Bamboo Blade discussion thread

[something]

Hmm no thread for this yet it seems.

ANN (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=8455) entry.
Official (http://www.bambooblade.jp/pc/) site.
Schedule (http://cal.syoboi.jp/tid/1242/time) for airing dates and times on various stations.

Thoughts about episode one will go in a reply to this post.

Note
As usual, please try to follow these two easy forum courtesy habits when replying:
1) If you're the first person to post about an episode in any given week, please respond to the root post (this post) and indicate in the subject line which episode you're posting about.
2) If someone has already posted about an episode before you, please respond to that post (or a relevant reply to that post). Keep in the right subthread.

Thanks.

[something]

Episode 1:

- I rather like the designs. The first girl we meet is the cute blond Chiba Kirino, who seems to be the only member left in the kendo club. The club adviser is a somewhat apathetic looking teacher named Ishida Toraji. Kirino asks him to spar with her, but he's too lazy.
- Ishida-sensei is clearly having his own troubles at home, where he lives alone and is totally broke. After looking over his dismal finances, he looks at the shinai in the corner and decides to unwrap it and practice a bit. He then proceeds to lift it over his head... and put it straight through his light fixture.
- He heads out to meet the person he talked to on the phone. Seems like the guy supervises a kendo club of his own, and he offers Ishida a bet...
- ...Which leads Ishida to suddenly take kendo very seriously, as he seeks to bring the strongest fighters together.
- A couple guys hear the ruckus and ask to join... and he beats them up and sends them off saying he only wants girls to join XD
- Mmm, so Kirino isn't the only one. The third years have quit because of tests and graduation upcoming, but there are a couple more second years already in the club. They just don't show up much I guess. She's telling this to a boy who wants to join (she managed to stop Ishida from scaring this one off).
- Ooooooooooh! Tamaki has the same seiyuu (Hirohashi Ryou) as Alice from Aria! Oh god please let her say dekkai at least once. I looove her <3
- So, Kiriha suggests they find competent members by throwing stones at people and seeing if they can bat them all away on instinct. Ishida says this is a stupid idea just as a baseball, football, tennis ball, and a professor come flying towards them. :sd: Tamaki expertly parries them all with a broom, and then keeps walking by. Ishida begs her to join, and she says, "Not interested." But he isn't about to give up.
- Tamaki goes home... where she seems to live in a kendo dojo o_O She's also beating the crap out of all the older guys there who are practicing against her. She doesn't even break a sweat.
- Her father asks her why she doesn't join the kendo club at school. He's happy that she is strong at kendo, but he wants her to have fun as well. She doesn't seem to "get" why she should try it.
- The boy from before (Nakata Yuuji) shows up with his friend again (Eiga Danjuurou) and Kirino is eager to get them to join. Ishida is too, for another reason: he asks Yuuji if he has a girlfriend and if he can get her to join. :sd: Yuuji doesn't, but to their amazement, short weirdo Danjuurou does :sd:
- Once Ishida finds out Yuuji practices at the same dojo Tamaki does, he REALLY wants him to join. He sees his inside contact at getting a hold of Tamaki...
- And argh, I really hope someone garrotes Danjuurou. His name is too long too, and since I don't like him I'm not gonna type it out (unlike, say, Suiseiseki or Deianeira). So now he's just DAN.
- Yuuji tried to invite Tamaki into kendo in middle school, but she was no more interested then. For her, kendo is like doing chores. She does it because she's asked to, and just happens to be incredibly good at it.
- Yuuji asks Ishida why he wants Tamaki so badly. Then Ishida tells him about the bet... if his team wins, he gets free sushi for a year. :sd: This kind of completely selfish motivation doesn't really entice Yuuji to try too hard to make Tamaki join >_>
- XD!! The next day at the school dojo, Dan is set to bring his girlfriend in. They wonder about what kind of girl she has to be to date... that thing. Then finally she arrives... AND SHE IS HOT. And Yuuji and Ishida realize how unfair this world is. Miyazaki Miyako!
- Geh, there's two lumps of human failure. One guy Toyama, is looking for his phone. When another student comes up and realizes he took Toyama's by accident, he hands it back and apologizes. Instead of "thanks", Toyama punches him. ...Dick. Seems he and his lackey are members of the kendo club, the second years that never show up.
- Yeah, I hate Dan but I think I hate this douche even more. He's angry at the world for no good reason, and heads to the dojo, taking it out on Dan.
- Just as Tamaki is dragged to the dojo by Kirino. :sd: Yessss, Tamaki, bring divine retribution down on that loser!

Ah! We have to wait until next week for it I see. She walks up, states her name, and joins the club on the spot. Oh god please let her beat the shit out of him. The fact that he's not listed on the character page makes me hope that he runs off with his tail between his legs and doesn't show up again, but we'll see.

[ndm]

I haven't been keeping up with what new shows are coming out, so I was totally caught by surprise when I found out this was one of them. I found the Bamboo Blade manga surprisingly enjoyable, so this is a series I might watch. The girls have a good mix of personalities, especially the delinquent girl and how the quiet girl really likes anime.

In case anyone cares, my very brief review of the manga was originally posted here (http://www.animeondvd.com/forum/showtopic.php?tid/14983/post/483779/hl/bamboo+blade/fromsearch/1/#483779).

[HitokiriShadow]

Hmmm... harem meets Kendo. I approve this concept.

The character designs are nice all around (aside from Dan who is just weird). Kirino is a fun character, Miya-Miya is cute but seems to be the kind of character that scores high in looks but low in anything else that generally matters in life, but Tamaki is awesome and more than makes up for her.

Kick their asses, Tama-chan!

I like. I think its safe to say I'll be continuing to follow this show.

Damn, now I'm following about 12 different shows and there are still a couple I haven't gotten around to watching yet.

[lorddream]

I watched the first episode of Bamboo Blade yesterday, and I liked it enough to want to continue watching. (Why am I still checking out first episodes when I'm already interested in more shows that I realistically expect to be able to follow? :sd: )

Episode 1:
- So, Kiriha suggests they find competent members by throwing stones at people and seeing if they can bat them all away on instinct. Ishida says this is a stupid idea just as a baseball, football, tennis ball, and a professor come flying towards them. :sd: Tamaki expertly parries them all with a broom, and then keeps walking by. Ishida begs her to join, and she says, "Not interested."

Kirino was cute in her dedication to kendo and her oddness. That scene was one of my favorite moments in the episode. :neko:

I was a little disappointed at Kirino's reaction to the loser beating up Danjuurou at the end of the episode ("I have to go look for the teacher" ?) I suppose it made sense -- and was necessary for the plot -- but I would have liked her to be a bit more pro-active.

I found the lazy kendo teacher amusing, and I'm looking forward to seeing what Tamaki will do to the loser now that she's joined the club.

[Conri]

I'm glad this got made into an animation...first episode and some intriguing comments made me check out some of the manga, which looks like a must buy. I read somewhere that this might be 25 episodes. If that is true, I hope the studio makes it work despite only having six volumes to base the show on...

Hmmm... harem meets Kendo. I approve this concept.Unless the anime deviates, you'll probably be disappointed about the former.

The girls have a good mix of personalities, especially the delinquent girl
I hope the anime does a good job with my favorite character. :D

[ndm]

Hmmm... harem meets Kendo. I approve this concept.

It's not a harem series, it's really a comedy/sports series.

The character designs are nice all around (aside from Dan who is just weird). Kirino is a fun character, Miya-Miya is cute but seems to be the kind of character that scores high in looks but low in anything else that generally matters in life, but Tamaki is awesome and more than makes up for her.

Dan is intentionally weird looking. :P Don't discount Miya as a character yet, she's great.

[HitokiriShadow]

Hmmm... harem meets Kendo. I approve this concept.Unless the anime deviates, you'll probably be disappointed about the former.

I suppose harem wasn't quite the right word. "A bunch of girls" might have been better. I guess harem implies romantic tension with some male lead, which I really don't give a shit about at least in this case. I'd much rather see romantic tension between the girls (like, say, Kirino x Tamaki, that would be awesome) than with some dumb guy. That's not to say I'm inherently against heterosexual pairings or male leads, but lets face it, 99% of the male "leads" in these types of shows aren't worth paying much attention to or really caring about. Hey look, its generic harem lead #23,981 *yawn*

[HitokiriShadow]

Dan is intentionally weird looking. :P

Er, yeah, that's obvious, but he's still weird looking.

Don't discount Miya as a character yet, she's great.

Well, I was judging based on about 5 seconds of screen time though I admit that was a bit harsh. What little I saw of her didn't suggest she had much in the brains department nor that she would, well, be the kind of person I would expect much from in Kendo, though I think its pretty safe to say she'll be one of the members and will prove herself useful in some fashion. But at the very least, she does seem like a nice girl.

[something]

I was a little disappointed at Kirino's reaction to the loser beating up Danjuurou at the end of the episode ("I have to go look for the teacher" ?) I suppose it made sense -- and was necessary for the plot -- but I would have liked her to be a bit more pro-active.
I got the impression that it was sort of a "oh not this shit again" event for her. Something that's lost its shock value because the bastard does it all the time.

[Fencedude]

Ok, episode 2 was WAAAAAY better than episode 1.

Also, Miya-miya~~~

[leongsh]

Ok, episode 2 was WAAAAAY better than episode 1.

Also, Miya-miya~~~
You'll love her even more by the end of Episode 3 :D

[something]

Episode 2:

- So we start with young Tamaki watching sword wielding tokusatsu shows. She gets all fired up and we see that she used to, at least, have passion rather than just skill. Where did it go? Perhaps it never left, but only lies dormant, and bursts out again when she is confronted with injustice.
- Tamaki is a perfect testament to the power of voice in anime. I like her on the whole already, but the voice... oh the voice. It makes her character a hundred times more enjoyable, and drastically speeds up the "warming up" process. So drastically that the first words out of her mouth won me over. Alice Alice Alice~ <3
- She preps for the fight against the stupid douche, but she's so short they don't have any hakama suited to her :sd:
- The fight lasts most of the first half. Tamaki swipes aside all his attacks, and the only time he lands a hit is when he flings his sword at her like a projectile. He's an amazingly sore loser. And Tamaki has even been holding back.
- She remembers what her father told her - her thrusts are too strong, so she's forbidden from using them unless she's fighting against an older, experienced male, and not until she's at least in high school. Those conditions are met here, so she goes for it. And totally knocks the dickhead on his ass. He stumbles out in a state of shock.
- Just as Ishida-sensei stumbles in. Hungry and despondent, he wonders if he'll ever get Tamaki to join, and there she is, already in the club. Kirino asked her to join because the two loser guys will probably be back. Tamaki, the ALLY OF JUSTICE, agrees.
- Also, great scene where she tells her dad she joined. He asks if she was invited by friends or the teacher, and she says neither, only to fight for justice :sd:
- So assuming Saya ever shows up, Ishida has four of the five girls he needs. It's a shame he can't use Yuuji for the bet, because Yuuji is apparently rather skilled. I guess anyone would be, if they practiced with Tamaki.
- Oh, and we get to see Tamaki's super eating skills. She inhales her rice instantly, and then the other members start feeding her more food because she's short and they need her to grow XD
- At practice the next day, Kirino is blissful. Finally, it feels like a real kendo club. Ishida tells Tamaki to spar with him so he can see her skills. She gets a head strike instantly, but it's his pride she really hits. :sd:
- He realizes he's really lost his edge, and thinks about how everyone is relying on him now, and glad he seems to be taking things seriously. He can't tell them his real motives... But it also seems like he's realizing that taking it seriously for its own sake isn't so bad after all...

[HitokiriShadow]

Ahahaha, Tamaki is so awesome. Easily my favorite character. And she's a human food disposal.

And does anyone else think the coach kind of resembles Tate Yuichi after he dies his hair black (or stops bleaching it) and Mai dumps him for Mikoto?

[something]

And does anyone else think the coach kind of resembles Tate Yuichi after he dies his hair black (or stops bleaching it) and Mai dumps him for Mikoto?
Great, now I'm going to be filled with hatred when I see Ishida for the rest of the series. Heh, but yeah, I was just thinking about how familiar he looked, and that's definitely it.

[Natsume_Maya]

- She remembers what her father told her - her thrusts are too strong, so she's forbidden from using them unless she's fighting against an older, experienced male, and not until she's at least in high school.

There are basically four valid targets in kendo:
- men (top of the head)
- kote (wrist, generally the right wrist)
- tsuki (throat)
- dou (torso)

Men, kote and dou involve slashing strokes, only tsuki involves a thrust. Since it's a thrust at the throat, it can be a dangerous attack, even though the opponent wears armour. When someone thrusts something at your head, the natural reaction is to tilt your head back to try to avoid the thrust, but this can lift the armour and expose your throat to the thrust. So people are sometimes advised not to use tsuki until more experienced and against experienced kendoka.

[pi8you]

Hahaha, absolutely :D

This has been fun for me, with episode 1 being more interesting than the first two episodes of Clannad, and episode 2 completely buried it(Clannad). The characters amuse, the linework is nice and strong, and the humor has been spot on. A pleasant surprise for this meager looking season.

[something]

This has been fun for me, with episode 1 being more interesting than the first two episodes of Clannad, and episode 2 completely buried it(Clannad). The characters amuse, the linework is nice and strong, and the humor has been spot on. A pleasant surprise for this meager looking season.
Is there any basis whatsoever for such a comparison of two utterly dissimilar shows that I'm missing? Are they they only two shows you tried? Definitely seek more out if so! This is a great season so far.

[pi8you]

Is there any basis whatsoever for such a comparison of two utterly dissimilar shows that I'm missing? Are they they only two shows you tried? Definitely seek more out if so! This is a great season so far.
Umm... they've both got existing products/fanbases and got transferred to a new medium? I suppose the comparison comes from Clannad being positioned as at least something of a comedy, opening itself up to comparisons to the season's other comedic offerings.

Fair question though, and mostly comes down to the fact that I haven't been able to get to most of the stuff from the new season yet(thanks to moving right as the season started :|). I think most of the visual novel anime in this and any season would end up getting the same sort of reaction from me that I got from Clannad, but it was insisted that I give it a go, so I did. Bamboo Blade also got a bit of a rec, and I'd already been inclined to look at it, so I bumped it up the list as well.

[Fencedude]

Oh man. Miya-Miya's AWESOME

[something]

Episode 3:

- ::blinks:: MiyaMiya has am evil side =D She sees Dan has a bruise from the fight before, and she isn't happy...
- Ishida tells the members that they'll be practicing during lunch in the dojo from now on. Miyako seems depressed, but everyone tells her they'll help her train.
- He takes them to the store where they get their equipment. The owner is a kendo instructor who wants to train Ishida's students, but the last time Ishida let that happen, the shop owner drove the students to exhaustion. Just as the owner is pestering him more and more, Tamaki greets him. He trains with her in her family dojo, and as soon as he sees her his attitude changes. ALL FEAR TAMAKI!
- Ishida tells the newbies to pick out shinai. MiyaMiya seems disinterested until she sees the wooden swords, which puts that terrifying look on her face again... the others see it this time, and almost piss themselves. XD I imaging Miya had... Not quite the past you'd expect. I get the feeling she trained under Gotouzu-sama...
- Arrrrgh, Dan is annoying.
- Ishida gets a call from the guy he has the bet with. He finally hears the condition for what happens if he loses -- he has to hand over an old trophy he won by beating the guy in high school. This isn't a big deal because he doesn't care so much about the trophy, but then he uses it to smash a cockroach and completely wrecks it. ...Failure is no long an option.
- Kirino gets a call from Sayako, one of the lapsed club members. Sayako is... strange. She wants to write fiction but realizes she has no talent, and says she wants to die, then hops on her bike and goes tearing through the city screaming "I'm gonna do it!"
- MiyaMiya again. She overhears the thugs Tamaki beat up before, saying they're going to beat more people up and various other plans for getting revenge on the dojo. Scary face again...
- At practice Ishida assigns them all sentai colors. Tamaki is the leader, red. Kirino is yellow. MiyaMiya is pink... right? She says she's happy, but then Ishida sees an evil black aura oozing out of her o_O
- MiyaMiya cuts out of practice early and buys a bokuto, intending to ambush the douche duo. She finally gets her chance... when Saya comes shooting down the road and crashes right into her. The guys walk off.
- Saya apologizes, but Miyako is... in no mood. She throws Saya's bike into the river, and then throws SAYA into the river, and stalks off looking evil.

Wow, she's... kind of a bitch. Also, Saya is fucking hot.

[Dustfire]

I'm liking this show more than I expected. :)

Nodoka Miyazakierr, Tamaki, Red Warrior of Justice! is very entertaining. I like her.

Wow, Miya-Miya's a lot more fascinating all of a sudden. Still wanna know what she sees in Mr. Potato-Head/anime Charlie Brown though....
"Pink! ...I thought I saw her go Black just now..." that was great!

Sayako....I wanna see more of "Blue" Sayako, especially since her first appearance...didn't go well. :sd:

Ishida sorta reminds me of coach Kido from Princess Nine as the lazy-coach-who-used-to-be-great....except not as smart. I can't believe he broke the trophy :(

I think I saw that girl with the glasses in the credits in the episode....think it was when the boys found their message on the blackboard. Wondering when she'll show up. Also, in the ending credits I noticed "Yellow" was looking at "Pink" nervously as the screen rotated...kinda neat.

[HitokiriShadow]

Episode 3:

- ::blinks:: MiyaMiya has am evil side =D She sees Dan has a bruise from the fight before, and she isn't happy...
- Ishida tells the newbies to pick out shinai. MiyaMiya seems disinterested until she sees the wooden swords, which puts that terrifying look on her face again... the others see it this time, and almost piss themselves. XD I imaging Miya had... Not quite the past you'd expect. I get the feeling she trained under Gotouzu-sama...


I bet she's an ex-Yanki. But with this face, she suddenly became much more interesting, even if she's a bit of a bitch at the end.

- Kirino gets a call from Sayako, one of the lapsed club members. Sayako is... strange. She wants to write fiction but realizes she has no talent, and says she wants to die, then hops on her bike and goes tearing through the city screaming "I'm gonna do it!"

Alright, member #4. And I like her. She's weird, but I like her. And she's hot, as you note.

- MiyaMiya again. She overhears the thugs Tamaki beat up before, saying they're going to beat more people up and various other plans for getting revenge on the dojo. Scary face again...

Also, member #5 walks by her in this scene while reading a book.

- Saya apologizes, but Miyako is... in no mood. She throws Saya's bike into the river, and then throws SAYA into the river, and stalks off looking evil.

Wow, she's... kind of a bitch. Also, Saya is fucking hot.

She's a bitch, but I like this aspect of her more than her "Hey, I'm a brainless bubble-head but I'm cute, hee hee!" side, which we now know is merely an act. And she's totally an ex-yanki.

LOL at the color assignments (Tamaki loved that; Miya totally hates her color assigment). Groan every time I see the coach because I can't help but see Tate Yuichi.

