Like any sequel, Jubei-Chan 2 has both the opportunity of continuing the success of its predecessor and also suffers the inevetable comparisons with it. Unlike some reviewers here, I feel if you haven't seen Jubei-Chan, The Ninja Girl - Secret of the Lovely Eyepatch this second series won't make any sense and will only cause confusion due to its highly unusual mix of serious action and slapstick buffoonery. The set of four episodes included on this disc picks up almost exactly where the first series left off with little attempt at explaination of the setup or introduction for any but the characters new to this particular tale. Though several years passed between the first series and this, most character design and backgrounds remain faithful to the original, with improvements in the fluidity of the action scenes. Only the design of Jubei-Chan herself bothers me a bit; for some reason, her original Japanese voice actress has also been replaced by Yui Horie, probably best known here as the voice of Naru Narusegawa in Love Hina. ( As usual, I ignore the dub cast. )
In case you're really unfamilliar with Jubei-Chan, let me say right off that there are NO ninjas among the main characters who are best described as "swordsmen/swordswomen" or samuari. Any ninjas, such as there are, serve mainly as a sort of background comic relief. ( The original subtitle "The Ninja Girl" seems to exist only in the English version and to have been used for its "catchy-ness". ) Schoolgirl Jiyu Nanohana is the VERY reluctant reincarnation of legendary swordsman Yagyu Jubei. Unfortunately for her, Jubei created veritable legions of enemies and rival swordsmen while he lived, and now some 300 years later they're still looking to get even. Though in the first series Jiyu managed to exorcise one group of them from a rival "school" of swordsmanship, another clan has learned of Jubei's reincarnation and has journeyed from Russia to kill her: these are the Siberia Yagyu of the title. Complicating matters considerably is the appearance of another, deadlier rival, Freesia Yagyu, the recently revived 300 year-old daughter of the original Jubei, who is seeking to assert her own claim as her father's successor.
Merely stating the cast of characters, situation, and plotline of J2 fails to convey the essential wackiness of the way the story is told. This is so well-established over the expanse of the first series that to jump into this one would probably be a turn-off and leave anyone trying to make sense of the events very cold indeed. The entire story is littered with in-jokes and references to the first one that will be frustratingly meaningless to anyone who missed it. Though there are subtle ( and some not-so-subtle ) changes from the original, this is mainly a fun romp very much in the spirit of the original. There are obviously heart-tugs ahead for Jiyu and her "Fake Family", but if you liked Secret of the Lovely Eyepatch, the Counterattack of the Siberia Yagyu should please as well.
