I like Vol. 2, and when considered as part of a whole, it’s fine, but it can’t really be considered to be a great movie on its own. Pretty much every single iconic moment you remember from Kill Bill is from Vol. 1. Vol. 2 is more grounded, and more “regular,” really – the one highlight for me is the Pai Mei chapter. Also, the final confrontation with Bill is just too long, and not particularly satisfying, considering all of the ass kicking we’ve been presented through both volumes.
I’m not a big fan of Japanese dramas in general, but there are the occasional series that I like to follow, usually something that my wife has been really enjoying. I would include Trick and Jikou Keisatsu in that bunch, and now Atami no Sousakan. Atami is a new Twin Peaks-ish mystery produced by the same crew behind Jikou Keisatsu, sharing the same black humor, and Jo Odagiri as a star, as well some of the supporting cast (it also includes Kill Bill‘s Chiyaki Kuriyama). It’s pretty interesting so far (episode 4 just aired, of a planned 8) and my wife has been especially obsessing over it, to the point where she’s even examining screen grabs for clues or oddities (the images above show that a passport that has been issued in 2008 includes stamps for 2007). It airs Friday nights at 23:15 on TV Asahi.