[pi8you]

Oh yes, this shall be awesome. Miya-Miya will be constantly thwarted, or she'll give those guys a good beating, and either way, it'll make for good viewing. Sayako's melodrama was also quite fun to watch, and I'm interested to see if it continues to be related to writing, or if she keeps trying to be good at something else week in and week out, obviously its nothing new for her though, given everyone's reaction. I wasn't quite expecting them to meet like that, but now I'm keenly interested to see what happens once they're together in the dojo.

[Ty]

Didn't see the Miya thing coming, but it's pretty fun to watch so far. Prediction: she ends up having some kind of split personality disorder and can only behave "nice" when she's around the human bowling pin/Dan-kun. The scene at the river was full of win though so I hope they don't "cure" her of it.

Tama still rules this show though. I love how her eyes lit up when she got to be "red." For having the lowest expectations out of all the shows I checked out this season Bamboo has impressed me a lot. It's one of my favorites this fall now.

[mandisaw]

3 Cheers for another series with no stupid women (yeah!). I really like the spread of personalities in this show, and how they match up with each character's level of sports skill. Bamboo Blade is a great sports series parody without breaking the things that can make sports shows cool.

Anybody else think Tamaki's saucer-eyes and general naivete just hug the border between ultimate cute and ultimate crazy? I read her dad's attempt to encourage her to join a school team as a white flag from the dojo members. ("Please, tell your daughter *not* to come help out anymore!")

And I can see MiyaMiya filling the role of rebel (with obligatory heart of gold) nicely. Notice how they never really established whether she went all the way to nailed-bokken, 'Lil Slugger Girl mode. Saya getting dunked is getting off easy, I think.

Oh yeah, and I think Sensei & Dan are a hoot, in their differently pathetic ways. Heck, Dan's apparent caveman-level charisma only puts the Prof's lack of a social life in stark relief. BTW, do teachers in Japan really make no money, or is this guy poor & hungry by his own merits (or lack thereof)? I was kinda shocked to see he even taught any classes, since his crappy flat looked more like that of an adjunct or post-doc (read: academic serf).

[Fencedude]

More Saya and more Miya-miya

[HitokiriShadow]

Heh, Miya-Miya found a hobby: hitting things. She's going crazy and Kirino is in absolute bliss. Later, she does the same thing to Saya but she's absolutely terrified.

[something]

Episode 4:

- Saya episode, I suppose. But first, MiyaMiya and Dan need to train. Tamaki gets this job, because Ishida knows full well there's nothing he can teach her.
- We also get a bit of backstory on Saya, and find out just how fickle she is. She would "quit" kendo on a regular basis only to come back again immediately. She was determined to beat Kirino, but never could. Still, Kirino knew Saya had great potential.
- Later on we see Saya in bed, wondering what she's doing with her life. And being sexy. Mmm. Saya is definitely the hottest girl in the show. She gets a text from Kirino asking her to come to practice the next day. Saya comes to something of a revelation and writes a long, dramatic message to Kirino... which she reads part of and then tl;dr's Saya's ass XD
- Miya shows up the next day, and Ishida tells her she'll be sparring with Kirino. And then... Saya shows up. Miya takes one look at her and realizes this is bad... She gets changed into her gear before Saya can get a look at her face.
- Saya tells them she's destined to play guitar. They ignore her and tell her to get ready for practice :sd: She takes one look at the new members and slips into sempai mode, forgetting about guitar.
- MiyaMiya learns to love kendo. Or rather, the HITTING PEOPLE A LOT part. She manages to avoid Saya until the end, but Ishida sees exactly what's going on. He even gets her to tell him what happened between her and Saya. And man... he's actually capable of saying a good thing once in awhile. He handled MiyaMiya incredibly well just now, and it actually looks like it got through. I expected her to turn around and put her evil face on but... but I think she really "got" what he was saying. Good for him.
- Miya even comes to Saya's class the next day and apologizes. It's wooden and lacking feeling, but it's a step anyway. Then Saya hands her the wooden sword she had dropped in the river, and Miya thanks her for real, and asks her to spar with her later. It's only now Saya realizes Miya is in the club.

Saya is hot.

And I guess we'll meet the final girl soon.

[HitokiriShadow]

- MiyaMiya learns to love kendo. Or rather, the HITTING PEOPLE A LOT part.

The best part is Kirino's face of pure bliss while MiyaMiya is doing this.

Saya is hot.

Yep, Kirino and Tamaki are cute, Miya is alright, but Saya is the sexy one here.

[something]

Episode 5:

- Kirino is in her happy place!
- Jesus, Tamaki's yell at the title card kills my ears. It's always way louder than the rest of the ep.
- Ishida gets a call from her sempai: the match will be next week. Miyako says there's only four girls as yet, but Ishida says he has it all worked out... This is so going to involve cross-dressing.
- Saya wants to spar with Tamaki, because she hasn't seen her in action yet. She makes the mistake of telling Tama to come at her with all she's got. So... Tama does. Saya wobbles off crying because her cute kouhai just kicked her ass.
- Ishida sets positions. Tamaki is fifth, which means first match. MiyaMiya is fourth.
- Looks like Ishida's sempai's team isn't much saner than Ishida's :sd: The one who looks like a leader cries at the thought of having to hit someone she doesn't know. That must make kendo hard.
- He assigns the creepy, sneaky (but cute) girl named Ando to be second, which matches her with Kirino, who also gets second. But who will be first on a team with only 4?
- After Yuuji gets his ass kicked by Tama, Ishida takes over to spar with her. He tells her that there's actually one more member of the club. A member that comes to save them when they're in trouble. The name is... BLADE BRAVER! ...What.
- Other dude rounds up his team (oh yeah, they're definitely fuckups, I like em already), but he's going to be late. Ishida's girls wait the time doing what they do... Miya staring at her shinai with an evil face. Kirino and Saya doing Tamaki's hair up in twintails. She looks adorable.
- Tamaki teaches them about footwork. And damn she's cool when she's like this. So damn cool. Oh god Tama love~ Kirino and Saya love her too, they're just mermerized. The animation is wonderfully fluid and crisp right now too.
- Other dude is lost. :sd: One girl is about to puke, one was nearly strangled, one is scared to death, one has an evil aura... only one girl (Harada) is remotely normal.
- ...The match begins! Ishida stalls and says the 5th member is just late.
- Then... oh man, poor Harada. She doesn't even know what hit her. Tamaki is just... lightning fast.

I like where this show is going~~

[Dustfire]

Didn't realize it was out. Thanks, something!

Poor Kirino....so easily removed from her happy place.

Kojiro's senpai is kinda....yeah. The bits with the van were awesome though. "Grab her!" I like the gray-haired one, and the scared one's cool too.

I hadn't noticed before, but Saya's got quite a rack. And she's a real riot too. I loved the preview song. She's just full of awesome.

I wonder if somehow the two coaches will have to fight each other anyway? That'd be kinda fun.

[something]

I hadn't noticed before, but Saya's got quite a rack.
...I didn't think it was possible to notice anything else before that :sd:

[Dustfire]

I hadn't noticed before, but Saya's got quite a rack.
...I didn't think it was possible to notice anything else before that :sd:

I agree, which is why I wonder how I missed it. I suppose I was having too much fun watching her wacky expressions. :sd:

[Ty]

It wasn't immediately the first thing I noticed about her either. It's pretty hard to ignore the personality.

[HitokiriShadow]

- Looks like Ishida's sempai's team isn't much saner than Ishida's :sd: The one who looks like a leader cries at the thought of having to hit someone she doesn't know. That must make kendo hard.

I think Ishida's team is even worse (or better, depending on how you look at it). The team captain is a coward and can't hit someone she doesn't know and, on the flip side, Ando is a psycho. Apparently one of the other girls likes making people cry. Harada seems to be the only sane one... well, aside from the one that was MIA and later dragged in half-dead. We haven't seen her conscious and present enough to judge her sanity.

But that's okay, they may be fucked up but that's why we love them.

[Dustfire]

It wasn't immediately the first thing I noticed about her either. It's pretty hard to ignore the personality.

I'd say it's impossible. Wonder how long Kirino's known her to take all the outbursts in stride (I'm sure Kirino would say it's been too long ;) )

[something]

Episode 6:

- Ishida's brilliant plan to make up the missing member is to have Tama fight the first and last battles. The way they'll get away with this is to have her only go at half her strength so they wont recognize her style when she returns to go full strength in the last match. What Ishida doesn't realize is that he's never seen Tama use that much power. Not even half. Just half is utter overkill.
- Also, we get the full names here: So this was Kawazoe Tamaki vs. Harada Konatsu. Harada is the "normal" one, and the second strongest in Ishibashi'a club. But even a half strength Tamaki totally outclasses her.
- Next up, Miyazaki Miyako vs. Asakawa Akemi. Akemi is the other possibly normal one who skips out a lot. She's also about to pass out before the fight begins. She had a fight with her boyfriend, and so she doesn't much care what happens. Miyako gets her in a corner quickly, but is holding back because Dan is in the room. When he goes to take a piss, Miyako goes all out. She lands hit after hit, but she's not going it in the right way so it doesn't count. Ishida knows she's powerful, but she doesn't have the technique down. Still Akemi can't even react... until she gets a text from her boyfriend saying he was wrong and asking her forgiveness. Bouyed by this, she turns into a completely different person and beats Miyako quickly. Then she leaves to go see him. :sd: Miyako is furious, but Dan is there to cheer her up. As much of an idiot as he can be, he definitely seems to be fully aware of Miyako's "other side" and knows how to deal with it.
- Tama-chan sneaks out and makes her way back in to pretend she was just late. But stops along the way for some onigiri.
- Next up, Kuwahara Sayako vs. Nishiyama Karen. Sayako is doing well but the petrified Karen keeps dodging. When cornered, Karen lashes out with a body blow. Ishibashi says that Karen is the most skilled on the team, but only when she's in trouble. Saya starts to lose her cool, but stops and remembers Tamaki's footwork training. She makes use of it, and drives Karen out of bounds, which ties the score up and they go into overtime. Unfortunately time runs out and it's a draw. So both teams are 1 win 1 draw. This is interesting because now if Kirino loses, it's a tie at best. If Kirino wins, Tama goes into the last match with her team having the upper hand, and since when do the protagonists in this sort of show ever go into the final match with the advantage?
- Tamaki remembers she's supposed to disguise herself... so she puts on glasses. XD When she arrives, Ishida realizes he didn't think up a name to use for her. And so, she is... BUREIBA! XD She's mortified, and Ishibashi isn't fooled for a second, but he wanted to see her fight again anyway, so he lets it slide.
- Next up, Chiba Kirino vs. Ando Yuri! Yuri was the evil looking one... this should be good. Yuri starts with the harassment right away, keeping them both in a shinai lock and staring at Kirino with a creepy look on her face. Then she gets dirty and trips Kirino. But Kirino is a veteran and doesn't take the bait. She shrugs it off and gets right up. Remembering Tama's teaching (Ishida realizes there's something wrong about his reliance on Tama to teach everyone...) she lands a hit on Yuri's arm guard. Then as time runs out, she lands a head strike and it's over.
- During this, Tama wonders if it's okay to cheat like this. But then she remembers that Ishida promised her something super rare from his anime collection, and she can't say no to that =D She then heads out and cheers Kirino on (in her own quiet way).
- And finally, Bureiba vs. Yoko Maya. Maya is the strongest on Ishibashi's team (since Karen is only good when cornered), but she knows a superior opponent when she sees one. Even so, she's excited, and determined to get a point. Maya does a battle roar, but Tamaki lets her own loose and then lands a perfect head strike. DO NOT MESS WITH TAMA-CHAN BUREIBA! They line up a second time, but Maya can't even move. Tamaki lands another head strike, and it's over. Maya is just utterly stunned.

3 wins, 1 loss, 1 draw, Ishida's team wins. But Ishibashi-sensi isn't interested in any of that. He asks Tamaki her name, and she starts to respond Bureiba, but he wants to cut the shit. She respects his seriousness and gives her real name. Then he challenges her to a match.

Preview makes it look like Ishibashi goes a bit overboard... Hmmm.

This was a pretty fantastic episode, had me excited from beginning to end. Tamaki is just beyond awesome, and I really, really liked seeing Kirino be the solid, experienced, disciplined fighter she is.

[Gatts]

Episode 6:
Miyako gets her in a corner quickly, but is holding back because Dan is in the room. When he goes to take a piss, Miyako goes all out.

Hmm... I'm not sure if the anime made it clear. In the manga, Dan makes up the I gotta pee excuse so that Miyako doesn't hold back for his sake.

Unfortunately Miya Miya is a bit too hot headed for kendo and just flails about wildly.

[something]

Hmm... I'm not sure if the anime made it clear. In the manga, Dan makes up the I gotta pee excuse so that Miyako doesn't hold back for his sake.
They made it clear. I just probably didn't. I was trying to convey that idea with the next sentence: "As much of an idiot as he can be, he definitely seems to be fully aware of Miyako's 'other side' and knows how to deal with it." I don't always word things in the best way when I'm typing in the middle of watching something.

[Ty]

The orange-hared chick on senpai's team is going to be the source of a great deal of amusement in this show. I hope she gets more screen time, just not at the expense of Tama-chan.

[something]

The orange-hared chick on senpai's team is going to be the source of a great deal of amusement in this show. I hope she gets more screen time, just not at the expense of Tama-chan.
<obligatory>Now if only she lives up to her name [Yuri]</obligatory>

But yeah, I can totally see her trying something nasty on Miyako and getting the shit beat out of her. She is profoundly lucky she was against someone as disciplined as Kirino.

[HitokiriShadow]

I was kind of surprised they didn't match up Ando and Miyako considering their personalities. Maybe they will mix it up a bit for the rematch.

[something]

Episode 7:

- Ishibashi gets Ishida to cut the Bureiba act, and asks Tamaki once again for a match. Ishida tells Tamaki to do what she wants, while Saya and Kirino suffocate Tamaki in hugs and say they want to see he fight someone she can go all out against. Ishibashi tells Ishida that he's much stronger than he was even when he was young.
- Kirino serves Harada some tea. I think, in a way, they really understand each other, and all the insanity they have to deal with from their teammates and instructors. :sd:
- The match starts, and Ishibashi drives in at Tamaki with brutal strength. They lock hilts and he sends Tamaki flying, and everyone is scared he's going to hurt her. Even his students tell him to calm down and remember he's fighting a high school girl who can't weigh more than 85lbs. But he sees it differently. He knows that Tamaki would take him down instantly if he *didn't* go all out. Tamaki gets back up and continues the match.
- Holy crap, she's such an incredible little powerhouse. She's yelling as long as she can, driving at him with relentless energy, never breaking her concentration for a moment. He's loving it, and he's beyond impressed, and he realizes that she's going to be absolutely amazing one day. Hell, already is.
- But he knows that he has a huge advantage in reach and raw power, and intends to use it. He charges in, but Tamaki surprises him by going one-handed for extra reach and landing a clean head strike. Or so she thought. Yuuji rates it a hit, but Ishida says contact was too light. Tamaki's teammates booo the decision, and even Tamaki gives him an annoyed look. It's great to see her pout a little XD
- Ishibashi thinks he's got an opening, that the no-hit decision impacted her concentration. He takes a swipe at her guard, but she drops one hand off the hilt, dodges the shinai, and comes down with a one handed head strike again, this time with clearly enough force and it goes unchallenged.
- Ishibashi realizes he might actually lose like this. For the next round, he raises his sword above his head, assuming the ascension stance. Ishida knows it's all over now, Tama can's possibly win if Ishibashi is truly serious. His teammates are shocked too, because he's never gotten this serious even when practicing with the boys. But Kirino is just ecstatic. She has absolute faith in Tamaki.
- But as Ishibashi assumes the ascension stance, Tamaki loses her focus and starts daydreaming... about her mother. It looks like her mother, now deceased, was a kendo master or so I would assume. Perhaps she taught Tamaki the stance. Either way, Ishibashi realizes that Tamaki's mind is completely out of the match, and calls it off. She apologizes, but he honors his end of the bargain and it's sushi time for Ishida.
- Kirino offers Ishibashi's girls some food from her family's store, and they looove it. She also tells Tamaki to take one, since she must be so hungry. But Tamaki had that onigiri earlier, and knows she can't tell them she snuck a snack in between fights when they were waiting for her XD
- Tamaki gets her RARE ANIME ITEM from Ishida... it's a Macross ripoff, in VHD format. She... tries to put it in her DVD player but it doesn't even begin to fit. :sd:
- Well, you knew it would happen: no year's worth of sushi for Ishida. Ishibashi's dad's store passed on to one of his apprentices. Besides, Ishibashi never thought Ishida had the slightest chance of beating his team so he didn't take the bet on his side seriously. :sd: You didn't deserve it anwyay, Ishida =P
- Miyako's sister is hot.
- Sayako sits on and crushes her brother's DS.
- Kirino, like a good captain, stays up late working on training regimens for everyone.
- Tamaki wakes up after falling asleep at her desk, and when she goes to turn the TV off, something comes on and surprises her, but then the episode ends.

I'm not sure when it happened but this became one of my favorite shows of the season. Seriously, it's insanely awesome. I think it just joined the top level fall '08 shows, Clannad, ef and Minami-ke. Want more, now!

[Fencedude]

Thats Miyako's sister? I somehow thought it was her mother.

AND SAYA'S ASS CAN BREAK NINTENDIUM. THE HARDEST SUBSTANCE ON THE FACE OF THE PLANET

WHAT. THE. FUCK!?

[something]

Thats Miyako's sister? I somehow thought it was her mother.
I thought so too but I swore I heard her call her "onee-chan", near the end of the segment.

AND SAYA'S ASS CAN BREAK NINTENDIUM. THE HARDEST SUBSTANCE ON THE FACE OF THE PLANET
WHAT. THE. FUCK!?
She's just THAT hot.

Or something.

[Nosredna]

Thats Miyako's sister? I somehow thought it was her mother.
I thought so too but I swore I heard her call her "onee-chan", near the end of the segment.


I think they are sisters as well.

[HitokiriShadow]

Holy shit, Saya broke a DS with her ass. Nintendo systems are known for being able to suffer great abuse, like being dropped from several stories and still working (... more or less). And she fractured the case. I think that makes Saya's ass one of the most destructive weapons known to man.

[something]

I think that makes Saya's ass one of the most destructive weapons known to man.
It blows my mind every week.

>_> Apologies.

[TheGreenMan]

Oh man. Miya-Miya's AWESOME


I didn't really expect her to be so :> :> :>

She's officially the most awesome character...behind the lovely Tama-chan.

I've got to say, anime is ruining my taste in cute and sweet girls. Now every time I meet one in real life, I say to myself "Is she's going to go yandere on my ass?"

