Bamboo Blade
Bamboo Blade (stylized as BAMBOO BLADE) is a Japanese manga series written by Masahiro Totsuka and illustrated by Aguri Igarashi. It was serialized in Square Enix's Young Gangan magazine from December 2004 to September 2010. The series tells the story of Toraji Ishida, a luckless high school Kendo instructor, who is challenged by his former upperclassman, also a kendo instructor, to a competition between their female students. The bet inspires Toraji to gather and train a team of five girls, where he meets Tamaki Kawazoe, a gifted young female kendo practitioner.
| Bamboo Blade | |
Cover of Bamboo Blade, volume 1 as published by Square Enix | |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Masahiro Totsuka |
|---|---|
| Illustrated by | Aguri Igarashi |
| Published by | Square Enix |
| English publisher |
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| Magazine | Young Gangan |
| English magazine |
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| Demographic | Seinen |
| Original run | December 3, 2004 – September 3, 2010 |
| Volumes | 14 |
| Manga | |
| Bamboo Blade B | |
| Written by | Masahiro Totsuka |
| Illustrated by | Neko Sutajio |
| Published by | Square Enix |
| Magazine | Monthly Shōnen Gangan |
| Demographic | Shōnen |
| Original run | January 10, 2009 – November 12, 2013 |
| Volumes | 12 |
| Manga | |
| Bamboo Blade C | |
| Written by | Masahiro Totsuka |
| Illustrated by | Jingu Takao |
| Published by | Square Enix |
| Magazine | Monthly Big Gangan |
| Demographic | Shōnen |
| Original run | May 25, 2013 – August 25, 2016 |
| Volumes | 7 |
| Manga | |
| BB Deformer | |
| Written by | Masahiro Totsuka |
| Illustrated by | Saki Azumi |
| Published by | Square Enix |
| Magazine | Monthly Big Gangan |
| Demographic | Shōnen |
| Original run | October 25, 2013 – August 25, 2016 |
| Volumes | 2 |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Hisashi Saitō |
| Produced by | Tsuneo Takechi Shigeaki Komatsu Hiroshi Yoshida Jiyū Ōgi Masataka Katagiri |
| Written by | Hideyuki Kurata |
| Music by | Kiyohiko Senba |
| Studio | AIC ASTA |
| Licensed by | |
| Original network | TV Tokyo |
| English network | |
| Original run | October 2, 2007 – April 2, 2008 |
| Episodes | 26 |
An anime adaptation by AIC A.S.T.A was broadcast in Japan between October 2007 and April 2008 on TV Tokyo. The Bamboo Blade manga has been licensed for distribution in North America by Yen Press. The anime has been licensed for distribution in North America by Funimation and began airing on their Funimation Channel on October 25, 2010.