At this point in the series, if you thought Bamboo Blade was good before…you are a fool! THIS is terrific stuff! THIS is why Bamboo Blade is worthy of recommendation.
Creative Staff
Story: Masahiro Totsuka
Art: Aguri Igarashi
Translation/Adaptation: Stephan Paul
What They Say
Up-and-coming TV personality Ryouko Toda is an ambitious young woman who’s willing to use any means necessary to claw her way to the top. For Ryouko, image is key, but it’s tough for this cutthroat celebrity to maintain her cool on-screen persona when she’s forced to appear alongside ditzy costar Erina Sawamiya on Burnish Academy, where silly, simple Erina manges to best Ryouko in every single sport! To defeat Erina in sports and in the ratings game, Ryouko must call upon her skills not as an actress, but as a master of the kendo ring!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
For some Bamboo Blade fans, volume 10 might’ve seemed like too much of a change given that the bulk of the book consisted of stories involving new characters and the main Muroe High girls were barely featured. I found it to be extremely refreshing however; a change of pace and scenery that breathed new life into the series. Volume 11 takes that approach and expands upon it exponentially. The entire volume here is all about characters we have never met before, it’s all about setting up the stage for the TV show that Muroe HS’s Kendo team will be featured on, it’s all about story.
The afterword in this volume by Bamboo Blade writer Masahiro Totsuka explains why this is perfectly. When he started Bamboo Blade he only planned on it being about five volumes or so and this “Burnish Saga” was planned as being the end since the very beginning. Since the series ended up going longer than planned due to popularity, the writer had a lot of time to expand upon how he wanted the final arc to be. Now that we have finally reached this part in the story, all of that planning is coming to fruition.
The first chunk of the volume deals with a pretty extensive background on Ryouko Toda and Erina Sawamiya, the two stars of the Burnish Academy TV program. Despite never seeing these characters before and the brief four chapters spent on them, these are two fully fleshed out characters that are given just as much depth and personality as the main girls. Sure we don’t particularly “care” for them like we do the Muroe High team, but that doesn’t mean that we aren’t given a full glimpse as to the background of these girls and a proper setup to why the TV program is doing a Kendo special. That is the power of good writing. Who knows how long the author has been working on these characters’ stories, but he has fully realized them and was able to present all of it in a short burst that may even be better than taking along period of time to accomplish this goal. It adds dimensions to the characters and new layers to the developing story that build up anticipation for when Muroe High actually enters the story.
The remainder of the book introduce us to another member of the Kendo Komachi, the elite team of female Kendo players that participated in a TV special two years prior of which Sakaki is a member, and the motivations of Ooe-san, the Burnish Academy Producer. Not too much time is spent with these chapters and it really feels like they exist just to give us more characters that will come into play later. It also helps bring motivations full circle with the producer so we have a more realized view of what the Muroe girls are about to get dragged into. Sadly, the only parts in this volume that lack any sort of punch, emotionally or comically, are in the first and last chapter….the only scenes that feature the Muroe High team. But they aren’t intended to be the focus here and that shows through glaringly when they are featured. But the girls are still fun to watch while Ooe-san reminisces about his past as member of a kendo team. It’s good to see the girls, they ARE the main characters lest we forget, but with such strong material around in this book it feels just like that, mandatory. The funniest scenes are, again, attributed to Sakaki-san’s father who goes on a quest to cleanse his daughter of the evil spirits that threaten her, with the not so hidden goal of getting her to participate in the TV show as well. Everything surrounding Sakaki and her father are where Bamboo Blade is hitting its highest notes. I can only hope that they will be feature prominently in the remaining three books.
In Summary
We are given the second consecutive volume of Bamboo Blade to branch the story out greatly from our standard troupe of characters. We are also given the second consecutive volume that makes the series feel fresher and more alive than it has the last couple of volumes. By taking the time needed to fully flesh out the circumstances and atmosphere surrounding the Burnish Academy taping, we are given a more realized world that extends beyond the Muroe team and Kojiro-senpai. In expanding the world and giving all the necessary background before the actual event takes place, we get proper build up and anticipation that will allow the finale of Bamboo Blade to shine brightly and not be marred by flashbacks and cuts from the immediate action. Bamboo Blade is stronger then ever, just in time for the finish line.
Content Grade: A
Art Grade: A-
Packaging Grade: B-
Text/Translation Grade: B+
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: December 13th, 2012
MSRP: $11.99