[something]

Episode 8:

- Material Puzzle! All 46 episodes in one box set! Tamaki wants. But it's 60,000 yen... Fucking R2 prices. BUT it comes with a talking figure! Tamaki waaaaaaaaaants!
- Getting some of Tamaki's home life makes me all giddy. She dives into her finances... wallet, savings, coin purse, mini-bank, and she's still 20,000 yen short. But... she waants it.
- We meet another friend of Ishida's, some guy names Nobu. He stops by only long enough to collect the 10,000 yen Ishida owes him :sd:
- He thinks back to something Ishibashi told him that night: It would be good for Tamaki to lose at least once. And not to an older man or a boy, but to another girl her own age. Without experiencing defeat, she won't get to the next level.
- Practice, the next day. Saya is practicing with Kirino. Miya says her blisters hurt, and when Ishida tells her to work through it and harden them up, Saya goes off on him, saying Miya has such pretty legs, they shouldn't get ruined, and besides, he's not one to talk, his feet are completely soft now.
- Tamaki overhears Miya talking about her part time job, and is suddenly very interested.　Miyako sees an opportunity, and convinces Tamaki to fill in for her. Thoughts of dvd boxsets drive Tamaki to forget even kendo.
- Ahahahahaha, Dan rides in a sidecar! "We are one with the wind!"
- Tamaki meets the shopkeep... the creepy shopkeep who puts Tama in charge without telling her the first thing about how anything works.
- Meanwhile, MiyaMiya is peddling back with Dan, and her foot hurts, so she's slipping into Black again. He offers to take over and pedal for her. This makes her so happy she proceeds to crash into everything without stopping, and tells him that even though he can't reach the pedals, the offer makes her happy. :sd: We pass by Satori again... will she be the girl that joins the club and beats Tamaki? It doesn't seem like it'll be anyone who is there now. Maybe someone at Ishibashi's other school.
- Tamaki gets a call from Ishida, who tells her to call her parents about working. She's reluctant to do so, but knows she has to. She tells her father, and he runs through all sorts of ridiculous things in his mind, until he thinks he's figured it out. His birthday is in a month! She must be buying something for him! :sd:
- Two girls come into the shop, and Tamaki is petrified. She daydreams about being overwhelmed, arrested, and hanged for failing to do her duty XD
- But they give her the money and she does just fine. She's amazed, but almost forgets to thank them for their patronage, and when she does, she jumbles the words, and the girls just think she's so cute. AND THEY'RE VERY RIGHT.
- She resolves to get it together and be prepared the next time, but as soon as someone walks by, she's terrified all over again. She hopes that no customers will come, but creepy store owner can sense the anti-customer hex being placed on the store :sd:
- ...As a side note, Tamaki has strangely cute knees.
- Er, anyway, she wonders what it would be like if she could put on her headgear and wield a shinai, yelling our greetings to customers like calling an attack in kendo XD
- Back home, she collapses into bed, exhausted. She dozes off, but wakes up and needs a bath. She's still out of it from earlier, but a few swings of her shinai gets her determination back.
- Work again. Tamaki wonders what she could do in case of a burglar. If only she had her shinai... ATOMIC FIRE BLADE!! She looks around to see if there's anything she could use in place of a shinai. She spots something with a handle and pulls it out... it's a whip o_O Thankfully, her shift is up.

On the way to the club, she suddenly stops. She thinks about the friends she's made, the new things she's tried, the fun she's had.

Then she continues pedaling.

Tamaki episode ftw. It's quite the change of pace, but I liked it.

Satori next time!

[Fencedude]

I realized that this was the first time we've ever had extensive periods of time devoted exclusively to Tama...and she sure is a strange person.

Utterly adorable, but her thought process can be bizarre at times.

[something]

I realized that this was the first time we've ever had extensive periods of time devoted exclusively to Tama...and she sure is a strange person.
Utterly adorable, but her thought process can be bizarre at times.
I love how she seems so calm and quiet and serious to everyone around her, when in reality, outside of kendo, she's just a cute, strange, slightly awkward otakuish girl.

Which makes her all the more awesome.

[Ty]

I realized that this was the first time we've ever had extensive periods of time devoted exclusively to Tama...and she sure is a strange person.

Utterly adorable, but her thought process can be bizarre at times.

She has the same otaku tendencies as Izumi Konata but a polar opposite personality. It works just as well too.

[HitokiriShadow]

Tamaki is... not particularly adept at social situations outside of kendo. And I love her for it. Her bizarred (and heavily sentai influenced) imagination just makes it better.

[Sheena]

It's nice to see Tama evolve though. When she starts her job, she's all insecure and not talking and at the end of ep. 10 when she finally gets her paycheck after having worked there, it's obvious that she's opened up and gained some confidence from the forced social interaction.

Plus how she gave up her ultimate box set desire to get her dad a B-day present was also pretty sweet and implies some evolution in her perception of relationship with people around her.

Overall, very cute and heart-warming character development for her.

Speaking of character development, the middle school foe for MiyaMiya was something I didn't expect from her considering her usual black (evil, aggressive) and white (sheepish, sweet) personality. We get to see another side of her (scared) which should be fun to see how it develops.

Really enjoying this show more than most other recent sport anime I've seen.

[Fencedude]

ARGH

DO NOT POST ABOUT LATER EPISODES IN AN EARLIER EPISODE'S SUBTHREAD.

THIS IS NOT A COMPLEX CONCEPT.

[something]

Episode 9:

- Tamaki in the store. Creepy owner disappears into the back with a whip again. Tamaki is relaxed, ready to face the day. The door opens, and she gets in a kendo post and screams "Irasshaimase!". The bewildered customer is Satori, and Tamaki blushes all adorably.
- Then Ishida comes by and buys something for his mom, who he'll be visiting soon.
- Yuuji and Dan spar, and Yuuji says Dan actually has potential.
- Saya seems doomed to be MiyaMiya's designated sparing partner. This time, Miya almost impales Saya through the jugular :sd:
- Ishida is about to call it a day when Tamaki rushes in, breathless. She ran over as fast as she could after her shift ended, and asked if club was over yet. Ishida just smiles and tells everyone to get ready to continue after a break.
- Also, Kirino is all sorts of awesome club captain. I love her. Tamaki might be the most skilled, but none of them could possibly be the caring leader Kirino is.
- Tamaki's father runs various scenarios through his mind to prepare himself for thanking Tamaki when she gives him hs present. Poor deluded dad. Anime is more important than you.
- Ishida goes to the grocery store and has a run-in with some grotesque hag who steals his parking spot and the last case of cheap beer. Then after a mishap at the register, she crashes into his car in the parking lot. They scream at each other and she calls him a NEET, he tells her he's employed, that he works at the high school, and that he's named Ishida Toraji.
- He gets to school the next day, and I'm getting the impression he's been fired... or was facing off with the superintendent of schools or something.
- Kirino and Saya arrive at club, and if I haven't said it before, OH MY GOD THEY'D BE PERFECT TOGETHER. Just looking at them together it just screams out at me. MUST HAVE.
- And Kirino is smart too. She's ranked 20th in her year! But Dan is 2nd among freshmen, and Yuuji is 4th.
- They finally notice that Ishida was there all along. He tells them that he is, indeed, going to be fired by the end of the year. The old hag was the superintendent's wife's friend.
- Kirino says that if the club did extremely well, maybe they'd keep him no. Like, say... if they made the finals.

And now Ishida has a new motivation. TO make it to the finals, and save his job!

At work, Tamaki finds out that the "whip" is being used as a duster. And a girl comes in to shop, but she's more than a little suspicious...

Oh yeah, and this is confirmed 26 now... I think it might have been for awhile, but I hadn't looked into it recently. Lots of time to develop and get all the rival girls in. It also explains why we still haven't really met Satori, one of the main girls.

[Ashyukun]

I'm definitely glad one of my friends raved about this show long enough to get me to check it out, because it's definitely become one of my favorites. It's good to hear that it'll be a full 26- there are far too many good shows that are ending soon so it's nice to have some continuing through.

I hope we'll get the last team member soon- but I would be very surprised if she were to be the one to beat Tamaki. I have to imagine they'll run into girls that provide something of a challenge, but it doesn't seem like having that be internal to the club would be as good as it being someone from another club. Besides, from the ending it looks like she may be something of a clutz (and given her charm-buying, potentially a compatriot for Saya in the moping over grades :P).

And yeah - I'm usually not one to be trying to make yuri pairings in anime, but Kirino (who is my favorite character) and Saya seems to be as easy of a leap as Nanoha and Fate...

[Suwako Moriya]

It also explains why we still haven't really met Satori, one of the main girls.

The sooner we get to really meet her the better because while I barely know here I think I like her already. Must be the hair and glasses. In any case so yeah I decided to finally start up the series during Sunday night and I'm now up to at least episode 09 hence making this the best post to reply to.

So far it's rather nice. Hopefully there will be plenty of focus on not just the five main girls, but the other ones as well. The five girls during the "first" match had some well interesting members. So I hope it's not the last we've seen of them. Either way I plan to watch more until either I lose interest or I've seen the final episode.

[something]

In any case so yeah I decided to finally start up the series during Sunday night and I'm now up to at least episode 09 hence making this the best post to reply to.
About time! I knew there was no way you *wouldn't* like this show. CUTE GIRLS EVERYWHERE! And a wonderful variety too.

Kirino, Tamaki and Saya are all major contenders for my favorite, but I love MiyaMiya and Ishibashi's girls too.

Either way I plan to watch more until either I lose interest or I've seen the final episode.
...Well, those choices certainly cover just about everything :sd:

[HitokiriShadow]

So far it's rather nice. Hopefully there will be plenty of focus on not just the five main girls, but the other ones as well. The five girls during the "first" match had some well interesting members. So I hope it's not the last we've seen of them.

Yes, as much as I love the main girls, I really want to see some more of them. As crazy as MiyaMiya and Saya are, that other group is even more screwed up.

[Suwako Moriya]

About time! I knew there was no way you *wouldn't* like this show. CUTE GIRLS EVERYWHERE! And a wonderful variety too.

Well truth be told I was worried about the kendo or to be more general the sports (for lack of a better term) aspect a bit. Mainly because they could have gone in a direction that would make me roll my eyes. However they're handing it in a way that's not only interesting, but also flows well and compliments the over all story so far.

That being said having a variety of cute girls certainly helps give someone like me proper motivation to try a series. While having enough of the cute girls be interesting keeps me watching. That's the best way to put it.

Kirino, Tamaki and Saya are all major contenders for my favorite, but I love MiyaMiya and Ishibashi's girls too.

While watching the first two episodes as a test bed my initial favorite was Tamaki. However now that I've progressed further and more familiar with the other girls it's a bit harder to decide. Although I am still kind of leaning towards Tamaki if for no other reason then she's made a good early impression, but the other girls do have a chance. Regardless the girls in general have been fun. So that's what ultimately matters.

[Suwako Moriya]

Yes, as much as I love the main girls, I really want to see some more of them. As crazy as MiyaMiya and Saya are, that other group is even more screwed up.

Ando is adorable evil and Asakawa looks like she'd be a lot of fun. So the sooner we get more of them the better.

[Ty]

I love what they're doing with Tama as a character. Her facial expressions alone could carry the humor in this show. It's high time for some juicy backstory on her though. Probably once we're done having to watch the lazy bum teacher's sob story.

Not that his little supermarket run-in wasn't funny though. For some reason that scene reminded me of an old episode of Malcolm in the Middle with the two women who kept deliberately slamming their car doors into each other until it ended in a parking lot demolition derby.

[something]

Episode 10:

- Weird girl tells Tamaki she doesn't like her, with no provocation at all. Then she says to tell Miyako she said hi. ...MiyaMiya has an enemy? Which isn't surprising really.
- Then Ishida visit home. He helps out at the store, hears about his parents' problems, remembers the time a store he worked at was robbed, etc etc whatever.
- Back to the good stuff. Miyako hears the story from Tamaki, and knew immediately who it was. And she looks miserable. She even considers quitting the job. The store manager says that would be a problem because this is Tamaki's last day. She gives Tamaki her pay, and says Tamaki as matured a lot in a short time. Tamaki blushes adorably, and even Miyako smiles at her.
- Miyako asks why Tamaki wanted to work. Tama tells her and then asks Miyako why she needs money. Miyako wanted to buy Dan a present because his birthday is pretty soo---oops. She suddenly remembers it's today.
- And that's when Tama-chan remembers as well. Her dad acts nonchalant, but bursts into happy tears when he gets out of the room. Sadly, Tamaki's anime has to wait :sd:
- And now we see that the girl from earlier (Odajima Reimi, oh and yes, she's also Nakahara Mai =D) just happens to be the daughter of the stupid hag that has Ishida's job on the line. Ah, what a small world. So, anyone else hoping this girl is totally hot for MiyaMiya?
- Second part.
- Ishida is pumped. It's the day of their first meet! He rushes to get there first, but Kirino's already there. "Because I'm the team captain!" YES YOU ARE <3
- Tamaki and Yuuji arrive next. Saya comes racing in after them, but MiyaMiya is busy trying to find Dan, who went missing. Ishida shrugs it off and has them get ready for the single matches in the morning.
- Tamaki is paired against the tallest girl, but she proceeds to take her (and everyone else) out effortlessly, winning the girl's morning solo tournament. Sayako advanced to the second round and got beat, and Yuuji lost in the first round because he was against a national-level opponent. And, uh, Dan somehow got 2nd o_O Ishida thinks it's because everyone either went easy on him or didn't take him seriously :sd:
- Kirino talks with her middle school friends, and hears about Azuma (Satori). The girls wondered where Satori was, and were surprised to hear that she hasn't joined the club. They thought she would have done really well in this meet. Kirino now has a name... and she looks like she wants to find her and make her join. Also, Kirino makes wonderful faces.
- Oh my god, I think I'm going to get my wish with Reimi. Miyako thinks she sees her watching her from behind a tree, and freaks out. "Is she going to stalk me even in high school?" As Reimi walks away, she says to herself that Miyako has become so beautiful... AWWWWWWW YEAAAAAAAAAH. Crazy stalker lesbians FTW.
- So they finish the tourney and only Tamaki goes far, but they did alright overall. MiyaMiya was a wreck the whole time though. And she still is.

Ishida wonders where he'll get a fifth girl, and Kirino overhears. She says the answer to that might be right under their noises, except... she can't remember the name :sd:

So, yeah, Bamboo Blade for the fucking win in every way. Reimi! <3

[HitokiriShadow]

Oho, this is interesting. Shoplift girl knows Miya-Miya. She's a psycho lesbian stalker. And she's the daughter of the woman that is trying to get Ishida-sensei fired.

The rest of the team continues to crack me up (Saya), moegasm (Tamaki), or both (Kirino).

And it looks like Satori will finally get properly introduced next episode. So far, Bamboo Blade is 4/4 for awesome main characters and I'm not expecting that to change with Satori.

[Suwako Moriya]

Oho, this is interesting. Shoplift girl knows Miya-Miya. She's a psycho lesbian stalker. And she's the daughter of the woman that is trying to get Ishida-sensei fired.

Now that's what I call everything coming together nicely in an interesting way. So even scary hags can give birth to psycho lesbian stalkers.

So far, Bamboo Blade is 4/4 for awesome main characters and I'm not expecting that to change with Satori.

I'm confident that I'll like Satori. Then again the glasses and hair alone have already won me over. Yeah I'm biased because I can!

[something]

Episode 11:

- Delicious service. After Kirino almost chokes to death on projectile chalk, she tells Sayako about the freshmen whose name she's trying to remember. While they talk, the camera graciously focuses on Kirino and Saya's chests, and thighs, and oh I so love when animators know how to treat me right =D <3
- Ishida is working MiyaMiya hard, but she can't take it. Dan confronts Ishida and tells him to let her rest. They have a staredown, and it seems like a draw until... ...until Dan slightly opens one of his eyes. And in his eyes, Ishida sees pure evil >_>
- As MiyaMiya's sucking down some oxygen, Reimi stares in from an open window. Or did she? MiyaMiya is paranoid as hell.
- She finally tells everyone the story. In middle school, Reimi liked a guy (WAIT, WHAT, NO) but he rejected her, saying he liked Miyako. Miyako had no feelings for him though, so she and her "friends" rejected him. With their fists. This must have impressed Reimi because ever since, she's been stalking Miyako.
- Ok I'm really wondering about the lesbian love thing. She thinks Yuuji is Miyako's boyfriend, and sends some goons to beat him up. But he's awesome, and scares the shit out of them with a wooden fork he picks out of the trash. They run, and Reimi kicks their asses. Reimi is fucking terrifying, and Nakahara Mai is doing an amazing job mixing cute and completely evil. But is she after Yuuji because she's in love with Miyako or after him because she hates Miyako? ...Maybe both :sd: Yandere...
- Ishida talks to Ishibashi about Tamaki's achievements at the meet, and says he has a summer training camp planned.
- It's raining the next day, and Saya meets up with Kirino on the way to school. She notes that holding an umbrella and riding a bike in the rain at the same time is too difficult, just as Tama-chan comes tearing by at top speed doing just that. And as usual, Kirino and Saya look incredible standing side by side. Such deliciously healthy girls~ I honestly cannot remember the last time two characters just looked so perfect together, in all sorts of ways, not just "yuri fanboy pairing".
- At practice it's time to fight the mold. Icky moldy kendo gear.
- Then MiyaMiya gets the bomb dropped on her. Their next meet is at Reimi's highschool. But Reimi's not in the kendo club, so it's okay, right?
- Tama spars with Ishida, and beats him again. He asks her to honestly critique his movements. She hesitates, but he tells her to be honest, and so she is. Poor Ishida :sd: He asks who the strongest in her dojo is. Her father? No, she says it is (was) her mother.
- Earlier, Yuuji had suggested the obvious to Kirino: just ask your friend again what the girl's name was. She does so, and gets it. Azuma, class 1-3. At lunch they go looking for her, and find out she's in the library. The library? Kirino and Saya aren't good with places like that. Saya, the "writer", doesn't even know where it is XD
- Ishida talks to her teacher (who is sexy~) and asks why she hasn't joined kendo or any other clubs. Turns out her parents are the ones against it. Suck.
- Kirino and Saya get to the library and get yelled at repeatedly for being loud. They just missed Satori though, she was sitting behind Tamaki and just left. They wind up ambushing the wrong Azuma, and get kicked out of the library. They ask Tama-chan what she was doing in the library. Studying? No, she was reading a work by Taniguchi Goro (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=3109), and at this point we get a little commercial for how wonderful and noble he is :sd:

Next week, Satori, and the meet. Yay.

[Fencedude]

Ok, the Goro Taniguchi bit just killed me.

WTF?

[something]

Ok, the Goro Taniguchi bit just killed me. WTF?
I'm familiar with the name and have seen some of his shows (going by ANN), but I wasn't entirely sure of his connection to Bamboo Blade. He doesn't seem to be listed for any parts in it. Did something go over my head, or does Tama-chan just, well, really happen to like him and it's nothing more or less than that?

[Suwako Moriya]

Next week, Satori, and the meet. Yay.

Ah yes it won't be long before the moment I was waiting for comes up. It's certainly going to be fun to see. Or at least I'm hoping it will be. Ah Satori it's your destiny to show us more of what you're like.

