In 1999, Akitaroh Daichi and Madhouse introduced viewers to the soon-to-be hit series, Jubei-Chan: Secret of the Lovely Eyepatch. The series melded superbly choreographed swordplay, touching drama, and slapstick comedy into one convenient package. Unfortunately, everything seemed to end a bit too quickly for most viewers. Six years later, a follow-up to the Daichi's modern samurai comedy has finally come to fruition. Viewers are once again invited to watch as Jubei Yagyu rises once more to battle the evils of the world.

Okay, so I lied. The show isn't about the legendary Jubei Yagyu himself, but his successor: a middle-school student named Jiyu Nanohana (also referred to as "Jiyu-bei", or "Jubei" by friends and family). Jiyu is a special girl in the fact that, upon donning the mystical Lovely Eyepatch, she transforms into the living incarnate of the legendary swordsman. However, Jiyu is somewhat of an unwilling heroine. She would rather rid herself of this power, and the responsibilities tied to it. Unfortunately for Jiyu, fate has decided that she must once again assume the role of the legendary swordsman as a mysterious blonde challenger steps up to face the legendary Jubei Yagyu's successor.

At this point, Jubei-Chan 2's atmosphere can be be compared to Daichi's other samurai comedy, Tsukikage Ran. Very little is taken seriously, and everything is a potential setup for a gag. The fourth wall tends to be broken quite often, as several characters refer to the original season on several occasions. Outside of the references to season one, though, the story itself is actually quite simple , and fairly predictable at this point. Hints of what is yet to come appear through this volume's episodes, and encourage viewers to just take in the experience as it unfolds.

May the patch be with you, always. Cause I don't want it!	My patch is bluer than your patch, geisha-fodder.

Toshiro Masuda reprises his role as composer to deliver a sound that is both fresh and faithful to the original series at the same time. While much of the soundtrack can be filed under the "appropriate, yet forgettable" category, the thumping techno tracks that play through the action segments manage to rise above the prevailing mediocrity. The sole vocal theme in the show is "Kokoro Harete Yomo Akete," a catchy number performed by lead actress Yui Horie. The Japanese track sees a changing of the guard, as Yui Horie (Love Hina, To Heart) takes over the role of Jiyu (formerly played by Hiroko Konishi). The rest of the original cast, including Keiji Fujiwara (Kaleido Star, Mobile Suit Gundam: 08th MS Team) and Yuji Ueda (Fancy Lala, Chobits) makes a welcome return. The English-cast performance falls slightly short of "good" but stand within the realm of "tolerable." The problem lay not within the acting itself, but rather the casting choices. Many of the voices hired for the English dub do not fit their part, and come off as either too young or too old.

Fans of the first season may remember that the show could never stick to a single visual style. The same principle applies in the second season. Everything, from stick figures, to puppets, to even live-action sequences become fair game. The cast of characters is just as varied, and consists of members drawn in several clearly different styles. However, the art styles do not clash as one would expect. Instead, they mesh well with the show's wacky setting.

To present the show, Geneon has served up a simple, yet striking release that will undoubtedly catch an unsuspecting fan's eye. The release boasts a reversible cover, with Jiyu (in Yagyu Jubei form) as the featured character. Both covers feature a shot of Jubei posing in front of a stark crimson background. The back of the covers both feature an assortment of shots from the show, which downplay the inherent comedic elements of the show and place more focus on the show's action scenes. The first cover features a brief summary, an episode list, and a list of extras on the disc, which are missing on the second cover. The folks at Geneon have included a batch of goodies that both dub and subtitle fans can sink their teeth into. This time around, a set of alternate endings for the US trailer, a set of thirteen ending eyecatches, and a preview of the Jubei figure (from Yamato Toys) are present on the disc. The ending eyecatches are the most intriguing extra, as they are a collection of short animated skits that played at the end of each of the series' 13 episodes.

Even after a nearly six-year hiatus, Jubei-chan 2 has been able to get back into its pace without skipping a beat. While there is still room for improvement in some areas, Jubei-chan 2 is already shaping up to be a solid comedy that can surprise even those that think they've seen everything.

Distributor: Geneon Entertainment
Creator: Akitaroh Daichi
Released: 2005