Archive for the Hayate x Blade Category


Yuri Manga: Hayate x Blade, Volume 4

June 9th, 2006

I know, it’s been absolutely AGES since I reviewed Hayate x Blade, Volume 3. (If you haven’t read that review you should, because the contest I held for the volume was very funny.) Now, at last, I have the leisure to review Hayate x Blade, Volume 4. I hope it was worth the wait.

We left off in Volume 3 with a one-on-one battle between Ayana and Jun. On the final page of the last volume we were left with that moment just after the fateful blow, but before we learn who lost and who won. This volume opens up with that same same moment. And the winner is…!

Ayana, who takes Jun’s star with her mad Hoshitori Skillz.

Without missing a beat, Jun springs up to interfere in Hayate and Yuho’s battle. Ayana calls after her to stop, but Jun uses language quite unbecoming a young lady and runs off. Yuho, after a life of weakness and dependence, digs way deep and defeats Hayate, taking the “Heaven” star decisively – only to learn that because Jun, as the “Earth” part of the pair lost first, it renders her victory null. Mudou-Kurogane team gets the win.

Jun and Yuho have a wonderful moment, as Yuho awaits an ambulance to the hospital, which renders nearly every character in the book teary (and in some case nose-drippy and drooly as well.)

The next few chapters is taken up by us meeting and becoming familar with a whole host of new characters, mostly high school students, members of the student council, as they sharpen their skills for their own upcoming hoshitori fights. Only there’s clearly something else going on her…we’re not stupid. Not only are Kureha and Minori and the others practicing, they are working on special weapons. Why? You’ll have to wait until volume 5 to find out! (But trust me, it’s way cool…)

Isuzu and Momoko are still getting used to one another. Momoko is freaked by Isuzu’s reliance on a crystal ball, and the way she pronounces curses on their opponents during hoshitori. This awkwardness is exacerbated by the appearance of Otoha, a woman with that look that says “I have a clever plan”. And she does – she’s got a plan to separate Momoko and Isuzu and steal Isuzu for herself.

The rest of the volume follows Otoha as she widens the distance between Isuzu and Momoko, eventually challenging Momoko to a duel for Isuzu! (da-da-da-daahhh)

Momoko accepts the challenge – but not the terms. She has NO intention of giving Isuzu up and says so plainly. Isuzu is, in the meantime, overwhelmed that two women are dueling over her – and who wouldn’t be? – and deeply touched that Momoko cares about her that much.

In the end, Momoko (remember when she fought for her Rio-‘neeesan?) remains uber-cool, and wins. And Otoha is forced to deal with her own shinyuu, Michi. It turns out that there was a horrible misunderstanding between them and gee, they like each other after all and it was all a mistake, heh heh. ^_^

It was actually quite amusing, my snarky synopsis notwithstanding. The picture of Otoha and Michi running off hand in hand, looking slightly embarrassed and very relieved at the end of the chapter was priceless.

So let’s sum up:

Shizuku and Hitsugi + Momoko and Isuzu + Otoha and Michi = Good Yuri.

Ratings –

Art – 9 I’ve really come to love Hayashiya-sensei’s art
Story – 9
Characters – 9
Yuri – 7
Service – 2
Overall – 9

This is a GREAT series. Another must-have, IMHO. As far from Moonlight Flowers as you can get, but just as good (if not better) in its own, unique way.





Drama CD: Hayate x Blade 1

April 13th, 2006

People have been mistaking my review of the Hayate x Blade *Mini* Drama CD for a review of the *actual* Hayate x Blade Drama CD, so I thought I’d better get that done. The mini CD came with the April issue of Dengeki Daioh – the full Drama CD is available from Amazon JP through the Yuricon Shop.

I have to admit that the drama CD, (which was released as Volume 1, so we probably can expect more,) was surprising on several levels. Most importantly for us, the focus on Yuri was upped quite considerably from the manga – but in a strange fashion. But let me get to that in a second.

