Tenchi Muyo is a romantic comedy series in the vein of such other titles as Ranma 1/2 and Maison Ikkoku. It was originally the creation of Masaki Kajishima and Hayashi Hiroko and was first televised in the early 90's. There have since been two other series, a trio of movies, and an upcoming second OAV series, making it one of the most popular and successful anime series of all time. Each series appears to be distinct from the rest in that each of them follows a particular continuity and story. There are, of course, some things consistent with all of the Tenchi Muyo series.

The central story focuses on Tenchi Masaki, a young, ordinary boy leading a supposedly ordinary life in the countryside of Japan. Along with his father and his grandfather, Tenchi is responsible for maintaining and running the Masaki family shrine, as well as going to school and doing the housework. For just about all of his years alive, Tenchi has led an uneventful, normal life on earth. But all of that is just about to change, as one thing leads to another and Tenchi finds out that he is not entirely ordinary after all.

Part of the reason why Tenchi's normal life is disrupted is the introduction of several women into Tenchi's house, many of them there under circumstances beyond his control. Though they all live under the same roof and have very different personalities, they somehow are able to co-exist, mostly because of Tenchi's desperate attempts to keep them all together and the house in one piece at the same time! A space pirate, a princess, and a mad scientist are only a few of the unique personas that end up under the Masaki roof, and Tenchi must now deal with the stress of a more crowded daily life, several women who are after him, and the continually emerging question of his family heritage and who he really is.

While some of the series takes place on Earth in Japan, Tenchi Muyo also places its setting in space and the galaxy, adding an element of science fiction an already appealing recipe. Thus while the individual series of Tenchi Muyo are different from each other in some respects, the heart of the series and what makes it interesting is definitely preserved.