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 new series.

Things had ended nicely for Jiyu and it would have seemed that the troubles of the eye-patch 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 second volume of the show Freesia was kidnapped by the Siberia Yagyu in an attempt to lure out Yagyu Jubei. There was a huge battle with the mysterious blonde warrior (that we know is Freesia) and the group that leaves Jiyu injured and lost in the forest. Fortunately for her Ayunosuke decided to nurse her back to health so that she would be able to rejoin her family, wear the eye-patch and defeat Freesia. Sadly, things never seem to go as planned.

The third volume starts off with Jiyu soaking in an herbal bath courtesy of Ayunosuke. As she slips in and out of consciousness she dreams about Freesia being a normal girl and them being able to be friends. Once and for all she decides to give up the Lovely Eye-patch and a fate befalls Ayunosuke that is truly one of the most heartbreaking moments I've ever seen in an anime. This particular scene just proves how emotionally driven this show can be and instantly isolates it amidst the crowd of series on the market.

Bon is still healing up as well after his encounter with Freesia, but seemed to be in worse shape than Jiyu was. His wounds seem to be more emotional than anything since he can't seem to accept defeat at the hand of Yagyu Jubei. There's a nice little flashback to his youth that develops his character beyond just being a raving lunatic in sunglasses. Unfortunately for everyone involved, Jiyu's return isn't quite as expected and eventually leads to a series of events that end before they begin. Needless to say, the next volume should prove to be interesting in several ways.

Jubei Chan 2 is undoubtedly one of the most personable and creative shows I've seen in a long time and it certainly does its 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. This volume takes a step back from the action of the previous two and spends a great deal of time developing characters further and fleshing out the background of the series. There are several moments with some truly gut wrenching emotion that is unheard of in many shows.

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. In between all of the developmental tidbits and drama in this volume, these gags seem very out of place.

Jubei Chan 2: Revelation 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. 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 its 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 and a Character Design Gallery. There is also a little feature called Tea Ceremony Lesson hosted by Yui Horie (the voice for Jiyu Nanohana). It really doesn't have a lot to do with the show, but it's an interesting part of Japanese culture to learn the intricacies of.

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 isn't 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 get a great deal of fleshing out. Highly Recommended

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