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Studio : AIC ASTA
Licenced by : FUNimation
Length : 26 Episodes
Year : 2007
Genre : Comedy - Sports
Synopsis :
Ishida sensei has a problem. His rival senpai has challenged his Kendo girls club to a match; a match that if he wins, will give him free food for a year. Unfortunately, he only has 1 girl in the club, and he needs 5. He then finds the answer to his prayers: Tamaki, a girl who teaches kendo at her father's Dojo. Unfortunately though, she has no interest in joining the kendo club. For her, kendo is like chores, not something you do for fun. Tamaki's journey has just begun.
Added : 2007-10-09
Synopsis by : Molenir
Last update : 2009-02-14
Last update details : Modify info
Score : 8.8
Number of reviews : 10
Link(s) :
Official #1 : Official Bamboo Blade Website (Japanese)
Official #2 : TV Tokyo's Bamboo Blade Website (Japanese)
Song(s) :
Opening #1 : Ryou H., Megumi T., Sachiko K., Houko K., Rina S. - Bamboo Blade
Ending #1 : Ryou H., Megumi T., Sachiko K., Houko K., Rina S. - Star Rise
Release(s) :
2008-08-08 -- Episode(s) 26 by Star-Fansubs. BT Link
2008-04-10 -- Episode(s) 25 by Star-Fansubs. BT Link
2008-04-10 -- Episode(s) 24 by Star-Fansubs. BT Link
Found 108 releases. Click here to [ Find them! ]
Hits : 33439
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Posted by : xxscrimagexx
Posted on : 2010-02-20 
Ever since starting the Junior year of High School, my anime hours have plummeted. But since a lot of my friends are telling me to watch this show, I gave it a try: well, because it had to do with life in high school. And what a show this is, not only does it show the rise and fall in a person's life, it also shows the gray area in life that sometimes, the black and white just won't do. I loved this series, due to the fact that it is my return to anime, and this is how I rated it.
Music: -9- It's very hard to notice the BGM of the series due to all the fighting and screaming during a kendo battle. But when everything goes light-hearted, and the show transcend into a slow mood, I thought the BGM in those scenes were spectacular. Now the OP and ED of the show is with a doubt some of the best. I say that because for like ten to fifteen episodes, I watched the entire show including the OP and ED.
Characters: -9.5- I did not give this category a 10 because of the plateau it showed in development and the sudden climaxes in development. But I liked the fact that the characters were introduced one by one, and detailed. The main characters, the five girls, were shown fully in development. Now the only thing that would of made this category a 10, would've been the involvement of the minor characters. Yes, there were SOME involvements, but not enough to see that the minor characters and major characters are connected.
Story: -10- The plot of this show is amazing. The synopsis tells a lot, but when one can only truly see the genius of the show by watching it. The story, in my opinion, followed a standard and unoriginal approach in introducing things and characters, but that doesn't make it bad. In fact, the execution, the way they pulled it off, made this show phenomenal.
Animation: -10- I wonder where the numbers 11 or 12 are when it comes to this category. I just have to say that the animation is definitely the pillar of this show. The transitions, the smoothness of the pictures, made the show so enjoyable to watch. Especially during the fight scenes, when the moving of the characters are its maximum, the show is able to capture the important parts and yet don't leave out the detailed but small part.
Overall: -10- It's just wrong not to give this show a 10. Yes, there were some minor things that could've been better but I think the star-bursts of the amazing things eclipses the bad.
To all you high schoolers and soon-to-be high schoolers, I highly recommend this show to you. Bamboo Blade shows a portion of life in high school that is crucial to the survival of all freshmen. And as to you sports lovers, especially kendo lovers, it's a must watch because a gem like this comes once every five years.
Posted by : Ravensdark 
Posted on : 2009-09-19  
A very well done anime that goes in directions that you would not expect. I dislike all the blade braver stuff, but I do enjoy the relationships and the kendo that is shown. I am not so certain that I will re-watch it many times I have watched it through several times already.
