Tenamonya Voyagers

Starring:Tenamonya Voyagers
Studio: Bandai Entertainment
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
The first direct-to-DVD anime, Tenamonya Voyagerscontinues the outrageous-girls-in-space tradition of such popular properties as "Sol Bianca." Newly certified teacher Ayako can only find a job on the distant planet of Meldonia, at the school where a girl called Wakana has been given an athletic scholarship. But the school goes bankrupt, leaving the two women stranded on a remote world. As they try to find their way back to Earth, they encounter Paraila, a former boss in the Jaokai mob, a key force in the underworld of outer space. Paraila is wanted by the police for just about everything, and by the Jaokai bosses for trying to overthrow them. Ayako and Wakana soon find themselves dodging the attacks of hard-bitten policewoman Tatsue and the Jaokai hit squad.

Tenamonya Voyagerslooks great: the designers make effective use of stark images and bold colors to cover the limits of the animation. Unfortunately, the story doesn't make a lot of sense and simply stops at the end of Part IV, concluding that the fate of the three main characters is a question "only God can answer" and "for some reason, that's the end." Shouldn't the filmmakers know why it's the end?

Amazon.com

The first direct-to-DVD anime, Tenamonya Voyagerscontinues the outrageous-girls-in-space tradition of such popular properties as "Sol Bianca." Newly certified teacher Ayako can only find a job on the distant planet of Meldonia, at the school where a girl called Wakana has been given an athletic scholarship. But the school goes bankrupt, leaving the two women stranded on a remote world. As they try to find their way back to Earth, they encounter Paraila, a former boss in the Jaokai mob, a key force in the underworld of outer space. Paraila is wanted by the police for just about everything, and by the Jaokai bosses for trying to overthrow them. Ayako and Wakana soon find themselves dodging the attacks of hard-bitten policewoman Tatsue and the Jaokai hit squad.

Tenamonya Voyagerslooks great: the designers make effective use of stark images and bold colors to cover the limits of the animation. Unfortunately, the story doesn't make a lot of sense and simply stops at the end of Part IV, concluding that the fate of the three main characters is a question "only God can answer" and "for some reason, that's the end." Shouldn't the filmmakers know why it's the end?

Rated 13 up for nudity, violence, and occasional profanity. --Charles Solomon

Description

Sci-Fi comedy mixed in with giant robot action equals the outrageous feature Tenamonya Voyagers. Ayako, a new teacher, and Wakana, a student, both have to return home to Earth after their school goes bankrupt. They meet up with an unusual girl named Paraila and decide to make the journey together. However, Paraila is no ordinary girl -- she's a boss in the international crime syndicate known as the Jaokai. Or rather, a former boss... With both the police and the syndicate after her, Paraila continues her mad dash for Earth --dragging along poor Ayako and Wakana, who are now considered her accomplices.

Customer Reviews:

The wonderful voyage of space.......2005-04-10

This short series is quite wonderful to look at. To me, it gave the same episode length feel (how long it felt rather than actual episode length) as Gundam Wing at times. The four episodes or parts of this seem to last forever. In some parts, the animation seems shotty. The voice acting is good, however, at some parts, it seemed kind of dull. The events that the characters go through seem interesting. Overall this is a good series to watch once in a while. I gave it a four star because it just abruptly ends. But, that's how the series was, it just started out of nowhere, and it just ended. Just like the wind, you have no idea where to turn to. This series has plenty of familiar voice actors from other scifi mecha series. As a watcher of all anime, I recommend this to those who would like to try to find their own answers after watching this anime.

A really fun series, depending on your expectations........2001-04-04

I first saw this series at Katsucon, and for about the first 10 minutes I was ready to walk out (Just another boring mecha assault). But once the actual story began (about the three wacky girls trying to get back to earth) I instantly fell in love. Miss Hanabishi is a laugh and half, always feeling bewildered, occasionally reciting appropriate haiku, and generally bringing a ray of sunshine to the festivities. Everything is light-hearted and silly, and that's good enough for me. Sure, the plot basically disappears midway through episode 2, but it was just holding the show down anyway. Once they stop paying attention to the boring story about the police and the mobsters, there's more time to devote to our three plucky heroines being silly. If all you want is to have a good time, Tenamonya voyagers is right for you (Heck, just the opening credits, in which the cast is washed, dried, and turned into laundry will bring a smile to your face). No, there isn't an ending, but that's the entire joke. Nothing in this series means anything. It seems to have started out as a serious concept, but it ends us just as an excuse for the animators to screw around. And believe it or not, there are some really well directed scenes (of course, they're really well directed scenes of complete idiocy) Enjoy it as pure fun, or go find something more complicated.

Fun, but unfinished.......2001-03-01

Tenamonya Voyagers has all the makings of a great series. Likable characters, outstanding animation, a fun storyline, and hilarious humor. So why a mere 3 stars? Because Tenamonya Voyagers feels like a show that was supposed to be 26 episodes but got cancelled after 4. There is no ending and there are 4-5 plots that had yet to be tied up, and from all indications, this is the one and only DVD. There are many anime series that have told a good complete story in four episodes or less, Birdy The Mighty, Combustible Campus Guardress, Blue Submarine No. 6, just to name a few. So I don't see why Tenamonya Voyagers couldn't pull it off considering it was a joint venture between anime powerhouses Bandai, Studio Peirot and AIC. It's really unfortunate since there was a lot of potential.

A good Bandai flick.......2001-01-01

The first time I watched this I didn't know what to make of it. As I sat in theater 3 at the Nandesucon I thought this was an early 90's mecha flick. Past the opening scene I was suprised to find that it was actualy about three women who wanted to get back to earth. The characters are your average anime women, a tomboy schoolgirl, a ditzy teacher, and a renegade mech pilot. I have never been impresed with Bandai. I first knew them as the importers of Power Rangers, somthing that dwindled my respect for the company. This DVD does not have the best visual quality, but is much better than the static of Eat Man 98', for those of you who own it. Personaly I like this DVD, it has action, humor, and busty women. But most importantly I can watch it again, somthing I can't say for many anime series.