You want me to compete in the first and last bouts?
Yes!
The starters always have their headgear on, so no one can tell who they are!
Ingenious, if I do say so myself.
They will find out, you know.
First off, her height's a dead give-away,
and they'll notice her style after they see her fight once.
Which is why she will show some restraint for the first bout.
Just fight at half your full potential.
At half?
And when the final match comes, you can go all-out!
But try to act different!
At half...
Your plan's not gonna work.
Telling her to go at half her full potential...
Round Two!
She's never practiced with us at her full potential during club!
Half is overkill...
Men!
Episode 6
Kawazoe Tamaki and the Belated Bureiba
The match is over!
And that's victory by a head strike...
He's doing good job keeping score.
I'm sorry everybody.
I couldn't do a thing against her...
It's okay, don't worry about it.
She's been practicing Kendo for a long time, and she even holds a 2-dan rank.
She's always goes to practice and she's self-motivated to improve herself...
She's even the second best in my club, and yet...
She was outta her league.
Her opponent was incredibly skilled.
Kawazoe?
Is she a new member?
Just what kind of...
What the-?
Kojirou, where did your fifth go?
O-Oh her.
She left already.
What gives, man?!
She...
had an appointment with her dentist!
Dentist?
What's wrong with Tama-chan's teeth?
I thought you told all your members that there was gonna be a practice match today!
I did, but you took your sweet time getting here, am I right?
Fine, whatever.
So ladies, are we awake now?
Get your act togeth-...
Asakawa...?
Go go go!
You can do it!
Okay!
Fourth bout!
Red: Miyazaki Miyako!
White: Asakawa Akemi!
What the heck?
What's wrong with that girl?
Did she and boyfriend have another argument?
Oh yeah.
Who needs...
that punk...
Jerk...
Okay... Begin!
Go, Miya-Miya!
Go on the offensive!
Asakawa...!
Why're you acting like an amateur!
What happened to your excellent footwork?!
Out of bounds!
Restart!
Miya-Miya, scream!
You can do it!
Sensei, can I go pee?
Say what?!
We're in the middle of a match, so just hold it in!
I need to go!
Could you hold it until Miya-Miya's done with her bout?!
All right already, you can go.
Yay!!!
Forgive me, Miya-Miya!
Begin!
Men! Men!
Kote!
Dang, that girl is pumped!
Keep it up, Black!
Breakthrough her defense!
I'm hitting the valid areas!
Why don't they count?!
You haven't met any of the requirements to scoring points.
You can't just go berserk your opponent.
You have to have the right stance, the right execution, and the right followthrough.
It's difficult for a beginner to grasp that concept right off the bat.
You weren't ready yet.
Asakawa!
Move it you numbskull!
Wait... we just might have a chance!
Out of bounds!
Dammit, she was so close!
C'mon Miya-Miya, you can do it!
Get your act together, Asakawa!
I don't give a damn anymore...
Asakawa, get back in the ring!
Begin!
Men!
Head strike!
Dou!
Torso strike!
The match is over!
Good job, Asakawa!
It's okay, Miya-Miya!
You almost won!
Man, that was a close one...
Wait, Asakawa, where the heck are you going?!
I'm sorry, but I'm leaving now.
Besides, my bout is already over.
What?!
We're still in the middle of the practice match!
Support your team, dammit!
Give me a break.
Hey guys, kick ass.
Miya-Miya!
That was close, wasn't it?
Dan-kun.
You have to get stronger.
I'll train with you.
Okay.
Sneak out without anyone noticing,
and then come back later!
Why am I doing this?
Forgive me.
I'm gonna snack for now.
Men!
Kote!
Men!
Damn, this girl is slick!
Huge frickin' slick girl!
I'm scared...!
Nishi-chan, stop running or you'll be penalized!
Dumbass!
Get on the offensive!
You're a dumbass!
But...
Dou!
Torso strike!
Saya...
And that's a torso strike...
Nishiyama was always the most skilled member in the club.
She goes on the offensive instinctively once she's cornered.
But does she have to wait until she's cornered...
Whatever.
She can't lose now!
Saya, don't lose your cool!
Come at me you freak girl!
I'll make you regret it!
Dammit already!
Time is almost up.
Men!
When did her...
footwork improve so much?!
Succession step.
Kote!
She got her hand!
No!
Contact was too light!
Followthrough was weak!
She's out of bounds.
That's the second call for out of bounds!
Point goes to Red!
Ugh...
You frickin' dumbass!
Time is up!
They both have a point now.
We just barely made it.
If only that last strike counted...
But a point's a point.
All Saya has to do is get another point during overtime!
Saya, you can do it!
Her footwork's improved significantly.
Usually, your footwork would be unbalanced and out of synch,
but it improves so much when you're calm.
Tama must've taught her the right way.
She must've really inspired them.
That's great.
Wait... Tama taught them?
Hey, isn't that my job?
Saya, you can win during overtime!
Go for it!
Yeah!
I'm done eating.
Saya here!
It's time to sing!
Wait, I'm a little early, aren't I?!
Is this really okay...?
It's okay.
After all, it's just a practice match.
And yet, in this practice match...
I MUST WIN NO MATTER WHAT!!!
Also, try disguising yourself before coming back.
You saved my life.
If you want to borrow it, then just say so.
Thank you.
But please,
return it to me on Monday.
Cease!
No, time's up!
It's a draw!
Dammit, she was so close too!
Just a bit more...!
Saya, you did a good job!
I'm really tired...
I'm so glad it's all over!