The story is funny and enjoyable at the same time.
My favorite part of the show are the characters. I like the two-faced nature of Mia, though her nemesis was very annoying. I liked the other main characters as well. The male coach was rather irritating though with his "I'm so hungry" thing that seemed to be prevalent.
Overall: worth watching and worth recommending. It is a good yet not overdone shounen anime that dose not have the irritating eternal battles that other shounen have.
Posted by : Terentius
Posted on : 2008-11-09
After the brilliant sporting saga of Slam Dunk, I was once again recommended this series about a highschool Kendo club. Rather than the testosterone fuelled exploits of 5 boys, this show follows the exploits of 5 girls!
Animation
Very simple and nothing overly complex. I've learnt that it often isn't the best presented shows that have the really good stories or characters. Shows like Bamboo Blade are often surprises in that regard. The character designs aren't all that fantastic. All of the girls just look generic and I wasn't impressed by their overall designs. What really impressed me were the Kendo scenes. It could have gone the way of Slam Dunk and take all of 4 to 5 episodes for a match. Thankfully the bouts are both fast, action-packed and most importantly realistic. I was laughing out loud everytime Miya-Miya went 'dark'!
Story
There never was this sense of the dramatic or even the melodramatic with Bamboo Blade. Things were kept simple and as a result, it never tried to be anything more than what it should be. There have been times in the past where a really good scene (or even an entire series) has been spoilt by over-exuberant speeches or moments of 'tension' (namely, standing around for minutes at a time contemplating the next move in a fight - almost Bleach-esque). Here the girls win, they celebrate. When they lose, they accept it, then they move on. That's where it scores so highly on... a simple yet realistically touching story of the rise and fall of a group of characters working together as a team. The fact that this is encompassed in an unusual choice of sport is an additional bonus. Not to mention that it is both an incredibly uplifting and funny show.
Characters
Again, the characters weren't original. They've all been seen across anime and as mentioned in previous reviews, the characters were almost cliched. What made them stand-out was the setting. Rather than a team of super-heroes or a team of intergalactic mecha pilots here are a team of regualr highschool Kendo practitioners. Immediately the onus is changed from the generic to the original. Yes, the characters are the same, but seeing those same stereotypes in what I consider to be a highly original setting made for highly entertaining viewing.
Music
This is definitely one of the truly rare shows where I have listened to BOTH the OP and ED in full for every episode. Incredibly uplifting and melodic (to the point where I have the OP mp3 as a ringtone), they would definitely feature in both my top 10 all-time lists for great anime theme songs. The score was also very good with some nice use of string instruments during the action scenes.
Summary
In spite of what I have written, this is entirely deserving of a very high score. Yes, the characters and animation were not the best. As an off-set the story, humour, music, subject matter and action were just brilliant. Most importantly, it was upliftingly positive. There were moments of sheer hilarity coupled with periods of absolute dejection. Fortunately there was also a very healthy dose of realistic perspective thrown in too. After all, I can't stand shows where the protagonists think it is the end of the world after losing just the one match.
This has to be one of the better releases of 2007. Highly recommended to any and to all regardless of taste or personal preference.
Posted by : Yuun
Posted on : 2008-07-07
This is one of the few sportsman & sportswoman –ship anime I highly recommend. The animation was pretty average but it blended very well with the entire anime. Consistency with the backgrounds & characters were very high and pleasant. The seiyuu did well in bringing out the characters potentiality; I like them especially when they scream as they feel real giving me the feeling as if I’m in the series itself sitting in the VIP seat watching the tournament. It really gives the feel of competitiveness and journey of adventures.
Being a sportsman myself in other form of martial arts though, I have to say Kendo is a great sport and to see it animated really makes me rejoice especially when the serious is so well done. I have to compliment the story plot; it was very well done and developed slowly and hits the climax with a huge bang! Soon after that the story starts to close its curtain and given a proper time to ended the series well.