For those of you unfamiliar with the basic plot of Hayate x Blade (or Hayate Cross Blade, if you prefer,) you might want to read some of the posts –  including reviews of the manga –  in my category for the series.  The review of the Mini Drama CD, linked above, has a list of major cast members, so I don’t have to do all that gushing and jumping up and down in excitement again. ^_^

In short, this series is about students at a girls’ school who, paired up with sisters-in-arms/partners…read into that as you will…fight with swords for rank, prestige and other tangible and intangible rewards. Our heroine is grumpy Mudou Ayana, a skilled swordswoman with a past, and hyper Hayate, a young girl with a mission.

The beginning of the Drama CD is half a dozen very short tracks, which detail in very silly ways, a typical Hoshidori battle for Ayana and Hayate (in this case against Suzuki, a student with a grudge against Ayana, but whom Ayana has completely forgotten.) This is interspersed with flashbacks on how Ayana and Hayate met, fell in love, wait…no! (imagine the sound of Ayana punching me to the moon)…

…

…

Hayate’s stories go a lot like that on this CD. She’s sidetracked easily. Her sound effect for a flashback is very amusing, too. :-)

So we learn about how they met and became shinyuu, and why they fight.

In the opening tracks, we also meet and spend time with Amachi Hitsugi, school chairwoman and principal and her partner Shizuku…and Hitsugi’s lovelorn hanger-on, Tatewaki.

After the first half dozen tracks the story settles down a bit and we follow Ayana’s bout against Suzuki, and Tatewaki’s hopeless bid for Hitsugi’s attention. The last few tracks are significantly longer….but much, much weirder.

In the manga it is Ayana’s roommate, lesbian Jun, who frequently comes on to Ayana and gets pummelled into oblivion for it. In this CD, Jun has a very minimal role (boo, hoo!) but *Hayate* is all OVER Ayana. She manages to say the Japanese version of “coffee, tea or…me?” about a dozen times – and of course, gets pummelled everytime for it. This is a really abusive, violent comedy, let me tell you. ^_^ But if you’re familiar with the creator’s, Hayashiya Shizuru’s work, (Strawberry Shake Sweet and myriads of Jesus Drug doujinshi…) you’re familiar with her style.

Tatewaki also has a strangely inflated role. In the manga, she’s an “oh, you’re here too?” kind of character, but she’s all over this CD. It’s horrible and pathetic and really mean-spirited (and, obviously, funny) the way she’s treated. ^_^ For instance, Tatewaki makes soba noodles for Hitsugi-sama, and the rotten so-and-so goes and shares them with Shizuku right in front of Tatewaki! *And* she’s all lovey-dovey and flirty with Shizuku while she’s doing it, just to rub salt in the wound.

One of the final tracks involves Jun, Hayate and Tatewaki concocting a plot to get Ayana for Hayate and Hitsugi for Tatewaki. Need I mention that it’s ridiculous, over-the-top, full of random bondage…and a complete failure?

The last track involves Hayate trying to get a night alone with Ayana. Under the guise of studying, she plays the wife, but Ayana’s not a happy hubby. She locks Hayate out of the room, until Hayate shares a tear-jerking, gut-wrenching sob story that turns Ayana to emotional mush. She lets Hayate back in on several conditions…. The next morning Jun archly asks her about her romantic night alone with Hayate. Ayana asks where she heard that they spent the night together? Hayate, of course, Jun replies…and we end the CD with more unspeakable (and kind of uncommunicatable on Drama CD) violence. ^_^

So Yuri? Yes.

Anything good? Well Hitsugi and Shizuku are awfully snuggly.

Tatewaki and Hayate are more goofy than anything else. And Ayana gets the usual tense moment with her former partner, Yukari.

Sadly Momoka, Isuzu and Jun all have teeny tiny roles here – I look forward to more of them all in future CDs. Isuzu *still* manages to be all googly over Momoka in the few moments she’s on, which was lovely.

