Haritsumeta kuuki ga suki
Takamaru kodou hirogatte yuku yo
Fukaku iki suikonda nara
Mou mae shika mienai wa
Daremo kawaru koto dekinai
Watashi shika arukenai michi
Sono namida mo subete kagayaki-hajimeru
Dakara omoi-kiri furi-ageta tenohira ni yadoru power
Mayowazu ni massugu ni ashita e to yuku yo
Honno mabataki no shunkan ni
Kanaeru yo yume no story
Hakanakute toukutemo
Akiramenai wa itsumo
Watashi dake no bamboo beat narashite
Why?
Why are you saying you're going to quit the team?
Say something, Tama-chan.
Because I can't be of use to everyone.
What are you saying? We talked about it here.
About how our team has gotten a lot better
because you joined, remember?
That's not true.
Like the other day, we ended up losing.
We didn't lose only because of you.
- We all... - No.
I had to win.
That's what everybody thought.
I had to win and I wasn't supposed to lose.
That tournament made me realize something.
There are many, many people who are stronger than me.
I cannot be of use to everyone.
I don't know why I should continue to practice kendo...
But that's...
Please excuse me.
Wait!
You're fine with that?!
You don't care if you never practice kendo with us again?!
I'm not interested.
Tama-chan did?
I haven't given it to the teacher yet, but...
Miyazaki-san isn't here, either...
By the time I got to her classroom, she was already gone.
Anyway, let's get practice started.
I'll go get the teacher, so start by doing some swings.
Got it.
Come on, let's do this.
Yes, ma'am.
Kirino.
Are you okay?
Dan-kun, did Miyazaki-san say anything?
I wonder if I can't be of help to her...
Okay, Yuuji-kun, you start. 30 each. Out loud!
Yes, ma'am!
Tama did, huh?
Sensei, what should we do?
It can't be helped.
We can't exactly force her to stay, anyway.
But sir!
In the end, it's just an extracurricular activity.
We have no choice but to respect each individual's wishes.
Sorry, I've got something to take care of again today.
I won't be able to make it to the dojo.
And make your decision about Toyama and lwasa by tomorrow, too.
Why are you running away?!
You're our advisor, aren't you?!
I'm leaving. Please excuse me.
Sure thing. Good work!
So, did the teacher say anything?
Nothing.
Nothing?!
What the hell is our advisor thinking?!
This is the greatest crisis the kendo team has ever faced!
But well, I'm sure things will work out somehow.
At any rate, we have to think about what's good for the first years.
Kirino...
You're our advisor, aren't you?!
My kendo... is finished.
In all of today, I didn't pick up a shinai once.
How many years has it been since I last did that?
Atomic Fire Blade!
Don't think it's over, Blade Bravers!
I will return to life as many times as it takes!
Then I will protect everyone's smiles as many times as it takes!
Um... Where's our senpai?
She's absent from school today, too.
Is she sick?
No, I don't think that's why, but...
What about Miya-miya?
Absent.
Shall we go visit them later?
She doesn't seem to be at home, either.
And she's not answering her cell.
I wonder if it's better to leave her alone for now...
Maybe.
I'll drop by Kirino's place on the way home.
Um... Hasn't Kirino-senpai been acting strange lately?
Th-That's not true.
Come on now, don't worry about the little things. Practice, practice!
Is the teacher not coming again today?
It's kind of lonely, isn't it?
And it's not like there were that many of us to begin with, either.
"Notes" "Nothing especially worth noting"
"Class Journal"
A flat...
"Closed for the Day"
"Maeda Cycling Shop" "Closed for the Day"
Tama-chan.
Yuuji-kun.
What's wrong?
You don't have to keep me company.
Now, now.
Tama-chan, are you going to quit kendo?
Yes.
Why?
No particular reason.
My father said I didn't have to force myself to do it, too.
So you were forcing yourself to do it until now?
That's not true, but...
Yuuji-kun?
Have you ever wanted to become stronger in kendo?
Have you ever wanted to win against a certain person?
Yuuji-kun?
You asked me once before, remember?
About how it feels to lose?
It probably feels like how you're feeling right now.
You feel really disappointed.
Disappointed?
Right.
Because you lost to that person...
You're disappointed that you lost to Rin-san.
Up until now,
you've been stronger than everyone else,
so I guess you didn't know what to do with that feeling of disappointment.
So this is... what it means to lose...
There's no reason for you to quit now.
Kendo has the next step all laid out.
What's that?
You use that sense of disappointment as a springboard
and you work hard to win next time.
You'll find a joy that's far greater than the disappointment.
Work hard to win...
Right.
Unlike you, I've lost a lot, so I know that.
Once you know it, you'll come to love kendo.
Yuuji-kun.
Lend me your bicycle.
Cover more ground, Ando!
What's this all of a sudden?
Pardon me. There's something I just had to find out from you.
Please teach me how to fight against the high stance.
I want to win against that person.
It looks like you understand now, after your loss.
But you know, you've got a high stance fighter at your place, too.
What?
Not again.
Tamaki...
I heard...
...that you used the high stance and won against Ishibashi-sensei.
Please. Teach me how to fight against the high stance.
That happened when my back was to the wall.
A one-hit wonder, born of desperation.
My high stance is barely even worth calling it that.
Please, sensei.
There's nothing that I can teach you.
You're far stronger than me, anyway.
If you stay with kendo long enough, you're bound to lose sometimes.
You'll come across opponents you just can't beat, too.
What's it matter? It's just an extracurricular activity.
As long as it's fun.
So it's fine as long as it's fun?
I don't want to forget this sense of disappointment that I discovered today.
I feel as though I can finally begin...
...to practice kendo on my own terms!
I want to look defeat straight in the eye!
Hey! Get up, Ishida!
