YEN PRESS

Up-and-coming TV personality Ryouko Toda is an ambitious young woman who's willing to use any means necessary to claw her way to the top. For Ryouko, image is key, but it's tough for this cutthroat celebrity to maintain her cool on-screen persona when she's forced to appear alongside ditzy costar Erina Sawamiya on Burnish Academy, where silly, simple Erina manges to best Ryouko in every single sport! To defeat Erina in sports and in the ratings game, Ryouko must call upon her skills not as an actress, but as a master of the kendo ring!

As the date for the filming of the Burnish Academy special approaches, the Muroe kendo team prepares for their television debut and for Tama's chance to face the formidable Ura Sakaki! But even as Sakaki's rivals prepare for a rematch against the kendo genius, her participation remains unknown.

Tama and Erina continue their match as Erina reveals her true talent to a stunned TV crew. For the first time, Tama is pushed to her limits - and by a swordswoman not much older than she. But the most ferocious battle of the afternoon is yet to come: Sakaki, driven by rage and revenge, has entered the dojo. Erina may have the skills to restore Sakaki to her former, formidable self, but once Sakaki is refocused on her true art, kendo, will anyone be able to best her?

After the intense drama of the Burnish Academy TV shoot, each member of the Muroe kendo team has a new outlook on their involvement with kendo, and Tamaki is eager to learn what reasons her friends have for participating in the sport, hoping they will help her find her own motivation. Kojiro plans a trip to observe the Gokuryuki national tournament to help Tamaki on her search, and with the support of her family and friends, Tamaki takes a confident step toward the future in the final volume of Bamboo Blade!

The girls' kendo meet continues with one victory on the board for Muroe High. Despite her inexperience, Miya's ferocious shinai is a force to be reckoned with, and Captain Kirino is no pushover either. It's a tight race until Tamaki reemerges as the bespectacled "Bureiba" to battle in the fifth and final match. But is Tamaki's weak disguise enough to mask her superior abilities?

When word of Kojiro's angry outburst at the supermarket gets around to the chairman of the school board, Kojiro's future at Muroe High is in jeopardy! But there's really nothing the kendo club can do to help... or is there? Surely the principal wouldn't dismiss the coach of the kendo team that won the National Tournament?!

With their new goal in mind, the practice meet between Muroe and Seimei High begins. As Muroe is still short a member, the girls manage to persuade Azuma to participate... just this once. As joint practice gets underway, the Seimei team is quick to spot Tamaki's overwhelming talent. To see a female kendo competitor at her level is inspiring not only to Seimei, but to Azuma as well. As memories of the thrill of the sport come back to her, will Azuma be tempted to join the kendo team for good?

Having emerged victorious in their first two matches, Muroe High is gearing up to face Toujou High in the match that will determine which team advances to the prefectural preliminaries! Rumor has it Toujou High's senpo, Konishi, is a tough competitor whose opponents always suffer some mysterious misfortune just before their matches. But word of Tamaki's incredible talent is getting around as well... If what they say about Konishi is true, will Tamaki's skill make her a target?!

With their first major competition as a fivesome behind them, the girls of the Muroe High kendo club head to the mall for some serious shopping. But who would have guessed that a freak accident would interrupt their outing... and introduce them to a stranger whose skill with a sword rivals Tamaki's?! Perhaps fate will bring Tamaki and this mysterious swordswoman face-to-face once more - in the kendo ring!

Kojiro and his senpai have made another bet, but this time there's more than sushi up for grabs. In addition to having their girls' kendo teams duke it out, Kojiro and Ishibashi will face of for the first time since high school. Now that his pride as a kendo instructor is on the line, Kojiro and the team are stepping up the training by seeking out expert advice. But does slacker Kojiro still have what it takes to endure the grueling practices, much less win the fight?

After their disciplined training, the Muroe High kendo team is ready for action on the day of the practice meet. Their opponents from Kamasaki High, however, hardly seem pumped for competition. As the matches proceed and the scores are tallied, will even Ishibaki's pupils find the passion for victory burning quietly within their neglected armor?

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.