The appeal and reviews of "Bamboo Blade": An anime that lets you enjoy the world of fencing

Bamboo Blade - A story of struggle and growth of a youth kendo club

"Bamboo Blade" is a TV anime series that aired on TV Tokyo and other networks from October 2, 2007 to April 1, 2008. It was based on a manga by Tsuchizuka Masahiro and illustrated by Igarashi Aguri, and was published in Square Enix's Young Gangan magazine. It was directed by Saito Hisashi, animated by AIC ASTA, and produced by Bamboo Blade Partners (Square Enix, JVC Entertainment, AIC, Klockworx, and D-Rights). It has 26 episodes, each 30 minutes long, and was loved by many viewers as a youthful school kendo story.

story

Kojiro Ishida, the advisor of the Muroe High School Kendo Club, is a poor teacher with no motivation and is worried about tomorrow's food money. However, one day, when his senior Ishibashi proposes a practice match for the girls' Kendo club members, he starts recruiting girls together with the club president Kirino Chiba and the new boys (Yuji Nakata and Danjuro Eika). Then, three new members join the club: Tamahime Kawazoe, the only daughter of the kendo dojo and a skilled kendo player; Miyako Miyazaki, Eika's girlfriend and a beginner; and Sayako Kuwahara, who has returned from being a ghost member. The club becomes lively as they practice for the match. However, the practice match deadline approaches with one member missing for the five players who will play in the group match. What is Kojiro's secret plan for the match? And what is the true intention behind the practice match? This is a youthful school kendo story that comically depicts the girls' growth through club activities.

Commentary

"Bamboo Blade," which begins with the catchphrase "I'll show you how serious girls are!", begins when Ishida Torajiro, the advisor of the Muroe High School Kendo Club, is approached by a senior student about a practice match for the female club members. Due to a lack of female members, Torajiro and club president Chiba Kirino and others begin recruiting new members. Kawazoe Tamahime, Miyazaki Miyako, and Kuwahara Sayako then join the club, livening up the club. With the long-awaited fifth member now in the mix, the girls finally take part in the Inter-High preliminaries and other events. It is a work filled with the sweat, tears, and laughter of youth.

cast

• Tamahime Kawazoe - Ryo Hirohashi
• Kirino Chiba - Megumi Toyoguchi
• Sayako Kuwahara - Sachiko Kojima
• Miyazaki Miyako - Kuwashima Houko
• Satori Higashi - Rina Sato
• Ishida Tiger Samurai - Katsuyuki Konishi
• Yuji Nakata - Daisuke Sakaguchi
• Danjuro Eika - Akira Ishida

Main Staff

• Original story: Tsuchizuka Masahiro (original story), Igarashi Aguri (illustration)
• Published in "Young Gangan" (Square Enix)
• Director: Hisashi Saito
• Screenplay - Hideyuki Kurata
• Chief Director - Tatsuya Igarashi
• Character design - Yukitomo Soryu
• Main animator: Yoichi Ueda
• Design Works - Yoshihiro Watanabe
• Braver Design - Masahiro Yamane
• Art director: Maho Takahashi
• Color design - Rumiko Suzushiro
• Director of photography - Tatsuya Nomura
• Edited by Seiji Morita
• Sound Director - Miwa Iwanami
• Sound producer - Toru Nakano
• Music: Kiyohiko Senba
• Sound production - HALF H・P ​​STUDIO
• Producers: Hiroshi Yoshida, Niyuu Oki, Tsuneo Takechi, Masaki Katagiri, Shigeaki Komatsu
• Animation Producer: Noboru Yoshida
• Animation Production - AIC ASTA
• Produced by: Bamboo Blade Partners (Square Enix, JVC Entertainment, AIC, Clockworks, D-Rights)

