One of those responsibilities is the resolution of a 300-year-old feud with the Ryujoji clan. The current head of the clan is Hajime, the scheming brother of school kendo champion Shiro. Hajime sends assassins after Jubei, hoping to realize an ancient plan to rule the world "by the sword," but under the spell of the lovely eye patch, Jubei dispatches these attackers handily.

Jubei has mixed feelings about the situation, as she does about the romantic attentions of the elegant Shiro and the gleefully "unrefined" Bantaro. She's more interested in checking out the local dessert shops and cooking for her perennially distracted writer-father.

Jubei seems poised to become the next Usagi, the star of Sailor Moon. Both characters are cute, cheerfully dim schoolgirls who acquire superpowers in spite of themselves, then fight to insure the good guys win. Unrated: Suitable for ages 13 and up for violence and occasional sexual humor. --Charles Solomon