You twit! Why the hell were you nodding off?!
If you're gonna go into overtime, you should really conserve your strength more.
Might wanna conserve your energy too.
I'm sorry I'm late.
Hey Tama-
Well, aren't you just the no-show...
Uh...
What was it...
Uhmm...
Bureiba!
Bureiba the freshman!
What took you so long, Bureiba?!
Hurry up and get your gear on, Bureiba!
And yeah, her name is just Bureiba!
Tama-chan?
Don't tell me...
He did this so she could fight the last bout?
Wasn't that the girl from the first match?
Oh well.
I wanted to see her again anyways.
That's the girl I fought.
It's the girl...
from the first bout.
It's okay.
I don't like to be without an opponent.
Besides...
I wanna fight her.
She'll be so much fun!
We're counting on you, Kirino!
The team captain always wins!
Dan-kun!
Do a good job keeping time!
Leave it to me!
Second bout!
Red: Chiba Kirino!
White: Ando Yuri!
Begin!
Now that I think about it, I haven't supported my team.
That's not good.
Kirino, don't let her push you down!
Use your B button! Combo attack!
Annoying...!
Is she doing that on purpose?
Yeah.
Wouldn't that be harassment?
It is.
Does she even want to win?
She's a sadist before anything.
Kirino can't attack if she's in a lock...
She's in a real mess...
I should've fought her!
Miya-Miya, you're turning black!
You're black!
Ando, push back!
Beat her down!
Owwie...
That action was borderline illegal...!
Are you okay?
Yup!
Keep it up, Kirino!
You can't lose against someone who doesn't care about winning!
Fight back with everything Tama taught you!
What about your teachings?!
Begin!
Stick to the basics like you usually do!
You can win if you do what you usually do!
Understood!
As you enter your opponent's striking distance,
snap your wrist in a semi-circular motion to deflect their shinai to the side.
Then, as your shinai pulls back, you can strike at your opponent while moving forward.
Kote!
This is really unfair...
Oh yeah!
You like anime, don't you?
If we win at the practice match, I'll give you something incredibly rare outta my collection!
Incredibly rare...
Go Kirino!
Fly!
That's it!
Force her back!
Smack her!
Kirino, you're on fire!
Tama-chan, cheer for her!
Shout out loud!
You want me to cheer?
Shout out loud...?
Time is almost up.
Dan-kun, keep it up!
Men!
Do-
Do your best...
She can't hear you when you're that quiet!
She's aiming for my head again?
No, it's a feint, and she's aiming for my torso!
Then I'll attack your body...
with a thrust...!
Wha-?
Head strike!
She lost.
The match is over!
At least get us a point, you sadistic twit!
Good job, Kirino!
As expected from the team captain.
Um...
Congratulations, Senpai.
Thank you for cheering me on, Tama-chan.
I won!
That's a head strike.
We've got two victories, one draw, and one loss now!
We can win!
Tamaki, if you stick to everything I taught you, then you can win!
You didn't teach her squat!
Get your headgear on already, Ta-
Bureiba!
Okay!
Yoko, hurry and get ready!
Put a sock in it.
I've been waiting for this.
She seems really skilled.
Despite being a shrimp, she's really skilled.
Or was she flat-out strong to begin with?
You should hurry and get your headgear on.
Harada.
Do you think I can beat her?
I can't tell.
Man, it's been a while since I've felt this excited.
I'm gonna get a point for us!
Do your best!
First positions, forward!
Oh Bureiba!
You forgot your name cloth again!
You're pretty clumsy, Bureiba!
Even forgetful, Bureiba!
First bout!
Red: B-B-Bureiba!
White: Yoko Maya!
Her opponent's way tall...
That's unfair!
She's way too tall!
She might send Tama-chan flying...
This'll be a good match.
The last match will probably be the longest.
Begin!
Too scary...
Men!
Head strike!
W-What...?!
Round Two!
W-Wait a second...!
Men!
Head strike!
Yay!!!
Go Bureiba! Go Bureiba!
The match is over!
I couldn't...
do a thing...!
Let's line up.
With three wins, one loss, and one draw,
Muroe High School is victorious.
Bow respectfully!
Thank you very much!
We did it, Miya-Miya.
O---Oh yeah!!!
I won!!!
Senpai, that was a good practice match.
Hells yeah!
As expected,
your members were exceptional today.
We did it, Bureiba!
I knew we would win, Bureiba!
Senpai?
Kojirou...
Will you let me have a match?
But you said there'd be no point in us fighting...
Well, I'm okay with it, but just let me get my gear on-
I didn't mean with you.
What is your name?
It's B-Burei...
What is your name?
I am Kawazoe Tamaki, a Muroe High School freshman.
I am Ishibashi Kenzaburo.
Kawazoe Tamaki, I want to have a match with you.
Next Episode
This is Bamboo Blade, shortened to Ban-Bure, and we're already on the preview for the seventh episode!
To celebrate, I'm gonna recite a little wordplay I wrote!
Do ad-libs for the sounds of each syllable of Ban-Bure.
Okay then, I just happen to be good at this stuff.
Okay, let's start!
Ba! "Bashi" is the sound you hear when you strike at the head!
N! "Nhmmm" is the sound your coach makes when you fail to make an effective followthrough!
Bu! The sound the ref makes when criticism comes his way, and feels it's unfair.
Re! - Oh, I'm sorry, we're outta time!
Next time on Bamboo Blade: Sushi and Fried Katsu!
Sushi and Fried Katsu
Can we really end it like that?