Tsukigage Ran, Vol. 2: Shocking Secrets (2002)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Directed by Akitaroh Daichi

Features:

• Production art gallery
  
• Liner notes
  

Dindrane's Anime Warnings:

• in vino veritas
• Mistaken identity
• Irritating cat girl as a model

Released by: Bandai
Region: 1
Rating: 13+
Anamorphic: N/A; appears in its original 1.33:1 format

My Advice: Rent it

In this new installment in the Carried by the Wind saga, our heroine, the master swordsperson ronin, along with her benighted sidekick Meow, must find the answer to the mystery of a series of thefts. Meanwhile, a modeling agent has his eye on Meow...is he on the up-and-up? Ran doesn’t think so, but she’s so busy clearing her name of the mystery robberies that Meow just might be on her own.

One of my pet peeves is the old, tired mistaken-identity storyline. The second episode of this disc revolves around Ran and Meow being mistaken for some criminals in the area; the episode, however, managed to be amusing and almost interesting without being totally irritating. The third episode with its kite-bearing man is just rather silly, overall. The action is always fun to watch, but Tsukigage Ran isn’t supposed to be a serious samurai title like Rurouni Kenshin, so the fight scenes shouldn’t be the best thing about the title. The humor is just too weak and cliché to make anything else work.

The audio and video are both quite good here. The transfer gives us bright colors that aren’t too garish, and the artistry is solid enough to please. The sound is equally good in both languages, and even the battle scenes were clear and crisp.

The star of the features list this time is the hefty series of liner notes that truly help viewers be cognizant of more about the show, such as details on feudal Japan that might otherwise remain unappreciated. Would that more titles would include this feature, which is relatively inexpensive to produce. The other real extra is the production art gallery that includes some nice notes along with the art.

Overall, this is a series that could be interesting and funny, but just isn’t quite. This disc was overall a bit better than the first installment, so I will look forward to the next disc in the hopes that this improving trend continues. I just wish Daichi would be more funny and less goofy. Check out this volume and see if the humor works for you; it won’t matter that you haven’t see the earlier episodes. If you like it, great. If you don’t...wait with me to see if the next volume speeds up the improving trend.