The sound effects, of which there were many, tended towards the “silly noise” type, for auditory slapstick effect. But Hayate’s “flasback” sound still wins. ^_^

The final track, to my delight, was a bonus track in which all the seiyuu are given a chance to discuss a theme – and today’s them is!: The moment you realized you were a moron. ^_^ This is very fitting, as you know if you’re familiar with the series, since every chapter beings with a variation on the theme of baka, i.e., idiot or moron, in this case. Alot of the seiyuu’s moments of baka-hood seem to revolve around difficulties with Tokyo’s train system, which made me laugh – I’ve been there.

(I’m not 100% sure, and I really have to go back and listen again, but I could have sworn I heard them mention Morishima Akiko, the manga artist who drew up the Yuricon in Tokyo report for Yuri Hime 1, and also drew up a report on the recording of this CD for Yuri Hime 2.)

Ratings:

Story – kinda weird but fun 7
Characters – 7
Voice Acting – also kind weird but fun – 7
Yuri – 7
Service – no visuals, and yet *still* fanservice – 2 ^_^

Overall – 7

It wasn’t as hysterical as the Mini CD, but it’s still pretty fun, and funny. I’m looking forward to more!





Drama CD: Hayate x Blade Mini CD

February 24th, 2006

Would you like to hear a story about how utterly LFG I am? LOL

In the February issue of Dengeki Daioh, the Hayate x Blade chapter was a gag about the upcoming Drama CD.

In that issue, Amachi Hitsugi, the chairman of the school, president of the student council and all-around perfect rich girl, decided to write the script for a Drama CD. Hitusgi forces her shinyuu/partner to comandeer various characters to record the CD. Mayhem breaks out, as is typical for a HxB chapter. :-)

The March issue of Dengeki Daioh includes a mini Drama CD for HCB, which is meant to be the “mayhem breaks out” part of the previous comic that’s taking place inside the recording studio.

I picked up this month’s issue with what I am sure was an otaku creepy “ohmigodohmigod!” face on, even if the woman at Sanseido smiled at me and pretended not to notice.  ^_^’

As *soon* as we got in the car I slammed that baby into the CD player! The mini CD is 13 minutes or so long and it’s brilliant! Of course.

I won’t go on and on about how perfect the seiyuu are, or how funny the script was – except for this moment. When Hayate forces Ayana to read the title of the drama. “Hayate and Ayana’s sexy weekend” in English, I almost died laughing.

Oh, and this moment – when Momoka calls to Isuzu to say that they should leave (Momoka calls Isuzu “Wanko”) – “Come on Wanko.” Isuzu responds, “Wherever, forever.”

And I won’t go on about the BGM, which was hysterical in the extreme – and gets all romantic violins when Hitsugi is telling Shizuku that she wants to take her to a nice, romantic restaurant, just the two of them…

No. I won’t talk about any of those things. Or about the scene when Jun and Hayate are crawling on top of each other to try and find out which one of them Ayana wants more as a lover.

And I absolutely won’t rant about how the music changes and before she even spoke I KNEW Yukari had come “on screen”. Or how Ayana became a blushy, stuttering freak. LOL

All I’m gonna say is – there’s no doubt at ALL, that any real or implied Yuri in Hayate Cross Blade is amplified here to its fullest.

Ratings:

Story – 8
Characters – 9
Music – 8
Yuri – 7
Loser FanGirl – 9

Overall – 8

I cannot WAIT for the Drama CD next month! Ohmigod ohmigod! ^_^





Drama CD: Hayate Cross Blade

November 29th, 2005

Did someone say Hayate Cross Blade Drama CD?

Yes indeed. Following in the footsteps of several other yuri-fied series from Dengeki Daioh, Hayate x Blade is being turned into a Drama CD. If you read Okazu regularly, you know that I adore those. More than the animation (which, let’s face it, ain’t so hot alot of the time) for me what makes a character come alive is a voice. And Drama CDs, being all voice, give the actors and actresses a chance to really push their skills. This particular Drama CD won’t be out until March, but I thought I’d whet your appetites with a rundown of the voice cast. To understand better who I’m talking about, and why I’m so excited, you can read my reviews in the Hayate x Blade category.

