After sifting through numerous aniblog posts that began piling up after my two-week break, I found Yerocha’s fun blog carnival post about an ideal anime/manga five man troupe. I’m a little late to the party, but I’d still love to squeeze in my cast ^_^

A lot of old-school shows that I’ve watched back in the day had the traditional Five-Man Band formula (The Hero, The Lancer, The Smart Guy, The Big Guy, and The Chick/Heart) with shows like Flame of Recca and Yu Yu Hakusho as prime examples . Nowadays, I haven’t seen much of this trademark team, what with the rise of more popular archetypes like the Anti-Hero, the various -dere types, and “The One Guy” in harems. So, to bring back the old days, my cast will stick to the traditional Five-Man Band. As for the story to go with it, let’s have a classic shounen-style tournament that will decide the fate of the world!

The Hero
Usually the series’ protagonist, as well as the team leader. A man with impeccable resolve and genuine fighting spirit. Can be brash and reckless at times, causing trouble for himself and the team, but he always comes through in the end. He’s the underdog, yet refuses to believe it. His will to fight and sense of justice can be felt by his comrades, making him the team’s driving force. He’s the “good” guy, who will always try to uphold his morals, and will never resort to cheap tricks and dirty tactics. Simply put, the hero is the hero.

To lead my five man troupe, I’ve chosen the Ally of Justice himself, Emiya Shirou of Fate/Stay Night fame. No one would dare question his resolve and sense of justice, and he really does fit into the hero profile to a T. I mean, the guy would sacrifice his own gut for a person he barely knows. Granted, it’s because of his twisted morals, but that’s his morals as a hero and it took the hatred of the entire world to make him rethink it. Shirou doesn’t really get much credit when he has Saber as his sword but I think that with Saber out of the picture, and given a team dynamic, he would perform better.

The Lancer
The team’s number two guy. Oftentimes he’s the rival (either in strength, in love or both), as well as the closest ally to our hero. Initially strong, he always trumps the hero in every way early on. He holds the same degree of determination as the Hero, but after some time, or some display of heroism by the hero, he’ll start questioning his own resolve. He’s the person most likely to flip to the other side at one point in the story. At times he’ll have the team’s back when the hero is out in the front lines. He shares a certain level of respect and trust with our hero, enough to get them fighting side-by-side with each other. At the end of the day though, he’s the foil to our hero.

I’ve bestowed the title of the Lancer to the Lizard Knight Amamiya Yuuhi from Wakusei no Samidare. Despite being a protagonist in his own series, the cold, calculating and cunning Yuuhi is almost the complete polar opposite of Shirou, which makes for a nice chemistry between the two. If Shirou is the all-in brawler type when it comes to fights, Yuuhi is the tactician who relies on traps, tricks and conservative methods, much to the distaste of both characters. I can totally see Yuuhi butting heads with Shirou whenever Shirou goes overboard in saving someone at the team’s expense, which could lead to an intense slug fest between the two.

The Smart Guy
Exactly as it sounds. The smartest guy in the entire team (besting even the Hero/Lancer), possibly the one coming up with strategies in fights as well as the one who analyzes enemy weaknesses. Usually not the combat type, but able to hold his own when cornered. His repertoire may include but is not limited to; academic prowess, street smarts, psychobabble, technological know-how, and boyscout preparedness.

I had a hard time thinking of a good “Smart Guy” to put into the team. My first choice was Orihara Izaya from DRRR!! but he doesn’t really strike me as someone who’d use his intellect in favor of the team. After some thought, I’d decided to have the secretary of Ohtori Academy’s Student Council, Miki Kaoru from Revolutionary Girl Utena, reprise his role as this team’s brainiac. He’s a literal smart guy, taking up college level subjects at the age of 13, while also being a talented fencer. Although he’s not a very notable guy in this field, what made me choose him is how effective of a smart guy he was in Utena. Given his friendly nature, I can see Shirou taking a liking to him, while Yuuhi takes him as an intellectual rival.

The Big Guy
If the Smart Guy is the brains of the group, the Big Guy is the brawn. The strongest member of the team in terms of sheer power. Doesn’t necessarily have to be a muscular giant, but he’s the most imposing to look at. Not the brightest in the team, but does’t mean he’s dumb either. He’s the team’s clean-up hitter, taking multiple opponents at once. In fights, he’s the type to smash the opponent head-on. Usually the one who most often falls for the enemy’s traps, much to the irritation of the Smart Guy. The best way to describe him would be the phrase – actions speak louder than words.

