NK: Hm? Oh, hey Avon. Just practicing my kendo swing. I just finished watching Bamboo Blade
Av: Oh...right. How was it?
NK: Fantastic. Though it was informative, kinda like Hikaru no Go, it was really enjoyable because of the characters.
Av: Take it that's what you liked best, then.
NK: Yeah. The plot was pretty good, and the music was good too. The characters really define the series, though.
Av: From the looks of it, it's all female.
NK: Nope. Though the series is focused on the girls' kendo team, male characters are present and are actually pretty important to the series.
Av: How so?
NK: Well, the main kendo instructors are all male. Then there're the two seniors who play as antagonists in a couple ways. Plus, the two freshmen boys who join the club actually have a bit of character development themselves, and one of them acts as both a supporting character and a protagonist.
Av: I take it one of the females is your favorite, though.
NK: Yeah. For a while, Tama-chan was my favorite character: the hero for justice and all that. In retrospect, though, I've chosen Kirino. She's described in the series as being "the pillar of the kendo club", and she could probably be described as the pillar of the series, too. A lot of the humor involves her, and a good amount of the suspense is placed on her shoulders as well. It's difficult to find a character like that that still has a great supporting cast.
Av: Why don't you give a dissertation next time?
NK: Sorry, I just haven't found a character like that in a long time...
Av: Anyway, think I should take a look at it?
NK: Definitely. Granted, there are some cutesy parts...
Av: I'll be sure to have a bucket handy.
NK: It's not that bad. Just girls being girls, like any slice-of-life anime out there. If you're interested in kendo, Bamboo Blade is a great starting point. I think you'd like it because you like traditional japanese swordplay. Kendo was used as training in the feudal age, if I recall correctly.
Av: Right. Well, I'll let you get back to...whatever it was you were-
*smack* *pop*
NK: Aw, curses...that was the light bulb, wasn't it?
Av: Yup. Good thing that bat's plastic, huh?
