After all she's smart, extremely forgiving, the all-around perfect girlfriend; and people seem to be naturally drawn to her. Like Mary Poppins; practically perfect in every way.

But is she really needlessly perfect, or even close?

It's funny how my opinion of things has drastically changed merely by the passage of time and by the commencement of my own ceaselessly advancing age. At 36 I see things differently than when I was 26, which in turn were poles-apart to my limited perceptions at age 16.

No, this is not a bashing on teens, and it is certainly not meant to demean those in their 20's. In fact I have quite a few close personal friends who fall within these narrowed age categories. I'm just pointing out how (good or bad) events in my life have colored how I perceive things in the field of entertainment over the years.

When people claim that Sakuya Kumashiro was portrayed as "too perfect", I can't help but see and recall her gaping flaws for what they truly were. She was a young woman with lots of emotional and mental turmoil. To me, that does not spell "Perfect-Lass". Honestly, from Tenchi's point-of-view she must've seemed like a very moody girlfriend with lots of emotional baggage. Frankly, with the startling realization that she may have had amnesia in episode 22, it harkened back to some shows I've seen on both cable and theatrically, where personal tragedies have caused much the same in memory suppression of one of the main protagonist's lives. When Sakuya learned she had no true memories of her past outside of Tenchi she really mentally shut down. She was an emotional wreck for a while, hardly someone I would waste my time labeling as a Mary-Sue.

In fact to name some of her more negative attributes so as to counteract those seemingly insurmountably positive ones I have to list them as follows; she's prone to massive bouts of brooding depression. She can be extremely needy and pushy at times. She is fixated on Tenchi to such an extent that it might be likened to stalking in some circles. She can also be painfully blunt. She also suffers from presumptuousness. She may not normally suffer from low self-esteem, but she certainly doesn't fool herself into believing that she's perfect either. Her admission to Tenchi regarding her faults when she caught him cavorting with Ryoko out in Station-Park can certainly be interpreted in one of two ways; she was either being manipulative and subconsciously attempting to give Tenchi guilt by stating her faults and his inability to overcome them, or truly felt that she was severely lacking in those departments and was being honest with him in a self effacing manner due to a sudden lapse of low self-esteem.

She was genuinely jealous of Tenchi's affections, familiarity, and closeness, toward Ryoko, and the others, even though he made no prior move to be associated with Sakuya as her boyfriend. "Whipped-much...?" In either case, these are clearly not the actions of someone remotely touting Mary-Sue-ismness. Not the least of which is the instance where she stood in Tenchi's way when he was contacted by Washu regarding a physical attack on his family back home. Majorly selfish...in this instance.

It reminds me of some fan-fiction I've read in the past. One of the more fundamental flaws of this particular medium whether they contain any legitimate self-insertions or not...is that there seems to be a case of real perfectionism in the new characters created by some amateur authors. Believe me, I'm not pointing fingers I've been grossly guilty of doing it myself also.

Case in point: I once created a character for a fan-fiction and inserted him within the Shin Tenchi Muyo Universe that was so "saccharin" that I practically needed insulin shots after each subsequent re-reading. This guy was nauseatingly perfect, and I'm sorry to say that I had not realized that I did this until my wife made casual mention of it. He was rich, knew over 9 different languages, a master chef, familiar in electronics theory, proficient pianist, artist, expert in the martial arts, really loved and respected by all in the group, and...yeah well...you get the point...This was Mary-Sue-ism at its finest, and I was sickeningly guilty of it. In fact, in case you were wondering his name is signed on the bottom of the Sakuya picture I posted in my last blog. Supposedly he painted that picture...sad (I shake my head in disgust) I never meant him to turn out that way, but in the end he was what he was...a Marty-Stu in every sense of the word.

So naturally after having said that, I have to say; Sakuya herself doesn't come off as being a Mary-Sue at all, especially when you compare her to the likes of the aforementioned character.

So then if she isn't a Mary-Sue...what is she? A type 4 relationship with Tenchi?