The characters were extremely well portrayed; personally I like Kirino as she shows me the most determinism and what I like about in a sportswoman. All in all, the interactions between the characters with its story pace are smooth and comfortable.
Although this anime is not all great, but it has to be one of the few best sports genre anime I’ve watched. As an anime over all, Bamboo blade is a very, very nice decent anime in which it should be given lots of compliment. It would be nice if there’s more romance seeing I more towards a romance anime.
Then again, I still love Bamboo Blade. For burning my sportsmanship spirit as well as giving me the opportunity to feel nostalgia. The music was ok but who cares? This anime has a great ending, great story, great characters, and great amount of tears and sweat shed, so it is a GOOD ANIME.
Posted by : kevinchaosvs
Posted on : 2008-06-14
I knew I was going to like this series based on the synopsis as I’m very much interested in Kendo (and other martial arts related stuffs). What I didn’t expect was that the series turned out to be way better than I thought it’ll be.
Story/Dev : 80%
Characters/Dev: 92%
Animation/Graphics/Design: 80%
Music: 84%
The highlight for the series, or rather, what made this series so successful, is no doubt the interactions between the characters. Bamboo Blade is one of the few cases where I actually like all the characters in the main cast, what with the interesting dynamics of the cast which consist of very unique personalities that are all very lovable to watch. Even Yuji, the archetypical plain and normal sort of character whom Chiaki from Minami-ke would have called a “plain yogurt," is likeable with his occasional punch lines.
Usually, for jokes that run throughout a series, they tend to get dry towards the end, but for this, the running gags stayed fresh and funny throughout, as the series did not overdo the gags. Indeed, it is always very hilarious to see Miya Miya going “Darkness Mode" and the expression on Tama-chan’s face when watching her Power Ranger-ish anime series. My favorite has got to be the Kirino–Sayako pair, particularly when they go chibi mode. It is always so cute to see Kirino with her puppy faced expressions.
Another reason why this series got me hooked on is that it is realistic. Lots of Sports anime tend to exaggerate things; for example, dramatic speeches that sound so cheesy. Bamboo Blade has none of those; the way this series portrays the themes of friendship and teamwork were very simple, yet very sweet and has the desired effect of getting the viewers to root for the characters.
Bamboo Blade also has nice graphics and the animation is well done. I particularly like the sun-set sort of colour used in the ED. The kendo scenes are superb, but lack that sort of epic feel, hence I didn’t give this series a full 10/10.
Both the OP and ED are great, and I especially like the ED.
The bgm for the kendo matches was superb. They made a great choice in using traditional Japanese drums. However, I felt that they could have chosen better bgms for the non-kendo scenes, especially the ones when they are just having conversations: they were good, but not memorable and thus another reason why this series didn’t get a solid 10.
All in all, Bamboo Blade is light-hearted and fun, with the sweet friendship moments and I highly recommend this series. Very enjoyable. I just can’t get enough of the characters in their chibi versions.
Personal overall rating: 93%
Posted by : PolyGuru
Posted on : 2008-05-18
Bamboo Blade is a series that is much more than its synopsis lets on. Five girls come together because of kendo and find friendship, acceptance and support from each other. The story is kept simple and on the light side with humor. The kendo action is good. My favorite character is Tamaki, closely followed by Miyako and Kirino.
Soundtrack was okay and the same goes for the opening and ending theme. Voice acting was beyond good but then you would not expect anything less when it has voice actress of Houko Kuwashima caliber.
The ending was a bit annoying since it screamed sequel. I would like to see a second season for this and hope the dark Tama will make a guest appearance once again. I also hope that they will give more background to the other characters and some info on Tama’s mother.
I found Bamboo Blade to be an enjoyable watch so much so that I skipped sleep just to complete the series in a day. Hence I give it a rating of nine.