Main Characters

• Tamahime Kawazoe - A first-year girl at Muroe High School. Nicknamed "Tama-chan." The only daughter of a kendo dojo, she has kendo skills that even adults can't match, but she is quiet and naive. Her hobbies are watching special effects and anime. She is a new member who joined the kendo club after a certain incident.
• Kirino Chiba - A second-year student at Muroe High School, she is the captain of the Kendo Club. She goes by the nickname "Kirino". She is a cheerful, easy-going and easy-going mood-maker in the Kendo Club. She is caring and at first glance seems a bit airheaded, but sometimes she can be very witty.
• Kuwahara Sayako - A second-year girl at Muroe High School. Nicknamed "Saya." She was a member of the Kendo club since her first year, but she had a habit of getting depressed over small things, making her a ghost club member. Once she gets her mind set on something, she tends to go all out, and is trying to find something she can really devote herself to.
• Miyazaki Miyako - A first-year girl at Muroe High School. Nicknamed "Miyamiya." She acts like a rich girl in front of her boyfriend, Eika, but she also has a delinquent side (blackened). She is a new member of the Kendo club and at first she reluctantly attends club activities, but during practice she discovers the fun of Kendo (hitting people?).
• Azuma Satori - A first-year girl at Muroe High School. Nicknamed "Satorin." She has been practicing kendo since elementary school, and her skills surpass those of Kirino and Sayako. However, she is extremely clumsy, and for some reason she didn't participate in any club activities. Kirino and her friends invite her to join the kendo club, but...
• Torajiro Ishida - A male advisor to the Muroe High School Kendo Club. Nicknamed "Kojiro." A poor and carefree teacher. However, when he was a student, he was skilled enough at Kendo to win a tournament. After making a promise to his senior, Ishibashi, he begins recruiting new members and strengthening the Kendo Club.
• Nakata Yuji - A boy in his first year at Muroe High School. Nicknamed "Yuji-kun." He attended Tamahime's dojo when he was in elementary school, and is a childhood friend of hers. Although he is a new member, he is skilled in kendo and is the most respectable member of the kendo club, so he often ends up playing the straight man or commentator during club activities.
• Danjuro Eika - A boy in his first year at Muroe High School. Nicknamed "Dan-kun." He actually wanted to join the table tennis club, but since Muroe High School didn't have one, he was invited by Yuuji to join the kendo club with his girlfriend Miyako. He's a beginner when it comes to kendo, but he seems to have a talent for it.

subtitle

• Episode 1 - Bamboo broom and the hero of justice (2007/10/01)
• Episode 2 - Blade Braver and Lunch (2007/10/08)
• Episode 3 - Black and Blue (2007/10/15)
• Episode 4 - Pink and Blue (2007/10/22)
• Episode 5 - Muroe High School and Machido High School (2007/10/29)
• Episode 6 - Tamahime Kawazoe and the Late Takereiha (2007/11/05)
• Episode 7 - Sushi and Minced Meat Cutlets (2007/11/12)
• Episode 8 - Tama-chan and the Part-time Job (2007/11/19)
• Episode 9 - Kojiro and the Crossroads of Fate (2007/11/26)
• Episode 10 - Miyazaki Miyako's Melancholy and First Tournament (2007/12/03)
• Episode 11 - Animation and Dreams (2007/12/10)
• Episode 12 - The Circumstances of the East and Mei's Circumstances (12/17/2007)
• Episode 13 - Teachers and Students (2007/12/24)
• Episode 14 - Satorin's Determination and Mogyu Mogyu (2008/01/07)
• Episode 15 - First training camp and first bathhouse (2008/01/14)
• Episode 16 - Kirino's Absence and the Qualifying Tournament (2008/01/21)
• Episode 17 - Light and Shadow (2008/01/28)
• Episode 18 - The tournament and what happened afterwards at Muroe High School (2008/02/04)
• Episode 19 - Armadillos and Pangolins (2008/02/11)
• Episode 20 - Braver and Cinider (2008/02/18)
• Episode 21 - Tamahime Kawazoe and Rin Suzuki (2008/02/25)
• Episode 22 - Losers and Winners (2008/03/03)
• Episode 23 - Lies and Silence (2008/03/10)
• Episode 24 - Sword and Way (2008/03/17)
• Episode 25 - Kendo and what it brings (2008/03/24)
• Episode 26 - "And Then" and "From Now On" (2008/03/31)

