Journey back to the age of the samurai, where clans of ninjas fight an unending battle for power and riches with each other. Caught in the middle, of course, are us regular folk. So who we gonna call when the fight comes to our town? That would be Jubei, the reluctant, yet heroic star of NINJA SCROLL. This DVD is the second of the NINJA SCROLL TV series, so if you're unfamiliar with the series or the original movies, go check out those reviews right now! Then we'll plunge headfirst into the world of Jubei and those wild freaky ninjas.

EPISODE 5 The Diamond Child - In the dead of night, would-be thief Tastunsako enters the village elder's home. However, he is totally inept, easily caught, and thrown out of the village by the town's ninjas. An arrogant Tastunsako is approached by a Kimon ninja - Aizen - who tries to recruit him for the clan. Meanwhile, our intrepid group runs into a stone-like Ninja - Zamba - who engages Jubei in a fierce fight. In the resulting confusion Tsubute swipes the Dragon Stone and bolts! Jubei sends the others to safety, and faces down the giant Zamba. Tsubute meets Tastunsako on the road, and the fledgling thief manages to steal the Dragon Stone! After a quick retreat from two wandering warriors, Tastunsako and Tsubute wind up on Tastunsako's farm. Turns out he's not really cut out to be a thief - it's just his way of helping support himself and his little sister Yayoi. But Tastunsako hides a great secret, which Aizen hopes to exploit for the Kimon clan. Can Jubei stop Zamba and reveal the Kimon's plan before all is lost?

EPISODE 6 Shelter From the Rain - In the pouring rain (again), Jubei is passed by a mysterious flute-playing stranger. It is a disguised Kimon assassin; a ghoulish mummy creature - Heita - whom Jubei exposes and apparently defeats, although a scratch from the monster poisons our hero! Worse, after Jubei leaves to find shelter, the Heita's eye inserts itself into another traveler's mouth and possesses the unfortunate man! In a deserted house, the sick Jubei finds a mother and her son also sheltering from the storm. The woman - Sen - knows some first aid and tends to Jubei. She and her son Tzkuma are on the road carrying a dark secret, which may soon decide the fate of Jubei. However, more travelers find the house to get out of the rain, including the possessed man. Utter chaos ensues as Heita attacks Jubei, possessing new bodies when Jubei slays each host. Can a sick Jubei stop the body-switching Heita, and will Sen choose to follow her duty or her heart?

EPISODE 7 Blossom - Raining again. The female plant ninja Azami returns to steal Jubei's half of the Dragon Stone (she previously stole the first half in Episode Four), but this time she is aligned with the assassin Kawahori, who controls bats. They attack Dakuan, Shigure and Tsubute and cause no small bit of trouble until the trio is rescued by Jubei's timely arrival. The next day, Jubei tries to give the Stone to Shigure, but she is not ready to admit she's the Light Maiden. Dakuan offers to hold onto the Stone, for Jubei, who amazingly accepts the offer. Of course, Dakuan soon loses the precious when he's ambushed by Azami. Jubei goes in pursuit, while Kawahori double -crosses Azami hoping to get the Stone for himself. Between a vampire with razor-sharp wings and a crazy tree-witch, it's going to take all of Jubei's skills, and a little luck, to reclaim the Stone.

EPISODE 8 Fate of Rengoku - Two mercenaries hired by the nearby town search the mountain pass for a mythical monster rumored to be lurking there, and soon discover it's the Kimon assassin Rengoku. Rengoku has been waiting for Jubei, who killed her lover Jashi back in Episode 3, so she makes short work of the mercs. Meanwhile, the Kimon high lord is presented with the half of the Dragon Stone. It's revealed the Stone is the key to a great treasure sought by all the ninja clans. Jubei enters the pass and s attacked by Rengoku. He dispatches the bitch, but her ability to stitch body pieces onto her grotesque body allows her to continue her assault. After Jubei defeats her again, Rengoku is offered a deal from a Hiruko priest; in exchange for the Stone, he will give Rengoku the means to utterly destroy Jubei. Rengoku agrees, and this may mean it's the end of Jubei!

NINJA SCROLL VOLUME TWO continues the excellence from the first series - good characters, interesting stories, and lots of blood 'n guts action! There's less of an emphasis on the good guys this time around, with the main storyline not moving forward much, but the themes and choices made by Jubei and his fellows this series will definitely affect the outcome in the series' concluding volume. The villains, especially Azami and Rengoku, are given decent backstories that add a lot to their characters - they're not just 'freaky ninjas'. It's a testament to good writing that each character has his or her own uniqueness, which keeps the stories fresh, even though you know Jubei's gonna kick their ass. Speaking of which, I must say Jubei is just about the coolest hero ever - it doesn't matter how perilous the situation is, Jubei is still 'The Man'. The animation is very good by TV standards, and the soundtrack by Kitaro is excellent. There's no lulls in NINJA SCROLL VOLUME TWO, so be prepared to watch a roller coaster of intrigue and action!

NINJA SCROLL VOLUME TWO has only a few extras on the DVD. Besides the obligatory web links and trailers, there's a short feature on the creation of the cover art and an art gallery. There are interviews with the producers as well, but they're not subtitled! A storyboard-to-feature comparison piece for four sequences is also included. The picture quality is excellent with bold color and very detailed backgrounds. Audio is excellent with the Dolby 5.1 option pounding out the speakers.

Like its predecessor, NINJA SCROLL VOLUME TWO stays true to the excellence of the original movie. If the third series continues this trend, and no reason to think it won't, NINJA SCROLL could go down as one of the best anime series in history! Yep, it's that good.