To quote Kojiro-sensei, “The atmosphere in the room has changed.” Zawa zawa
Creative Staff
Story: Masahiro Totsuka
Art: Aguri Igarashi
Translation/Adaptation: Stephen Paul
What They Say
After their disciplined training, the Muroe High kendo team is ready for action on the day of the practice meet. Their opponents from Kamasaki High, however, hardly seem pumped for competition. As the scores are tallied, will even Ishibaki’s pupils find the passion for victory burning within their neglected armor? And after all of the students have had their say, it’s time for high school rivals Ishibaki and Kojiro to take the floor once again in their first battle since Kojiro’s trophy-winning victory all those years ago!!!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The entirety of this volume is spent on the practice match between Muroe High and Kamasaki High. In previous volumes where there was a lot of time spent on the kendo matches, the story seemed weaker than when it focused on the girls, their relationships, and the comedy aspect of the series. This was generally due to either spending too much time on individual matches or not enough time. The artwork also never really helped matters in these cases because there was always an excess of speed lines and it became difficult to tell what was actually happening. Regardless of these flaws I always enjoyed Bamboo Blade because overall it was done well enough to provide enjoyment and earnest attempt to continue reading.
Volume 9 is different than previous volumes that focused on the kendo matches. For starters, this match involves both the girls and boys from both schools participating in the meet. This adds particular enjoyment as we get to see everybody fight; especially Dan-kun, whose fight is hilarious for the simple fact that he is so small. There is also a surprising amount of subtext and character development during this meet. We get to see just how much the students from Muroe High have improved as both kendo practitioners and people. Miya-Miya, my personal favorite, is handled especially well here in a very surprising turn in both the outcome of her match and her understanding of the sport. The real focus here however, is on Iwahori of Kamasaki High. This is a character that I really didn’t like in the last volume and here, through multiple inner monologues and observations, really grows as a person. He gets his just desserts as I had hoped but the outcome is a real, honest display of maturity at a rapid pace. Kojiro also shows a great deal of growth in this volume to the point where he isn’t really the same schmuck as before. His personal maturity, understanding, and growth really shine through the whole book and he looks to start becoming the positive role model he should be. Another pleasant change is the focus on the individual matches. None of the matches run too long of too short. They are paced perfectly to achieve the goals of the plot and at just the right intervals in terms of timing. The final thing that makes this volume of fights stand out is the artwork. Oh how the art has matured over the series! The action during the kendo matches still has the same fast paced action we’ve become accustomed to but the staging of panels is what has improved greatly. The various panels and action shots are choreographed much more eloquently. They have a cinematic quality to them in how they present a shot at just the right angle to where we feel the excitement but can see and understand what is happening. We are constantly aware of who’s who and what actions are being taken. If the art and action choreography maintains this level or even improves as the series continues we might have a real winner here as opposed to a good, but not great, series.
There are some comedic bits here and there, such as bizarre references to Kamasaki High’s infamous lunch bread, but overall this is a very serious volume. It is a very nice change and the focus on drama and maturity really shine because of it. I appreciated the comedic parts but they don’t take center stage; heck, they don’t even try to compete with the action and drama. The volumes ends off with a tease about a TV station calling the local kendo dojos. I like this idea and look forward to seeing it play out as I’m sure it will be very funny in its awkwardness and the improvements over story and art shown in this volumes make these future events something that should be looked forward to.
In Summary
I had gotten very comfortable with Bamboo Blade. I really enjoy the series and it is great to visit every once in a while. The characters have always been charming and both the comedy and action have been adequate enough for me. Volume 9 really steps up its game in all aspects. That actually worries me a bit. I don’t want the next volume or two to disappoint me. I’ve never been disappointed with Bamboo Blade before but I’ve never been surprised in a very pleasant way either. Now that I’ve been surprised and my expectations raised a little I can only hope that the quality stays. If you’ve been keeping up with the series I know you’re already reading this, if you haven’t this might not be a bad volume to pick up to get a feel for the series and how much, like its characters, it’s grown over the years. Also, for fans of the ‘ultimate’ manga series woefully not available legally in the U.S., Kaiji, there is some hidden Zawa power that brought a huge smile to my face!
Content Grade: A-
Art Grade: A-
Packaging Grade: B-
Text/Translation Grade: B+
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: June 28th, 2011
MSRP: $11.99
