As one tale in Japoness history ends, another begins as Otaru Mamiya and his Saber Marionettes once again rise to keep the world safe from certain doom. This second installment in the Saber Marionette universe introduces a new face to the cast that will teach Otaru and the gang a valuable lesson about life itself.

This saga in the Saber Marionette series manages to hit all the right notes in terms of its pacing. Rather than trying to rush through an extended story, this six-episodes OVA series tells a simple tale about growth, responsibility, and loss. Rather than base the story around the established cast, the staff decided to center things around Marine: a mysterious marionette that possesses a maiden circuit that is not unlike the other sabers'. Viewers follow Marine as she matures and unknowingly teaches the rest of the cast about various parts of growing up, such as puberty. However, at the same time, a crisis of catastrophic proportions is approaching Terra II. Furthermore, someone seems to be after the strange marionette, and intends to keep her out of the public eye by any means possible. The fate of the world rests on the shoulders of Marine, but will she be able to handle the burden?

Saber Marionette J Again (Again henceforth) manages to feed the craving that was likely left by the open end to the first series. Because it is technically "Episode 26," everything takes off where the first series ended. Taking a page from its prequel, Again begins on a cheerful note, but becomes progressively darker as the story draws closer to its conclusion. The marionettes show immense growth over the span of the series as Marine unknowingly teaches them about puberty and emotional development as she herself grows and changes.

Meet Marine, the newest resident of Otaru's household.	Lime's doppleganger is anything but pleasant and perky.

Being an OVA, Again benefits from a larger budget than a standard television series. As a result, the show benefits from a drastic visual upgrade. The animation has a noticeable increase in quality with more fluid motions and better in-between work. Most of the major cast from the first series has shown little change in their overall appearance, and only receive superficial improvements in their character designs. The most drastic changes are saved for the characters from Gartlant. Faust and the Saber Dolls have undergone drastic design changes, trading the Nazi-themed clothes for more casual designs. A vast improvement for the most part, these changes give the Saber Dolls more individuality than they had in the original series. The design for Marine, the newcomer, fits into the Saber Marionette universe but is quite different from the other characters.

Aurally, Again mixes the best tunes of the original with a selection of new pieces created for the OVA. Many of the most enjoyable tracks in the original Saber Marionette J were carried over for this release. These older tunes mesh well with the new pieces and further reinforce any feelings of familiarity. The new pieces are fitting, but not exactly memorable. The pieces achieve the desired effect without becoming a detriment to the viewer's overall experience. Megumi Hayashibara (Lime) contributes another stellar opening for this release that, while upbeat, has a thoughtful aura about it that complements the overall tone of the series well. Each episode of the series features a different vocal ending sequence that is performed by one of the female leads.

Saber Marionette J Again proves to be a fun bridge between the first series and the third. With a similar pace and atmosphere, Again delivers more of what fans of the first series love while providing a decent "jumping in" point for newcomers.

Distributor: Bandai Entertainment
Creator: Sunrise
Released: 1997

Plot: A
Character Design: A-
Animation Quality: A
Music: A-
Overall: A-