Jubei

Jubei-Chan: Secret of the Lovely Eyepatch

13 episodes on four discs

A few centuries ago, the legendary swordsman Yagyu Jubei, on his deathbed, entrusted the "Lovely Eye-Patch," containing his prowess with the sword, to his follower Koinosuke, to give to Jubei's successor. Koinosuke would know the right person by the "plump, bouncy bon-bons." Jubei died before he could explain exactly what he meant.
Three centuries later, Koinosuke finally spots the bon-bons. They belong to Jiyu Nanohana, nickynamed "Jubei," who has just begun high school after moving from Tokyo. As she walks home though a bamboo grove after the first day of school, she is startled by Koinosuke, who insists that she wear the Lovely Eye-Patch. To get rid of him, she eventually agrees to try it on -- just once.
Unfortunately for Jiyu, once she tries on the eye-patch, she has no choice but to use it again and again.Whenever she puts the Lovely Eye-Patch over her left eye, Jiyu transforms into Yagyu Jubei II, a swordswoman of awesome ability. Yagyu Jubei's enemies have been waiting 300 years to seek revenge, and thus every day Jiyu faces a new swordsman eager to defeat Jubei. However, she doesn't want to be a fighter at all. She's much rather be just an ordinary girl, and she exasperates Koinosuke by leaving the eye-patch at home or throwing it away.

Koinosuke

Jubei-Chan: Secret of the Lovely Eyepatch* was written and directed by Akitaro Daichi. Daichi's other work ranges from the amazingly silly Elf Princess Rane to the horrific Now and Then, Here and There. Jubei-Chan, an eccentric blend of farce and drama, is much nearer the former. Most of the characters are ludicrous, from the dutiful, loyal but not-terribly-bright Koinosuke, to the "ruffian" Bantaro and his quasi-simian sidekicks, to the series of swordsmen eager to challenge Jubei Yagyu. One of the last looks like a deranged Mickey Mouse; another, "Tenchi Muyonosuke," is little more than a screeching scribble (fortunately, he's not around long). Jiyu, however, is consistently sane and reasonable.
Underneath the samurai/magical girl spoof is the more serious story of Jiyu and her father, Sai, a writer of samurai fiction. Initially he's presented as just another buffoon. As the series progresses, though, his anxiety to be a good father to Jiyu becomes increasingly important. In the final episodes, he becomes the central character as he struggles to free Jiyu from Jubei and the 300-year-old grudge that threatens her.

tenchi
Definitely not Tenchi Masaki

Although Jubei-Chan does get more serious in the second half, it's still liable to slip into absurdity at any time. Even at the most dramatic moments, Daichi often inserts a quick sight gag or wisecrack. These sudden shifts of tone can be disconcerting to those who prefer their genres straight, though I think this form of hybrid vigor is one of the strengths of the series.
Most of the males in Jubei-Chan: Secret of the Lovely Eyepatch are very much aware of women's chests, but nevertheless there's no fan service beyond occasional close-ups of those fully-clothed chests. Jubei's swordfights are intense, but they're also brief and bloodless. Jubei-Chan is probably okay for viewers high school age and older.

trio
Koinosuke, Sai and Jiyu

* The American edition is titled "Jubei-Chan, the Ninja Girl," but this is not an accurate translation of the Japanese. Jubei is not scruffy ninja trash.
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