Batten the hatches, bar the doors, and hide the children, because it's time to prepare for Bandai's second release of Geneshaft. This volume features our lovely protagonists going up and down on the shaft to hopefully stop a second set of threats to the Bilkis and crew. However, the million dollar question for this volume is, "Will Geneshaft deliver this time around or will it disappoint again?"

The content of this disc seems to have taken a step up from the first installment. The first two plotlines are actually quite good, and give interesting insight into the characters themselves. Also, it seems that fatigue is starting to do the Bilkis crew a lot of good. They don't exhibit the same level of bitchiness that viewers were treated to in the first disc. I personally found myself interested in how the characters reacted to the 21st century guests, in the second episode. Instead of taking time to know them and understand why they almost went extinct, the crew acts very standoffish, and cold. Maybe these futuristic beings are afraid of learning that they could be repeating the same mistakes, or maybe the 21st century visitors didn't believe in showers. Whatever the case, the end result is quite intriguing. The third episode gives some fun insight into the true colors of the "quieter" cast members, that's right... Ms. Jeans herself, Remy! Of course, everyone probably saw that coming since Mir has the "pretentious primadonna" stereotype, and Mika embodies the "grrl power" sector. It was only a matter of time before the two-face showed up.

Andre Toulin, eat your heart out.	Remy seems to be in the position she handles best: ego stroking.

Unfortunately, the disc isn't without its flaws. The introduction of the overly creepy computer expert only seems to muddle the story more and more as the series progresses. Why is she there, and why are viewers forced to watch her if she's only debugging the computer system? The world may never know. While there has been some improvement, Geneshaft still leaves a bit to be desired.

On the technical side, Bandai delivers another beautiful video transfer. The colors are vibrant with no trace of shimmer or artifacts. Cross-coloration and aliasing are nonexistent, as the disc itself seems to have no technical visual defects. The audio is solid, with no dropouts or distortion on either track. Unfortunately, it seems that the English audio has not improved much in quality, and can still be quite grating.

While the show itself is mediocre at best, that hasn't stopped Bandai from putting together another fine presentation. The packaging features a shot of Mir and Remy (who just so happen to be posing for the camera) with the volume title: "Halo" in the corner. The back features a description of the disc, an episode list, a list of extras, and a few screen shots from the show. Those looking for a different cover can rest assured, as this volume has a reversible cover that features Beatrice and everyone's favorite ventriloquist debugger. The insert features a bit more information with a return of the cover art and a DVD credits list. Inside is an interesting piece on the men and registers of the Bilkis. The disc itself features the requisite textless opening and closing, as well as a glossary of terms used and a small gallery of the secondary crew members on the Bilkis.

Things seem to be heating up from the lukewarm first installment. While it's not quite "spicy hot" yet, it's definitely getting better. Geneshaft is still has a ways to go to be above average, but it seems to be taking steps in the right direction.

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