Bamboo Blade - 1

They fight for justice! They fight for sushi!

Kicking off our first sports manga review, it's the high school kendo warriors of Bamboo Blade!

ISBN: 978-0-7595-3005-8
Story: Masahiro Totsuka
Art: Aguri Igarashi
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Older Teen
Volumes: 14
Anime: Adapted into a 26-episode series

Overview

Kojiro, a high school kendo instructor, makes a bet on his girls team defeating a rival schools team in order to win a years' worth of free sushi!  But with only one member on his own team, it's a race against time to sign up more members and train them up to win!

Luckily for Kojiro, there's an experienced kendo practitioner in the first year of his own school ... too bad she has no interest in joining the club!

Dumbfounded, Kojiro is nonetheless absolutely determined to get Tamaki to join his team and sets about putting a plan in motion.

Bonuses

Translation Notes - various cultural references, vocabulary and insights are explained here with handy page references.

About This Manga - some information from the writer regarding the creation of the series.

Backstage Afterword - Aguri Igarashi who drew the art shares some original character designs

The Maid says ...

Volume One is a great set up for the whole series, introducing most of the main characters and what drives them.

For Kojiro, it's the promise of a years worth of free food.  He's a man living on cup noodles and food packages from his mother - thus his enthusiasm for kendo is reignited and his determination not to starve drives him to seek out new students and push them to win this mini-tournament.

Then the quiet little first year student catches his attention.  Tamaki's display of swordsmanship captivates him - surely she would be the crowing jewel of his winning team ... if only she were interested.  This just causes utter bafflement on Kojiro's part but as we learn more about Tamaki, I can understand why.  Kendo simply isn't fun for her.  She's so good at it that there's no challenge in it.

Tamaki also comes across as a very lonely child.  Sullen and quiet, she goes about her days almost robotically.  Whilst she has other interests, she has no one to genuinely share them with.

Bamboo Blade quickly became a favourite series of mine, in part because I can relate to Tamaki in some ways.  I didn't have any real friends throughout school.  It wasn't until I was older and joined a local martial arts class that I felt I made some real friends.  The difference it made to my life was huge.

I don't think Tamaki smiles once in that whole volume.  And there's an equally heartwarming and saddening comment she makes near the end, when she decides to make a packed lunch that she can share - because she's never had anyone to share her lunch with before.

As far as the artwork goes, I can not praise the kendo art enough.  Dynamic artwork on the kendo matches is fast and furious: it really gives a sense of how quick the art is.  Having practiced kendo myself for a brief period, I'm pleased to see how accurate the art is in relation to the positions, such as the feet balanced on the toes, heels just up off the floor for example.  I would be very surprised if the artist hasn't been involved in kendo themselves.  If you have any experience of it, I'm sure you'll notice the little details too.

In true martial arts styling, Bamboo Blade is a series about self improvement.  I'd heartily recommend this series to anyone who practices kendo, any martial art, or indeed any sport.  There's great insight into good sportsmanship and growing both in skill and as a person.