Manga Review: ‘Bamboo Blade’ Vol.1

Bamboo Blade is an interesting manga, it reminds me a little of the movie Chocolate which is about a sweet, but very dangerous girl. Well, in Bamboo Blade, Tamaki Kawazoe is a thin, seemingly shy girl with one secret: She can maneuver bamboo like no one’s business with deadly strikes! Now, Kendo instructor Kojiro wants her. Not just because he see that she is good, but because he is broke, in debt and a friend placed a bet with him that if he can get together a good Kendo team and have them defeat his team, Kojiro could win all you can eat Sushi!

That was a sweet deal for Kojiro.

But not enough for Tamaki. She is not interested. 

Throughout the manga you meet interesting and fun characters and you get a peek into why Tamaki is so precise with her bamboo blade. The first chapter is called “The Girl With a Broom”, but she is  no simple girl. Kojiro tries to pull all the stops with her and get her to join but nothing can get Tamaki to join the Kendo team, unless she can be the hero.

This is where the movie Chocolate comes in with slight similiarities: Tamaki loves slapstick comedies and movies about superheroes-she copies the heroes moves. If no one needs rescuing, she will not pull out her stick and fight.

This was a very good manga and for some, may start off quite slow and there are some spots where I wasn’t sure if it was a person’s dream or reality(very few spots) but the storyline is well worth buying the book.

4 Stars

Book Details:

Bamboo Blade by Masahiro Totsuka and Aguri Igarashi

Published: YenPress(2005)

ISBN: 978-0-7595-3005-8

220p

Price: US $10.99

*Book received for review from YenPress for my unbiased review

‘Oninagi’ Book Club and Brief Review…Comments Welcome!

Just a brief announcement.

I began Oninagi by Akira Ishida last night and so far I am enthralled by the appealing storyline(although the demon- as -a -good -guy theme is kind of starting to get old to me as far as mangas are concerned), but anyway Nanami is a 16 year high school girl with a crush on Sanjouin Senpai-and has since middle school.

Her first day of school turns on sour heels when she meets Tomotaka and her deadly sword Oninagi. Tomotaka considers Nanami a demon because she can feel a strange presence around her, but there is no “taint”. Nanami is scared and then they are both faced a with a foe so deadly, that nanami end up saving Tomotaka! But how did she? When Nanami woke up in her bed suddenly, she doesn’t recall using any of her ancient powers to save Tomotaka….what is going on here?

Update Review: I’ve completed Oninagi and it was worth the read. The images were spot on and I enjoyed how little Nanami is portrayed as innocent but whens he transforms, she becomes this little diva, and powerful person and no one can stop her! There appears to three demons who are sent to protect her as well(because of her ancient secret). One them has arms which turns into swords while the other has hair that turns into whips(spikes?) and Nanami’s last protector has a weird marking on his face and his fist is like a wedge. there appears to be some (possible) romantic tension between two characters as well.

All in all a great book and I am anxious to read Vol. 2!

So begins Nanami’s story….if you have read this far or further, please place your comments/review here on This Post.

Book Details:

Oninagi by Akira Ishida

Published by YenPress(2007)

ISBN: 978-0-7595-3034-8

176p

Price: 10.99

*Book received for review from YenPress for my unbiased review.

5 Stars