For those who've read my reviews of Nuku Nuku Dash, know that the primary focus of the series was the adventures of an android female that had the brain of a cat but the advanced technology of an alien race. The series was kind of serious, in the end even resulting in death, but this one was more of the comedy centered style like Urusei Yatsura. As described in my review of Volume 1, Nuku Nuku is still a cat-brained androbot with awesome powers, and her closest associate is still Ryunosuke Natsume, although he's much younger in this iteration of the series. Nuku Nuku is the creation of Ryunosuke's father, Kyusaku, not a machine on the run. Mishima Industries is still the bad guy, led by Hell Mishima, and the time line is still in 2013 Maneki, Japan. The city is the testing ground for the company and occasionally a machine will go crazy, wreaking havoc on the populace. Here's a breakdown of the episodes on the second DVD of the TV series:

Episode 5: Nuku Nuku Is Touched! Futaba's First Love!
Life is back to normal in the small town as some more robots destroy the school during their testing phase. Mishima Industries latest scheme involves a book designed to subliminally control students and make them buy products the company sells. Nuku Nuku also has to learn and deal with Futaba's first crush, which is problematic since it's the clerk for the bookstore selling the Mishima book.

Episode 6: Nuku Nuku's Mid Summer Battle! Trap Of The Esper Girls!
Mishima, being the kind of swell company looking out for the best interests of the community, opens a hotel/water resort. Kyusaku sees the building as some sort of secret plot to control the Universe and tries to uncover the plot. He is thought to be taken prisoner but when all is said and done, Nuku Nuku's efforts are in vain since the hotel's singers have psychic powers (sort of) and refuse to let the hotel sink without a fight.

Episode 7: Nuku Nuku Goes Across Time! Proposal At The Bon Dance!
Nuku Nuku learns about how Ryunosuke's parents met and fell in love at a dance. The young man starts having nightmares about what would've happened if his father were actually the evil president of Mishima Industries. He and Nuku Nuku go back in time to convince his younger father to invite her to a dance (where he ended up proposing to her). Things get complicated and only Nuku Nuku can save the day with her powers, or can she?

Episode 8: Nuku Nuku And The Mystery Of The Universe! An Encounter With Michi-Michi, A Mysterious Life Form!
The continuing madness of the show then had an alien from outer space attacking the town by changing people into mice (of sorts). Nuku Nuku, being a cat girl, instinctively does her best to end the reign of Michi-Michi, who was not tied to Mishima Industries (in a surprise move by the show's creators). The show then spent a lot of time with the young female alien in love with a local (teacher).

I wasn't the biggest fan of Nuku Nuku TV 1 when I first watched it but I'd be lying if I didn't say that the series has just enough spark to keep me watching. This version of the characters and premise were somewhat less appealing to me than the Dash series because while I like comedy anime, the focus here seemed directed at a younger audience (without the subtle jokes that often accompany such shows for the older crowd). It had a few cute moments and I look forward to seeing future volumes in order to see if it gets better but overall, I think this one still gets a rating of Rent It.

Picture: The picture was presented in it's original 1.33:1 ratio full frame color, as originally released in Japan. The colors were a bit faded and there was some pattern noise but most of the time, the biggest limitation was the limited style of anime. The cartoonish nature of it all may appeal to some fans but the retro style of the animation may prove limiting. I didn't see a lot of other visual flaws but it really looked a lot older than it was.

Sound: The audio was presented with a choice of either a 2.0 Dolby Digital Japanese track (the original track) or a recent English dub. I liked the dub here more than the original track in terms of quality and sound effects but each had their own merits. The dynamic range was limited as was the separation between the channels but the audio fit the visuals quite well.

Extras: The extras were limited to a clean opening and closing, some trailers, and a paper insert listing the chapters.

Final Thoughts: If you're looking for a child's comedy, this one might suite you just fine. Keeping in mind the limited nature of the release, I've given it a rating of Rent It but I suppose it'd be okay for people to drink heavily to as well. The picture and audio were not exactly cutting edge and the animation itself seemed weak but fans of the Nuku Nuku Dash series may enjoy it somewhat more than I did.

Look at DVDTalk's Best Of Anime for other choices you might enjoy!