There are many genres of anime exist that reflect all walks of life. One of these genres is martial arts. Tenjho Tenge which can be purchased here, created by Ito ?gure, known as Oh! Great, captures the essence of what a martial arts manga and anime can be. The manga ran from 1997 to 2010 spanning 22 volumes, while the anime had 24 episodes airing from April to September of 2004. Tenjho Tenge has paved the way for the modern day material arts genre and has influenced countless titles.
Tenjho Tenge’s plot focuses on two boys, Souichiro Nagi and Bob Makihara, who enter high school. This high school is not ordinary as students are forced to fight one another to determine who is the strongest. Souichiro and Bob, unknown to them, get into a feud with members of the student council who run the school. As a result both of them join the only club that stands up to them, the Juken club. As part of the Juken Club they are trained to develop their combat skills and energy/ki use while in combat. This ultimately leads to the Juken Club feuding with the Student Council, as both Clubs want to control the school. Unknown to the members of these clubs this feud has been going on since the Feudal Era and is slowly being settled as these two clubs clash to determine who is the strongest.
Tenjho Tenge has been the template for other material arts type anime for many reasons. The anime has a variety of fighting styles including sword combat and hand to hand combat. As a result, a variety of different situations are created as different fighting styles clash producing elements of unpredictability. Oh! Great, in Tenjho Tenge, utilized 2 major elements with his characters; fan service and traditional martial arts. These elements are on opposite sides of the spectrum and counter act each other. The traditional martial arts element of the show generates a level of seriousness, while the elements of fan service bring a comedic level to the series. Oh! Great combines these two elements giving his fans an interesting series to follow but also exposes them to traditional martial arts values in an untraditional and fun way.
Oh! Great, in his work Tenjho Tenge, which can be purchased here, combines two opposite elements into one anime creating a style for future works.