[something]

Episode 12:

- Saya is at it again with her storytelling... she imagines a tragic scenario behind Satori's abandonment of kendo. Kirino and her classmates give her a 3/10.
- Next we get a look at the school Ishida's team will be facing next. They have a new instructor, Hayashi-sensei, and he's incredibly strict. Members are dropping out one by one, and as for freshmen girls, they're down to only two, Nozomi and Mei. Who are both really cute... Mei considers quitting too, but Nozomi doesn't want to be the lone freshmen girl.
- Kirino and Saya find Satori. ::insert yet another rant about how Saya x Kirino makes me all tingly in a certain place::
- Satori tries to explain the situation and run away, but Kirino is having none of that. She grabs her (literally) and drags her into the dojo. They get her in a bogu and tell her she can't leave until she beats them. She gets serious, takes off her glasses and says she understands.
- Kirino gets taken out, and though Saya puts up a fight, she loses as well. Satori's strength is obvious. Saya and Kirino clasp hands, get sparkles in their eyes, and know they want Satori... badly.
- Satori is about to leave (to Saya and Kirino's chagrin) when Yuuji asks her to wait a moment. He wants to have a match with her. It seems even until she stops paying attention (she's thinking about leaving, not kendo), and when he goes in for a strike she falls down. With a mix of anger and embarrassment -- I definitely see a Satori/Yuuji pairing being entirely possible -- she leaves, running into Tamaki as she goes. Yuuji notes that he probably would have lost if they'd continued.
- The members are buzzing with excitement, already naming Satori 'Green'. But Ishida tells them to give it up. It's not that she's not good enough, it's not that he doesn't want her. But... her grades are bad. No, more like awful. Her teacher says that Satori gets good grades on practice exams, always comes to school on time, studies a lot, and is a very serious student. But when it comes time for real tests, she makes stupid mistakes, gets nervous, etc.
- She's also incredibly forgetful and clumsy. It starts raining, and she pulls a cane out of her schoolbag instead of an umbrella. It takes her a minute to realize this. And when she gets home, she realizes she forgot all her books.
- I'd also like to note that she's attractive as hell in her casual clothes at home. And definitely being set up with Yuuji. I hope we get a better shot of how she looks with her hair down and glasses off, because the glimpse we got earlier was... tantalizing.
- Hayashi's team meets for the practice competition, and Mei does show up. But now its *Nozomi* who quits. And this puts Mei in the position of having to take part in a match now.
- Satori is coming to watch the meet, partly because Saya and Kirino said they'd leave her alone if she did, but mostly because she was "requested" to... by MiyaMiya BLACK. She's about to run away nonetheless when she runs into Ishida, who brings her in. Saya and Kirino pounce on her immediately, and though she protests, she totally likes it.
- Reimi sees Yuuji on the way to the meet. She tosses her umbrella in a bush and starts to hit on him, asking if she can borrow his umbrella. But she sees Dan and MiyaMiya across the street, and when Yuuji tells her they're going out, she realizes she's miscalculated. Yuuji isn't her target at all. So she punches him :sd:
- Moar Satori raep time. <3
- Then suddenly, A REIMI APPEARS. She's there as the Seimei reporter. Oh boy.
- Ishida introduces himself to Hayashi, and it appears Hayashi is well known. Ishida seems awed to be facing Hayashi's team. He apologizes that his club is so playful, but Hayashi seems to be interested in Kirino. They may be goofballs, but I think he recognizes immediately that they have passion his team lacks.
- Poor Mei is scared. She wonders if she'll be scolded if she loses. As she's fretting and considering quitting after the match, Tamaki comes up to her and says they'll spar together. Tamaki looks super happy, perhaps because there's another girl there who doesn't tower over her (too much).

Gah, damnit, the episode is over. This show is too damn good.

Also, the next ep preview was awesome. Clumsy Satori is cute.

[HitokiriShadow]

Kirino just cracks me up. First, she starts planning on bribing Azuma and/or her family to get her. After hearing MiyaMiya's story, she complains about the ending and hoping for a twist. And boy does that girl love sweat. Ah youth.

And, uh, someone in the staff (or perhaps the original manga) seems to really like Goro Taniguchi.

[Fencedude]

Mei is tooth-rottingly moe.

[HitokiriShadow]

And Satori is finally properly introduced.


- Kirino and Saya find Satori. ::insert yet another rant about how Saya x Kirino makes me all tingly in a certain place::

Those two are just asking for some doujins and/or fanart involving the use of shinai for purposes they most definitely were not intended for. On each other, of course.

- I'd also like to note that she's attractive as hell in her casual clothes at home. And definitely being set up with Yuuji. I hope we get a better shot of how she looks with her hair down and glasses off, because the glimpse we got earlier was... tantalizing.

They had better find an excuse to get these girls to the beach or a hot spring at some point.


- Poor Mei is scared. She wonders if she'll be scolded if she loses. As she's fretting and considering quitting after the match, Tamaki comes up to her and says they'll spar together. Tamaki looks super happy, perhaps because there's another girl there who doesn't tower over her (too much).


Mei is sweet. I'd like to see her stick around but I don't recall her being in the credits, so I expect she'll serve some purpose and then disappear after another episode or two.

[something]

Mei is sweet. I'd like to see her stick around but I don't recall her being in the credits, so I expect she'll serve some purpose and then disappear after another episode or two.
Episode title (of this one or the next, I forget which it was) indicates she's just there to kick Satori's ass into gear by setting an example or something. But I agree, I hope she comes back. She should transfer to Muroe =D

[kito]

Ok, the Goro Taniguchi bit just killed me. WTF?
I'm familiar with the name and have seen some of his shows (going by ANN), but I wasn't entirely sure of his connection to Bamboo Blade. He doesn't seem to be listed for any parts in it. Did something go over my head, or does Tama-chan just, well, really happen to like him and it's nothing more or less than that?

The only connection I have is Hideyuki Kurata, the series writer for "Bamboo Blade" (also "Read or Die" and the extremely cute "Kamichu"). Once upon a time, Kurata wrote "Gun X Sword", which Taniguchi directed under studio AIC, the same as "Blade".

If this is a sign of good will, I'm hoping Kurata and Taniguchi team up again in the future.

[something]

Episode 13:

- "After this match, I'll quite kendo. I'll join some other club. The cooking club sounds good. I love cake!" And with a MEEEEEEEEN! Tamaki snaps Mei out of her daydreaming.
- Tamaki follows up with a kote, and says it's Mei's turn to attack her. Mei says she's never actually attacked anyone, and Tamaki thinks for a bit before getting into teacher mode. She tells Mei how land a kote, and Mei does... sort of. She comes down right on the unpadded part of Tamaki's arm, and of course it hurts like hell. Tamaki keeps at it anyway.
- Satori wonders why she's involved in this too, but Saya tells her not to worry about it, just have fun. Satori meanwhile is getting tapped on the head repeatedly by her sparring partner, gets fed up, and lands a lightning fast strike that gets her teacher's attention.
- Mei is totally mesmerized by Tamaki. She tells Tamaki to keep attacking, and as Tamaki does, Mei enters her happy place. "Somehow... getting hit by Tamaki feels great!" Hahaha, fucking awesome.
- Holy shit, Tamaki is like... a flavor of Nanoha. I.e., everyone she hits winds up as her fan. One of Mei's teammates asks to swap in, and Tamaki does her thing. The teammate loves it as well, and now the whole group is begging Tamaki to hit them too!
- As Tamaki kote-men-dou's the whole club straight into her expanding harem, Satori watches closely. More and more she's feeling the passion she thought she'd left behind. She swings her shinai more seriously, more intensely. Then she catches herself and tries to stop getting so serious, and asks again if she can leave, but Saya and Kirino have a better idea. Have an exhibition match with Tamaki! Tamaki can read Satori's strength, and immediately gets serious. Satori sees this as well, and knows it'll be hard to turn the match down.
- Meanwhile, Reimi is taking pictures of MiyaMiya, and only MiyaMiya. Lots and lots of them. And yeah she definitely makes it clear why she stalks Miyako "I love you, Miyako-chan!!" she proclaims in her fantasies. Reimi is fucking awesome. Miyako does her best to ignore it by repeating mnemonics for square roots and such >_>
- Satori can't hold back. She knows she wants a match with Tamaki badly. And so they face each other, and the match starts. Satori dodges Tamaki's sure-kill lead-off men, then they trade blocked blows for awhile, until Tamaki lands a men.
- And as she does, another girl joins her harem. Making friends through blows to the head! Satori is pumped. Tamaki is strong, and she wants to keep at it. She knows she can do so much more, and drives at Tamaki with much greater speed and power. They keep this up while Ishida and Hayashi talk about stuff.
- Satori's reaction time gets better and better and she begins to be able to read Tamaki's moves, but even so, Tamaki lands another men. Satori is stunned, but happy. She's gotten the old feeling back thanks to Tamaki, and it's going to be hard to give it up now. And her homeroom teacher is really impressed with her.
- After the match, Ishida gets into "so cooooool~!" mode himself when Hayashi tells him about how he got into kendo. Ishida is a complete Hayashi fanboy.
- The real matches start, and Satori's got her full-out nekketsu going on. She joins the girls in a huddle and says she'll do her best not to let them down... then suddenly realizes she's been completely and utterly manipulated by that genius, Kirino. Too late now though =D
- And so everyone rediscovers the joys of kendo thanks to Tamaki. Even Mei is determined to keep up with kendo! Unfortunately her opponent is MiyaMiya, who is in less than a good mood. Oh god poor Mei. :sd: Miyako decimates her, while Reimi snaps pictures furiously and nose bleeds enough to kill a normal human. I love Reimi. Psychotic lesbian ftw.
- Ishida's team goes on to kick some ass, but Hayashi doesn't scold his own team. Looks like he learned something today as well. But he wants his team to score at least one win, and so he challenges Ishida to a match. And it's sort of pathetic. :sd:

Miyako is a fucking wreck. Meanwhile, the beast, Reimi, is sated for now. She has consumed to her heart's content, but she will be back... Oh she will be back. Delightfully evil, and her voice makes it all the better.

Bamboo Blade shows not the slightest sign of slowing down. Every week is fantastic, and every new character they introduce is infinitely likable. This is quite likely my #2 currently running show, since ef has completed.

...And Mei needs to do the previews more often. "So now I am going to eat this cake!" XD

[Ashyukun]

Yeah- the Mei preview was completely and totally awesome. Cake FTW!

This show does just keep getting better and better.. . and Kirino and Saya just keep getting more and more amusing. I was just waiting for Kirino to yell 'SATORI GETTO!!!' as they ran off with her. :P

I'm so glad this show isn't over like so many others I've been watching- it's just lots of good, happy fun.

[something]

I'm so glad this show isn't over like so many others I've been watching- it's just lots of good, happy fun.
Yeah, after a couple poor/rushed endings, it's really a relief to know that this show isn't ending any time soon (same for Shion no Ou). They COULD have been far less ambitious and crammed something together for a half decent ep 13 ending, but instead we're getting twice as much TamaSayaKiriSatoMiya goodness, and it'll be all the better for it. <3

[Suwako Moriya]

Satori Azuma has more or less won me over. Sure I still like Tamaki Kawazoe, but there's just something about Satori Azuma that makes her stand out. Oh yes and well Mei is certainly moe in a sense, but back to paying attention to Satori Azuma.

[Ashyukun]

Heh. I have a hard time imagining any of the characters distracting me from liking Kirino. She's just every kind of awesome- even when accidentally or when she doesn't think her plans will actually work. And when paired with Saya in their antics it's 3x better. All the girls (and the guys too) are fun to watch- but they could keep the 'camera' focused on Kirino and Saya 90% of the time and I'd be thrilled.

[William K]

Show is finally back after the New Year break

- A bit disappointed that they're still using the same OP animation. Since most of it is based on the early episodes, Saya and Satori are grossly under-represented :)
- Something's brewing between Ishida-sensei and Yoshikawa-sensei (Satori's teacher), who is not just hot but is also one heck of a video game player
- Is it just me, or is the fan-servicey camera shots and angles increasing? (Not that I'm complaining or anything)
- Saya x Kirino look cute even when they're crying!
- Miya Miya switches between Pink and Black in the blink of an eye. Poor Satori doesn't stand a chance against the soft persuasion and hard intimidation...
- No kendo action this episode but things are setting up for lots of competition in the 2nd half of the series as they try to qualify for the Nationals.
- From the preview of ep 15, it looks like Ishibashi's girls join them for Summer Kendo camp. Yay!

[masterpez]

- Miya Miya switches between Pink and Black in the blink of an eye. Poor Satori doesn't stand a chance against the soft persuasion and hard intimidation...

That exchange was my favorite part of the episode and pretty much pulled me away from being a Tama-chan-fan, and put Miya Miya as my favorite. I also loved when her 2 classmates were getting on her for skipping out on cleaning, and she turned up her charms to 200%. :)

[something]

Episode 14:

- One of Reimi's classmates asks why all the photos are of Miyako. Then he asks if Reimi can introduce him to Miyako, and she gives him a death stare XD
- Saya and Kirino (OHGODYES) listen to Satori's explanation of why she can't join...and proceed to completely ignore it because they know she loves kendo. She falls into their trap time after time. They don't even have to try. But really, who can deny these two goddesses under any circumstance? Not me...
- Ishida plays a game he confiscated from a student, when Satori's teacher (who is damn hot...) grabs it from him and kicks its ass. I wonder if they're developing an Ishida/Satori's teacher relationship? That'd be interesting. Or something. Teacher would be better with Satori herself though. Mmmm.
- Sayarino bring a list of Satori nicknames to Ishida, but he tells them to give it up. They can't force Satori to join. Even Satori's teacher seemed bummed, but it's Kirino and Saya who start bawling. Miyako sees this and looks to take matters into her own hands...
- She goes to Satori's classroom and says she'll help her clean, since everyone else in Satori's class slacked off and left.
- SNAKE AND FROG! Miyako says she'll help as compensation for them forcing Satori into the match. Satori responds just as Miyako expected ("I had a lot of fun") and BAM, Black MiyaMiya surfaces. "THEN JOIN."
- And what follows is simply epic. Miyako alternates between black and pink rapid fire, completely destroying Satori's defenses and taking her completely off guard. By the time she's done, Satori is holding on to her waist for dear life, begging and pleading to join the kendo club. Miyako has obtained a new puppet... My god, one of the best scenes of the show thus far.
- Then we get a little bit of "let's catch up the people coming into this in the second half", as the OP plays over an Ishida-narrated montage of recap for each girl. It's not too long, so no harm done. And I love the OP theme.
- Sacchin vs Satorin, choose your poison! Ishida is fired up. Amazing what having your job on the line does :sd:
- Yoshikawa-sensei! So Satori officially joins. She even managed to convince her parents, with Yoshikawa-sensei's help. Yoshikawa is officially love. Satori will have to quit again if her grades drop more, but the smart ones, Kirino and Dan-kun, are going to tutor her.
- And Ishida reveals his plans for... training camp! Except it'll be at the regular school dojo because he's poor. Yuuji and Dan lament being ignored again.
- Tamaki makes absolutely adorable eating noises. mmummummmummumumhumum. Her father is disturbed to hear that the boys will be at the training camp overnight with her. :sd: You think he wouldn't worry about Yuuji... or maybe he knows Yuuji likes Tamaki? He doesn't stop her though.
- Tamaki is so excited she almost forgets to DVR Blade Blaver =P

Why does it have to end ;_; Bamboo Blade episodes must be ten hours long!

Onsen next ep? o_O YES PLEASE.

[HitokiriShadow]

This show just cracks me up. Saya and Kirino are awesome as usual as they try to get Satori to join the club. MiyaMiya gained massive points with her scene with Satori. Yoshikawaw-sensei's scene in this episode also amused me greatly and I like her more now (she was just kind of there before). And Reimi is the most amusingly awesome pyscho lesbian stalker ever.

[Suwako Moriya]

Wow this episode was awesome. I'm not sure what the best part was. Mei enjoying the idea of being hit by Tama? Reimi and her obsession with Miya? Satori really getting into things? Kirino and Saya discussing Kirino's plan? Mei in the preview? Everything?

[William K]

Hmmmm, tough episode to recap since there are 10 girls and each have their time in the spotlight so to speak so lots of short random scenes...

Some highlights :
- Tama leaves early for the training and sleepover, but not before reminding her father "Do NOT switch off my DVD recorder. Zettai ni!" :P
- Kirino loves sweating
- Miya Miya and Ando find out that they are kindred spirits
- Kirino loves sweating AND stretching...I think Miya Miya somewhat does too (hard to tell from the expression)
- Everyone wants to spar with (i.e. get hit by) Tama-chan!
- Saya brings her guitar and offers to sing her composition "Myself;" "Respect my friend forever with true love" :D
- Pillow fight!
- Don't be so modest, Kirino! Tama-chan may deserve the credit for making the club more exciting since she joined but you are the glue that holds all the girls together!
- Ando sleeps with her eyes open...
- Blade Braver has a predictably sentai OP animation and song
- And what's this!? A serious cliffhanger type ending...

[ndm]

Hmmmm, tough episode to recap since there are 10 girls and each have their time in the spotlight so to speak so lots of short random scenes...

Some highlights :
- Tama leaves early for the training and sleepover, but not before reminding her father "Do NOT switch off my DVD recorder. Zettai ni!" :P
- Kirino loves sweating
- Miya Miya and Ando find out that they are kindred spirits
- Kirino loves sweating AND stretching...I think Miya Miya somewhat does too (hard to tell from the expression)
- Everyone wants to spar with (i.e. get hit by) Tama-chan!
- Saya brings her guitar and offers to sing her composition "Myself;" "Respect my friend forever with true love" :D
- Pillow fight!
- Don't be so modest, Kirino! Tama-chan may deserve the credit for making the club more exciting since she joined but you are the glue that holds all the girls together!
- Ando sleeps with her eyes open...
- Blade Braver has a predictably sentai OP animation and song
- And what's this!? A serious cliffhanger type ending...

This week's episode was amusing but a bit weak, mainly because it's "filler' not based on the manga. From the preview it looks like the go back to the manga storyline next week. Most likely they just wanted to give the five other girls a bit more screentime.

[ndm]

[edit: double post]

[William K]

I guess we've been spoiled by the quality of the previous episodes...Personally, I'm just disappointed that they skipped the bath-house scenes :P

[something]

Ok, finally. Guess I can skip the full summary then.

Episode 15:

- "Don't touch my DVD recorder. NO MATTER WHAT." Tamaki gets passionate about the most amusing things.
- Ah, Ishibashi's first group of girls. Pool cleaning. Black vs Black. Everyone gets wet!! ....too bad they didn't work with that.
- "Pair off with someone your side" ...Tamaki ends up with Maya, the tall girl she faced when the teams first met. And Miyako and Ando Yuri are going to be wonderful rivals.
- While Saya is the only one for Kirino, I still like watching Kirino and Harada Konatsu (captain of the other team) talk. They know what it's like to lead a bunch of rejects :sd:
- Heh, everyone fighting over who gets to spar with Tama. I so wanted her to say "I'll take you all at once."
- BATH-HOUSE!? YAAAAAAAAY! Hahaa, MiyaMiya is ruthless. Poor Satori...
- ...
- ...
- ...
- ...NO! You can't do that to me! We get the girls in the baths and and and... and nothing! No service, no breast comparison jokes, nothing! We didn't even see them in the water once! THIS IS THE WORST EPISODE EVER.
- "How was your first time in the baths?" "It was big." ...She's totally not talking about the baths there. Saya <3
- Maya vs Kirino in assembling shinai. Hah, as if she can beat the lovely Kirino.
- Kirino up alone late at night practicing on the roof... scenes like this just cement Kirino as my favorite character in the series, even above Tamaki.
- Poor Tamaki must have almost had a heart attack when she saw Ando's face... But she quickly recovers with some BLADE BRAVER!
- Also, wtf cliffhanger drama!
- Preview: Though the preview doesn't make it look like anything serious. Kirino just has to tend the shop for her ill mom. Also, Ando-land!

