Otaru and his Saber Marionettes have returned to save Terra II from the oppressive Faust. Bringing their usual arsenal of humor, light romance, and action, the group strives to entertain over another eight episodes. However, things aren't all well in this volume, as everything seems to slow down quite a bit.

Upon reaching Gartlant, Otaru and company find the country to be an industrial hell, where poverty and hunger are rampant. The crew's mission to sabotage Gartlant's main computer seemingly goes as planned, save one minor detail. Saber Doll Luchs had been watching the whole time, and disarmed every bomb the group had planted. Now, the group must form another plan to take the computer down.

After taking out the main computer, Otaru and company return home to a heroes' welcome in Japoness. Otaru's escapades have made him a major celebrity across the land. Because of this, Otaru and the marionettes must adjust to the new celebrity atmosphere. The group doesn't have very long to relax though, since Japoness comes under fire by another mysterious menace from Gartlant.

In just one moment, Faust regretted sponsoring the Digital Makeover computer program.	Baiko: kicking booty since her creation.

Personally, I thought that this arc to the series was the weakest overall. Most of the disc was filler or side-stories that could have been done away with without sacrificing any of the storyline. While a few story details are given, they could have also been dispensed through a story episode just as easily. While this arc is still very entertaining, several of the episodes seem to be nothing more than fluff to keep the episode count high.

On the technical side, Saber Marionette shines again. The video is vibrant, with no cross-coloration or aliasing. The sound is quite clear, with no dropouts of distortion.

In terms of presentation, Saber Marionette J serves up another plate of regularity. Along with three more character biographies and trailers, the set offers another edition of the "SMJ Music Circuit." This time around, VJ Lord Richard offers a tribute to Cherry, using clips of her to complement the ending song.

The packaging features a close-up of Cherry, accompanied by the logo. On the back is a description of the set's contents, and the special features. Along with the descriptions are several stills from the series itself. The insert features the cover art on the outside, and a piece of art featuring Faust and Luchs that accompany an episode list on the inside.

While the pacing of this volume has lost a bit of momentum, the show itself still remained enjoyable. However, I can only hope that things will turn back on track in the third and final volume to give a finale that sees this show off respectably.

Distributor: Bandai Entertainment
Creator: Sunrise
Released: 2000

Video Quality: B+
Audio Quality: B
Presentation: B+
Content: A
Overall: B+