Jubei-chan: The Ninja Girl

Original Title: 十兵衛ちゃん - ラブリー眼帯の秘密
Romanized: Juubei-chan - Raburii Gantai no Himitsu
Literal:

Plot Synopsis

Three hundred years ago, Yagyu Jubei, greatest swordsman in Japan, all but destroyed a rival ninja clan. Since then they have survived in secret, plotting to avenge their grudge by conquering all of Japan. But Jubei foresaw this, and before he died, he created the Lovely Eyepatch--a magical item capable of bestowing Jubei's mastery of swordsmanship on the one chosen as his successor. Jubei's loyal servant Koinosuke was entrusted with finding this successor, the one who will be able to save Japan from an era of darkness.

Three centuries later, the somewhat weary Koinosuke finally finds that successor--Nanohana Jiyu (nicknamed Jubei by her single father), an average, everyday (anime) high school student starting at a new school. Except Jiyu wants nothing to do with a magical eyepatch, a 300-year-old curse, and a string of teacher-assassins--she's got her hands full trying to make it to the hot dessert shop in town and keeping her dad from working himself to death.

Then there are the Ruffians, a trio of incompetent tough guys with an empty-headed leader determined to show his love for Jiyu (and predictably terrible luck in doing so), and his romantic rival Shiro, a Kendo champion running from his family's dark past and evil twin brother...

Review

Rating: 4 / 5
Reviewer: Marc
Review Date: 2005-12-06

Depending on which particular scene you saw, you might mistake Jubei-chan for a light action series about a girl who develops superpowers, an off-the-wall cartoon, or even a family drama about a widowed father and his only daughter. In reality it's a bit of all of these things and then some, but what does it all add up to? Probably just a very weird, very silly junior high school comedy with odd flashes of seriousness... but if you ask me, Jubei-chan is genre-confused brilliance.

As many good things as I have to say about Jubei-chan, there's a lot to hate about it even if you can take the hyperactive silliness and don't find the whole affair juvenile and annoying. If the series' odd sense of humor isn't your thing nothing will save it for you, not to mention its penchant for springing serious moments out of nowhere. No, Jubei-chan is the kind of series that few people will really love and most will dismiss entirely--it's too odd to fall in the middle. Yet, while I usually don't think much of cartoony shows, I just can't say enough about how much I enjoyed this one.

If the comedy was all there was to it, by the second or third episode you'd be quoting one of the characters: "Get me out of this anime." But I was surprised (shocked, even) by the amount of drama that appears once it gets underway, and the comparatively serious ending is one of this series' strongest points. The plot is pure formula, yet in several scenes I wasn't quite sure how things were going to turn out, and toward the end it kept me guessing.

I was even more surprised how little the abrupt shifts between comedy and drama grated on my nerves. I think it's so crazy early on, and the drama so willfully incongruent, that the inconsistency and bipolar disorder somehow fit right in. It also refuses to take itself too seriously--even in the most dramatic moments there are subtle bits of humor relegated to the background.

Indeed, if ever there were a series that doesn't take itself seriously, it's Jubei-chan. Some gags are straightforward rimshot types, some are slightly more subtle, a bunch are only funny if you speak Japanese, and a whole lot are very cartoony physical/visual gags. Fortunately, much of the "Japanese" humor might be caught by an anime fan with a functional understanding of Japanese culture and the subtitles at least capture the existence (if not the laugh) in other parts. The series is also very self-aware and not afraid to break the fourth wall--for example, when some characters aren't important in a particular scene, they're drawn very crudely... and complain about it.

Somewhat ironically, it's the more subtle humor that kept me laughing. The best bits are practically throwaways: Under-the-breath comments, backhanded compliments, a variety of background visual gags, and (my personal favorite) clever randomness. The low-key, quirky little scenes that pop out of nowhere sprinkled throughout the series are my personal idea of comic brilliance. Take, for example, the ninja assassin "Francois," who poses as a publisher to sneak into Jubei's house. Rather than turning into simple situation comedy, this leads to a long, awkward silence while she and Koinosuke stare each other down over tea.

That scene is an example of what more than anything makes Jubei-chan so funny: Absolutely perfect comic timing. The timing is impeccable whether in the series of deadpan follow-up rebukes one of Jubei's classmates constantly mutters or the long, awkward pauses that break up the rapid-fire funnymaking elsewhere.

In addition to minor folks like Francois and her husband "Mick," a range of not-quite-formula characters make up the core of the series. The anachronistic Koinosuke, my personal favorite, combines samurai ethic, a pathetic situation, dogged determination, and a fascination with modern amenities to become one of those beleaguered and absolutely lovable weirdoes. Shiro, the would-be classic quiet stud, is fun-and-a-half, too. His obsessive expressions of love are almost creepy, he's too-easily duped by his loser classmates, and he's constantly getting unintentionally snubbed by Jubei, who can't even remember his name. His evil twin brother, Hajime, is a stark contrast--quiet, entirely serious, and an all-around creepy villain.