This time around I have the seventh head of the Kyoutouryuu school, Yasuri Shichika from Katanagatari as my Big Guy. With his masterful sword-less style technique, he can easily beat everyone above (even our hero) as well as take on a complete army by himself. He is, however, prone to trickery and practical defenses, and without Togame’s guidance, he has also had his fair share of tough battles requiring his own strategy. He knows only a bit about the world outside his home island, so his human interaction skills aren’t really well adept. In fights he admits that “he’s not really good at thinking” and relies whether on his Kyoutouryuu or his pure power. He was more of a hired gun in Katanagatari so seeing him in a team should be interesting.

The Chick/Heart
The glue that holds the team together. Doesn’t have to be a woman, but most often is. He/She helps a team member up when they’re down, uplifting their spirits. Breaks up fights between fellow teammates. Possibly the most empathetic of the bunch, keeping everyone’s emotions intact when the event calls for it. Almost never joins the fights, and is instead at the sidelines, cheering our guys on.

Again another hard one for me. I really wanted to have a woman in my five man troupe, but looking at the rest of the cast, they’re not really men who’d appreciate the cute encouragements of, say, Yuina from Hanasaku Iroha (which was real candidate for me, lol). So if girls ain’t the answer, the next best thing I could think of is the Glass of the Gods, Sasakura Ryu from Bartender. I mean, who better to bring the team some “spirits” *badum-tss* On a more serious note, I think that most would agree that Sasakura Ryu is one of anime’s best mitigators, and what better way to resolve disputes between men than to resolve it over a drink. He’s also proven to be a good listener, as well as someone you can really talk with, so even if it’s Shirou talking about his borrowed ideals, I’m confident Ryu will have something to say about it.

The Big Bad
The head honcho. The final boss. The private benefactor behind the scenes. He’s the series’ main villain. Possibly a leader himself, commanding a team of sub villains that the hero and his team have to face before getting to him. He’s calm, yet ruthless. Not afraid to sacrifice lives, even the lives of his own men if it’s to serve his purpose. He’s smart, possibly smarter than the team’s Smart Guy. He’s strong, but strives to be even stronger. He may or may not carry a hatred for mankind. He’s not evil just for the hell of it, he has his origins, and whatever twisted origins he has is what makes him the Big Bad.

My pick is Rau le Creuset from Gundam SEED. An effective leader and tactician, as well as an accomplished pilot. His allegiance with ZAFT was nothing to him but a mantle to orchestrate his plans from, whereas his true allegiance was with himself. His origin story also fits the bill for something “twisted”, being only a genetically engineered clone born from the puritan natures of man. Rau’s selling point for me though was his desire to eradicate mankind, taking it upon himself to be both judge and executioner, believing that man would eventually lead himself to ruin anyways. I can’t say for sure how effective Rau is on the ground as a tactician, but if he can command as well as he can when he’s in space, then we’d have ourselves a war.

–

And…there you have it! My ideal anime/manga cast for a traditional Five-Man Band. I’d love to toss in a couple of characters like Kumagawa Misogi from Medaka Box and Ryougi Shiki from Kara no Kyoukai into the mix, but I’m not to sure as to what role they would play in this.

For a little over a week and a half (maybe two weeks tops) I’ll be doing some summer appropriate activities while visiting the ol’ province. I’m not too confident about Net connection and such at the place we’re gonna be staying at, so I won’t be able to accommodate Leap250′s Blog (plus, watching the current season shows, if I choose to do so, would be limited to just streaming). So yeah, I’ll just kick-back, grab some R&R, get tanner than I already am, possibly gain a few pounds, and have some fun with the family. I’ll still probably swing by other aniblogs though when I get the chance, so I’m not gonna be completely gone. But most likely I won’t be making posts.

Till then, I’ll leave the blog and you guys in Saber’s care

☑  Finish, and subsequently review Bamboo Blade

☑ At the same time, get around to finishing Revolutionary Girl Utena

☑ As well as Kannagi

☑ Tweak the site somehow (try out a new look maybe, or just re-arrange some stuff)