Posted by : seefutbow
Posted on : 2008-04-29
When I first saw screens of Bamboo Blade, I thought, "Oh no, not another Amaenaideyo!". I'm glad I did decide to eventually watch Bamboo Blade because the series is quite enjoyable overall. The series did also turn out to be nothing like Amaenaideyo. (Thank goodness)
Highlights:
-Tama-chan's character was adorable beyond words. The writers probably purposely designed the attract Otaku to the series. I mean she's cute, watches anime, is great at kendo, completely innocent, and she has the voice of a grade schooler. Tamaki definitely didn't seem to be a high schooler.
-Each character was very different from each other, and somehow, their different personalities all meshed to create wonderful interactions between themselves.
-The animation was surprisingly well done. The animation quality stayed quite consistent throughout the series, and the animation was especially well done during the kendo fight scenes.
-The opening and ending themes were very well done. I enjoyed listening to both every time I watched an episode.
-The seiyuu's did a very well job providing their characters with wonderful voices that matched their personalities.
Lows:
-Not much bad to say about the series. I guess at times it got annoying to hear the girls screaming during their strikes.
Er...:
-The series is apparently based off of a manga which hasn't finished its run yet, so the anime series understandably leaves a lot of room for a sequel.
I enjoyed BB. The series was light-hearted fun and quite enjoyable just to pass the time with. The series won't blow you away with its amazingly well written dialog, outstanding animation, or captivating storyline, but the series does enough to keep you wanting to watch more. A good production overall, and I would recommend this to anyone.
Posted by : SleepyLafiel
Posted on : 2008-04-21
It is difficult sometimes to grade any piece of entertainment. On one hand, they're meant to be entertaining and be a form of escape; to expect deepness and originality is perhaps too much to ask for especially considering that everything is a rip-off of something else by now. On the other hand, when it's blatantly unoriginal and brings absolutely nothing new to the table, resulting in a creation little more than a reshuffling of previous ideas... how can anyone recommend something like that?
With that said, however, Bamboo Blade is still a top notch, immensely entertaining bit of anime fluff; fun, shallow, and filled with agreeable cliches, it's easy to overlook many of the flaws and find the fun inside. And ultimately, maybe that's all we should expect from this medium. Besides, who can resist watching females fighting with something that's so overtly a phallic symbol?
Plot: 7/10. Recycles every known cliche from both sports movies and animes. Using stock characters from each angle/direction possible, the storyline of the anime is driven in a friendly, crowd-pleasing way. A good portion of the anime is spent dressing up each individual member of its cast, putting obstacles in front of them, and then ending the series on a pleasant and happy note, with nearly zero suspense as to how things would turn out. And although very little time is wasted, it feels as if more could be done, but wasn't. Even with that though, it's a fun experience filled with sight gags and humor, creating an extremely watchable atmosphere.
Characters: 7/10. The heart and soul of any series, BB uses a wide variety of characters to great effect, but you've seen them all before; the strong silent type, the outwardly nice type, the butch girl type, the unmotivated teacher, the clumsy one, etc. The fact that the series didn't bother developing any of them until the last 6 episodes also weakens these general archetypes, and the reusing of certain weaknesses over and over again for comedic value grew old by the 3rd cycle. Still, the interactions between the characters are fun and good for a few laughs, so the overall goal is achieved. It is somewhat boring though, and nothing worthy of note.
Animation: 8.5/10. Very clean and fluid animation anchors the series. Although some parts are reused several times, the overall quality, especially during duels, is mesmerizing. Tense moments were strengthened because of the animation, and while the nature of the "feel good sports anime" eliminated much of that tension, it was still enjoyable to watch girls fight each other with sticks. Definitely the highlight of an overall unremarkable series.
Sound/Music: 8/10. Catchy intro/outro that almost seems tailor made for the series. The strings section that pops up after every tense moment is a little overused, but effective for these types of things.
