30th G-View: Ecchimania episode 2: Queen’s Blade

Hello and welcome to G-Views, where SoL reigns supreme, moe is respected and Dokuro-chan sucks poopie.

ECCHIMANIA: Welcome to the 2nd episode. This time we’ll be looking at another extremely sexy and action packed anime, Queen’s Blade.

There’s something special about this certain anime. It’s controversy is undeniable and at one time it was considered the closest ecchi anime to reach borderline Hentai, that is until Seikon no Quaser showed up a half year later. More on that show in the future….if I can stomach it that is. Now back to Queen’s Blade.

Update: Since I feel that my previous review of this show was incredibly lacking, I have decided to make some major adjustments and increase my ratings for the show. Also, my planned review of Seikon no Quaser…CANCELED!

Also, special thanks to “Yi” from Listless ink for his inspirational words.

http://listlessink.wordpress.com/

Related anime:
Queen’s Blade: Gyokuza o Tsugumono (TV) (sequel)
Queen’s Blade Utsukushiki Tōshi-tachi (OAV)
Genres: action, fantasy, tournament
Themes: ecchi, yuri
Number of episodes:
Season 1: 12 + 5 specials.
Season 2: 12
Season 3: 6 OVAs

2 OVA specials
G-Rating:
8/10 for season 1
8.5/10 for season 2
7.5/10 for season 3

7.5/10 for the 2 bonus OVAs
These ratings will depend on how strong your endurance is.

The 1st season can be summed up as an introduction to most of the characters you need to know about. The 2nd season is the tournament itself and where the most action will take place. Trust me when I say that there are some pretty good matches on this show. don’t let the controversy fool you. Give it a chance and you’ll see some good stuff.

To better explain the controversy we can pretty much begin from the first 7 minutes of the very 1st episode..Let’s just say a certain villain’s special move started it all.

Unlike Ikkitousen, which is limited to mostly cleavage and torn clothing to provide its fanservice, QB goes a step further. How far you ask? It’s close to being a borderline hentai, so take my word for it. Don’t worry though, no demon rape…for the most part.

-Action scenes: Like I said, most of the good fights take place in the 2nd season, but the 1st season also has its fair share of entertaining fights as well, like the 1st fight against Menace, or the rematch between Reina and Claudette. So yeah, both seasons have their fair share of awesome fights, just expect more action on season 2. Remains the same, except more will be explained as you read on.

-Music in this series is where it fails. I don’t particularly like the music here. It’s not bad, but not that good either.

Characters:
Allow me to begin by discussing one of my favorites. Tomoe-sama.

Tomoe is in my opinion, the most beautiful, interesting and badass character on the show. However, unlike Kan-U Unchou, she doesn’t exactly give off a badass aura until you see her in action. She has the most noble reason for entering the tournament and is the person I cheered for the most to win the tournament. Her semifinal match is my favorite of all the matches that took place. As far as character development goes, hers can be summed up like this: A noble warrior, who seeks as few violent solutions as possible, but learns that if she wants to win the tournament, sometimes you have to make distasteful decisions. She had to learn this the hard way in what I consider one of the most UNFAIR things to happen on the show and an event that takes me back to the Dark Ages of my fav anime genre. Seriously, Tomoe’s growth and her relationship with Shizuka are absolutely beautiful. I was both surprised and touched by how much the two care about each other. I was brought to tears by the scene in which Shizuka confronts Tomoe’s weakness of heart. That poignant moment and the subsequent transformation of Tomoe are tastefully done and added so much weight to Queen’s Blade. Tomoe is easily my favorite character and really stole the show from Reina.
Yes, I know Reina is the main character and her evolution is just as powerful as Tomoe’s, but Tomoe-sama is much more spectacular and graceful in my eyes.

Watching this show a 2nd time, I now understand how much of a great injustice I made by writing such a lackluster review previously. I’ve seen the error of my ways and will now add even more depth. Here goes.

What I am much more interested in are the fleshed out characters and the well developed plot. Beneath all of that blatant mindless ecchi is a fantastic story with so much substance and so much depth. The depth of Queen’s Blade comes largely from its careful portrayal of personalities. For example, I really loved watching the characters mature through their interactions. Most of the characters, even some of the villains learn that there’s more to life and can make many changes to it for the better.

Unfortunately, the ending does feel a little cheesy and flat. And indeed, the whole premise of busty women battling to become queen is a bit ridiculous. Still, the journey is beautiful, and that makes Queen’s Blade a stunning epic story. By weaving together all the characters and paying careful attention to their stories, the narrative makes us love not only about Reina, but Tomoe, Echidna, Listy, Claudette, Airi, and most participants of Queen’s Blade as well. Everyone except Nyx, who should rot in Hades along with her stupid demonic staff.

Besides profound characters and an interesting story, Queen’s Blade also has gorgeous character designs. I love many of the costumes the women sport. Complementing the strong distinctive personalities, the designs not only make the fan service tolerable, but drive us to fall in love with the women, except Nyx. Sure the clothing is not suited for combat, but it’s anime, what do you expect? Babes wearing Battle Ready Armor?

Conclusion: The thing about this show, like Strike Witches, is that there’s a lot more to it than meets the eye. I can honestly say right now that this is another one of those shows that if you can stomach the excessive fanservice, you’ll be heavily rewarded for taking that risk. Still, if the ecchiness is too much, I can understand you backing away.