Fans of my Volume 1 reviews, stand at attention, rejoice, and testify, for we are here with reviews for Volume 2 of “Animaniacs” and “Pinky and the Brain,” the gorgeous collections for animations fans, and fans of the series. Guilty on both counts, suckas. So, for this time around, “Animaniacs” and its spin-off really seem to come into their own. Where as the first volume was more of them feeling their oats, the writing team really exercises the comedy for this go around, particularly with “Animaniacs.” For all the grief animation gets, “Animaniacs” is both a show for adults and children. While we have mallets, and anvils, we also have funny one-liners set to a “Moby Dick” spoof, and inside jokes referencing the likes of Groucho Marx, Milton Berle, and the great Madeline Khan whose own personality is reflected in an episode of Rita and Runt as they stumble on a Frankenstein scientist who looks an awful lot like the late comedienne a la Mel Brooks.

“Pinky and the Brain,” the more cerebral of the two series, is featured in the four disc twenty-two episode set, is much of a cogent and cohesive series with wacky jokes, yet priceless exchanges and chemistry between Pinky the mental defect, and Brain his brilliant partner. Thanks to all around top notch voice work from Rob Paulsen and Maurice LaMarche, this is one of the more under-appreciated spin-offs. Within the utterly hilarious dialogue (“Are You thinking what I’m thinking?”, “Sure Brain, calling it Poo Poo platter? What were they thinking?”), with elaborate plots of Brain attempting to take over the world are a worthy combination with rather humorous plots. One episode involves Brain entering a golf competition with celebrities and masquerading as Cher, while another episode involves Brain turning the Earth into a servant which then proceeds to bond with Pinky, and attack Brain.