Overall: 7.5/10. For me to give this high of a score to something so ridden with cliches means only one thing: lowered expectations for anime as a whole. Don't get me wrong, the series made me laugh, and is not nearly as much of a waste of time as similar plotted productions like The World's Strongest Disciple, but it brings absolutely nothing new to the table. They could have replaced Kendo with Jujitsu or MMA and nothing would have changed, meaning that Kendo was a means to an end, not the heart of the series. Questions like "what makes a good Kendoka" and "what's required for training" are completely unaddressed unlike in other sports themed shows such as Slam Dunk and Eyeshield 21. This is a shame and a glaring weakness considering that the character development in not particularly strong either.
But in these dark times when we can get maybe 1-2 great series a year out of the countless recycled clones ones being pumped out, this recycled clone was actually pleasing to watch even if unremarkable. I'd recommend it, but only just barely.
Posted by : du5k
Posted on : 2008-04-19
Bamboo Blade was like a bit of a surprise when it came out. I found it through anime blogs, and it gave me the impression that it was a “trial project by studio-i-never-heard-of which is somewhat funny�. Bamboo Blade, however, turn out to be a surprise gem that season.
The series is mainly focus on Tamaki and her Kendo life, although the other five main characters (including Ishida-sensei) had quite a lot of screen time as well. With each of these character’s different personality, it’s fun to watch their own episodes, their different fighting styles and their interaction with their teammates. Although it’s a sports anime, but like Suzuka it’s focus more on their lives than the Kendo tactics, unlike most of sports genre.
Other than the story, what makes the show interesting is its unique brand of comedy. Though it’s sometimes repetitive or gets stagnant, the humor the show brings helps the character interesting, particularly Tamaki’s who’s personality is pretty quiet.
The surprising thing is that fight scenes are actually VERY GOOD in such a series, which really overshot my expectations. Though most of the best fights are from Tamaki, each fight shows more and more of her true strength and different tactics, unlike just some adrenaline rush.
The opening and ending themes are sang by the VAs of the five girls, and although it seems like it was something due to lack of budget, it’s still pretty good, although hearing 5 voices throughout the whole song makes it much less interesting.
Its animation was good, although some episodes can be deemed a little too under-detailed. I can never get enough of their chibi styles though.
What can I say? I really enjoyed this series.
Plot: 8
Story Style: 9
Animation: 8
Music: 8
Value: 9
Posted by : Molenir
Posted on : 2008-04-05
Bamboo Blade, as you might expect from the title, is a sports themed anime. However its vastly different from the typical sports anime. Most of which give us an extreme close up on a single match, or game. Instead, Bamboo Blade focuses on the characters and their stories. In addition, the focus is not on a boys team, but rather a girls team. The sport involved is Kendo, a version of fencing, that focuses on sword fighting in the Samurai tradition. Obviously not with swords, but rather the bamboo blades that Samurai traditionally trained with.
The story mostly deals Tamaki, or Tama-chan who is a prodigy at the sport. However it goes in depth on all 5 of the girls on the Kendo team, as well as the teacher who recruited them, mostly because of a bet between him and a rival instructor. The story is excellent, however its the characters, particularly Tama-chan that makes this show outstanding. Silly at times, and definitely over the top. Her character is so fun to watch.
I can't really say much about the animation, or the music, as neither were particularly outstanding. Though both were good. All I can say is that neither detracted from the story in any way. Though I do have to admit that I thought the OP was pretty enjoyable.
What it really comes down to though is that there are very few shows as enjoyable, or as fun as this one. Bamboo Blade easily makes my all time favorite anime list. Not only did I watch the episodes right when they came out, I frequently re-watched episodes while waiting for the next one to be released. I cannot recommend this show more highly to anyone. Regardless of whether or not you like Kendo, or sports themed animes in general, I really think that this anime in particular, is simply too fun to pass up.
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