Jubei-Chan was a popular anime back in 2000, but has been untouched since the series ended. Now, five years later, director Akitaro Daichi has returned to the show that made him one of Japan’s best. Jubei-Chan 2 still possesses many of the characteristics that made the original popular, and there is no reason that the sequel shouldn’t be just as much of a success.

In the original series, we were presented with the historic figure, Jubei Yagyu, a legendary Japanese swordsman. While he was able to defeat all enemies in life, death was not one of them, and we meet him on his deathbed where he informs Koinosuke, his assistant, that he will pass down his abilities through his eye-patch, which should go to his successor. His only request is that the person chosen have huge… er… bouncy bon bons, if you catch my drift.

Back in the present, we meet Jiyu Nanohana, a typical eighth grade student who has recently transferred to a new school. After a few miscommunications, Jiyu becomes Jubei-Chan and accepts the mystical eye-patch, inheriting Jubei Yagyu’s powers. This leads to many, many interesting battles.

Jubei-Chan 2 picks up sometime later, with Jubei-Chan as a junior in high school. Apparently, many years ago, Jubei Yagyu chased his enemies into the Siberian regions, where many were killed or frozen. But global warming is melting the ice up there now, and a woman by the name of Freesia (original…) emerges to take the eye-patch, which she believes is hers. Go figure: She has this weird idea about being Jubei Yagyu’s daughter. We also learn that Jubei-Chan no longer wants anything to do with the eye-patch and has cast it off. But with new enemies arriving, she realizes she needs to use the powers she has.

Koinosuke has been replaced by his pint-sized son, but besides that the show feels very similar to the original. The fight scenes are all very fluid and great looking, with a good mix of action and comedy. There is a slight recap of sorts for new viewers, and although it does a good job of introducing everyone, you still get the feeling that there is other stuff that you should know about the characters.

Visually, Jubei-Chan 2 looks much like its previous installment. The show is very colorful, with nicely drawn and animated characters – you are almost able to feel the fights as they take place, they seem so real. Both audio dubs are fairly good, and I’m beginning to think that Americans dubs in general are getting better. However, the Japanese audio has that power behind it that the American dub just can’t match. Hearing a scream in a Japanese dub has a more powerful effect than its American counterpart.

Jubei-Chan 2 is a very interesting show that fans of the original will definitely love. And new viewers shouldn’t stay away just because it is a sequel; the show is pretty self-explanatory and should be easy to catch up on. B+ (Show) B (Disc)