Another genre work (kendo in this case) and a rather unassuming appearance at first glance. I wasn't particularly interested in kendo before coming across this one, and I'm not really any more interested at this point, but the strong points of this series are definitively NOT its coverage of its subject, but the characters and dialogue. In that way you might say it's more suited for non-fans of kendo than those who actually like it.

So what IS good about it? There's a lackadaisical, whimsical air to Bamboo Blade that puts it closer to a "slice of life" story than the more recognizable "gotta be the best" epics. Come in expecting a lot of angst, anguish and drama, and you'll soon realize that this is a series much more concerned with having fun and being down-to-earth. In a way I think it's almost a high school story meant more for adults than actual teenagers. Young readers flock to fantasy stories like Death Note, Naruto and Bleach because they offer a larger-than-life conflict and epic narratives that resonate with their needs to grasp and assimilate (or escape from) the rules of the adult world, their desire to prove themselves, etc. This leads to overblown drama, angst, and all the other baggage that comes with being a moody teenager.

Bamboo Blade, on the other hand, eschews these characteristics by-and-large. Undeniably, there are some characters who have teenage mental issues, but they are treated in a lighthearted manner, become character quirks, and are generally used to provide cast variety rather than a significant struggle to be overcome in the plot. Because of this relative lack of drama, there isn't really a compelling hook to keep you reading; it's more of a "come and enjoy a book every once in a while" read. I referred to BB as a high school story for adults above because it offers an idyllic, innocent look back at high school life, removed from all of the trivial (but oh-so-life-threatening at the time) baggage that accompanies it. And with a surprising, almost total lack of overbearing fanservice, it really is a solidly wholesome manga. Recommended.

A relatively new manga that's immensely funny in the two volumes that are out, even more so that quite a few veterans in the category. It's got nice, consistently good art, to boot, detailed and sometimes not, based on appropriate situations. I'll keep reading this gem one for sure. A great find from Fifay.net.

Well I can't say that I don't enjoy reading this series. The artwork is good, the story is good even the characters are good...
But how the author put up things...
First of all why the two male characters in the kendo club? They just do nothing, and the "main" male just not care if they're good or not (well that's just his personality)
And the manga... pretty much concentred in the main girls... if it had a bit o balance... well that's just me thinkin'

Like flyingrobots, I came expecting epic kendo action. What I got out of it was wholesome, entertaining, slice-of-life comedy. Well worth the 100 NTD I spent on each book.

The anime actually followed the series fairly closely until roughly episode nineteen/chapter 56. I don't know much about kendo but though the attacks are artistically exaggerated, the info/background to the techniques seems genuine enough. This particular series could be described as fifty percent school life/slice of life and fifty percent kendo. Amazingly, despite the massive number of girls, there's next to no fan service. Overall, the series doesn't really break new ground but it maintains a consistent level of quality.



Unfortunately, it seems that the majority of the untranslated raws are devoted to a good number of new girls, which reeks of possible filler quality material. Hopefully this isn't the case.

... Last updated on October 18th, 2009, 5:54pm

I find the story very funny and the characters' expressions are very well expressed I think

Kind of a waste, it had a lot of potential but among other things it was left unfinished (ended in a cliffhanger!!!) and stopped when it promised to start being interesting, that is to say, the chars had "matured". That's why I'd like to see a sequel to this one even if I didn't find it particularly good and the last volume was pretty good in summing things up but got too compressed. To be honest, I think the anime adaptation is better, one of the few cases where the anime beats the manga.
What stands out of this one are the chars, they are interesting and charming at moments, the rest is decent except the action drawings, it's really hard to follow how the fights flows and often feels like disconnected komas (panels).

... Last updated on August 14th, 2016, 10:47pm

I enjoyed the anime and wanted to check out the manga. It starts off a bit rough, the anime is actually tighter and doesn't have any extra fluff. The art in the first volume is a bit weak and I was surprised, but around volume 3 or so it gets an upgrade and becomes much better and by the time it finishes its pretty sharp. I really got sucked in about midway thru the series and I think it ends very strongly and its kinda inspiring. Its more of a slice of slice of life/sports manga, so if you are into powerups and ki-powers this ain't it. There's also no fan service which I know will make some of you cry, but I found it refreshing. Once it gets beyond its shaky beginning, its a pretty nice story. I would love to see a sequel, but maybe with a little romance thrown in. Perfect its not, but its still good stuff.

Have anyone watch anime of this series? i think it's very funny and enjoyable, the characters is good (tama-chan is so adorable), might be better if the author give a little bit "romance sense" for her..
but overall it's good, worth time watching it..^^

Bamboo Blade is not really anything unique or special, but it is certainly entertaining. Stemming from the same genre as Hyakko, [m]Azumanga Daioh![/m], and company, it is really more of a strongly themed slice-of-life-comedy type story than it is a sports manga. Still, the characters are all rather endearing, and it is a fun story to read.

Not the best in either genre, but it is worth the time for most.