☑ Participate in YumeState’s Anime Watchers Club

It’s the 2nd of May! Boy time flies. Five out of thirteen done in so-so speed! I admit that I had a little trouble finishing Kannagi. There was just something about it that made it hard to jump into the next episode (forgive me Tsugumi). Still an extremely funny series though, and I wouldn’t mind going back to it for some laughs. Also, as you may have hopefully noticed, everything looks a little bit more neat and spiffy around Leap250′s Blog. I didn’t want to go for a drastic change just yet, but I think the simplicity of it all is pleasing in it’s own right. I’ve also cleaned up the pages, especially the “Articles“, and you’ll notice it’s less cluttered than it used to be. I’ll still be tinkering with the site come the next few days. YumeState has also finished its first series in the Anime Watcher’s Club which was Aoi Bungaku, and now we’re starting up another series for May, Ookami Kakushi (check out the details here)

This scene was pure win ^^

Some time went by since the events of the last episode, as it was now summer vacation. Our Paranormal Investigations Club is now undergoing a summer training camp of sorts, headed by our newest member, Kirie. Her grandmother (Yuuko’s sister) has some pull Seikyou Academy, being one of its directors, so Kirie managed not only getting the gang inside the campus for an overnight stay, but they get the pool to themselves. And what’s summer without pools? In turn, what’re pools without swimsuits?

Luckily we don’t need to answer that question. Teiichi and his women have some aquatic fun, except for the most important girl of them all. Yuuko seemed down in the dumps ever since they arrived, much to Teiichi’s confusion. Apparently Teiichi never dropped by the school once vacation started, leaving Yuuko all alone. Seeing him goofing around with his two-girl harem seemed a bit unfair.

The club shacked up at the old night duty room of the academy. It made for a perfect base of operations for them since the room itself had its own mystery. According to an old diary in the room, there have been nights where there would be a sound of someone knocking on the door, but there was no one on the other side of it. The knocking came day after day, but each time there was no one there. But, much like most of the mysteries in this school, it is tied up to Yuuko’s antics. This time around, it was her trying to get out of the cold winter and warming up to a stove that was once present in the room.

Of course, they find that out later on. Kirie takes Teiichi along for some night patrolling. She explains that she’s looking for a second ghost – the ghost she once saw as the “true form” of Yuuko. She calls the wicked being a shadow. Kirie admits that she does harbor some fear, but now that she has a friend, she can take it head on.

Later that same night, Yuuko takes Teiichi for a night stroll (cue tsundere Kirie), taking him to numerous shortcuts and walkways before reaching their destination – the rock of curses. According to Yuuko, when a person writes the name of someone they hate on the rock of curses, the curse will kill them. On the other hand, when a person sees his/her name on the written on the rock, he/she will be the ones who are killed. In an abandones patch of land in-between the school structures lay the rock of curses. Sure enough, we see Teiichi’s name written on it – in black, smooth, and probably water-resistant ink, written by none other than Yuuko herself.

Afterwards, Yuuko and Teiichi go for a dip (and in Yuuko’s case, it was skinny dipping..just saying) concluding their sort-of romantic night together. Meanwhile, the shadow has made its way to the old night duty room, with Kirie still asleep.

What does Shadow Yuuko plan on doing to our closet tsundere!?

Yes Chihiro, it’s happening to you.

After the events of the last episode, with Rea dying and being brought “back to life”, we now see her secretly taking refuge in Chihiro’s room. Due to her zombiefication, Rea now has deep red pupils instead of a lighter blue (I didn’t really notice that in the manga covers) as well as paler skin. Aside from that, there’s no other physical implications that suggest that she’s a zombie. Except of course for the huge gash on her abdomen which she stitched up herself (there was also a tube of glue in that scene as well)

Meanwhile, Dan’Ichirou falls into despair as he thinks about what happened – in a bath tub with pictures of Rea floating in the water. Based on the photos that were shown they weren’t the naked photos of Rea. But still, you really just wanna punch the guy. He would’ve stayed there too is it wasn’t for his wife. The exotic Aria riles up the old man (much to his..excitement) and again pursues Chihiro.

Back at the Furuya household, Rea is surprisingly filled with life..in a sense. She’s still the perky, curious girl when they were trying to resurrect Babu (who by the way is also back to normal, in a sense). Chihiro doesn’t quite understand her actions and her behavior on the situation. Rea is at ease though since Chihiro promised that he’d “take responsibility”. Depending on the context, that could mean a lot of things, with the most apparent one being put in the context of a relationship. Much to Chihiro’s dismay though, what Rea meant was that he’d help her do some pretty mundane stuff like shopping. But we have to remember, Rea’s life was for from mundane in the first place. To her, getting zombiefied, is like granting her a second life to do all the things she wanted – to live a life of a normal girl.

