Review of Jubei-chan: Secret of the Lovely Eyepatch (1999)
The retainer of a dying kendou master promises to find a successor. It takes about 300 years before he runs into the right girl. She is gifted with the Lovely Eyepatch, a relic that makes her an instant master when required. She has to use it quite a lot, since the kendou school defeated by the old master in his final battle is still holding a grudge. The girl balances fighting off bizarre enemies with making friends and keeping her family (i.e. her dad) mentally patched up in regard to a certain grave misfortune.
A production marked by apparent artistic insecurity: It’s a comedy, a tragedy and a magical-girl action show, visually poor and plagued by several annoying seiyuu. It starts off funny, but the humour is dumbed down and excised over time. There’s an ambience shift, and that shift never succeeds. The show becomes a melodrama, unrealistic and fatally undermined, yet the pacing suggests that the audience ought to be getting involved. A pretentious failure overall, but do watch the first half.
References here: A Tale for the Time Being (2013).
moving picture Japanese production animation fiction series magical girl