Despite the epic disappointment at no bath-house service, I really liked the episode. It's nice to see the other girls come back if only for a short time. And of course, Kirino is in it, so by default it's amazing.

[HitokiriShadow]

Yes! The other nut cases team is back!

Mmmmmm, wet shirts.....

Wait, they go to the bathhouse and we don't get to see any of it? That's cheating. They even put it in the title fro Chrissakes'

"You... you don't want your life, right?" :D

And we get some drama. Kirino's mom seems to have collapsed.

Oh, its the preview.... it looks like this is another one I should be watching. Ando is the Blade Braver villain, apparently. And it makes sense, too. ..... now I need to go back and re-watch all the previous previews. That's going to take some time...

[Nemo_N]

Yay! Finally, a decent OP!

The first R2 DVD of Bamboo Blade included an original OP animation; finally Bamboo Beat gets a very nice and fitting animated sequence. Saya fanservice and delicious cake Mei!

Don't know if can post Youtube or Nico links, so I won't :laugh: .

[Suwako Moriya]

MiyaMiya gained massive points with her scene with Satori.

That scene was the highlight of an over all awesome episode. I just loved the logic and reasoning MiyaMiya used and in some sense she was right. The idea that quitting Kendo was doing Satori more harm than good makes sense in a sense.

[Ashyukun]

That scene was the highlight of an over all awesome episode. I just loved the logic and reasoning MiyaMiya used and in some sense she was right. The idea that quitting Kendo was doing Satori more harm than good makes sense in a sense.

Yeah- her argument about Kendo training willpower and concentration was something I was actually surprised hadn't been brought up earlier as a reason why she should take it back up.

[Suwako Moriya]

Yeah- her argument about Kendo training willpower and concentration was something I was actually surprised hadn't been brought up earlier as a reason why she should take it back up.

Ah so I wasn't the only one thinking along those lines while watching the show. Which makes me even more glad someone in the show mainly MiyaMiya finally said something along those lines.

[HitokiriShadow]

Bamboo Blade's OP isn't one of my favorites or anything, but it is nice. It's hardly bad, so it's more than decent in my book. Still, I'm curious about this alternate OP.

[something]

Bamboo Blade's OP isn't one of my favorites or anything, but it is nice. It's hardly bad, so it's more than decent in my book. Still, I'm curious about this alternate OP.
Just an alternate animation, not song. Kind of like what Kimikiss did, and just as with that, I like the results.

I really liked the Bamboo Blade OP to begin with, so this just makes it better. Needs more Kirino, but then what doesn't?

[HitokiriShadow]

Ah, so they just changed to animation. Makes sense, I guess, kind of pointless to use an entirely different song and then not use it in the actual TV run. I'll make sure to give it a look.

[something]

Episode 16:

- Two days in a row Kirino hasn't shown up to practice. Saya is depressed, she's texted Kirino 11 times now with no reply. Ishida asks "Just how much do you like her?" WITH ALL HER HEART AND SOUL!
- Then suddenly her sixth (i.e. yuri) sense starts tingling. Kirino must be in trouble! She tears out of the dojo, hops on a bike, and runs to her waifu's rescue. Only to find her (wo)manning the family store. Kirino asks why Saya came, but Saya can't quite bring herself to say why :sd:
- Kirino in casual clothes! She tells her mom not to move around so much and says her aunt will be coming over tomorrow to cover for them. So finally Kirino can come to school again.
- Ishida and Saya chew her out for not contacting them, but they're glad everything is ok. Practice begins and Ishida knows that Kirino is going to do her best and would never let anyone worry, but she's still worried about her mom and he wants everyone to support her. Not like Saya needs to be told that, she knows her wife better than anyone else.
- Random cameo, apparently of characters from another of the mangaka's works.
- High speed kendo :sd: Far as I can tell, Satori and Saya win and Miyamiya loses. They're up 2 to 1 and it's Kirino's turn. And while she's always skilled, this time she's like a different person. She takes her opponent down almost instantly. Then of course Tama destroys her opponent.
- First match, Muroe high wins 4-1, no ties. Second match they win 3-1 and it looks like Saya ties. Miyamiya is again the loss. Muroe is on a tear, as a girl from another school watches. A teammate runs over to he and calls her Konni.
- Saya notices her watching. She recognizes her and tells them that there are rumors that she plays really dirty, and she'll be Tama's opponent if her team wins their round.
- Miyamiya is somewhere between furious and depressed. Both times she's been the only loss, and that's happened in other matches too. She wonders why only she can't win. Thankfully Dan is there to cheer her up.
- Satori (who was sent on a mission by Black to get tea) runs into evil kendo girl from the other school. She steps on the can of tea. Bitch! Satori finds the other girls and goes to bring out her bento... but... but... she wrapped up a Sega Saturn instead. O_O Even for Satori, that's a bit much, haha.
- Konni's fanclub seems to have something planned for Tamaki. They fake a call from a family member and lure her into the parking lot. First she sees tacks in her shoes, and then in the parking lot the three girls take her away and throw her into a storage shed and lock the door.

Stupid whores. I want to see Tamaki get MAD for once. Take them down!

Good setup episode.

[William K]

Episode 16:
- High speed kendo :sd: Far as I can tell, Satori and Saya win and Miyamiya loses. They're up 2 to 1 and it's Kirino's turn. And while she's always skilled, this time she's like a different person. She takes her opponent down almost instantly. Then of course Tama destroys her opponent.

I loved Tama's reaction upon seeing Kirino use her (Tama's) trademark 'men' move to start a match.


- First match, Muroe high wins 4-1, no ties. Second match they win 3-1 and it looks like Saya ties. Miyamiya is again the loss. Muroe is on a tear, as a girl from another school watches. A teammate runs over to he and calls her Konni.
The evil "eyes shut" girl is Konishi and her team-mate actually calls her Konish or something like that.

The next episode looks like an epic battle between Tama and Konishi, who finally opens her eyes. And stalker Reimi will be back! 20 minutes is not enough for a Bamboo Blade episode :P

[something]

The evil "eyes shut" girl is Konishi and her team-mate actually calls her Konish or something like that.
I thought that's what I was hearing too. Sounded like there was something else there before the -san, but just went with the trans provided pending clarification.

[HitokiriShadow]

Another nice episode, though this was one was clearly on a lower budget than previous episodes. A number of shortcuts and scenes with awkward faces. I hope they'll fix that in the DVD version.

Anyway, as for the content of the episode... at first, I thought maybe Konishi wasn't part of the things happening to her opponents and it was just overzealous kouhai doing it. That still could be the case, but by the end of the episode, it doesn't seem like it.

I'm a little surprised that none of the other team members (like Kirino) went with Tamaki. They were suspicious and with good reason, but they just let her go. On the other hand, I can totally buy that Tamaki would just go with those girls and not put up any resistance whatsoever. Ah, Tama-chan, what are we going to do with you...

[oo7565]

another great episode. episode starts with Tama trying to get out of the look room the fan club trap her in at the end of the episode. then konishi cames and lets her out and tells her sorry because of her friends who did that to tama and konishi tells her then who friends hurt her people she fights not her but when they walk outside tama trips and falls and hurt her ankle on a tennis ball and konishi seems to be happy as it seems to be another trap she and her freinds have set up for her to hurt tama. that beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep girl tama look like she could kill konishi for what she did to her. then tama gets back with her teamates who were worry about her. the there final match starts Satori is first up for them she loses the first point of her match and looks like she was going to loose the match but when her oppent tres to get another point satori gets the point instead but also only because it seems satori was listing to something on the Sega Saturn she brought from him after she got the point the sega saturn stop and opens up and and satori looks to be shock. then it Miyamiya is up again and she was doing well that intill Reimi shows up and distircts her from the match and ends up loosing and again and her coach was mad at her who they yell at each other intill dan come and calems the siturtion down. miyamiya should take reimi outside and beat her up so she can forcus and not worryed on who watching her. then it Saya turn and she haves a nice match and at the end she gets a point to win the match to make it 1 win 1 loss and 1 tie for them then it's Kirino turn and she have a fast pace match which she ends up wining again makeing it 2-1-1 for muroe then it Tama and Konishi match when all the other matches were going on you see tama in the background getting mader every single sec when it her turn konishi trys to force tama onto her hurt ankle but that make tama mad and gets a point on konishi even makeing her fall down because of the force tama used on her. in the preview it looks like tama fight come to a end and seems Ishida yells at tama for something maybe how she acted in her match but tama should tell him what konishi and her friends did to her them hopefully he understands why she did what she did. cant wait to see next episode

[Gatts]

I'll try cleaning up the post a bit:


This was another great episode. The episode starts with Tama trying to get out of the locked room that the fan club trapped her in at the end of the last episode.

Konishi comes in, releases Tama, and apologizes for her friends. Konishi then tells Tama that it is her friends that hurt the people that she fights, not her. However, when they walk outside Tama trips on a tennis ball and hurts her ankle. Konishi looks happy as it seems to be another trap she and her friends had set up to hurt Tama.

That beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep girl Tama looks like she could kill Konishi for what she did. Then Tama rejoins her teammates who were worried about her.

The final match starts and Satori is the first one up. She loses the first point of her match and looked like she would loose the match, but when her opponent tries to get another point, Satori wins the point instead. It seems that Satori was listening to something on the Sega Saturn that she brought from home (?). After she lost the first point, the Sega Saturn stopped and opens up. Satori looks to be in shock. (I'm not sure about this part, someone correct me if I'm wrong)

Next up is Miyamiya. She does well that until Reimi shows up and distracts her from the match. She ends up loosing again and her coach was mad at her. They yell at each other until Dan comes and calms the situation down. Miyamiya should take Reimi outside and beat her up so that she can focus and not worry about who is watching her.

Then it's Saya's turn. She has a nice match. At the end she gets a point to win the match to make the score 1 win 1 loss and 1 tie.

Next it's Kirino's turn. She has a fast paced match which she ends up winning again making the score 2-1-1 for Muroe.

Last is the match between Tama and Konishi. While all of the other matches were going on, you see Tama in the background getting madder every second. When it is their turn, Konishi tries to force Tama onto her hurt ankle. That makes Tama angry. She gets a point on Konishi; even making her fall down due to the force of the strike.

In the next episode preview it looks like Tamaki's fight comes to a end. It seems that Ishida yells at Tama for something. Maybe how she acted in her match, but Tama should tell him what Konishi and her friends did to her. Hopefully he understands why she did what she did. I can't wait to see the next episode


I'm not sure if this is entirely correct.

[oo7565]

yeah that was my post sorry i will try better next time. only thing I can say is that they spent less time on the Tama match then we all thought which is the only bad thing I can say about the episode.

[William K]

I believe that Satorin was suffering from indigestion. Because she brought her Saturn instead of her bento, the others fed her and she wound up eating too much. That's why she couldn't move. However, by thinking of her happy place, she manages to recover enough to earn the draw :)

I feel sorry for Miya Miya. It must be tough for her to keep losing in every match...

It was fun to finally see Tamaki let loose. It was as if her Device Limiter was released when she shouted. Atomic Fire Blade attack!

[oo7565]

yes Satori did eat too much that why she was acting different. the person who give the ride to Reimi he look like Ishibashi from Machido high am i right or
am i crazy. Nakata which the one who said the fire blast comment not tama.

[HitokiriShadow]

Satori's match was quite amusing. Reimi's antics continue to amuse me. And what we saw of Tama's match was awesome. But I think the coach is going to make her forfeit because of her injury.

[oo7565]

i bet the coach is going to yell at her but will not tell her to forfet but will tell her not to do it again i bet.

[Ashyukun]

Damn this show is good.

My bets are that he forfeits the match... that's what Tama's reactions in the previews looked like, that she was pissed at him for not letting her continue. It also looks like perhaps Kirino and Saya get to put some pain on Tama's underhanded opponent as well, which I am ever so looking forward to. If she's lucky. If she's unlucky... it will be an already seriously pissed off Miya-Miya. :evil:

[something]

Line breaks, dude =P

Episode 17:

- Wow, Konishi is a bitch. First she plays Tama's savior, then she leads her into a trap and injures her ankle. And Tama is too nice to say anything about it. Ohhh seeing her get hers is going to be glorious.
- "Saturn is watching too" XD Satori's match is... pretty hilarious. Bursts of stomach pain and moments of bliss leave her poor opponent horribly confused.
- God yes, Reimi. Just what Miyamiya needed! Ok, not really. Poor Miyamiya... She finally feels like she's into it, finally has a chance to win, and she sees Reimi and freezes up :sd:
- Don't get to see much of Saya's match, but at least she wins. And we get a few more evil glares from Konishi. Good lord, someone smack her.
- Kirino! She's still my favorite, and seeing her dominate her opponent is so satisfying, even if, again, it was short. Understandable though if they have 5 matches to get in and only one ep.
- "Tama-chan is really serious. Or maybe... she's snapped?" Wahaha, he scream scares away birds outside, even. Konishi is frozen... and Tama goes for a thrust o_O Utter annihilation.

Her seal broke! I'm not sure what was going on at the end though. Is the match over? Was Tamaki leaving the ring since technically the other team can't win now even if she forfeits? When Ishida stood up, why was that? To stop her or yell at her for using a thrust?

And the preview makes it all the more interesting. It looks like Ishida yells at her and Kirino steps in and... damnit I need 18.

[something]

ythe person who give the ride to Reimi he look like Ishibashi from Machido high am i right or am i crazy.
You're crazy =P Definitely not Ishibashi.

[Ashyukun]

And the preview makes it all the more interesting. It looks like Ishida yells at her and Kirino steps in and... damnit I need 18.

My bets are he stood up to tell the judged they were forfeiting due to her injury. At a guess he figures if Tama continues on that she could more seriously injure herself and he's going to put her safety over winning the match.

[William K]

I'm also interested in how Tama is going to explain the thrust move to her father since he cautioned her to only use it against male opponents.

[something]

I'm also interested in how Tama is going to explain the thrust move to her father since he cautioned her to only use it against male opponents.
She had to use her atomic fire blade something or other to smite evil! As a champion of justice, there is no other way! Konishi is a disgrace to kendo.

But yeah, that's definitely the angriest we've seen Tama. I don't know if she thought she needed to do it to win, or if it was just an expression of how badly she wanted to take that bitch down.

[oo7565]

Ishida yells at her and Kirino steps in

yes Ishida will yeller at her but i think Kirino may step in to him not to forect. one more thing if you look at tama eyes in the preview at first she is mad then it seems to me her eyes seem to go calm so maybe thats what happends. tama could also tell her team what what happend and thats why Ishida is yelling at her from not telling him before just another thought. where is episode 18 i need episode 18 vome to me please

[Ashyukun]

But yeah, that's definitely the angriest we've seen Tama. I don't know if she thought she needed to do it to win, or if it was just an expression of how badly she wanted to take that bitch down.

Koni is a complete and utter disgrace to Kendoga, and therefore needs to be smacked down with a righteous vengeance. She represents everything opposite of what Tama was taught, so potentially in Tama's eyes she needs to be beaten down so badly (but fairly and legally, of course) that she never wants to see (much less pick up) a shinai ever again.

[oo7565]

i seen episode 18 and yes Ishida does force tama to forfet her match to make the match tied Kirino went to fight for her in the final match but all i can say. is booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
because we only when kirino to walk out to start the match then cuts to the end without telling us who won. to be honest I CAN'T TELL WHO WON THE MATCH SO BOOOOOOOOOOOOOO poor for the show to do that. i do have to say maybe that muroe may have lost just because Ishida look down when they were outside but do not hold agaenst me if i am wrong. then tama goes home and tells her father what happend to her then we see the team back at school practicing i think. the preview for next episode look intersing look like that tama may have gone to Machido High School to be on there team maybe? so if thats ture murow needs to find another person again.

[something]

When you post about a new episode, it'd be appreciated if you could make your reply a response to the beginning/root post, just like you did for 17, which was perfect. I wasn't paying attention - so partly my fault, certainly - and clicked on this because it was a direct reply to an episode 17 post (thus my brain categorized it as "safe"), and before I realized what the subject line was, my eyes took in the first line about what happens. Anyway, thanks in advance.

Hah, you fixed it while I was posting. Thanks.

[Gatts]

When you post about a new episode, it'd be appreciated if you could make your reply a response to the beginning/root post, just like you did for 17, which was perfect. I wasn't paying attention - so partly my fault, certainly - and clicked on this because it was a direct reply to an episode 17 post (thus my brain categorized it as "safe"), and before I realized what the subject line was, my eyes took in the first line about what happens. Anyway, thanks in advance.

Hah, you fixed it while I was posting. Thanks.

I fixed episode 17 too, you just didn't notice. :P

[something]

I fixed episode 17 too, you just didn't notice. :P
Ah, so it was you, I spoke too soon. :sd: If only we had you in some other threads to watch for similar problems =P Too bad I can't move 'em myself >_>

Ok, oo7565, please try to stick with my request in the initial post:

Note
As usual, please try to follow these two easy forum courtesy habits when replying:
1) If you're the first person to post about an episode in any given week, please respond to the root post (this post) and indicate in the subject line which episode you're posting about.
2) If someone has already posted about an episode before you, please respond to that post (or a relevant reply to that post). Keep in the right subthread.

Thanks.

I don't think it's all that huge a favor to ask, and it's really, really appreciated. Like, enormously.

[oo7565]

sorry i did not know where is the root post at again? please help me

[HitokiriShadow]

The root post is the very first post of the the thread. Just go find that one, click the reply for that post and switch the post subject to the proper episode number when you start talking about a new episode.

[William K]

Another great episode. Based on my half-baked knowledge of Japanese, here goes...

- As predicted, Ishida-sensei decides to forfeit the match because of Tama's injury. Tama is very angry but Kirino, being a good captain, calms her down and brings her back from the Dark Side...
- With both teams winning 2 matches and the score tied at 5, a tie-breaker match is held to decide the winner. Both Tama-chan and Konishi (who is still traumatized by the thrust move) can't participate, so it is Kirino vs Aoki (Satori's opponent)
- Kirino looks to be in full concentration at first, not even noticing her younger brother who is cheering her on from the stands. However, when he tells her that their mother will be fine, Kirino is so happy that she loses concentration and loses the match...
- However, the girls still enjoyed themselves and Konishi, who sees them when she is leaving, wonders why the Muroe team is so happy despite losing.

