At 10:33 AM 2/6/96 -0700, tenchi@usagi.jrd.dec-j.co.jp wrote:
>On Feb 5, 10:11pm, Gregory Wayne Matteson wrote:
>> Subject: More about Ryoko's jewels( 12&13 stuff)
>> WARNING: This is 12&13 stuff. If you havn't seen them,

>I've kind of lost track of how many jewels there are, how many
>Ryoko has at the moment, and how powerful she is supposed to
>be per jewel. I wish the editors had been clearer on the point.

According to "101 Secrets" Ryouko is equipped with three jewels, one in each
wrist and one in her throat.  With all three in place Ryouko is at least as
powerful as Tsunami.  It is interesting that after all this time Ryouko is
content to just run around with one jewel and even go into combat without
2/3rds of her power available.  It seems also that Tenchi-ken is using the
energy of the two remaining jewels to sustain the Funaho Tree and thus
sustain Youshou.

>Does Ryoko know she can create lighthawk wings? It's probably
>something she can do only when she has all the jewels, right?
>I get the impression that even Ryoko doesn't know everything
>about herself that Funaho and Yosho mentioned about her in
>their conversation.

I don't believe Ryouko is fully aware of how large her operating envelope
is.  Had she known her full capabilities and how to use them I don't think
Youshou would have been able to seal her in that cave.  Ryouko was stolen
from Washuu when she was still very young by Kagato who wouldn't have known
what his latest acquisition was capable of.  Had Washuu been able to raise
Ryouko over those 5,000 years she might, indeed, have capabilities far
greater than those she currently manifests.  It seems reasonable that Washuu
would have packed her masterpiece with every capability she could conceive
of.  "101 Secrets" also stated that Ryouko's body was not yet mature enough
to handle the maximum energy throughput the jewels were capable of
generating.  Having already attacked Jurai once I would think that the
Juraian Court would be greatly concerned at a fully mature Ryouko running
around the universe.

>
>If Grandpa really isn't old and feeble, and really is still
>the young and virile Yosho, where was he during the final
>battle with Kagato? Sending young and untested Tenchi up
>against an all-powerful archvillain seems a little unwise.
>Yosho knew that Tenchi had the power to defeat Kagato, but
>Tenchi certainly didn't and Yosho was depending on Tenchi
>to figure it out in time. In the event, Tenchi almost didn't,
>and everybody went through a lot of pain and grief.

This event is the standard trial-by-fire that every young hero goes through
in every mythology known to man.  The only way to really be sure you're up
to a challenge is to actually take it on.  Nothing short of that is really
convincing.

>I'm also puzzled by that scene in episode 7 where Ryoko asks
>Grandpa for permission to seek Tenchi's hand. Granted that it's
>a satiric scene in which Ryoko is going through the motions of
>a formal ritual she doesn't really understand, this is Ryoko
>and this is Yosho.

Youshou had forgiven Ryouko for her attack on Jurai.  In fact he's actually
grateful to her for giving him the excuse he needed to leave Jurai and his
responsibilities as Crown Prince.  In the fight with Kagato Youshou appeared
to know who Kagato was and that he had control over Ryouko.  He was also
reluctant to do any real harm to Ryouko and rather than kill her only cut of
her hand and released the jewel that Kagato was using to control her.
Perhaps Youshou realized even back then that Ryouko was not responsible for
her actions.  In the flashback to their first battle Ryouko had the blue
eyes that indicated that she was operating under Kagato's direct control.
Once resurrected Ryouko quickly reverted from a dangerous and destructive
oni to a lovestruck 17 sai girl who was after his grandson.  Youshou seems
to take some amusment from Ryouko as witnessed by his groping of her in OVA
ep #3.

>.Was Tenchi _expected_ to free Ryoko sooner or
>later? Did Grandpa know Ryoko was free as soon as it happened?
>And if he was expecting to see Ryoko with Tenchi, wasn't he at
>least a bit surprised to see Ayeka and Sasami show up, too?
>How coincidental was Tenchi's house being moved so close to the
>shrine (apparently with electrical and plumbing connections
>intact...)?

Apparently so.  Youshou had set up the Funaho Tree to send an alert signal
to Jurai in the event of Ryouko's resurrection. He also allowed Tenchi to
get the key from the cave from him.  Do you really believe that if Youshou
didn't want Tenchi to have that key  that there would have been any way
Tenchi could have gotten it from him?  Tenchi got the key after which
Youshou convenienty disappeared.  Plus he wasn't angry or surprised to see
Ryouko out and about and living under his roof.  Aside from the fact that
Ryouko would have found her own way out of that cave eventually Youshou saw
no reason not to use this locus of circumstances to see just what his
grandson was made of.   Apparently he expected the Royal Family to show up
as soon as that signal was sent.  The arrival of Aeka-hime and Sasami-chan
were undoubtedly a surprise.  Especially since Sasami-chan hadn't yet been
born when he left to chase Ryouko.  I do not believe the events depicted in
OVA ep #2 could have been predicted and allowed for.  Youshou may be as
manipulative as Gotou but even he couldn't have set all of that up.  Youshou
was also surprised that it was Mihoshi's (MIHOSHI!?) report that brought the
Royal Family to earth rather that his alert signal.  As for the relocation
of the house, the combination of Tenchi, Aeka and Ryouko is best kept well
clear of densely populated areas.  So far the score is one high school and
one suspension bridge.

Kyle