Development ensues (or..does it?) when Chihiro and Rea share an intense moment (during a sunset at that). As if on cue, Ranko chimes in at a most crucial moment, knocking the two back to their senses. In an attempt to steer Ranko away from the house, Chihiro meets with Ranko outside, leaving a then-embarrassed Rea along in his room.

Left to her own devices (and with Chihiro trying to talk out his situation with Ranko, as well as with his two friends) Rea explores the empty Furuya household, and afterwards decides to take a bath. We learn here that she doesn’t feel temperature. Yet another symptom of her zombiefication. She also sees a loofah sponge for the first time, and assumes it’s use as a sort of “practice”. Apparently the Furuya household wasn’t as empty as she thought, when gramps walks in on her.

After a tussle with the confused old man Rea escapes into Chihiro’s room, where another problem awaits. Hours pass until Chihiro finally gets home and is welcomed by a full-rigor Rea lying on the floor. Rigor mortis is the term used to describe the stiffness of a body that had recently died (this usually last up to about 72 hours, before the body starts decomposing). Upon realizing this, Chihiro now faces a new set of troubling questions – will Rea start decaying? Does the potion’s effect wear off after a while? How does he prevent these symptoms?

Don’t worry, this isn’t one those “I think I’m learning Japanese through anime” scenarios (though picking up some stock phrases phonetically is more or less inevitable, I think).

I was hanging out at a friend’s place yesterday for his birthday. After the customary banter and food eating, we all ended up watching Sherlock Holmes. A scene came up with a character sending a message through Morse code. While that was happening, another friend of mine who was sitting beside me, made out the message partially, while trying to reiterate the dots and dashes himself. Entertained as we were, we couldn’t help but ask where he learned the Morse code. I was expecting he only remembered from our old computer classes back in the day, so I didn’t really count on his answer that he learned it from Detective Conan.

Well, it was more like he was compelled to learn more of it because of the famous kid-detective (most of what he picked up from the series was how to transcribe “SOS” into Morse code). It’s fun learning random stuff from time to time. It’s even more fun if you learn it outside school. How much more awesome is it that you learned it through anime? Well, I guess it’s not that awesome that you can substitute it for a good lesson, but I guess it’s enough to make you want to proudly hold your chest out and say “I’m glad I watch anime.”

I think we all tried to learn how to do a certain thing (or even just learn something in general) that we saw in a series once or twice in our anime-viewing lives. I for one was moved to learn some “ayatori” or cat’s cradle because of how cool it looked in Canaan and Usagi Drop (and well, Guilty Crown too). I also got around trying to learn (I still lose at times, lol)  the Hanafuda Koi-Koi card game, because of Summer Wars and that one episode of Nisemonogatari.

How about you guys? Has a series ever got you interested enough to learn something new?

Nice going Kirie >.<

Here we are with Dusk Maiden of Amnesia’s third episode and, well, contrary to what I said in my last Amnesia post, things are flowing as they did in the manga. A few tiny changes here and there, but in essence there hasn’t been any major departure from the source (yet). Last week we had Momoe’s introduction episode, and in this episode we have Kirie’s. Her character took some time for me to like in the manga since she was always so wary of Yuuko in the earlier chapters.

She makes her entry by sending a warning letter to Teiichi about Yuuko, which means she definitely can see Yuuko. Believing her to be the ghost that snatches students, Kirie took it upon herself to educate Teiichi about what befalls him. Teiichi doesn’t believe it right off the bat, but it does leave a seed of doubt in him – “Did Yuuko lie?”

Another interesting thing we see here is how when Kirie pointed out the “true” appearance of Yuuko, Teiichi started seeing the same thing – namely, a decaying, animated body of a deceased Yuuko (and I admit, I was a little bit creeped out by that). This is an example of what Yuuko said last episode, in that, her appearance manifests into how a person perceives her. For example, Momoe saw Yuuko as a demon, and as a result, she was perceived by Momoe as a genuine, shadowy demon. Likewise, Kirie saw Yuuko as someone who was already dead, given that Yuuko’s technically the deceased sister of her grandmother. Then again, Kirie said that she may have always seen Yuuko as just another student. What could she have seen that made her think otherwise?

The final bit of important info we get from this episode is the other story about those who got spirited away. Apparently their school was built over a shrine, and as a result, the school was “cursed”. The girl who vanished (whom they perceive to be Yuuko) was in theory, a victim of the school’s curse. Coincidentally, the place where Yuuko’s remains are situated, looks eerily like a shrine. Teiichi notices the interrelation of the stories (the mystery behind the mirror, the ghost that takes students away, and now the shrine mystery) presents the idea that the “mysteries” and ghost stories could all possibly be cover-ups for some greater mystery – most likely the truth of what really happened to Yuuko.