- We get a look at Kirino's family and Kirino in casual clothes! <3
- Kirino sends a text message to Saya mentioning the need for a mascot and a theme song for the club, prompting Saya to stay awake all night writing a song
- The next day, a sleep-deprived Saya has the song complete and ready to surprise the others...but Kirino has instead chosen the Blade Braver OP to be their theme :)
- What follows is a hilarious karaoke version of Saya's song with only the music playing in the background and the lyrics flashing on the screen. She winds up in the fountain and decides to quit the kendo club again...(probably not for long though, since she is in the next episode preview)

- Ishida-sensei looks around and feels that the Kendo Hall's walls are very empty (they don't have any winning certificates, after all). He asks Tama to bring the certificate for winning the previous tournament.
- Tama finds the certificate in her room but her father sees it. He has actually bought a frame for it but is hesitant to ask her for the cert.
- The next day Yuuji has written a calligraphy piece for the wall. Dan-kun also has something to offer...a sketch of Miya Miya! Ishida-sensei doesn't want it but Black Miya Miya convinces him to hang it :D
- Tama arrives and Ishida-sensei is eager to put the cert up, but she didn't bring it. She saw her father's frame and put it in there for him to hang ....awwwww, what a good daughter she is :)

- Several new characters in the ending preview I believe, including a very teasing last frame (http://img238.imageshack.us/img238/8641/bamboobladepreviewbl7.jpg) :P

Does anyone know how many episodes this show is supposed to be? 26 ain't enough :)

[Gatts]

Does anyone know how many episodes this show is supposed to be? 26 ain't enough :)

It should probably be 26. The stuff you are describing is from volume 6 of the manga with the next episode being either filler or volume 7. Volume 7 of the manga came out in December and I haven't seen volume 8 yet.

[oo7565]

Ishida look a little disapointed after loseing but looking at his team after they lost at the end of seen he look happy even made a smile. amyone have thoughts on tama actions in the next episode preview

[oo7565]

one more thing i do not get one thing did tama keep the point she got in the match because before the extra match started the scoreboad said 2 match to 2 and 5 to 5 on points anyone know?

[something]

Episode 18:

- The best scenes in this show always involve one character: Kirino. There is nothing better than seeing her get serious and take up the role of captain. Ishida himself puts it best: "If Tama is our club's strength, Kirino is its heart. She's much more reliable than any of us here." I love just how deftly she inserts herself into the argument and defuses tensions. And now she's taking up the tiebreaker match!
- Awww man... I'm glad her mom is okay, but that set her into distracted mushy Kirino mode :sd: Boo! Oh well, the real competition hasn't started yet.
- Blah blah Konishi stuff, who cares.
- "I think I'm possessed by Braver, but I can't say that out loud..." Ahahaha. I like her stealth mute/record as her dad is talking.
- Kirino is so hot. She has a cute sister too. The Chiba family is so lively... but poor Saya, misinterpreting the text message about the theme song. :sd: All her youthful passion, wasted! She gets a taste of the fountain for her trouble.
- It's kind of fun to see how Tamaki and her dad interact. He's just as awkward as she is about some things.

Slow episode, but pshaw, that's fine. Assuming the competition starts by 20, I can see it ending decently in 26.

But damn, who is that in the preview at the end? O_O I think Saya has met her match in terms of busts...

[oo7565]

first i hope i did it right this team.

now onto the episode it was a little boring i do know why tama was with Kenzaburō Ishibashi for the fast part of the episode. was she thinking about switching schools? then we see miya miya with dan at a store then miya miya looks at some new kendo stick i think but before she could grab the one she wanted but someone else grab it instead and it look like they were going to fight right there but dan step in to calm them down darn dan haves guts in that place and time i give him that. then the girl who was argring with miyamiya looks at him and she likes him too with makes miyamiya mad even more.then we see tama talking on the phone with someone. the next day the new girl goes to muroe and go to the kendo team practice i think just how the coach acted among a few others they thought she wa s joing the team maybe? then miyamiya walk in with dan and she looks at the girl with a mean look then those too have a match for miyamiya did pretty well but lost again then cried on dan shoulder then the girl leaves with a new rival in miyamiya.

in the preview for the next episode seems to be about tama going to see a live actiin show.

[Suwako Moriya]

Ah yes it's good to see more of that team and be reminded as to why Tama is second best. *Loves Azuma a bit more* Kind of a dramatic and unexpected way to end the episode. Poor Kirino.

[oo7565]

Well the sub for episode 19 is fanilly out well tama go to see the doctor for the last time for her foot. she sees Kenzaburō Ishibashi at the hospital he was there for a check up and because the were good doctors thats what he said. he talks to her about her last match and says it maybe it be better to lose a match from time to time. she says she hates losing. well the girl miyamiya was fighting with was a girl for America her name was Kelly who called dan
anderson for some reason. well kelly and miyamiya have a match for dan which kelly one 2 to 1 i think. miyamiya was sad but in the end dan chose to stay with miyamiya instead going with kelly in the end when kelly leaves she calls dan by real name not anderson and told miyamiya she be one day for dan again.

one more thing
i relly hope this another season of this show and does not end at episode 26 which is suppose it is going to do. but after watching this episode with somethings said i have a feelthing this could go longer then 26 episodes so i hope it wwill go longer what do you guys think.

[William K]

Anderson is Carrie's pet armadillo back in California I believe.

[oo7565]

if that ture i feel sorry for dan and that should make miyamiya more mad

[William K]

Not really...Miya Miya calls him a Pangolin, hence the title of the episode :P

[oo7565]

what is a Pangolin?

[William K]

what is a Pangolin?

It's a mammal similar to the armadillo. Scaly body, eats insects, curls into a ball when threatened. Mainly found in Asia and Africa.

[something]

Episode 19:

- Ooh. Miyako backstory. One friend wonders why shes spending so much time with club activities, but the other just points out Dan-kun. ...But the backstory ends abruptly before it goes anywhere. Pangolin?
- With Tama on the way to recovery, the club is almost at full strength again. Ishida drives Tama over to the hospital early to get the all-clear, leaving Kirino in charge back at the club. Kirino decides they should do a round-robin tourney to measure their relative strengths, and MiyaMiya seems eager to get another shot at Satori, who she's never scored a hit on.
- Ishida drops Tama off, but she insists she can get home herself. Back at the club, Miyako still can't score a single hit... Satori tries to give some advice but that goes over about as well as you'd expect. Dan-kun cheers her up again, but Yuuji seems troubled by something.
- As Tama is leaving the hospital, she runs into Ishibashi and he gives her a lift home. He seems to be on the same page as Ishida - he thinks it'd do Tama good to lose for real, once. When he asks her "Was that the first time you lost?" she shoots back, without hesitation (and somewhat defensively), "That wasn't a loss, it was a withdrawal." He knows she's right, but he also knows she knows that she didn't actually win either.
- Dan and Miyako arrive a the kendo shop to get a new shinai, but when Miyako reaches to the one she wants, someone else grabs it at the same time. It's the large breasted character from the preview, and as soon as they show her face, "Oh say can you seee, by the dawn's early liiiiiiight!" plays, and I fucking craaaaaaacked up. That has to be the best "Oh shit, a foreigner!" scene ever. Then they start to fight over who gets that shinai.
- Second part.
- Oh shit my face hurts. Dan-kun gets between them and tells them to stop in English. The American looks at him, hungs him and calls him "Anderson". That was her pet armadillo back in the states, and he reminds her of him. XD Oh, she also speaks Japanese, has lived there for 8 years, and goes by Kelly Nishikawa.
- Miyako demands to know how Dan reminds her of an armadillo, because in fact he's... a pangolin (which they explain)! So Kelly asks Miyako her name and school, and Miyako tells her, and they now have a challenge match set.
- And so Kelly arrives the next day. Seems she has skill to back up her words - she instinctively senses that Tamaki is the strongest in the dojo, and asks where Miyamiya is. But Miyamiya had just arrived.
- This seriously has to be the funniest episode yet. Ishida tells Dan he's the caus of all this, and Dan responds "Sorry, guys, but my charm has flowed overseas." Ahahah.
- As the girls cheer Miyamiya on, figuring a win here is going to boost her spirits, it's only Tamaki that seems to realize it: Kelly is strong.
- Kelly dual wields! And lands a men on Miyamiya easily. Then she riles her up with words, making Miyamiya even more aggravated. Miyamiya does her best to calm down and analyze the situation but it's no use. Another men lands, and she's soundly defeated. Sorry Miyamiya, it looks like Kelly isn't destined to be your rival... she has Tamaki's first loss written all over her.

Hmm, maybe not... things end amicably, more or less, without Kelly or Tama showing much interest in facing each other. Kelly wins in kendo but Miyamiya wins in love. Dan-kun's engrish is hilarious. Yuuji and Ishida are in despair! Dan-kun's overflowing charm and popularity with large breasted women has left them in despair! Miyamiya turns to Satorin, and asks her what she needs to do to beat Kelly - she's asking to be taught, finally.

...And Tama remembers belatedly that Kelly's dual wield style is illegal in high school matches :sd:

Well, that episode kicked enormous amounts of ass.

[William K]

Yeah, Dan-kun's my least favourite character in the show (mainly because I dislike the seiyuu's voice) but his English is hilarious. And when he chooses MiyaMiya "forever" even though she lost the match, it is probably one of the better Valentine's Day scenes (the episode aired in the same week) in an anime...Even Satori found it romantic :beat:

[HitokiriShadow]

Dan-kun is hilariously awesome. "My love charm has flowed over seas~!" Lawl. And I loved all the corny romance and English. Especially Kelly's introduction.

[oo7565]

so you could say after the fact that miyamiya beat kelly by dq right or something like that

[Suwako Moriya]

Stupid whores. I want to see Tamaki get MAD for once. Take them down!

Hopefully that includes a mystical sword slash that causes all three to blow up. People who wrong Tamaki have to be pure evil.

[Ashyukun]

Aaaaaand we finally have a real rival for Tama-chan- and she gets handed her first real loss. spoiler(albeit in singing...) Very fun episode overall- lots of Tama being sparkly over Blade Braver and the rest of the club's amusing attempt at pushing Yuji and Tama together. The push toward the end of the season looks to be on- and it looks like it should be good. Though I'd expect no less out of this show. :)

[ndm]

Ep 20 was enjoyable enough, but we've wandered well and truly into anime-only territory by this stage (not that I wasn't expecting it). The sensei seems to have completely forgotten he's under threat of being fired. I was also hoping they'd get to some of the material in volume 7 of the manga before they finished, but I guess not. (For what it's worth, the girl on the cover of volume 7 (http://www.amazon.co.jp/BAMBOO-BLADE-ヤングガンガンコミックス-土塚-理弘/dp/4757521855) is Tamaki's *real* rival in kendo, personality and sentai fandom.)

Still, I have to admit I did find the Tamaki/Yuuji setup quite amusing. Kirino and Saya together always crack me up.

[Ashyukun]

Well, he did say they were going to be working even harder after their weekend off- but yeah, his situation hasn't come up for a while.

Saya and Kirino are always a riot when they break out the tea and go into wise-and-knowing-sempai mode. But then, they're always a riot. I think this was the first time (though I could be wrong and just not noticed it before...) they've really done anything expression-wise with Satori's nekomimi-styled hair. You've gotta feel for that poor girl...

[William K]

Tama and Rin's rivalry seems like a friendly one. Sharing Tama's room while the Braver movie is being filmed in her father's dojo, they wind up marathoning Braver episodes until early morning!
It's funny that they watch the show from different viewpoints with Rin having a weird Schneider fetish :)

Tama gets a chance to act in the movie (running in a school uniform with a Kamichu Yurie hairstyle!), as does Rin after one of the actors has a stomach problem. Rin as the evil Schneigirl(?) threatens Tama with a shinai and Tama, possessed by the spirit of Braver again, reflexively parries. It's the start of a rivalry! They exchange a few blows but are stopped before there is a winner. The episode ends with Rin asking Tama if they can continue their match during the Kanto tournament.

The rest of the club make only sparing appearances in this episode with a Kirino x Saya scene that I thought for a moment would lead to a confession :)

Ep 22 looks like it's Kanto district tournament time as MiyaMiya and Carrie cross shinai again, and we should see Tama vs Rin some time before the end of what I hope will just be the first season of the show :P

[something]

Gundam down, Bambooby Blade time!

Episode 20:

- Uh oh, another Blade Braver fan. Rin is her name. Has Tamaki met her match?
- Ishida goes on a business trip? A break for the club? Kirno and Saya can have their honeymoon now! And haha, Satorin might be regretting Miyamiya finally getting serious about training.
- A date for Tamaki! I like how she looks at EVERYONE ELSE first before going to Yuuji. Chibi sparkling Tama is love. And it's great how Kirino and Saya sit there sipping tea, like a happy married couple smiling at the cute youthful couples around them.
- Heh. Normally, in any other show, Tamaki would be all flustered about her "date". Instead, she's rolling around her bed cutely thinking about Red Braver XD
- Poor Yuuji :sd: Tama-chan is totally otakuing out with her sentai analysis. I think she just spoke more here than in the rest of the show combined.
- Death Armor's alive again! Oh no!! But Blade Braver comes to save the day! And make Tamaki swoon.
- Well, that's awesome. Rin is in the audience, and she... she supports Shinaider! She is so destined to be Tamaki's rival, but also the one who understands her best!
- Heh all the other club members show up at the dojo despite it being a day off, and wonder what Tama and Yuuji think of each other - if they think of each other at all.
- XD Battle Hero Quiz! The rivalry continues but.... they have to sing? That's the worst possible outcome for Tamaki.
- Oh jeeze, that is lame, skipping the vocals and just playing some generic background track. Ah well. Poor Tama-chan =( No Red Braver plush for her.
- Yay! I was hoping Rin would give Tama the others. Her dedication to Shinaider is a bit scary though...
- AHAHAH! Tama gets home and... BRAVER!

And Rin... who doesn't even recognize her. All she sees is Shinaider. Oh this should be absolutely wonderful.

[oo7565]

what I hope will just be the first season of the show so to I i up there is another season of this show there must be people :grin:

[Suwako Moriya]

Okay so we have our cheating bitch type character remind us she really is one in this episode. I wonder if it's possible for Tamaki to punish her enough. Satori's match was fun with the rather strange happy place.

[pathos]

Nothing really to add, except I'm expecting the villains name is supposed to be Schneider.

Which would make it alot more awesome.

I could be wrong though.

[William K]

Nothing really to add, except I'm expecting the villains name is supposed to be Schneider.

Which would make it alot more awesome.

I could be wrong though.

The name is a pun since Shinai is the wooden sword that they use to hit each other with :)

[Suwako Moriya]

- We get a look at Kirino's family and Kirino in casual clothes! <3

And she definitely looked great in them.

- What follows is a hilarious karaoke version of Saya's song with only the music playing in the background and the lyrics flashing on the screen.

That was probably the best moment of the episode. Which include many nice scenes like the drawing of MiyaMiya scene.

[Suwako Moriya]

This was a decent episode over all. The English or maybe Engrish was a bit weird sounding. Still interesting to see two swords used in the battle. Wow the next episode looks like it will be fun. Seems like it was a good idea to choose this series to catch up with. Or at least start catching up with. I know I still have more to watch.

[Shikamaru824]

The mid-episode "screen" was to die for! Braver holding Tamaki - I wonder how many nights she's actually dreamed that? :grin:

[William K]

- Oh jeeze, that is lame, skipping the vocals and just playing some generic background track. Ah well. Poor Tama-chan =( No Red Braver plush for her.

Yeah, especially since Rin is voiced by Maaya Sakamoto! I had expected her to sing the Rah Xephon song, Hemisphere...

[Natsume_Maya]

This was a decent episode over all. The English or maybe Engrish was a bit weird sounding. Still interesting to see two swords used in the battle. Wow the next episode looks like it will be fun.

I thought both episodes 19 and 20 were lots of fun. It was interesting to see the two sword style in episode 19. It's pretty uncommon. There was one contestant at the 55th All Japan kendo tournament last year who used a two sword style - got quite a bit of publicity in the news for a sport that's been declining in popularity in recent years. The last contestant at the All Japan tournament to use a two sword style before him was 38 years ago.

[Suwako Moriya]

Granted she may be a late comer, but it looks like Rin has potential as a character. She and Tamaki need to compete in future episodes. Heh nothing like a classic sentai stage show episode.

[Ashyukun]

Ep. 21 was definitely fun. You just had to know when they described the scenario that was supposed to happen with Shinaigirl that it would end in Rin and Tama crossing shinai. The Saya and Kirino scene was great as well- those two are just too perfect together.

I definitely hope this gets another season as well. Hopefully they'll sit back and let the manga progress a bit more until there's more than enough to make another full season (assuming there isn't already...) and not rush things.

I like the timing of the subbed releases though... it's always great when it works out that the first chance I have to watch a new episode is right before heading out to the Kendo club myself. :)

[HitokiriShadow]

Man, the Cosmo Thirteen sure were a bunch of jackasses. "Hey, there's 5 more of those guys who's asses we just kicked. Now let's all ditch our leader and let him get pummeled."

Oh, right, this is Bamboo Blade, not Cosmo Thirteen. It's always amusing to see Tamaki go all otaku and get fired up for Blade Braver. And now she has a rival! Sort of.

[pathos]

Nothing really to add, except I'm expecting the villains name is supposed to be Schneider.

Which would make it alot more awesome.

I could be wrong though.

The name is a pun since Shinai is the wooden sword that they use to hit each other with :)


Ahh, completely missed that. Sadly, I still like Schneider better :laugh:

[Ashyukun]

Just... damn. I wasn't expecting a turn like this episode with 5 episodes still left in the show. This was definitely one of those episodes that made me want the next few episodes immediately. It surprised me almost as much that the two 'other' members of the club actually had a part in the episode as well.

The next episode looks like it's going to be a bit painful for the whole club- but by the looks of it worst for Miya^2, Kirino, and Tama-chan. I'm curious to see how the timeline (within the show itself) will go.... this episode was the team matches, so presumably 'tomorrow' will be the individual matches... I would have really expected this tournament to be the climax of the show, but I can't see it being dragged out more than 2 episodes, so I've absolutely no idea what exactly is going to happen.

[something]

Episode 21:

- This is going to be a wonderful episode. Rin and Tama (http://moe.imouto.org/post/show/18021) (click 'Original file (3467x5117, 2.2M)' for full), two reserved and quiet young girls, sharing two sides of a secret passion <3 <3 <3 I don't think they'll challenge Saya and Kirino for best Bamboo Blade fantasy couple, but I'm already feeling the yearning~~
- "What's this?" "VHD" "What's that?" "Who knows..."
- Watching Rin squee over the alarm clock makes me so giddy. "My eleventh favorite is..." Holy shit, I died when she said that. Even better is when they both get defiant defending their chosen favorites. Suddenly, 5am!
- Heh, Rin looks good as Shinai-girl. What a dream come true, to play Shinaider's comrade! I bet she set up the accident that took the regular actor out =P
- Oh god, Tamaki in the high school girl uniform! Both get to be in the movie now. But predictably... it goes horribly wrong. Maaaan, I was hoping they'd have a longer fight, because the animation got REALLY good for a second there. Oh they must battle eventually, and it'll be epic. EPIC!!
- "When I look at you, my heart starts racing." "I get the same feeling when I look at you." O__O I AM GOING TO INTERPRET THAT HOW I WANT AND NONE OF YOU CAN STOP ME!! Oh god. Oh godddddddd. If only. OH GOD NOW THEY'RE HOLDING HANDS ::head aslpode::
- And there's my other dream couple, Saya and Kirino, gettin' all happy about how well the club has gone. Kirino cites Tama's influence, but Saya says Kirino should be thanking herself as well. Oh god Kirino blushed! HDAS&*QWE!@ !! I think I'm going to have a heart attack >_<!
- And I love determined Miyamiya, as well as Satori defending her... sorta.

