Hayate X Blade, or Hayate Cross Blade from Tor/Seven Seas is another pleasing manga that offers up the action and humor any Shonen fan will enjoy and a few Shojo fans will be intrigued by for the relationships.
Tenchi Academy, prestigious all-girls school where the students don’t strive just for good greats but also for great fights, sword fights. Tenchi Academy allows for these fights for both money and fame as the head of the school, a student herself, Amachi Hitsugi, determines who stays in school and supplies the money as combatants obtain wins. These “Sword Bearer” along with their sister-in-arms challenge other girls in fights, 2-on-2 or 2 against many in bouts which take place in ranks, D being the lowest. Conditions for winning mean taking stars from your opponents within the match timeframe. These rules as well as many more await the latest entrant into the school Kurogane Hayate, a young girl taking her sick sisters place at the school so she does not lose her place. What begins as a venture in blending in turns into full fledged indoctrination into the ranks of the fights once Hayate learns of the dept her orphanage owes to the Yakuza. Now to find a proper sister-in-arms, problem is starting late in school there are only lone-wolfs to choose from, most freaky looking, but there is one girl, Mudou Ayana.
Shizuru Hayashiya has created one fine manga, a fun take on the whole fighting school genre. It does not hurt that the art, pencils, are so crisp, backgrounds pleasant and characters look and relay their personality. Hayate is goofy, quite funny while Ayana is the serious one offering beat downs that don’t seem to hurt more than the funny bone of the reader. Hitsugi looks the part of the rich, smug girl but with her assistants is also humorous in a serious way, really. The story is just perfect for anime, which I believe is in Japan now, and looks to offer up the fights and powering-up seen in so many Shonen manga and anime. The characters are very likeable with issues besides fighting and fame. Hayate’s dealing with the Yakuza, Ayana’s history with her former sister-in-arms as well as what happens when Hayate’s sister is better.
The story is just getting started but has done what a volume 1 manga should do, hook the reader with good story points, engaging characters, great art and a mixture of humor and action that any Shonen fan will dig. I must give extra props for not taking the overly … busty, approach to the female students design. Less is more, this is a good manga.
Tenchi Academy, prestigious all-girls school where the students don’t strive just for good greats but also for great fights, sword fights. Tenchi Academy allows for these fights for both money and fame as the head of the school, a student herself, Amachi Hitsugi, determines who stays in school and supplies the money as combatants obtain wins. These “Sword Bearer” along with their sister-in-arms challenge other girls in fights, 2-on-2 or 2 against many in bouts which take place in ranks, D being the lowest. Conditions for winning mean taking stars from your opponents within the match timeframe. These rules as well as many more await the latest entrant into the school Kurogane Hayate, a young girl taking her sick sisters place at the school so she does not lose her place. What begins as a venture in blending in turns into full fledged indoctrination into the ranks of the fights once Hayate learns of the dept her orphanage owes to the Yakuza. Now to find a proper sister-in-arms, problem is starting late in school there are only lone-wolfs to choose from, most freaky looking, but there is one girl, Mudou Ayana.
Shizuru Hayashiya has created one fine manga, a fun take on the whole fighting school genre. It does not hurt that the art, pencils, are so crisp, backgrounds pleasant and characters look and relay their personality. Hayate is goofy, quite funny while Ayana is the serious one offering beat downs that don’t seem to hurt more than the funny bone of the reader. Hitsugi looks the part of the rich, smug girl but with her assistants is also humorous in a serious way, really. The story is just perfect for anime, which I believe is in Japan now, and looks to offer up the fights and powering-up seen in so many Shonen manga and anime. The characters are very likeable with issues besides fighting and fame. Hayate’s dealing with the Yakuza, Ayana’s history with her former sister-in-arms as well as what happens when Hayate’s sister is better.
The story is just getting started but has done what a volume 1 manga should do, hook the reader with good story points, engaging characters, great art and a mixture of humor and action that any Shonen fan will dig. I must give extra props for not taking the overly … busty, approach to the female students design. Less is more, this is a good manga.
