Copyright ©1999 Daichi Akitaroh - MADHOUSE / Bandai Visual

Followup to the previous review in EX 5.6:

This is a quick second opinion look at the second of four volumes, BASIC NINJA TRAINING. (But is Jubei really a "ninja" in the true definition of the word? I would have thought her to be...oh nevermind...)
JUBEI-CHAN: BASIC NINJA TRAINING contains the next three episodes (5-7), and the series starts to get into stride. With all the main players now introduced, these episodes are strongly linked and move away from the "boss of the week" formula.
While the Ryujoji clan keeps sending assassins to get the Lovely Eyepatch from Jiyu (or as her friends call her, Jubei), Jiyu also starts to work out her own feelings about her role. The first episode has a husband and wife team try to take the eyepatch for their own, and they even take hostages. The next episode concentrates on Shiro (who has a crush on Jiyu), who noticed that Jiyu as Jubei has a terminal weakness from the previous episode. His own feelings along with his family blood cause an interesting plot twist. Which brings us to the last episode in which Jubei faces her strongest challenge ever, along with a startling decision. This volume in general is a bit darker in some ways (the relationship between Shiro and his evil brother for instance), and more comic in others (like Koinosuke's attempts to train Jiyu and Jiyu's response to the whole matter).
One of the more likeable parts of the show is Jiyu herself. While around her are a menagerie of misfits and strange folk, she is a surprisingly mature and stable character. I found it easy to feel for her situation and her stance. Some of the humor was rather funny too, as the series now has enough behind it to make fun of itself as well.
The video production levels and quality remain at above average TV show levels. I found the DVD to be another good Bandai print, with the negligible exception of a couple of instances of compression artifacts I noticed in casual viewing (large pixelation in a dark scene). The menus are rather artistic actually, though the bonuses are kept minimal with quaint "Dating Tips" and the standard slew of Bandai trailers (although I did discover a cute secret option on the "Extras" page).
In all honesty the first volume did not excite me very much. While I enjoyed some of the offbeat comedy and respected JUBEI-CHAN's originality, I also felt like the story was in a simplistic holding pattern and already settling into a routine. This second volume softened these fears, as the plot starts to take advantage of the stage set in the first episodes and moves forward. A few of the gags can be very cultural or subtle, and I am sure some will whip over many people's heads. Overall though, this volume moved my personal recommendation to the series from HOLD to BUY. I have seen opinions range from "mildly interesting" to "rolling on the floor laughing," so I would encourage watching before buying, but those looking for a witty anime comedy should certainly give JUBEI-CHAN a look.

Released in North America by Bandai Entertainment, Inc.
Bilingual DVD, 75 minutes
English Dubbed / Japanese with English subtitles, #0971
$29.98
Available now in the USA
Where to buy