Oh god oh god oh god, I don't care one bit if it's all in my head, I am in epic yuri fanboy squee mode right now and I can't keep it in <3

So, I'm thinking that one interesting outcome for the Kanto tourney would be that Tamaki actually loses. They've been playing up the idea of her losing (fair and square) to someone her own age, and Rin is the one. She has to be. Then, it can be up to Kirino to win for the team in a last match =D

[something]

(Psssst, your subject line is off, it's ep 22)

Episode 22:

- Early in the morning, since there's no club today, Tamaki practices her swings in the Kawazoe dojo. Her father comes in and they practice together, and when she counts out the swings, her voice seems different. I guess that's just indicative of how she changes when kendo is involved.
- Everyone is fired up! Tamaki spars with Yuuji, Saya with Kirino, Miyamiya with Satori. And Miyamiya scores a kote on Satori! It's the first time she's landed a hit, and she's eager to push on. Go Miyamiya go!
- Yuuji is alone in looking a bit distracted though. He's got something on his mind. Tama asks him what's up but doesn't get a straight answer.
- Events the next morning shed some light. We finally see the bastard upperclassmen from the very first episodes, and suddenly Yuuji asks them if they'll come participate in the tournament. Dan asks him why he did that, and he's not even sure himself, but I think the answer is clear. He sees how well the girls get along as a team, but knows that he can't participate the same way with only two boys in the club.
- Before they leave for the tournament, Ishida tries to give a pep talk, and fails as usual. Kirino pushes him out of the way and takes charge, handing out the little keychain character mascot thingies she made for each of them. She's such an awesome captain~
- At the tournament hall, Ishida's team meets with Ishibashi and his merry band of rejects. Yay! They enter, get a welcome speech from the kendo tourney organizer, and now it's time to start...
- Second part
- The god of kendo does exist! Muroe's first match is against Carrie's school. And they're both in 4th position (second match).
- Satori takes the first match easily, and so it's Miyamiya's turn. Carrie can only use one sword in an official match, but she still lands the first hit, a head strike. Oh, and Reimi is here. I love the evil music that plays when she's around :sd: And I thought the show had forgotten about her.
- Carrie acknowledges Miyamiya's progress, but lands a torso strike and the match is over. Miyamiya has lost again, and Dan comforts her. Reimi is disappointed.
- Muroe wins, and surprisingly, up next is Rin's school already. Time for the fated matchup.
- The second round doesn't go as easily. Kirino wins, but 2 of the ther three lost (Miyamiya and presumably Saya). And now it's up to Tamaki. This is interesting because if she loses here, their team is out. But if she doesn't lose, what was the buildup for? I really want to see how they handle it.
- Rin takes the ascension stance, the stance that makes Tamaki think of her mother. She snaps out of her daydreaming just in time, but Rin lands the hit nonetheless - she went from two handed to one handed and caught Tama off guard with a head strike. Everyone is stunned.

The match continues, intense as ever. They land simultaneous head strikes, which are ruled no good. Again they continue, and Tama is desperate to get a point. So desperate that she goes for tsuki, a thrust, again. Rin dodges, and lands a head strike. The match is over, and for the first time Tamaki has lost.

The ending was incredible - it all goes completely silent. Man, what a violent mood swing from 21! Especially watching them back to back!

Oh and there was some crap about the angry dude beating people up but fuck if I care about him. It's utterly pointless to try and make him relevant to the plot again and I hope they don't try anything awkward.

I so badly want to see where they go from here. It's almost like we HAVE to be setting up for a second season now.

[Ashyukun]

Part of your writeup got cut off, it seems...

I actually interpreted the scene in the game center as being that the two Muroe delinquents were the ones who got beat up as opposed to doing the beating (it was the character he was playing as on the screen with the 'continue', meaning he lost). And besides- with everyone else from Muroe seeming to lose it only makes sense that they'd get beaten down too.

I kind of have to agree with you on setting up for a second season. There just isn't enough left to really go to get that far with the remaining episodes, and I believe the manga is still running.

The next episode's title is really intriguing, though.

And another thing I forgot- Reimi does the preview, and is absolutely hilarious. And speaking of which, I have to wonder if she's going to play a part in bringing Miya^2 back around...

[something]

Part of your writeup got cut off, it seems...
I don't even remember what I was going to write there, so I removed that :sd: I must have jumped to a different paragraph and forgotten.

I actually interpreted the scene in the game center as being that the two Muroe delinquents were the ones who got beat up as opposed to doing the beating (it was the character he was playing as on the screen with the 'continue', meaning he lost). And besides- with everyone else from Muroe seeming to lose it only makes sense that they'd get beaten down too.
I hope that's all it is, but given the insane look on his face I don't like the other two guy's chances.

I kind of have to agree with you on setting up for a second season. There just isn't enough left to really go to get that far with the remaining episodes, and I believe the manga is still running.
Yeah, there's no real logical conclusion in sight right now. They're out of the team side of the tourney, and even if Tamaki wins the individual side, would that be enough to secure Ishida's job? Eh...

And another thing I forgot- Reimi does the preview, and is absolutely hilarious. And speaking of which, I have to wonder if she's going to play a part in bringing Miya^2 back around...
If she's going to have any role whatsoever, I guess that's what it would have to be. Maybe the two bastard guys will randomly meet Reimi and try to rough her up, and Miyamiya will save her and gain confidence back... and an even more dedicated stalker :sd:

[oo7565]

first off let me say the ref's or what ever you call the guys who judge the matches are BLIND BLIND BLIND thank you. the reason i say that is in the first match miya-miya had vs carrie on the first point she so called won it look like to me she push miya-miya down and did not hit her head as the guy said she did i say let miya miya beat the heck of them what do you guys say? jkjkjkhahahahaha. but still it would be funny. the series cant end like this first they must have a second series but first they need to end this season on a better note. first there is some many loose end to tie up before the end . first is Ishida going to keep his job or is he going to get fired. next i want to see a real match between muroe high vs Machido High School again i think it would be a good one if that happends what would there match up's look like tell us what you think about that? i would not mind seeing match between muroe vs Seimei high in a real match as well i do not why but i think it would be intersing. tama needs must beat the girl who hurt her foot, and she must beat rin as well and miya miya must score a point and win a match vs carrie and take care of the girl who keeps following her also whould be nice to see dan and Yūji in action too and hey maybe have a boy kendo team as well along with of things you guys can think of there must be a second series of bamboo blade.

[Suwako Moriya]

Interesting image and I think I can support the idea of Rin and Tama as a couple. Although it would also feel like a Shinaider x Braver couple in a spiritual sense too. So uh I'm not sure what the end result would be. In any case...

This episode makes me so glad that they introduced Rin. Her interaction with Tama only makes both better. Nothing like staying up late because of getting into an important subject. The scene where the two were about to go at it during the movie scene was almost epic. Plus Tama looked cute in that hair style. *Looks forward to the real match. They seriously need to make the Blade Braver Movie an actual movie and they even have an excuse for Tama to have a cameo role.

[Suwako Moriya]

Ah so it's finally happened? Tamaki has lost a match. So all that's left is for Miyamiya to finally win a match. I guess 23 will deal with Tamaki's reaction to her loss mostly. I do have to wonder how things will be wrapped up.

[William K]

- Before they leave for the tournament, Ishida tries to give a pep talk, and fails as usual. Kirino pushes him out of the way and takes charge, handing out the little keychain character mascot thingies she made for each of them. She's such an awesome captain~

I want a whole set of those!!!! :P


- Muroe wins, and surprisingly, up next is Rin's school already. Time for the fated matchup.


They actually meet in the 3rd round, I think. They didn't show 2nd match but the big tournament board shows it as Round 3.

From the preview, which is creepily funny by Reimi , I think Tama quits the club...

[Ashyukun]

I want a whole set of those!!!! :P


Agreed, those would be a great piece of merchandise to find. Though the keychains would be cool, I'd rather have them as figures...

From the preview, which is creepily funny by Reimi , I think Tama quits the club...


This show is definitely worth watching if only just for the previews- they never fail to be amusing (though it's hard to top, "I can't really do much of anything useful, so I'll just sit here and eat a cake!"). Tama quitting would not be wholly surprising- she only (ostensibly) joined as a 'warrior of justice' to defend the club from the two bullying members. In her eyes she can no longer be a true warrior of justice because she has lost, so her quitting as a result would not be out of line.

I'm kind of wondering what it was that Kirino was fretting about after finishing up the mascot dolls... what was on the paper she was looking at wasn't translated. It's probably not that important, but it was important enough to take time to put in the episode, so...

[something]

Tama quitting would not be wholly surprising- she only (ostensibly) joined as a 'warrior of justice' to defend the club from the two bullying members. In her eyes she can no longer be a true warrior of justice because she has lost, so her quitting as a result would not be out of line.
Well, with those two rampaging about, it's not inconceivable they could stir up trouble at the dojo again, requiring Tama to step up once more. That would feel like a pretty lame development though, so I hope it's something more interesting.

I'm kind of wondering what it was that Kirino was fretting about after finishing up the mascot dolls... what was on the paper she was looking at wasn't translated. It's probably not that important, but it was important enough to take time to put in the episode, so...
It just looks like practice notes she's taken. Up top it says MiyaMiya and has a diagram of steps. Middle left says Saya and seems to have the same. She looks at it and then shakes her head and says "this is only the beginning!" so I think she's simply getting a little emotional thinking that they're so close to the climax of all they've practiced so hard for - but then remembering that hey, things have only just begun for them.

I can't glean anything obvious from the crossed out text.

[oo7565]

if tama does quit i bet the rest of the series is based on trying to get her back to the club and that would hopefully lead to a second season

[HitokiriShadow]

As expected, Tama lost her match. For multiple reasons. In addition to her ascension stance weakness, she was fighting for the wrong reason (she's become obsessed with winning and doesn't even contemplate the possibility of loss due to her whole justice = winning thing) thus leading her to use the forbidden thrust for the wrong reason on the wrong type of person. Then there is the simple fact that Rin may be better than her.

Anyway, good episode. I'm curious to see what the relevance of those guys is going to be. I figured they would show up again eventually, at least in the manga, but I wasn't sure if we'd see them again here in the anime. Now the real question is: why? Just because the rest of the kendo team is losing doesn't mean we need to be reminded of these clowns and see them get their rears handed to them. I'm guessing whatever happened to them will have some other impact on the team, but I'm not sure what that will be.

[pi8you]

See, I'm looking at the renewed focus on the Senior guys as something Yuji wants/needs. Right now its just he and Dan on the guy's side, he's seeing the girls' group mojo and is feeling all kinds of left out. Getting these two back into the club, and possibly a 5th, and then they can try to do their own magic, or at the least, some added male camaraderie. Of course, he probably wouldn't have that problem if he and Tama weren't quite so oblivious...

[something]

Episode 23:

- Tamaki washes down her mother's gravestone, prays, and then simply says "Mom... I lost."
- Kirino practices in the dojo, but she's all alone. Figures... if anyone is going to be the only one to show up on time, it'll be Kirino.
- Saya shows up next, and they do some stretches. Ishida comes in looking half dead, but Kirino gets him fired up again. Satori and the boys arrive, and Dan says that MiyaMiya is back at her part time job, covering for the sick owner.
- Except it turns out the owner isn't sick at all. Pretty understandable that Miyamiya is avoiding the dojo for now.
- Practice begins (Kirino lands a men on Satori~) and Tamaki arrives after cleaning duty. She gets changed and sees Kirino's Blade Braver dolls on everyone's bags.
- The principal calls for Ishida, and news is bad. The two goons who got in the fight in 22 caused some injuries, and are now under house arrest. And there are now calls (you only get one guess who has to be behind it...) for the kendo club to suspend activities for a year because of it. At the end, it seems to me like the principal is giving Ishida an out - disown the two guys and we'll overlook this. But can Ishida do that? (Well shit, he SHOULD have long ago but whatever...)
- Back at the dojo some interesting things happen. First, Dan lands a body strike on Satori while they practice, having learned a bit about using his short height to his advantage. But the real surprise is Yuuji and Tama. Tama is pounding away at him, and suddenly Yuuji very deliberately assumes the ascension stance.
- Tamaki lowers her shinai, and quietly asks him not to use that pose. Seemingly realizing what he did, he lowers his own shinai and apologizes, while everyone stops and stares.
- Practice finishes, and as they're about to leave, Ishida asks Kirino and Saya to stick around. He tells the rest to go home, and not worry about cleanup.
- Ishida explains the situation, and Saya is furious. Kirino tells her to calm down, and Ishida explains the one way out of this they have - it's as I figured. Abandon those two idiots, and the club will be saved. But he's not making the decision... it's Kirino's call. Saya is angry that he places the burden on her, but he explains that club activities are for the students. He is their adviser, and that's why he advises that it'd be best to cut them. But the choice can only come from Kirino. (Granted, if you ask me this is the easiest fucking decision ever, but Kirino won't see it that way...)
- Dan stops by the shop Miyamiya said she was working at, and sees that the owner is perfectly healthy (well, physically anyway) and knows Miyamiya lied. He confronts her and says they should practice together, but for the first time ever he's unable to cheer her up, and she runs off crying.
- Ishida's car won't start.
- Yuuji tells Tama she's regressing back to the old Tama, withdrawn and emotionless, but she seems resigned to that.
- And Saya tries to make Kirino's decision easier by explaining all the ways that the two idiots dragged down the club, but Kirino still feels bad about it. Everyone is having a shitty time... except Satori, but she's probably busy studying :sd:
- At the Kawazoe dojo, Tamaki is a kendo demon. She crushes everyone who practices with her, and her father, like Yuuji, knows something is wrong. He says she seems like she's in a rush to win, and suggests she put down her shinai for awhile.

A troubled Kirino arrives to the dojo first again, and in the locker room, sees a letter on the changing bench. A letter of resignation, but not from who I thought. It's not from Miyamiya... it's from Tamaki. Kirino is utterly shocked.

Can't Kirino catch a break?

[William K]

After the soul-searching in Episode 23, things get brighter in this episode with some of the 'minor' characters getting their time in the spotlight.

Kirino fails to convince Tama to stay in the club and Kojiro-sensei isn't helping either. She stays away from the kendo club.

Only Yuji, Dan, Satori and Saya show up at the dojo. Saya as the sempai tries to pretend that everything is ok, but the rest know things aren't going well.

Tama tries to avoid Yuji by leaving school early but a flat tire on her bicycle foils her plan. Yuji catches up and manages to convince Tama. She borrows his bicycle and paddles all the way to look for Ishibashi. She wants to know how to counter the ascension stance. Ishibashi replies that she already knows someone who has done that...Kojiro-sensei. Tama goes back to school to find Kojiro. Flashback to their younger days and how Kojiro countered Ishibashi's ascension stance by using it himself.

Meanwhile, Satori goes after MIA-Miya. In a reversal of the snake and frog scene, Satori with great risk (facing Miya-Black) and perserverence, gets Miya-Miya to return to the club. You know things are back to normal when at the end it is Miya-Miya dragging Satori to the dojo instead of vice-versa :)

Kirino is in her room and feeling that she has failed as a captain. She has written a resignation letter. Saya, worried about her, comes in and sees the letter. She gets Kirino in bed (no, not that way! :P ) and after an emotional scene, all is well again...

With none of the girls around, Yuji and Dan are in the dojo when the 2 delinquents show up. They are looking for Kirino as they are going to quit. But Toyama wants a final match. Dan-kun accepts the challenge to the surprise of Yuji. Toyama lands a kote and goes for the kill with a men, but Dan has learned to use his size. Ducking under the blow, he lands a don. Perhaps there is some hope for Toyama as he takes the loss sportingly. They hand their resignation letters to Yuji. In return he gives them 2 of those keychain thingies. Kirino actually made it for them even though they never show up. Dan the hero is tired but gets his reward as Miya-Miya returns.

Kirino and Saya are back to and Yuji hands over the 2 resignation letters. Kirino is sad that they have lost 2 members, but it was the best outcome for the club. They try to figure out how to get the other 2 missing persons back but they didn't need to. As the sun sets, Kojiro-sensei and Tama step in. Kirino welcomes Tama back by returning the red keychain to her. The kendo club crisis is officially over!

Wow...I think that's my longest post ever...but this episode was just that good :) Funny that a show with action and comedy will have an emotional episode as its best...

The last 2 episodes are gonna be a blast with rematches between Miya-Miya and Carrie, and Tama vs Rin.

[HitokiriShadow]

Wow, everyone (except maybe Satorin) had a pretty shitty day. And the next day got off to a really bad start for Kirino.

[something]

Episode 24:

- Do your magic, Kirino! Bring Tama back =( But this ought to be a good episode, assuming it focuses on Kirino a lot. She really is the heart and soul of the club, and other than Yuuji, she's the only one who can bring Tama back.
- MiyaMiya isn't showing up. Tama quit. Ishida isn't there. The next day even Kirino takes a day off, since the deadline for her decision is coming up fast. Now it's up to Saya to hold everything together.
- And I want to hurt Ishida. Yuuji brings Tamaki out of her funk (a bit too easily but that's better than her wallowing in despair for the rest of the series), and here Ishida is, telling her it's all useless and he can't teach her anything when she comes asking for help. Jerk! But then Tamaki is the one bringing him around... heh.
- Now Miyamiya's turn. Again, a bit too easy, but Satori was AWESOME! Muahaha.
- Oh god even Kirino was going to quit. But Saya changes her mind with sheer yuri passion! Or close enough. God I desperately wanted them to kiss right there. It was perfect!
- Shit yeah, this could be Dan's turn to REALLY shine. Conveniently enough the two bastards decide to quit the club officially, which would certainly take a weight off Kirino's shoulders (unless she's the one who asked them)... but first they come by to rough the guys up. I sooooo want to see Dan kick his ass =D
- Wahoo! And he... well basically does. Getting a hit is close enough.

So, yeah. It's all too fairytale happy, overly convenient resolution etc etc etc, but I love the characters enough that I don't much mind. I'm just so happy to see them get back together, overcome their trials, and move ahead together.

So, two episodes left, I assume we'll get a tourney crammed in and then it'll all be over. That's okay, though I hope we get a couple minutes of post-tourney epilogue at the end.

Because episode 26 really really really needs a time skip to Saya and Kirino's wedding at the end.

[William K]

With 2 episodes left, they really had to tie all the loose ends so that they could proceed to the climax. Would I have wanted the angst dragged out if they had more episodes? Probably not, but then I'm a "and they all lived happily ever after"-type of guy :)

Have to agree that they could have done much more with the Saya x Kirino scene. The show doesn't need any fan-service but that scene certainly warranted more :P

[HitokiriShadow]

Let's see....

-Satori helping motivate Miyako was awesome.
-Saya shoved Kirino on the bed for the wrong reasons but the scene was made of Fucking Win. This series needs more Kirino x Saya, those two are made for each other.
-Dan-kun got to be cool and defeat one of the punks.