I posted this all previously on the Yuricon Mailing List, but here’s a list of some of the voice cast from the upcoming CD. This cast would be splendid for an anime, hint, hint. ;-)

The character name is on the left, seiyuu on the right, followed by notable credits from the ANN “People” database.

Kurogana Hayate – Mamiya Kurumi (Hamtaro in Hamtaro)

Mudoh Ayana – Yukino Satsuki (Yomi in Azumanga Daioh; Kagome in Inu Yasha; Nenene Sumiregawa in ROD the TV)

Amachi Hitsugi -Yajima Akiko (Anna in Battle Athletes; Tsubasa in Figure 17; Relena in Gundam Wing)

Miyamoto Shizuku – Nagazawa Miki (Judy in Cowboy Bebop; Sakura in Key the Metal Idol; Maya in Neon Genesis Evangelion; Miyu in Vampire Princess Miyu)

Kuga Jun – Tomoguchi Megumi (Sei in Maria-sama ga Miteru; Ayaka in Stellvia; Winry Rockbell in Full Metal Alchemist)

Yukari – Maeda Ai (Mimi in Digimon Adventure; Shion in Xenosaga)

Inugami Isuzu – Noto Mamiko (Shimako in Maria-sama ga Miteru; Enma Ai in Jigoku Shoujo; Yukino in Mai Hime/Mai Otome)

Kibi Momoka – Ohmoto Mamiko (Na-chan in Cutey Honey Flash; Miss Monday in One Piece; Miki in Tenshi na Konamaiki)

Note the preponderance of seiyuu that have previously voiced yuri-flavored characters… and note that the only openly lesbian character, Jun, is voiced by Sei’s VA. Amazing, isn’t it? Aren’t you shocked – I know I am. :-) Six degrees of yuri strikes again.

Although Jun is the gayest cast member, there’s yuri-service aplenty in other major pairings…Ayana and Yukari have a past that involves some kind of ugly breakup of their relationship; and Shizuku and Hitsugi are a cute couple. ^_^ Yukino Satsuki will *perfect* as grumpy Ayana.

One of my personal favorites is the choice of Noto Mamiko for Isuzu. She is a fantastically creepy character. Isuzu is really a nice girl, but creeps everyone out. Think female ghost that crawls out of the well in “The Ring”. She and Momoka eventually become shinyuu – sisters in arms/partners.

IMHO, this looks like a total win all around. You can be sure that I’ll be getting it as soon as it hits Amazon JP. And if this series does indeed follow the trend, we might be looking at a future anime series. Since Hayate Cross Blade is delightfully minimal in fanservice and funny as hell, it would be a refreshing change from the usual crap that’s turned into anime.





Yuri Manga: Hayate Cross Blade, Volume 3

November 28th, 2005

Swords, girls, Yuri and baka galore! What more can you ask from a manga series, really? Not much.

Unless you’re me and then you want Drama CDs! Luckily, that’s exactly what we’re getting. But more on that tommorrow. Today, we do the manga – and a contest. But you’ll have to read to the end to learn what the contest is. :-)

First, let’s talk Volume three of Hayashiya Shizuru’s action comedy Hayate Cross Blade (or Hayate x Blade if you prefer.)

At the end of Volume 2, Hayate had befriended Sou, a girl older than herself, but who looked the same age. Sou’s shinyuu is manipulative Mizuchi, who has some issue with Ayana. To make things worse, Mizuchi’s mother is the one behind the destruction of Tanpopo Koen, the orphanage Hayate is trying to rebuild. (It’s the usual story, Mom wants the land…)

Sou is very distressed when Mizuchi challenges Ayana, but despite her partner’s proclamations, Ayana beats her down practically with one hand, which *infuriates* Mizuchi. To add salt to the wound, Ayana doesn’t remember the insult (baka) that she handed Mizuchi last year…in fact, Ayana has no clue who Mizuchi is. This all rankles, but Mizuchi with Sou following behind her, backs off.