The heart of the series is Jubei (or rather, as she's quick to point out, Nanohana Jiyu). She could have easily been a vacuous ditz or another one of those characters: "I have no confidence in myself until I realize I'm special, then go save the world." Instead, she's... well, chipper, normal, and kind of real. She has a positive attitude and is cheerful in front of her dad and new classmates, but every time you think she's just blindly smiling through things, she'll drop a hint that she's paying way more attention than it seems. She doesn't appreciate having to deal with being the successor of a long-dead swordmaster on top of starting at a new school, but she's not nearly empty-headed enough to ignore all the mayhem going on around her, however much she'd like to.

Jiyu gives the series a solid center along with a lot of infectious spunk, and her dad, Sai, rounds out the picture. He starts out playing the part of a bizarre, sleep-deprived weirdo (with hilarious results), but he's an almost shockingly normal, mature, and generally likable single father through most of the series. The picture we get of Jiyu and Sai's home life is almost idyllic, but neither particularly sappy nor unbelievable. In a bit of turnabout, it's Sai who has to overcome his self-doubt, not Jiyu. Coming to grips with the pain that losing his wife brought on both his daughter and himself is handled sensitively and with as much seriousness as appropriate.

Seemingly at odds with the rest of the story, this emotional core manages to provide a counterbalance to the wackiness elsewhere. That, coupled with just a hint of realistically mature romantic desire for Sai, takes one of the most off-the-wall series I've ever seen and made me actually care about the characters.

The basic visual style of Jubei-chan is classic anime--cute, rounded character designs, relatively bright colors, and simple but crisp art. Some of the more serious scenes (and a few that could have been, but aren't) are rather dark, and on occasion set dramatically enough to be appropriate for more traditional ninja warriors. The character designs, while simple, are still surprisingly distinctive. There are a few extremely cartoony exceptions, but the most interesting are the Ruffians, who look less or more realistic depending on how serious they're being. Importance-based-art is just one ongoing visual gag of many, ranging from subtle to blunt SD slapstick.

The animation is quite smooth, and although the bulk of it is "wasted" on the cartoony stuff, there is some attractive character animation. There are also a handful of very slick ninja swordfights--smooth, fast, and well choreographed. The music, incidentally, runs from the perky end theme to the occasional dramatic drum flourish, but the driving drumbeats are the only memorable part.

There's no way a series like this could work without a skilled voice cast, and the Japanese actors are up to the challenge. The collection of colorful caricatures--the ruffians, some of Jubei's classmates, and some of the assassins--run the gamut from Sachi's dry monotone to Tenchi Muyonosuke's piercing screech. The handful of relatively serious characters--mainly the twins--are believable and would fit in a far more serious series. The folks somewhere in the middle hold the series together--Sai, Jubei, and Koinosuke. Thanks to fine acting, Sai and Jubei are remarkably believable most of the time, both as normal folks and in a few dramatic moments.

As for English... well, all I'm going to say is that this is the sort of series that's neigh-impossible to dub. Although the casting is decent and the effort valiant, there's only so much they could do. It isn't nearly as funny and loses a lot of what made me like the series as much as I did.

A quick recap: Jubei-chan is, in essence, a very cartoony, very Japanese, and very weird series that still manages to have something like a story, some drama, several extremely likable characters, and yet never lets the serious moments bog it down. The onslaught of stupidity is a bit too much in the first couple episodes, and it's too crazy for most people to get in to, but it's different enough that if, like me, it clicks for you, you might just end up loving it.

Related Recommendations

The sequel, Jubei-chan 2, aside, Dragon Half is about the closest thing I can think of to this series in terms of cartoony humor. Jubei-chan has more in common with Fushigi Yuugi, in that it's a mix of comedy and serious action, but with the proportions reversed. Jubei-chan probably shares the most in spirit with Urusei Yatsura--both series are very weird, very wacky, and yet have just enough plot and heart to keep you interested in the characters.

US DVD Review

The DVDs are simple but very nice productions. Each includes a Bandai-trademark extremely crisp video transfer, full opening and end credits on every episode (complete with alternating bilingual subtitles), a good subtitle track, and crisp, two-channel Japanese and four-channel English soundtracks. The silly-looking animated menus provide a few minor goodies--recipes and fashion advice from Jubei, Bantaro's dating tips, an art gallery, textless ending (there is no opening), and some TV commercials.

Content Guide

A few bits of mature humor and surprising flashes of violence account for Bandai's 13-up rating, which if anything is too strict.

Violence: 2 - A lot of semi-serious fighting, but almost nobody dies.

Nudity: 1 - Essentially nothing, but a lot of chest staring.

Sex/Mature Themes: 1 - Nothing past schoolyard romance, but a few mildly mature comments.

Language: 1 - The Ruffians are, well, a bit ruff...

Notes and Trivia

Yagyuu Jubei was a real character from Japanese history. He was rumored to be a sort of Samurai-Ninja in the service of the Emperor. Although there is no historical evidence of his having an eyepatch, it is part of his lore (the one he wears in popular art and stories is usually made from a sword guard). The legend of how he lost the eye is similar to the one given in this series, but Jubei passing his skills on through an eyepatch is unique to this anime. If you're interested, this page has some information on the historical figure (Wikipedia also has a brief biography).

Availability

Available in the US from Bandai on four individual hybrid DVDs or a box set combining them. Was originally available on four subtitled or dubbed VHS volumes.

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