Theme songs and music

• OP1 - BAMBOO BEAT
  • Lyricist: Eri Kawai
  • Composer: Koma2 Kaz
  • Arrangement - Koma2 Kaz
  • Singers: Tamahime Kawazoe (Ryo Hirohashi), Kirino Chiba (Megumi Toyoguchi), Sayako Kuwahara (Sachiko Kojima), Miyako Miyazaki (Houko Kuwashima), Satori Azuma (Rina Sato)
• ED1 - STAR RISE
  • Lyricist: Eri Kawai
  • Composer: Koma2 Kaz
  • Arrangement - Koma2 Kaz
  • Singers: Tamahime Kawazoe (Ryo Hirohashi), Kirino Chiba (Megumi Toyoguchi), Sayako Kuwahara (Sachiko Kojima), Miyako Miyazaki (Houko Kuwashima), Satori Azuma (Rina Sato)
• IN1 - Super Sword Squadron Blade Braver
  • Lyricist: Nagae Kuwahara
  • Composed by: Kotaro Nakagawa
  • Sung by: Shinichi Ishihara
• IN2 - Cinida's Song
  • Lyricist: Nagae Kuwahara
  • Composed by: Kotaro Nakagawa
  • Sung by: Shinichi Ishihara
• IN3 - FOR YOUR SHINE
  • Lyricist: Eri Kawai
  • Composer: Sadahiro Nakano
  • Sung by: Kirino Chiba (Megumi Toyoguchi)
• IN4 - SUNFLOWER
  • Lyricist: Eri Kawai
  • Composer: Sadahiro Nakano
  • Sung by: Tamahime Kawazoe (Ryo Hirohashi)

Review

"Bamboo Blade" is a very attractive work as a youth school kendo story. In particular, it is wonderful in that it depicts the joys and sorrows of youth through the sport of kendo. Below, we will explain in detail the appeal and evaluation of the work.

Character Appeal

The greatest appeal of "Bamboo Blade" is its diverse characters. The main character, Kawazoe Tamahime, is a top-class kendo practitioner who is quiet and naive, and her growth and change are central to the story. Each character also has their own unique charm, such as Chiba Kirino's bright and easy-going personality, Kuwahara Sayako's determination to break away from being a ghost club member, Miyazaki Miyako's dark side and awakening to kendo, and Azuma Satori's clumsy character. The way these characters support each other and grow is inspiring to viewers.

Story Development

The story is a very exciting coming-of-age drama, starting with recruiting new members for the Kendo club, and moving on to practice for team matches and challenges in tournaments. In particular, the story is cleverly developed to draw viewers in, including Kojiro's secret plan for the match and the true intentions behind the practice match. Each episode also depicts the growth of the characters and changes in their relationships, making it a very interesting story to watch.

Animation and Music

The animation is visually appealing thanks to AIC ASTA's careful drawing and realistic depiction of the kendo movements. The opening theme "BAMBOO BEAT" and the ending theme "STAR RISE" are sung by the cast, adding to the atmosphere of the work. In particular, the inserted songs "SUNFLOWER" by Tamaki Kawazoe and "FOR YOUR SHINE" by Kirino Chiba also play an important role in expressing the characters' feelings.

Ratings and Recommendations

"Bamboo Blade" has been highly praised as a youthful school kendo story. It has been especially praised for its realistic portrayal of character growth and human relationships, as well as the joys and sorrows of youth through the sport of kendo. Another appealing aspect of the story is the well-balanced combination of humor and emotion.

Here are some reasons why I recommend this work:

• Enjoy the growth of unique characters and the changes in relationships
• The joys and sorrows of youth are depicted realistically through the sport of kendo.
• A well-balanced story with humor and emotion
• Carefully drawn illustrations and attractive music enhance the atmosphere of the work.

"Bamboo Blade" is highly recommended for those who want to enjoy a youth school kendo story, and for those who like works that depict the growth of unique characters and changes in human relationships. I hope you will experience the sweat, tears, and laughter of youth through this work.