At this juncture we meet yet another new character. Pale, sickly Yuho, who turns out to be Jun’s shinyuu. Yuho is in and out of the hospital, therefore Hayate hasn’t yet met her. Yuho and Hayate get into a friendly argument about who would win, Jun or Ayana…which naturally becomes a challenge for a battle in the next Hoshidori. Whee! Jun vs Ayana – they should have sold tickets.

Ayana finds out that Mizuchi’s mother is behind the desctruction of Tanpopo Koen, and, with a paper bag over her head as a disguise goes off to disuade Mom from encroaching – ever again. I can never begin to express to you how hysterical this scene is…it’s something you have to see for yourself. The whole thing with the paper bag is insane and I love and adore Hayashiya-sensei for being the kind of person who can come up with this kind of madness. (In an earlier scene Hayate and Ayana – with paper bags in place – had protected the orphanage from Mizuchi’s mom’s henchdude. Hayate gave herself and Ayana nicknames based on the grocery stores names on the bags. When she goes to Mom’s office, Ayana, killing herself for being a total baka, uses the name “Lawson Kamen” once again…then goes and bangs her head against a wall for a while afterwards.)

Meanwhile Shizuku, who is my third favorite character (right behind Jun and Ayana) is down with a cold. She can’t ring the Hoshidori bell, so no fights can happen. The bell, apparently, is insanely heavy and she’s the only one who can ring it. In order to feel better, she inexplicably takes Hayate’s baka advice and makes herself *really* sick. The chapter ends with an incredibly touching and emotional scene between Shizuku and her shinyuu, the Head of the School, Hitsugi, right after which Hitsugi gets ill from taking care of Shizuku.

While the challenge between Jun and Ayana brews, we learn some back story stuff about Jun’s relationship with Yuho. It turns out that *waaaaaaaaay* back, Yuho’s family and Jun’s were the same blood. But Yuho’s side was royalty and Jun’s side served them. And to this day, she serves Yuho as a retainer. In fact, she calls Yuho “Hime.” We also learn that Yuho isn’t just anemic sick, she’s like terminal sick. And her mother objects, strongly, to her being at this school – blaming Jun, of course, because Yuho wouldn’t be there if it weren’t for her. Yuho’s mother shows up, slaps Jun, is beaten about by an angry Yuho, hops on her broom and leaves. Now Yuho really wants to fight with Jun. And she wants to fight Hayate and Ayana.

Hayate and Yuho discuss their relationships with their partners and Hayate likens them to shampoo and conditioner. Each is fine, but limited, but togther – they work perfectly. Yuho feels less of a burden after this baka therapy. Meanwhile we’re getting backstory about Jun and her early training in swordwork by her father, who instills in her a strong sense of duty to protect and serve.

Hand in hand, Yuho and Jun face off with Ayana and Hayate. Yuho and Hayate, as “Ten” (heaven) fight each other, and Jun and Ayana, as “Chi” (earth) square off. Hayate’s complete lack of style is immediately no match for Yuho, but Jun and Ayana appear evenly matched.

As they fight, the tension rises, and we learn in an amazing display of power that Jun isn’t just a servant to Yuho – she’s a ninja. We’re all impressed, but Ayana just smiles. As Hayate falls to Yuho’s superior skill, the manga ends with Ayana and Jun passing each other in the usual samurai sword battle thing – gasp!

Here’s the question I have for you…who do you think wins? Leave your comment here – who wins and why do you think that person wins. I will choose one person’s comment and that person gets a Hayate Cross Blade figurine as a prize!

Ratings

Art – 7
Story – 9
Characters – 9
Service – 2
Yuri – 6

Overall – 8