The second volume of New Getter Robo drags the series in a totally new and unexpected direction: the past.

The volume opens with each of the characters doing their own investigations into Saotome's world and the Getter itself. Ryoma's curious about the portals that the Oni keep coming through: his solution to the problem is to charge right through and kick butt; Hayato has begun to investigate what lies beneath the Saotome Lab and the origin of the Getter Rays: he's convinced that there's something hidden down there based on the surge of getter power in the previous fight.

All of this is placed on hold when the Oni attack again: it's not much of a battle for Getter One and, when Ryoma lays waste to the Oni, he takes the chance to push through the portal and into the Oni's home ground. This turns out to be a trap to force the getter to fight under Lake Biwa and what turns out to be one of the getter team's toughest battles to date. To make a long story shorter, the team pushes through their enemy in classic Getter style, eventually winding up in Heian Japan of all places.

Anime viewers keen on their Japanese history will note that this period is home to a number of Japan's most famous legends: the sorcerer Abe no Seimei and the warrior Raikou being the ones featured in New Getter Robo. Rather than depict the legends as-are, the series kicks it up a notch by equipping the samurai warriors with mecha to do battle against Seimei's hordes. Separated on their arrival, it's up to the Getter team to find one another, reunite the Getter Robo, and find their way back home.

This volume retains the high quality of the voice acting that the first volume was lauded for: the English and Japanese voice actors compliment and almost mirror their characters in a way that is generally uncommon in anime; however, when listening to the DVD on a surround system, it is simply louder: there is no 5.1 amplification for any of the audio and vocal tracks, which really a shame given that a heavy amount of sound effects is floating about the viewer.

The video is excellent, combining a retro style of animation with modern coloring techniques to produce something vibrant and new. The action sequences flow extremely well and there is little pixilation, even when viewed on a high-definition television or monitor. Additionally, when viewed subtitled in Japanese, the subtitles do not run over one another. A common problem with most super robot shows is that the volume of spoken dialogue exceeds the amount of available room to place the subs. Not so with New Getter robo: all of the dialogue is subbed properly and maintains its position.

Unfortunately, the extras on this volume are spartan -- the same textless closing as presented on the first volume is present, as is an audio clip for the "Roar" song that is presented in the first volume. Other than that, the typical Geneon previews are presented as DVD extras.

With its surprising twist in plot, entertaining characters, and new incorporation of ancient Japanese myth, Shin Getter Robo, Volume 2 is more than enough to satiate, or whet the hunger of any super robot fan.

Audio: A
Video: A
Extras: B
Overall: A