Tenjho Tenge Vol-3: Round 3 (2004)
Animation Production: Madhouse Studios
Released by: Geneon Entertainment
Running Time: 75 Minutes
By Jeffrey Couto

Introduction

Whew! Lots of fighting anime series have hit the Japan Hero Anime Labs this month! Today we took a look at the newly released Tenjho Tenge, which last time off ended in a very cruel cliffhanger as our heroes were pinned against the wall and the president of the student council finally made his entrance. To say that this was an evil cut off point for the DVD would be a major understatement, but also a testament to how good this series has been so far.

With volume three we conclude the bowling alley battle and move on to the next major plot stage as terrible secrets are revealed and new showdowns are setup

Story

"The head of the Executive Council has arrived and the Juken Club is in for some major schooling. During this time Aya begins feeling the true power of the Dragon Eye as it compels her to destroy her enemies. With this over-powering emotion, will Aya be able to retain her own identity? This is only the beginning as the age old conflict between Maya of the Juken Club and Mitsuomi of the Executive Council is brought to light. " -- DVD Box

Review

The third volume in Geneon’s release of Tenjho Tenge features episodes eight through ten in the series, which include:

Episode 8
Aya’s Dragon eye has awakened and in the process unleashed an unstoppable fighting machine that doesn’t pull any punches and in the end may push Aya beyond the point-of-not-return. Meanwhile Mitsuomi offers Bob the opportunity to train and fight by his side! Will he accept this strange, yet alluring offer?

Episode 9
Everyone is getting ready to flee the bowling alley but Nagi has just run into the Executive Council’s president and he’s not about to let him get away after he viciously beat up his friends. Mitsuomi thinking Nagi won’t be a match for him might end up surprised by his foe’s powerful innate power…

Episode 10
The past comes alive as Maya tells the Juken Club about her relationship with the student council president and the reason for the club’s animosity with this student body. Will they be shocked to learn about these past events?

With seven episodes into the series I was ready for some more advancement in the story and more importantly some cool action scenes that build on the plot points that have been made so far and that’s exactly what the episodes in this DVD deliver as we close the first major story arch in the series and open the doors to a new plotline that will bring together our characters in what is sure to be a very dramatic showdown in around 3-6 episodes after chapter ten.

Episode eight starts us off by picking up on the rooftop fight between Aya and one of the student council’s top martial artists. What started as a battle of wits and up-manship has now turned into vicious beating thanks to Aya’s attainment of the Dragon Eye, which allows her to see and react to events that are unfolding around her at a different speed than that of a normal human. Unfortunately what turns out to be good for her in terms of fighting ability also impairs her judgment and eats away at her conscience, which results in her becoming a no holds barred fighter.

This event becomes a major turning point for our heroine as it brings forth someone completely different from her, almost like a second personality that she can’t control. Thankfully Nagi is there for her and helps her control herself and understand the mindset of a fighter of the caliber she just became. Not only does this help her get over what just happened, but it brings her closer to her beloved Nagi, who despite his street-tough exterior is easily surprised and embarrassed by a kiss from Aya, a major first step for the two of them in their strange relationship.

Episode nine closes off this particular storyline and delivers an expanded view of the characters that we’ve seen take part in it, especially some of those who have had significant less screentime like Mitsuomi. This adds a surprising amount of depth to characters that we’ve barely come to know and accomplish exactly what they’re designed to do, which is to humanize these cast members. Seeing it all happen in the middle of an important and at times quite brutal battle between the president of the student council and Nagi as they trade powerful blows was just the icing on the cake! Great stuff here in all respects.

With episode ten we take a break from the training and battle episodes to focus on story/character development as the groundwork for the present animosity between the Juken Club and the Executive Council is explained. This view of past events put into perspective why things are where they are and why some of the players in this dangerous game are taking things so seriously. Some of the revelations, especially those about Maya, are unexpected, managing to surprise the viewer and prepare us for what is sure to be an all out war/duel between both factions to end this once and for all. The only real problem is that it all goes by so quickly that when the cliffhanger comes up you will be crying and screaming how unfair it all is to end this way! The wait for volume four will not be an easy one I assure you!

All together these episodes were the best we’ve seen in the Tenjho Tenge so far and they ramp up the plot and character development at a nice pace that proves addicting. The only real problem here is that with only 3 episodes in the disc it just goes by too quickly leaving you wanting more, a lot more. Then again if I was in the marketing department I would probably have chosen to take the same route so I can’t say I blame them for taking this direction with the content.

As with the last set of episodes production values are high with some rather impressive animation and visual effects. The frame rate is silky smooth and the color palette used heavy on the pastels with some incursions made into darker territory every so often. Visual effects are used mostly for special attacks and scenes (such as Souichiro running up the stairs from a first person perspective) and they merge seamlessly with the traditional two dimensional character artwork.

The soundtrack was as good this time out because it was just as clear and coordinated with what was happening on-screen as in the last volume's episodes. The opening theme continues to rock and now I definitely plan on picking up the OST for this show! The background music lacked any pieces that stood out or were memorable to any degree, but during the show it felt like a good fit. The voice acting was effective, especially on the original Japanese dubbed track.

On the DVD front this is a basic release with a small number of extras contained in the disc. These include previews for other Geneon anime releases and a small insert inside the box with more info on the release dates for the rest of the series as well. The video and audio transfers for this one were perfectly carried out with no noticeable issues. Subtitles were easy to read and well timed.

Final Thoughts

I continue to love this show and with this latest installment I think I can finally call myself a fan of the series as I find myself extremely hooked to Tenjho Tenge! With this volume things continue to heat up in all areas of the story and the character development ramps up with tremendous momentum. Like Baki the Grappler this is simply a can’t-put-down series.

Extremely recommended for all anime fans!

Jeffrey Couto