Law of Ueki: Friends and Enemies (vol. 2)

Reviewed By: Carla Land

Geneon DVD

Review based on 1 disk (episodes 5-8)

Rating 13 up

What it’s (basically) all about: Ueki is back with his power to turn trash into trees. This second volume continues the adventures of junior high student Ueki and his quest to obtain the Talent of Blank. He makes new friends and gets a powerful enemy- one too creepy to write off just yet. Ueki is now out to win the Talent of Blank, but at what cost?

Nitty Gritty: This volume is more of the same stuff as the first. It is starting to get a little more intense though, as the competition gets harder and Ueki is faced with some tough choices. In the 7^th episode, he goes up against a new foe who is literally the face of evil. Robert Hayden is the exact opposite of Ueki, and his heartlessness can be creepy. He also has this habit of laughing like a crazy person and staring at people without blinking, which only adds to the creepiness.

Also in episode 7, and thanks to Robert Hayden, Ueki’s sponsor Mr. K is killed. He saves Ueki’s life during the battle, and, since that is not allowed, he is dragged to the Underworld (but not before he takes Robert Hayden with him.) Because of this, Ueki gets a new sponsor, and also becomes emotionally engaged in the tournament. In an effort to be more like Mr. K, and prove his own righteousness is true, Ueki is now determined to win so that no one evil (read: Robert Hayden) gets the Talent of Blank.

Than language was pretty mild and the violence during the fighting is pretty mild as well. The psychological aspects of the show are more intense, especially when Ai is screaming at Robert Hayden to not kill Ueki, and Robert Hayden is just laughing manically.

Special features include clean opening, DVD credits, and previews for Shakugan No Shana, Gun Sword, and Tetsujin 28. All of the previews are teen appropriate.

Survey says: This should be fine in your teen sections of the library. Younger audiences may be too creeped out by the Robert Hayden character.

Personal Ad: Did I mention that Robert Hayden was creepy? I couldn’t have been more pleased than when Mr. K drags that kid into the Underworld. I still like this show, even though it can be ridiculous at times. Now that Ueki is emotionally involved instead of being blasé, things should get even more interesting.