If you're into videogames at all (action ones in particular) then you have no doubt played Viewtiful Joe at some point in your life. The unique style of combat and artistic flare became an instant success among the gaming community and even though the series didn't start too long ago it has already received a couple more installments. In particular, fans of comic book heroes and cheesy kung fu movies were drawn to the wild characters and chopsocky antics. It should be no surprise then that we're now checking out the anime of the same name.

Originally airing in 2004, the Viewtiful Joe anime ran for a total of 51 episodes in Japan and has been broadcast here in the States on the Kids WB. The anime follows the game franchise, but there are some liberties taken here in order to make it work for this format. Capcom still has their hand in the show though so it's not like it's going to be all that different of a concept. A little while ago we checked out the first volume and now it's time to crack open the second installment.

In case you missed it the first time around, the introductory volume showcased the exploits of Joe and introduced us to most all of the characters. Joe is your average guy who adores Captain Blue's movies and drags his girlfriend (Silvia) to see cheap action flicks. Blue is a hero among heroes with a potbelly and penchant for spouting lame dialogue like it's going out of style. Anyways, one day Joe and Silvia are at the movies when something weird happens; they get involved in the action as the film spills into the theater. Silvia is kidnapped and brought to Movieland so Joe has no choice but to go after her and save the day.

Joe quickly finds that this world is much different from the real one. The only difference is that in this particular universe an evil empire named Jadow rules everything and Captain Blue gives Joe super powers. Joe finds himself with his very own "V-Watch" which allows him to transform into Viewtiful Joe. He spent most of the first three episodes experiment with his powers and defeating a boatload of Jadow's henchmen. This time around it's much of the same formula. Joe is still traveling the land like Caine from Kung Fu looking for Silvia and a good burger to eat.

The three episodes here are pretty good despite being dummied down Americanized versions of an anime. This time around Joe finds himself fighting ballerina Biankies while looking for something to eat. He then squares off against a cowboy Biankie and finds himself a new heroic sidekick known as Captain Blue Jr. They have pretty good chemistry so it looks like their partnership will actually work for the series. After that they find Captain Blue's ship, the Mach Six and really stick it to Charles the Bat.

The Viewtiful Joe series is filled with an incredible amount of cheese, but that's where part of the charm. Despite being an Americanized anime (which is something that I personally detest) I found myself laughing at the show and having a good time. The localization for the dialogue seems pretty sharp though the "hip" words tossed in seem out of place. I feel like I'm watching the old Ninja Turtles cartoon with the amount of "dudes" and quest for munchies tossed in. Diehard otaku will no doubt scoff at the presentation, but there is an audience for this show out there even if it's not quite the same release as the Japanese one. Only major fans of the game franchise will be able to really get into the show, which leaves everybody else being able to pass on this one with no regrets.

Viewtiful Joe is presented with its original 1.33:1 full frame aspect ratio that it was broadcast with in Japan. The picture quality is fine with a clean image, lack of aliasing, and no cross-coloration to speak of. The art style may take newcomers a little to get used to thanks to the gigantic heads and disproportionate lower body. The show also cuts corners during the animation process so things aren't as smooth as they could have, or should have been plus there's a lot of repeat animation. Still, this is a good looking show with a style all its own and a lot of fast action that will keep fans in viewtiful heaven.

When I mentioned that Viewtiful Joe has been Americanized I mean to say that the disc is presented with an English dubbing as the only spoken language. Needless to say for otakus this is a crying shame and something that can't really be overlooked. As it stands the English dub is still pretty good with some great voice work and decent enough quality, but a lot of the voices did get on my nerves. The disc also comes with English subtitles.

The second volume of Viewtiful Joe is pretty weak on the extra department. Of course it's not like the first installment was all that great either, but this time around the only features are some Conceptual Images and Character Profiles. Well, those and the three measly episodes loosely packed onto the disc.

Let's cut right to the chase; I really liked Viewtiful Joe. The show feels fresh enough that its content can "almost" surpass the disc's presentation. I'm looking forward to seeing where the adventures of Joe and Junior are taken, but with only three episodes on a disc and an English only dubbing I'm left with a bad taste in my mouth. This one deserves a rental if you're a fan of the show, but everybody else can probably just skip it.

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