I guess that depends on who you ask. For me Sakuya was refreshing in that it was like having a window into the Tenchi Universe that I could relate to. An archetypal "normal" character, who was definitely at least mentally and emotionally on par with Ryoko and the others as far as her love for Tenchi was concerned, someone who may not have had any superpowers, but could at least stand on their own as a unique and intriguing individual. In a lot of ways, for us Sakuya fans she made the "Shin Tenchi Muyo" universe more accessible, and for a moment a little nicer for us normal folks to sit back, recline in our EZ-chairs and wonder what it would be like if we were to somehow step through the TV screen and share in their amazing adventures.

Let me know what your opinions are regarding Sakuya Kumashiro and her usage withing this controversial segment of the Tenchi-lore. I'd be happy to hear from you.

Sakuya the new protagonist

2008-12-31T12:27:00.000-08:00

Hi all. Thanks again for joining me for this amazing ride within the wonderful universe of Shin-Tenchi Muyo.

They say that all great movies start with an idea...and boy, do I have plenty of ideas for this young lady. During the years of my writing Sakuya related content, I've completed plans for a workable video-game franchise, a spin-off series starring her, and also a way in which to bring her back within the confines of the continuing comedic drama known as Shin Tenchi Muyo.

Personally I would love to see a new spin-off series starring her in it. And why not, Seina Yamada got his own series in Tenchi Muyo GXP, and I found him a lot less interesting?

Like Seina Yamada, Sakuya Kumashiro is also a character with tons of potential for a series. Not only was she interesting, but she was actually set up (albeit unintentionally) in such a way as to accommodate a so-called expanded-universe.
I won't get into the specifics of any of the storyline possibilities for fear of stepping onto one of my proposed story ideas for a series, but I can give an overall observation of what I saw in the cartoon that could easily be drawn from to create a series.

First off; Sakuya and to a greater extent Yugi, are very mysterious. For example, we know next to nothing about Yugi or her experiences up on Jurai prior to her rampage and being banished in that cryogenic tomb by queen Hinase and sent to earth. Likewise, Sakuya Kumashiro is also a clean-slate. The fact that she can't remember anything about a past, and the fact that she was hanging out with her 3 friends (Sugano, Matsuno, and Yoshinaga)at coffee shops and things before she even met Tenchi in episode 1 can easily be expounded upon without much difficulty.

That said; Sakuya is a character that works really well on an emotional level as opposed to on a physical one. So any series focusing on her would be wise to spotlight on her strengths as opposed to weaknesses.

Speaking of weaknesses, it might be a good idea to highlight those faults as well in order to underscore how much of an individual Sakuya has become since her initial inception and how she's not just another annoying "Mary Sue".

I remember from episode 10 of Tenchi in Tokyo (Ryoko's big Date) Sakuya admitted to him that she was hyper, didn't cook very well, and didn't have the best figure. During the events of the series (especially within the next 5 episodes) she had clearly expanded her repertoire of home-economics skills by taking presumably grade-school courses on gourmet cuisine, and we also got a brief glimpse of how she looked like in a bikini in episode 21(Real Friends), and to be honest, she didn't look half bad.

What stood out to me and is clearly demonstrated in this episode while only hinted to in episode 1, is that Sakuya has quite a few and is very close to her personal friends. When she was playing volleyball with them at the beach she had the happiest expression on her face which we didn't get to see very often.

Any series capitalizing on this aspect of her personality should focus on the fact that she does indeed have a life apart from Tenchi, and that she can quite possibly be very happy while living it. The series could explore mysteries of her past while at the same time serve to bridge this with the present and assumed disappearance at the end of the Shin Tenchi Muyo series. Me...I would focus at least the first few episodes on her reappearance, and how it would be possible. I would also juggle this with how she deals with the issue of Tenchi and whether or not she decides to further complicate his life by including herself within it. It could make for some pretty interesting drama.

I'd also like to see her dabble in professional photography, which was hinted at in episode 22 of Tenchi in Tokyo. That career alone could place her in numerous potentially hilarious situations if scripted right...aaaaaaahhhhhh...as I write, the ideas just seem to flow like water.