Having everyone resolve all their issues at the exact same time and a little too easily is a little annoying, but it was still a great episode.

[Ingraman]

Episode 24:

- [...] But Saya changes her mind with sheer yuri passion! Or close enough. God I desperately wanted them to kiss right there. It was perfect!

They're saving that for the DVD-version of the episode... ;p

[Suwako Moriya]

Can't Kirino catch a break?

Good question, I guess I will dub this the depression episode. The entire mood was depressing, but that's to be expected. Well on to 24 as soon as I can.

[Suwako Moriya]

Because episode 26 really really really needs a time skip to Saya and Kirino's wedding at the end.

After watching the episode and seeing the bed scene I can completely understand why. In any case it was interesting to see various issues faced and dealt with by different groups. Just a matter of seeing what the final two episodes involve aside from stuff shown in the preview.

[William K]

- It's tournament time again. This time it's a big individual tournament, the same one that Kojiro-sensei won 9 years ago. Ishibashi is also there but none of his girls are taking part.
- There are a large number of participants and while registering Tama-chan notices Rin's name on the list. Due to the luck of the draw, poor Satori meets with Tama in Round 1 and is no match for the new Tama.
- In another one of those coincidences, Miya-Miya and Carrie also meet in the first round. But this time, Miya-Miya has a secret weapon...her psycho stalker Reimi! Thanks to the photos and videos taken by Reimi during the last tournament, Satori helps Miya-Miya devise a strategy to defeat Carrie. Miya-Miya has finally won a match. Carrie is not content though, and they head outside for a rematch.
- Saya and Kirino both make it to Round 4 (last 16) before they are knocked out, falling short of Saya's dream of reaching the Elite Eight.
- On the guys side, Dan and Yuuji are facing each other as well. Yuuji has landed a men to take a 1-0 lead but Dan somehow lands a men too! Kojiro is happy to see that everyone has gotten stronger.
- In a grassy field outside, Miya-Miya allows Carrie to use her 2-bladed style, which apparently is influenced by her watching samurai movies as a little girl :P
- Back inside, Yuuji finally wins his match with a men. Dan congratulates Yuuji for being one of the few strong enough to defeat him! :D
- Tama's next opponent (in Round 5 I think) is Rin-chan. The other girls encourage her and Kojiro tells her to enjoy herself. Rin doesn't use the ascension stance to start the match and they both land men on each other with their first attack. The crowd can feel that an epic match is in store. They land simultaneous men again before Tama draws first blood with a kote.
- The action is thick and fast now as we go back outside to the Miya-Miya vs Carrie duel. Reimi is again is ecstacy as she takes photos of her Miya-Miya. The flash from Reimi's camera blinds Miya-Miya but thanks to the Power of Love(!), she manages to disarm and defeat Carrie. Poor Reimi is heartbroken...
- Back inside, Rin lands a don to tie the match at 1. Hearing and seeing the cheering crowd, Tama realizes that everyone in the building loves kendo and that kendo is special. Rin is happy that Tama is much stronger than their first match. However, it is time to get serious and she goes into the ascension stance. Ishibashi asks Kojiro if he taught Tama how to counter the stance. Kojiro's advice to Tama was a simple one. He asked her "If your opponent really is your mother, would you want to lose to her?" The answer is no, of course, and Tama takes the normal Chudan stance while the Red aura surrounds her. As Rin makes her attack, Tama finally understands the reason she is practicing kendo. Not because she is a warrior of justice. Not because her family runs a dojo. But because she enjoys it. She lands a thrust and knocks Rin down.
- Saya thinks it's the Atomic Fire Blade attack, but Yuuji just shakes his head. That was just Tama with a tsuki, not Blade Braver. As the crowd cheers in approval, Tama blushes. Rin is cool! She congratulates Tama but says that they are now 1-1 against each other, and she looks forward to future bouts.
- Ishibashi congratulates Kojiro but Kojiro is subdued. I think he feels that he had little to do with the success of the club and seems resigned to losing his job. Kirino, ever the astute captain, realizes something is wrong but she can't catch up with him. Looks like the last episode will be dealing with him.
- The last preview is another hilarious one as Bamboo Blade meets The Deadliest Catch! Kojiro and his friend Nobu does the preview from aboard a crab catching boat :)

[William K]

- Rin and Tama go on a date and watch the Blade Braver movie. They've dubbed Tama's "ta-su-ke-te" line :P
- The show has skipped forward to Spring of the following year and we are introduced to two 1st year students Makoto and Shinobu (Saito Chiwa!) who want to observe and perhaps join the kendo club.
- Tama-chan, the only one in the dojo when they arrive, doesn't know how to handle the situation.
Satori and Miya-Miya arrive and neither manages to impress Shinobu with their "shinai skills"
- Yuuji and Dan are the next to show up. Dan, his voice more mature, is now the club captain! Finally, Saya and Kirino also show up, and they proceed to have sparring matches to convince the 2 new students how fun kendo is. I think Shinobu just needs to be hit in the head by a Tama men :P
- Makoto is worried that he is just a beginner trying to learn kendo but Kirino says that practice is all he needs. After all, their advisor (Yoshikawa-sensei!) is also a beginner.
- However, Yoshikawa-sensei has to quit soon as she is pregnant and the father is Ishibashi! and so they have hired a teacher who knows kendo as replacement. No prizes for guessing who their replacement advisor is...
- Makoto and Shinobu introduce themselves fully and their family names come as a shock to the club members!
- The episode wraps up with Tama sparring with her father (we never did find out his name) and then reminiscing about the past year, and telling her mother that she's now a 2nd year student and saying "kendo dai-suki"
- As the opening theme plays and the ending credits roll, we see some of the other characters that have appeared in the show including Reimi, the Machido High girls (Harada in casual clothes looks like Aoi from Myself;Yourself), Mei, Konishi and her 3 underlings...
- The final scene hints at more to come. We see a girl with long blue hair talking to Rin and then as she walks away, she passes by Tama. They both stop and turn to look at each other.

The show looks set up for a 2nd season but they'll need to wait for more of the manga to be written first I suppose. One strange thing I've noticed in the ending credits are 2 insert songs, one by Kirino and one by Tama, but neither are in the episode...

All in all, a surprisingly nice and fun series. I actually gave up after watching the first episode, but reading the comments here made me give it a 2nd chance so I have to thank all of you. I do hope they release this in the US. Maybe that will convince them to make more episodes!

[oo7565]

i feel sorry for Azuma for getting Tama in the first round . miya miya wining a match was great nice for her . i think if Kirino and Sayako had a match agaenst each other but if they got to the 5th round would have they face each other or with someone else.
we get the said off of Reimi because of what miya miya said when she beet carrie for the second time with she said it was the power of love because on the handle of the shinai she had was dan name on it relly neat

[oo7565]

what a great final episode with up's and down in the episode. even giveing us 2 new people to the kendo club 1 boy and 1 girl cant not beleave that they are acturlly [hide] siblings of the previous members that quit[hide] . although i think Miya miya and the girl do not know her name might have problems with each other can you say new rival for Miya miya. one more thing about Miya Miya she is traning with 2
shinai as carrie does or did. also the new instructor of the kinda club is red Braver or aka [ hide ] "Kojirō", Toraji Ishida yes yes yes he gets his job back everything have been work out between him and that old lady. it was funny when Kirino tackle him crying/happy and saya removing his mask he had on[hide] at the end we do see Konatsu, Maya and Karen from Machido High School in a store with each other. we also see Andō in her kendo outfit reading a magazine with the others on the kendo team upset at her but he turns back on them funny. we see Asakawa upset again looking at her cell phone proberly breaking up with her boyfriend again.we see the Seimei high kendo team again which was nice we also see that girl one girl who
look tama up telling them not do anything to anyone. Miya Miya and carrie talking also no Reimi is back after Miya Miya again. the old lady that
Kōjiro had issue with now it looks like Kenzaburō Ishibashi haves a issue with her after hiting her car while driving he look sick when he look at her yelling at him i feel sorry for him. he also see kojiro and ishibashi talking who have a better team i think i am pretty sure thats what they were talking about. that girl who was talking with rin at the end might be the new rival for tama .

i do think 100% sure there will be a second season of this show hopefully sooner then later. some many story lines to keep following. Tama must beet that one girl kosaki i think of name was(sp?)
what will happen with Miya Miya and Remi
Muroe have have team matchs with
Machido High School and
Seimei high again.

i do hope some company picks this show
up and brings it over to the usa.

also the ending scenes could tells what will come in the second season of the series of there is a second season at all?

[William K]

Use the [ hide ] tag instead of [ spoiler ], to hide the text

[oo7565]

thanks i did it now

[Ryuuroden]

Can't Kirino catch a break?

Good question, I guess I will dub this the depression episode. The entire mood was depressing, but that's to be expected. Well on to 24 as soon as I can.


Exactly what I dubbed episode 23 as. I was very happy with episode 24 even if issues were resolved too easily. Episode 25 was also very good so the show ended up only being out of my good graces for a single episode. I don't think episode 23 would of annoyed me as much had the events in it happened earlier in the show. Since it happened at episode 23 and I knew that it had been all anime original story since episode 19 I was fearing that the shows story telling was free-falling to a lousy ending. I did not see how they could pull everything back together as the club seemingly fell apart in 23 and do it with only 3 episodes remaining. 24 was a major relief to my worries. I do not have a lot of confidence in manga based shows that end with an anime original ending as they more often than not have disapointed me. This is probably due to the fact I read manga too. The only show that comes to mind that had a far superior ending than that of the manga was Shaman King, and that problem may be fixed now that the mangaka is redoing the ending he wrote for it since it sucked so bad.

[Gatts]

The only show that comes to mind that had a far superior ending than that of the manga was Shaman King, and that problem may be fixed now that the mangaka is redoing the ending he wrote for it since it sucked so bad.

Shaman King was canceled and the ending was incomplete. There wasn't any chance for Takei to complete the story. Hikaru no Go also ended on a similar manner although not due to cancellation

[something]

Looks like I'm finishing two shows tonight. A 2 cour from Fall 2007 (this) and a 1 cour from Winter 2008 (KimiAru). Yay!

Episode 25:

- On the bus to the tourney! Too bad we didn't see Kirino and Saya clinging tightly to each other in the huddled mass.
- Oooh. Individual matches might mean fighting each other... awesome. Also awesome is how Miyamiya gets to work on Carrie.
- Wow, poor Satorin. Her very first opponent is Tama :sd: And they're really moving fast here, Miyamiya already faces Carrie? And wins. That was a crazy short match, though we got to see Reimi again! And Satorin is toast already. They're definitely trying to get the early stuff out of the way.
- Gah, Saya and Kirino lose in the fourth round? And Miyamiya lost her second, while Satori was of course out in the first. Certainly seems like they're getting everyone out of the way ASAP to make way for a Tama-Rin match. Which is fine, but holy shit, not having a passionate Saya x Kirino battle of lovers is a GIGANTIC missed opportunity. God it practically writes itself, how did they not see this!?
- Nice work Dan-kun. Not just in making Yuuji get really serious in order to beat you, but in becoming a character that I actually enjoy. I thought I'd really not be able to stand him at first, but he gradually won me over.
- Haha oh god, the epic Rin x Tama fight begins, and is suddenly interrupted by "iitsu za pawaa ofu rabu!", and then Reimi totally orgasms.
- And now Tama uses the thrust correctly, and wins, and gets a hug sandwich from Saya and Kirino =D

But uh, Ishida has to quit anyways or something? Er ok, on to 26.

[something]

Episode 26:

- Tama and Rin go on a date! Yaaaay! No fair having the camera focus on their hands without them holding hands... bastards.
- Haha wtf at the two new members. Tama has no idea what to do. Yay for flummoxed Tama! And the next to arrive is Satori, who isn't any better at this stuff :sd:
- Ahahahah. Aaaahahahaahaha. AHhahaahahh. Satorin is fucking wonderful. ::miss sword, bonk to head::
- "Our brothers quit kendo..." oh god they're totally the younger siblings of the two tards.
- Dan became the captain? Where is Kirino? She and Saya should only be 3rd years now.
- Oh snap, they resigned? I guess they do have exams and all to worry about. And she said they'll participate in the interhighs... and finally they know what to say to get the freshmen interested. God, this club would have fallen apart a thousand times over if now for Saya and particularly Kirino.
- Hah, Yoshikawa-sensei became their advisor. But she's having a baby! I love how everyone reacts, particularly Tama's very calm and formal congratulations. And Ishibashi sure moves fast...
- And their new advisor is... BRAVER BLADE! Oh god Kirino makes me shudder in delight. There'd be a lot more delight if that were Saya she tackled, but alas. Welcome back, Ishida.
- Yeaaaaaaah, they're the younger sublings of the two tards. Eh. I guess this lets Kirino shake off her last lingering feelings of guilt. With a new generation, she can do it all over again. But this time, she won't lose them.

And... stuff! Good stuff. Nice bits through the OP theme playing over the end. But the real important thing... Final scene TOTALLY implies a second season. It MUST happen.

So when all is said and done, nobody tops Kirino. I've gushed over her enough in other posts, but she's so wonderful I had to say it again. She is absolutely the core of this entire series. Oh sure, Tama is the poster girl for Bamboo Blade, but they'd all have fallen apart utterly without her. Every step of the way, she was smart, skilled, compassionate, reliable... a fantastic, fantastic human being.

The only downside to a second season I can imagine is possibly not seeing much of her and Saya. Oh well, at least we'll get to see their wedding.

Bamboo Blade was a great show, and while it slipped a bit from the #2 of fall/winter I had it at initially, it's still one of the strongest shows in quite some time. I would love to see more.

[Fencedude]

The show really was quite good. At tad uneven at points plotwise, but the characters were always great.

And yes, SEASON TWO NAO.

RED BRAVER vs. DEATH ARMOR

HEAVEN OR HELL

LETS ROCK

[William K]

- Dan became the captain? Where is Kirino? She and Saya should only be 3rd years now.

I believe 3rd years usually don't be club captains or presidents due to the exams. Genshiken had 3 presidents in its run as they reached their final year and graduated...


And... stuff! Good stuff. Nice bits through the OP theme playing over the end. But the real important thing... Final scene TOTALLY implies a second season. It MUST happen.

The uniform worn by the girl in the final scene usually means private school right? That scene looked like one out of Maria-sama :)


So when all is said and done, nobody tops Kirino. I've gushed over her enough in other posts, but she's so wonderful I had to say it again. She is absolutely the core of this entire series. Oh sure, Tama is the poster girl for Bamboo Blade, but they'd all have fallen apart utterly without her. Every step of the way, she was smart, skilled, compassionate, reliable... a fantastic, fantastic human being.
Total agreement. She's the heart and soul of the club.

[something]

I believe 3rd years usually don't be club captains or presidents due to the exams. Genshiken had 3 presidents in its run as they reached their final year and graduated...
True, guess I wondered if maybe it were different for sports clubs, since you'd expect the third years to be leading the team in competitions as the most experienced ones. But kendo at Muroe was never exactly typical, and it's not like Kirino and Saya aren't still participating.

[Natsume_Maya]

- The final scene hints at more to come. We see a girl with long blue hair talking to Rin and then as she walks away, she passes by Tama. They both stop and turn to look at each other.

I enjoyed the series a lot. To me, it got better and better, peaking with the Tama & Rin episodes - after that the series never seemed to reach the same level.

I wonder if the final scene suggests a second TV series or just alludes to the fact that the story continues in the manga. On the one hand, I enjoyed the series and so wouldn't mind seeing more. On the other hand, all issues have been resolved in this series and I wonder if a second series would be able to maintain the same level of fun.

Hope this series is released in the West soon.

[something]

On the other hand, all issues have been resolved in this series and I wonder if a second series would be able to maintain the same level of fun.
Bamboo Blade is a fully character driven show, so as long as we keep most or all of the cast and any new additions don't ruin the dynamic, the "plot" will be pretty much irrelevant. Just find a few new rivals, slap a MUROE CRISIS in the mix somewhere, and let the characters write the show themselves.

Another 26 should be a piece of cake.

[Ashyukun]

Absolutely beautiful finish. Wraps everything up nicely, lots of all of the characters doing what makes them so much fun to watch, and tantalizing setup for a (hopefully inevitable) sequel.

I'm quite sad to see this one end as it's probably the show I look forward to watching most when a new episode comes out. With it being the impetus for me to finally get off my ass and join my local Kendo club after putting it off for quite a while, it's also safe to say it's had the biggest impact on me of pretty much any show for a while. I can't wait to see more of it. :)

[Suwako Moriya]

Ah so the method for defeating two swords to disarm her and make it so she has none. I feel sorry fro Azuma's luck facing Tama so early. Still what matters is that Miya finally won a math and heck two in a sense. So yeah that was definitely nice to see.

[Suwako Moriya]

Wow the scene with Rin and Tama makes me really hope even more for an official Brave Blader movie. Looks like it could be awesome. Also interesting to see some new characters introduced at the last minute as it were. Maybe more of them in a potential second season? As a whole Bamboo Blade has been quite the fun series to watch and a pleasant surprise. Definitely one worth collecting.

[HitokiriShadow]

Poor Satorin, getting matched up with Tama in the first match.

MiyaMiya finally wins. Twice. I'm glad Reimi finally got another proper appearance in the show. She didn't get nearly enough screentime.

[HitokiriShadow]

Awesome ending. This episode basically embodied everything I love about the series.

The only problem is... I need more. Now.

[ronq]

Awesome ending. This episode basically embodied everything I love about the series.
The only problem is... I need more. Now.


Ditto. Need more. :cry:

[pianocello]

Having just finished this, I must say that this is one of the best sports anime (which is saying a lot since I initially knew nothing about kendo). I have seen in the last 2 years. The characters were delightful and I found myself smiling when things went well for them in ep 25. I have to say that Dan's VA did an excellent job of doing that lazy-sounding voice. Out of the 5 girls in the club, I like all of them but was disappointed that Satorin merely was kept as a gag character. Also Miya's constant bipolar personality did get old. Oh and I kind of feel sorry that a nice guy like Yuuji didn't get a romantic interest. I'd prefer him with Satorin since Tama and Rin should be a yuri couple.
However, I thought it would have even been much better if not for the inclusion of some characters that really made my blood boil (Konishi, Toyama, Iwasa). Also, they kept teasing us with the yuri hints and yet they refuse to make it full-blown canon. I kept praying that a confession or a kiss would happen between Saya x Kirino and Tama x Rin but alas...

If this were real life though, I must say that Toraji Ishida has to be one of the most incompetent school club advisors I've seen. Firstly, he didn't do much coaching and instead let Tama do most of it. Then, he made a blunder of the decision in the Tama - Konishi match. Then, the thing with Toyama and Iwasa. Instead of handling it in a mature way, he just wavers and then throws the problem to Kirino. And then when the club has problems, he runs away instead of trying to solve them. And not to mention at the end of ep 25, he ran away again.

I can't wait for the 2nd season. I'm guessing that it will probably end with Saya and Kirino graduating (and hopefully having their wedding ceremony:) ) . It will probably focus on the rivalry between Tama and the new character we saw in the end. Possibly, there might be more focus on the new members Makoto and Shinobu (who probably might be the cause of most of the angst).