Jiyu Nanohana is back for more adventures of trying not to be Jubei Yagyu! And this time, there's a rival.

Plot Summary
A year after the events in the first series, Jiyu Nanohana is happily spending ninth grade being a normal girl, with none of that transforming into a legendary ninja warrior business which followed her all of the previous year. This all changes when a Russian exchange student named Freesia joins Jiyu's class suspiciously around the same time that another ninja has appeared who also claims to be Jubei Yagyu the Second. This second Jubei proclaims Jiyu an impostor and demands that the Lovely Eyepatch be returned to her.

The Review
Akitaroh Daichi has a way with stories. Jubei-Chan 2 could easily have been a rehash of the first installment, but Daichi's sense of humor makes this series an entirely new experience, though you'll be sure to be reminded that it's a sequel. He wouldn't have it any other way.

Jubei-Chan once again provides an incredibly bipolar experience, split between frantic comedy and ninja action. Also once again, as different as these two aspects of the show are, Akitaroh Daichi makes it work. None of the comic relief - even when in the middle of an intense ninja battle - seems out of place or contrived. If you liked Jubei-Chan the first time around, you will absoutely enjoy this second installment. Added to the mix this time is a second lead in the form of Freesia, the Russian exchange student. The relationship she builds with Jiyu plays a very important role in the series, and gives it the dramatic touch that rounds out the show.

It is possible to watch this series without having seen the first, but watching the first before this one is highly recommended for two reasons. Secondary characters were introduced in the first series, and in Jubei-Chan 2, there are multiple times when the characters talk about their role in the first series. Literally. Akitaroh Daichi has self-referential humor down to an art form here.

While this is primarily a comedy, if you're looking for an action fix, you're also in for a treat. Daichi had said after completing the first Jubei-Chan that he thought the action sequences could have been done even better. In this series he had the chance to deliver even better choreographed action, and did so quite successfully. The action scenes in Jubei-Chan 2 would be right at home in a martial arts film.

If you're looking for a comedy with action in it, or an action with comedy in it, check out Jubei-Chan.