The plot thickens, and I’m starting to appreciate their direction ^^

And Dan’Ichirou now joins the ranks of anime’s hall of crap excuses for fathers.

Seriously, that guy is messed up. We know from the first episode that he takes pictures of poor Rea every year on her birthday to “record her growth”. What’s worse is Rea is expected to be in the nude while doing this. After the events of the last episode being revealed to Dan’Ichirou (with her sneaking off into the night to see and help Chihiro) he deems it appropriate to not only restrict Rea even more, but also give her some slaps to go along with it. So now in this episode, she’s in complete house arrest – no school, no friends, and even not being allowed to go outside.

The mom isn’t any better though. She gets a bit more screen-time in this episode but that was all the time we needed to see how she’s no better than her husband. She just cares about her reputation as Sanka High’s chairperson. We do however, see some animosity between the couple, which will be played upon in the next couple of episodes.

Dan’Ichirou’s wrath doesn’t stop with Rea’s incarceration. Nope, instead he orders his men to hunt down and castrate Chihiro. Upon overhearing this Rea rushes to find and warn Chihiro of what’s to come. In the meantime though, Chihiro is ecstatic to have Babu back into the realm of the living…sort-of. Yes! The potion did indeed fulfill it’s purpose. Our ice-chest cat is now up-and-about, much to the bewilderment of Mero and Ranko. Throughout the episode Babu finds his way to some hydrangeas near the abandoned bowling alley, which was also near the cliff where Rea almost fell off.

Coincidentally, Rea was painfully making her along the mountain-ridge in hopes of finding Chihiro at their usual spot. Of course, Dan’Ichirou is on her tail and attempts to take her back. Rea finally shows some resistance though, but is quickly diminished when her father decided to just use force. In an unexpected manner, Babu kinda came to Rea’s rescue by leaping to the ridge and surprising Dan’Icihirou (apparently, he’s allergic) Rea recognizes him immediately and deduces that Chihiro’s elixir must’ve worked.

In an attempt of saving his daughter from being sullied by an “ugly cat”, he takes out a..short whip (? I honestly don’t know what it’s called as) and tried to take a swipe at Babu. In the last second though, Rea takes the hit and she falls off the ridge, takes another horrifying hit from a tree branch (which was already very suspicious looking from the first episode) before landing on the hydrangeas.

The result – zombie Rea! …along with an almost amusing combo of black sensors and blurs. I was expecting some entrails like from the first episode but a TV-broadcast can only show so much. With this the story is gonna get more interesting. Are Chihiro’s fantasies of a moe-zombie romance finally coming to fruition? We’ll find out soon enough.

Oh, and I’ve now realized that Ranko is in fact cute in her own way :3

Finally some progress!

☑ Finish, and subsequently review Bamboo Blade

☑ At the same time, get around to finishing Revolutionary Girl Utena

That’s two out of thirteen down. It was awesome to finally cross Bamboo Blade out of my never-ending list. To finish Utena is also very very fulfilling, I think. Something that I’d almost consider a “must watch”. I’m almost halfway through Kannagi, and also eleven episodes in to Gundam SEED. As for the “Cover more than one show during the Spring 2012 season” I’ve decided to cover Sankarea and Tasogare Otome x Amnesia, effective come next week. For a multitude of reasons, I decided not to cover Medaka Box (for now at least). Yumestate’s Anime Watcher’s Club is also well underway (check it out here and here) I’m gonna check that out after we finish Aoi Bungaku. So yeah, I’m way past the midway point of April with a lesser amount of progress than I had hoped for, but I think I can make it ^^

If I were to name one show that I’ve stalled for the longest time, it would be this one. I don’t even remember when I heard about it, and whenever I got around clearing my backlogs, this title would just pass me by. I had my reasons: like how I wasn’t used to an all-girl cast, or how this show is sport-themed. But deep down I knew “I really want to watch this”. After finally subjecting to my innermost desires I gave in and gave this series another audience.