"26th Shoryuki High School Kendo Tournament"
Men!
Yeah, that's right...
You can't get anywhere with kendo unless you look it in the eye.
Let's go to the dojo.
Yes, sir.
Did you go all the way to Machido on a bicycle?
Yes.
Shall we look it in the eye starting tomorrow?
But...
"Dan-kun" "Dan-kun" "Dan-kun" "Dan-kun" "Dan-kun" "Dan-kun" "Dan-kun"
Miyazaki-san!
Oh, please wait!
What's going on?! Everyone's worried!
Buzz off. Quit following me.
Did something happen between you and Dan-kun?
If it's about Carrie-san, what does it matter now?
If she's not using two swords,
you can practice for that and just work even harder!
Don't touch me.
Like hell you or Dan-kun could understand how I feel!
If your opponent works just as hard as you, you can never close the gap.
There's no way you can win.
Let go.
I-I won't let go.
Eh?!
What are you doing, taking your opponent's words on faith?
Even Carrie-san will take days off
for New Year's, the Bon Festival, and Christmas.
You will absolutely close the gap!
How many years is it going to take me to catch up?
If it's useless to put in the effort, there's no point in doing kendo.
Don't just arbitrarily decide that!
How can you say that the effort's useless?!
How can you assert that?!
I've never once thought that might be true!
You lost two measly matches and you're already giving up,
sullenly trying to run away from it! I don't want to hear this from you!
If you're going to quit, quit after you've won!
Don't waste the special training I gave you!
I guess you don't value your life.
N-No, I mean...
Huh?
Brace yourself!
I'm going to have you start all over again
and train me until you keel over!
Right!
Kirino, I'm coming in.
Kirino?
Saya...
Wh-What are you doing here, dropping by out of the blue?
I mean, you missed school, so...
"Resignation Notice" I mean, you missed school, so...
"Resignation Notice"
S-Saya...
What is this?!
You're planning to quit, too?!
I'm hoping the principal will just take that and let the team off.
Make it so the team captain's taking the responsibility...
The first years still have more to look forward to, so this is about all I can do...
You idiot!
You idiot! You idiot...
Saya?
Why are you always such an idiot?!
You smile even when you're in pain and you're suffering,
trying to take care of problems all by yourself...
This isn't how you make troubles go away!
It's okay to cry!
It's okay to agonize!
That way, I could help you, too!
When you've got troubles,
there's nothing you can do about them by yourself.
It's when you get help that you can finally find your way out of them.
Talk to me!
Don't just decide by yourself.
If it's something you want to do, I'll back you up, so...
Thank you, Saya.
I've found my resolve now, thanks to that.
"Kendo Dojo"
Everyone's so late.
It'll be fine. They'll come today.
Say, Yuuji...
I've been encouraging Miya-miya all this time, but...
I wonder if I never really understood her...
It's not like I've got an opponent that I have to beat.
In the end, was I just all talk with my encouragement?
I don't think that's true. You...
Oh? Just the boys here?
Where's Kirino?
She's not here yet.
Damn.
Is there something I can help you with?
What's with you guys? Don't you know?
Suspend the team?!
What do you wanna do? You wanna come back later?
Too much trouble. We'll wait a while.
Maybe I'll kill some time.
One last rampage!
Fight me, first year!
All right then.
I'll do it!
Dan-kun...
Let me do this, Yuuji.
You know, it's not like I don't like kendo.
What?
You may find it hard to believe, but he's the same.
What's wrong, first year?!
You've got guts, I'll give you that.
Doh!
Body strike!
Crap!
This really isn't for me.
Kendo never was any fun to the very end.
"Resignation Notice"
Give these to Kirino.
What?
They're dated to spring.
With these, we'll be unrelated to the team.
I doubt they'll be able to force you into suspension.
But...
It's not like we're lying.
We actually wrote those up right after that one time anyway.
I'll be damned if I let myself be indebted to that moron.
Let's go.
Yeah.
Please wait!
The team captain made these.
They've been in the locker room all this time.
So he says.
Hell if I care.
So long.
- Thank... - Thank you very much!
You okay?
That was scary.
But I wonder if I've gotten a little closer now
to understanding how Miya-miya feels...
Why don't you ask her?
Dan-kun...
Miya-miya...
"Resignation Notice"
Please accept them.
That will make our senpai happier as well.
Right.
That sure gave us a scare.
When in the world did our team get into this mess?
Sorry about that.
As team captain, I didn't want to worry you guys too much.
It's okay.
Even the team captain's a member of the team.
You're right.
That just leaves those two...
Yeah, those two...
Those two, huh?
Wanna all go together to get them?
Go on.
Senpai...
Welcome back...
...Tama-chan.
Yes.
I'm calling the star rise
Yuuyami ni kagayaki-dasu negai-tachi
Kono te no naka orite-kite nagare-boshi
Madobe de suashi no mama yoru o miagete
Nemurenai tsuki-akari hitori
Me no mae o chira-tsuiteku hiruma no watashi
Jibun dake karamawari de modokashii mama
I'm calling the star rise
Me o tojite kokoro no koe kiiteru
Mada shiranai watashi ni deaitai
I'm calling the star rise
Mabayuku kagayaiteru negai-tachi
Kono te no naka orite-kite nagare-boshi
Miya-miya, what's the next episode of Bamboo Blade?
Let's see... It's Episode 25, "Kendo and What It Brings About."
Which means it's over in just two more episodes.
Miya-miya, you'll be able to win in that time, right?
I'll win, just you see!
No matter what I have to do!
At this point, even your Blackness is adorable, Miya-miya.
Oh, Dan-kun!
Your heart is as big as the ocean!
Darn it all, you really are the best!
You little spoiled Juliet, you.
What did kendo bring about for these guys?