Well, that's all I have for now. If you have any ideas or suggestions for future story ideas that could involve the one time love of Tenchi's life, please let me know. I'd be happy to hear from you.

An Introduction

2008-12-29T13:43:00.000-08:00

Hello all. This is my first installment of my Sakuya Kumashiro weblog.

Usually on the internet I go by the tag of Darthbuert. (Pronounced Darth – Bert...to the uninitiated, the U being a silent letter) Some of you may already know me, may or may not have heard of me, or maybe even thought you did. But in any case I'm going to tell you a little bit about myself just to set the record straight, and so that you know a little bit more about me.

My name is Robert Alderson, I'm 36 years young and living happily with my lovely wife and two amazing children in what is commonly referred to by the masses as; beautiful sunny San Diego California.

I love to draw, write, play video-games, watch movies, and a myriad of other things that are usually animation or art related in nature.

Some of my all-time favorite things include Star Wars which you may have already guessed through my tag-name Darthbuert; Robotech - each of its 3 comprising segments though in varying degrees, Voltron (vehicle and lion), playing the Sims 2 and directing short machinima films, Shenmue, Mass Effect, Spiderman (and many other Marvel superhero characters) contemporary Jazz, CHOBITS, and yup you guessed it; the Tenchi Muyo series (all-three) which makes this the perfect time to segue way into the purpose of this weblog; Sakuya Kumashiro.

In talking with my wife over the years, it has been brought to my attention that I have a tendency to talk about this character a lot...and I mean a lot, every day, in fact. So I had to ask myself; why? Why does this animated female character mean so much to me, even after it's been so long since the series' initial release?

After much befuddlement and intensive contemplation on my behalf for over 3-years, I eventually figured out the reason for my supposed "fixation".

So why is Sakuya Kumashiro such an awesomely amazing character to me, you may ask? What was my finding? Simple, she represents innocence, purity of heart, and a viable venue as a creative outlet for me as an aspiring writer.

As some of you Sakuya fans may remember there was once a wonderful site named Sweet Sakuya Dreams, hosted by one of the nicest people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting over the internet; Mishi, (short for Michelle) which happened to be one of my all-time favorites sites. I frequented there a lot - daily and often submitted media for the site, to varying degrees of quality. I'm not too pleased (even a little embarrassed) by some of the drawings and stuff that I made of Sakuya, but hey...I'm no Anime drawing expert by any stretch of the imagination (and never pretended to be). Drawing anime is an art unto itself, and is surprisingly difficult to nail down if you're not accustomed to drawing characters in such a specialized way. I applaud any who are able to successfully pull it off because they truly have a remarkable talent.

That said; I had a blast while the site was there. It's all but dead now...the pleasant experience was spoilt by inconsiderate blokes that hacked her site just to be funny, and ruined everything. Since then, Mishi just never had the time to invest in bringing it back up; being a mother herself and starting a brand-new and awesome job understandably took highest priority. And honestly, in reading some of the fandom letters in the guest-book, she got hit by a lot of Sakuya haters. I still travel to the link from time to time in fleeting hopes that Mishi may someday decide to bring it back to life...but to no avail. It is all but dead.

Mishi...If you or Sherwin ever decide to visit this blog...I give you a shout-out right now. I appreciate the time and effort put into creating your site. It was a truly an awe-inspiring and humbling experience. You are always welcome.

Nowadays I frequent another fan-made site called Reflection, hosted by a really nice fellow named HDS. (His Devine Shadow) There I have posted several of my older fan-fiction (which have been totally revamped and improved to take into account my years of continuing writing experience since first penning) and a few newer ones I sprinkle in from time to time to keep my creative juices flowing.

Since my time spent at Sweet Sakuya Dreams I have completed 3 Sakuya/Tenchi related music videos, written and completed two workable movie scripts, planned out a television series, and have joined the Writer's Guild of America. Yeah, I've been really busy.

Speaking of which, it's about time I said adios for today.

Thanks again for spending the time to read my blog I really appreciate it.

Next time since my introduction is now over, I plan on getting into some of the actual meat of my Sakuya weblog...see you soon.