Bamboo Blade, Vol. 1 Review

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Bamboo Blade, Vol. 1 ReviewThis is a review of Volume One of "Bamboo Blade" published by Yen Press.
"Bamboo Blade" follows the story of the (mostly female) members of a kendo club in Muroe Private High School in Japan. One day the club's coach, impoverished Toraji "Kojiro" Ishida, is challenged by his senpai Ishibashi: "If Kojiro's all-female team beat his in the competition, Kojiro can have a one-year supply of sushi at the sushi restaurant Ishibashi's father runs. Of course, Kojiro accepts. (Sushi is pretty expensive in Japan.) To get the prize, however, Kojiro needs five female members now and has to train them very quickly.
Luckily he and Kirino, the only female member of the club, find Tamaki, a small, quiet girl student whose father is a kendo master. (Oh, kendo is Japanese martial art of sword-fighting using bamboo swords, just in case if you don't know.) Tamaki herself, as it turns out, is a very strong kendo practioner. The problem is, she is not interested.

The author of the comic is Masahiro Totsuka (storyboards written by him) and the illustration is by Aguri Igarashi. The strength of her artwork lies in drawing of characters (especially girls in a slightly shojo manga fashion), not the swordfights. Actually like most Japanese comics based on sports, the comic is not just about sports. If you are looking for realistic kendo fights, this is not the place.
Though the kendo club's easy-going instructor Kojiro is the character who furthers the manga's storyline, it is the attractive female students - Tamaki (nicknamed Tama-chan) and Kirino especially - that are the reason you should read "Bamboo Blade." Unfortunately, the story of Volume One is a tad slower than it should be with several flashbacks explaining Kojiro's background. We have to wait for the next volume to know more about Tama-chan, Kirino, and other interesting characters.
The hit comic has been serialized in seinen magazine "Young Gangan" targeting young adult males, published by Square Enix since December, 2004. At the time of writing, 11 volumes (plus one volume of spin-off "Bamboo Blade B") have been published in Japan.
[BOOK / TRANSLATION] The English edition has the same color page. FX, signs, afterword by author and illustrator are also translated. The Yen Press edition has one-page translation note.
Finally you must keep this in mind. Some Japanese comics take time for characters to develop. Reading only the first volume isn't often enough to fully enjoy long-running series. If the kendo coach Kojiro is pathetic, he is made so intentionally, and more discerning readers will notice that he will change. The series has spawned eleven volumes (and spin-off and anime adaptation) and they are no fluke in highly competitive Japanese comic industry.Bamboo Blade, Vol. 1 OverviewPoor, in debt, and living on instant noodles, high school kendo instructor Kojiro makes a bet with an old friend on a practice meet between the all-girls' teams of their respective schools. The prize: a year's worth of free sushi! It's too good for the desperate Kojiro to pass up! But with only one active member on the kendo team, Korjio must move quickly to put together a squad before the meet. He's got his eye on Tamaki, the daughter of a kendo master and a skilled swordswoman herself. The only trouble is . . . she's not interested. Kojiro's willing to try anything, but what will it take to win her over?

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