The Show:

Five years after production on the original Jubei Chan series ended a sequel was made and is finally going to be seeing the light of day here in the States. Sitting in the director's chair again is Akitaro Daichi whose artistic touch helped mold the beginning adventures of young Jiyu Nanohana and the Lovely Eye-patch. Daichi had gone on to direct Now and Then, Here and There as well as Fruit Basket after his work on the original Jubei Chan, but it seems only fitting for him to come back to the series.

If you are familiar with the original you will be delighted to know that this follow up essentially picks up where the thirteenth episode of the last left off. Much of the same art techniques are used and even the zany humor we've come to expect makes its return. Some new characters are introduced and more familiar ones will make their appearances, even in this first volume.

Things had ended nicely for Jiyu and it would have seemed that the troubles of the eyepatch were left behind her, that is at least until a blue eyed blonde comes to town. Freesia has more going on underneath her golden locks than she lets on and adjacent to her arrival is that of a blonde with a blue eye-patch claiming to be the true successor to Yagyu Jubei. It's quite blatant that the two are the same even before you learn more about her character, but our lead characters don't seem to notice.

In the first volume of the show Kita Furo of the Siberia Yagyu shows up and tries to take down Jubei for the sake of revenge. Jiyu struggles with the conflict inside of her regarding the Lovely Eye-Patch and forsakes it after a fight with the blue eye-patched Freesia. The child of Koinosuke slips away with Jubei's eye-patch and Bancho teams up with Shiro to continue the whacky Lovelies Group.

The second volume starts off with a family trip to the city but it Jiyu and her father aren't alone since Freesia and Mikage tag along. The Siberia Yagyu come to town and kidnap Freesia but instead of fighting she uses her captivity as a way to lure out Yagyu Jubei. There is a ton of character development in this installment of the series and the three episodes here are just as good if not better than the first four.

Jubei Chan 2 is undoubtedly one of the most personable and creative shows I've seen in a long time and it certainly does it's own thing. The vastly different art styles play off each other here very well most of the time though sometimes the real slapstick stuff is extremely out of place. For the most part the trio of episodes here are chockfull of action and the more serious art style that makes this show fantastic looking. If you're a fan of swordplay and the original Jubei Chan series there is an abundance of stuff to love in this volume.

I have to admit that while I enjoyed the first Jubei Chan, I was never too big on the whacky humor and visual gags that ran thick through the show. I did however love the characters and overall story that was presented, so I kind of tolerated the madcap attempts at making me laugh. This new series is much of the same, with strange jokes and over emphasized reactions to situations although the jokes are arguably less funny this time around.

The DVD:

Jubei Chan 2: Vendetta is presented with an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and has received some anamorphic widescreen treatment. The transfer is extremely crisp, clean and looks absolutely gorgeous with vibrant colors and fantastic art design popping from the screen. This is undoubtedly one of the better looking anime that I have seen in 2005 and features a marvelous transfer.

I particularly enjoyed the artwork in Jubei Chan 2 and the sequel is just as marvelous with some of the finest designs around. My only gripe is that the bits of whacky humor detract from the overall look of the show with crudely drawn characters and repeat animations. Though there seems to be less of that in the second volume than in the first. Overall though, this is a great looking show and receives a marvelous DVD transfer.

Jubei Chan 2 is presented with English and Japanese 2.0 soundtracks and some optional English subtitles tossed into the mix. Both tracks are equally good and the overall audio quality for this show is very crisp and clear. As is the case with some anime there are voiceovers on both audio tracks that could have been better, but for the most part nothing got on my nerves too much. The musical direction for the show is also another feather in it's cap with some very catchy and dramatic tunes.

While this disc does include a couple of extras none of them are really worth while. What we have here are previews for other Geneon anime, a JP Cover Gallery and a couple pieces of artwork. There is also a cute feature called Shinkage Sword Lesson hosted by Yui Horie (the voice for Jiyu Nanohana). It's a funny little instructional video with various sword maneuvers and a couple of jokes. I liked this feature a lot and it's nice to see something like this put on an anime disc since many series stick with clean openings and impersonal features.

Final Thoughts:

I'm definitely enjoying the new adventures of Jubei and the fact that this is an actual sequel with a continuing story that involves the characters from the original is a big bonus. Many times "sequel shows" take a different spin than the original and don't wind up being as good, but that doesn't appear to be the case with Jubei Chan 2.

After five years, seeing Jiyu and company again feels just as good as it did the first time around, though the production qualities are definitely superior this time around. The story has more emphasis on plot and action than humor and the video and audio quality on the DVD are very good with the visual aspect really standing out. Even though there are only three episodes on this disc and the season is a short one the characters and plot are advanced very well here despite lack of play time. Highly Recommended.

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