Bamboo Blade was adapted from a manga series that spanned one hundred and seven chapters and fourteen volumes. It started in 2004 so it’s been around for a while, with the anime going in production three years after. The anime has twenty six episodes in total. I tried looking for the point where the anime ended in the manga but weirdly enough I couldn’t. That is to say I have no idea whether this adaptation was an off-shoot from the manga, or if it just changed midway (or I just didn’t look for the right chapters)

Genre/s: Sports, Comedy

At first glance, Bamboo Blade looks like your typical school-life series with girls having some fun with Kendo. After an episode or two that’s more or less what you get. It’s pretty straightforward in that it really is about a group of girls (with some boys thanks to Yuuji and Dan) having fun in their Kendo Club. It doesn’t bring anything to the table in terms of style and direction that hasn’t been seen yet. To some that might be a throwback. “It’s just like any other.” But to me, and as I believe to a lot of others as well, Bamboo Blade just works. If I had to give a reason I’d say that the show, as you watch it, genuinely looks fun. It draws you in to the scene – be it the comedic antics of Saya and Kirino, or the intense matches of Tama-chan.

The story has Ishida Kojiro, an almost-broke Kendo instructor at Muroe High making a bet with his senpai and fellow Kendo instructor where they both pit their female students in a Kendo match, for a chance to go all-out at an all you can eat sushi buffet. Reality has it that his Kendo Club isn’t even capable of competing with another school. Aside from having his male members as delinquents, he only has the genki club president Chiba Kirino and the eccentric Kuwahara “Saya” Sayako as his female team.

Thus he starts scouting for potential club members. In the search Muroe Kendo Club received the experienced freshman Nakata Yuuji, and the seemingly slow Eiga “Dan-kun” Danjuuro as new male members (much to Ishida’s dismay) along with Dan-kun’s elegantly sadistic girlfriend Miyazaki “Miya-Miya” Miyako, the clumsy but highly versed Azuma “Satorin” Satori, and the team’s eventual secret weapon, the incredibly talented Kawazoe Tamaki as the team’s female members. With five female members set, Muroe High’s Kendo team takes on the challenges of a real Kendo club.

The team’s interactions, as well as their overall chemistry is Bamboo Blade’s strongest point. You’ll have a hard time finding a character that you won’t like (I know, I tried) They each have their own quirks that complement the others so well. Like how Satorin is a klutz almost every time, but she takes Kendo seriously enough to convince Miya-Miya to keep trying harder, and Miya-Miya is probably the hardest to get through to (and is her polar opposite really) given her occasional rude personality. We also have Miya-Miya when she’s around Dan-kun, where all the the dark, creepy, hostile aura around her turns into bishie sparkles, accompanied with her overjoyed face (Dan-kun is a lucky man)

Their developments are also something to write about. Although there were some of them that didn’t get as much the others like Yuuji and Satorin (and she so awesome too) the rest of the team really had their own moments where you can say “Wow, she wasn’t like that before”. My favorite developments would probably be Tama-chan’s and Miya-Miya’s. In Tama’s case, we see her slowly enjoying Kendo for how it used to be for her, rather than just being an extra chore she does at her dad’s dojo. To quote a line from the show, “She (was) acting like a normal high school girl” and of course, we saw that otaku side of her go into full-bloom. For Miya-Miya, it was a slight subversion of Tama’s – she was just a high school girl who slowly learned and appreciated Kendo and how it felt to have fun doing it.

I’d also like to mention a thing or two about the girls’ respective confrontations. Again, I think that Tama-chan and Miya-Miya win in this department as well (Satorin!>.<) Miya-Miya had two nemeses in Odajima Reimi and Carrie Nishikawa. Well, she never really fought Reimi, but I admit she creeped me out a bit earlier in the series. It was awesome seeing Miya-Miya ask for her help against her first true rival, the dual-wielding half-American Carrie. I was actually spoiled about this fight but after seeing it again it didn’t matter. Their third and final match was the most epic in the series in my opinion (that is of course there’s more awesome fights in the manga) Tama’s rivalry with the equally-epic Suzuki Rin was also very well done. I actually held my breath when it got very silent after Tama-chan’s loss. It was that impact-ful of a scene.

Visually the fights were okay. I didn’t expect much to begin with given how long it was since it first aired, but some fights were actually pretty good. There’s the occasional repeated scene here and there but once you get into it you won’t really notice them that much. The VA’s were also pretty good. The screaming “Men!!” “Dou!!” “Kote!!” takes some getting used to though.

They did gimp us with the finale though. Not that it was bad or anything but, I mean, who is this girl!? (That scene is just screaming “Season 2″)

All in all, I’m extremely glad that I got around to watching this. Sure it’s not one of those highly-acclaimed shows, but Bamboo Blade is definitely awesome in its own right. I totally recommend it to anyone who wants an enjoyable show.