Customer Reviews

Jubei-Chan 2 - J2 - Vendetta

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The action and hi-jinks of Jubei-Chan 2 continue in this volume, though as might be expected things take a dark turn as Freesia ramps up her efforts to gain the Lovely Eyepatch. Freesia Yagyu is a conflicted character that so far seems to be resisting the charm Jiyu Nanohana usually casts over all those who come into contact with her. This is mainly due to the 300 year-old grudge she bears against the one person she feels has usurped her place as successor to the legacy of her father. At the midway point in this short thirteen-episode series she at last drops her guise as Jiyu's friend and reveals her hidden persona as the mysterious and powerful blonde swordswoman, resulting in an amazing duel that slides down a mountainside, over a cliff, and through the air in a leaping, swirling, and gliding ballet that is a marvel of fluid anamation. The end is almost literally a cliffhanger, leaving all of the main characters scattered, confused, lost, wounded, and otherwise incapacitated.

In case it sounds like unending action, there's still plenty of room for the strange blend of silliness this series is noted for, including a rather peculiar flashback to Freesia's forest upbringing by a cast of talking and singing animals that's right out of a Disney tale like The Jungle Book. This second series of Jubei-Chan shows somewhat more introspection than its predecessor, especially for its protagonist, the formerly ever-cheerful Jiyu who takes on a pensive and almost morose aspect here, as she struggles to resist wearing the Lovely Eyepatch and ever becoming the fearsome Yagyu Jubei again. As with the other discs, this one features quality anamation and sound, though it contains only three episodes. Somewhat fleshing things out, however is a cute twenty-minute extra called Shinkage Sword Lesson featuring Jiyu/Jubei-Chan's dimunitive voice actress Yui Horie taking a crash course in kendo at a local dojo.