By Masahiro Totsuka and Aguri Igarashi. Released in Japan by Square Enix, serialization ongoing in the magazine Young Gangan. Released in North America by Yen Press.
Once again, welcome to our love-letter to kendo. As this volume of Bamboo Blade shows, kendo allows you to do anything! You can use kendo to get better grades! Kendo can increase your self of self-worth! Kendo can distract you from the pain of your mother’s hospitalization? Why not try kendo today?
As lampshaded by the author, Bamboo Blade is not a series to read if you want to read about guys. Neither Yuji nor Dan get much development here, and that’s unlikely to change anytime soon. Dan is there to be Miyamiya’s morality chain, keeping her from snapping and killing everyone. (He really is quite good at it, sensing exactly when he needs to step in and cheer her up, and knowing just what to say. Acorn head aside, it’s very clear why Miyamiya’s love for Dan is not just a false front.) And Yuji… eh. Whatever.
But the girls, as usual, shine in this volume. Pay particular attention to Miyako. She’s under considerable stress here, having to deal with her rabid rival/stalker Reimi, who’s now going to all her meets armed with a camera and a leer. (Yes, that’s right, Reimi’s ‘hatred’ of Miyamiya is actually an intense crush… hands up anyone who wasn’t expecting that. Anyone? Bueller?) She’s still doing poorly in her matches, either letting her rage get the better of her, or winning by default due to not having an opponent.
And yet, she shows that she’s the craftiest of the bunch. Kirino’s plan to get Azuma interested in kendo again is good, but it can only go so far. What it needs are a few dark and foreboding threats. The amusing thing is that, despite her over the top dramatics, Miyamiya is exactly right. Likely just studying and having no life won’t help Azuma at this point; kendo teaches self-discipline, which Azuma desperately needs; and really, a kendo scholarship *is* probably the best way to get into college for her. Of course, Miyamiya also thinks that she’ll make a good slave, and starts ordering her to get juices and things. Aww…
As for the meet itself, it was cute seeing a small shy girl from the other school inspired by Tama-chan to continue kendo. Her resolve to stay or to quit wavers widely as the fights go on, just as you’d expect from a teenager, but there’s no doubting her adoration of Tamaki’s amazing kendo moves. (It helped that Tamaki was fighting Azuma, the only one in that room who’s even remotely near Takami in terms of ability.)
I also liked seeing the coach of the other team, who is a hard-ass slave driver to his team, and knows that that may not be the best approach to take, but is driven to do it anyway. It makes Kojiro think about his own coaching style, and how he’s pretty much been simply standing by and letting Tamaki’s presence force the rest of the team to step up their own game. It’s not a bad approach, but it’s made clear that he really should be doing more, and is spinning his wheels by being lazy.
This is one of my favorite Yen Press books coming out at the moment. Sports comedy with a strong female cast, and lots of great set-pieces. It’s not overly dominated by action or comedy. And it’s deeper than it looks, too. Highly recommended.
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