Featured Anime Of The Week: The Chaotic World of Queen's Blade!

Cattleya holding her Chest

Credits: IMDB

Contents

  • What is Queens Blade?
  • Plot
  • Art
  • Voice Acting & Music
  • Characters
  • My Verdict

All right, fellow anime lovers, before you start hurling your tomatoes, let me lay it all out: Queen’s Blade isn’t that bad. Sure, it’s not winning any awards, but it’s entertaining, and sometimes that’s all you need.

Now, I know what you're thinking. Otakus have trashed this anime left, right, and center, calling it pure 'crap' because it seems to lack a story.

So why am I diving into this controversial pool and writing a review? Because Queen’s Blade gets so much hate that some people might not even give it a shot.

Yes, there’s some notorious, let’s call it, tomfoolery that’s hard to ignore. But if you can get past that, you’ll find a show that’s, well, decent. And sometimes, a poorly told story can still be much fun if the other elements are solid. That’s what you get with Queen’s Blade: Rurou no Senshi. 

What is Queens Blade?

Shizuka looking down

 Credits: GAOI Archive

A lot of you are scratching your heads over Queen’s Blade. It’s an offshoot of the Lost Worlds universe, a pen-and-paper game by Alfred Leonardi from 1983, now owned by Flying Buffalo in Arizona.

Queen’s Blade started in 2005 with 19 books featuring badass female fighters, thanks to Hobby Japan. These books are primarily new ecchi illustrations for existing combat matrices from other Lost Worlds books. Then, in December 2007, they dropped Queen’s Gate, bringing in characters from Japanese visual media, and by 2008, they added four more characters.

The anime is loosely based on the campaign book "Queen’s Blade: Beautiful Fighter Retsuden [Adventure Record of Nomadic Soldier]," which switches up the usual Lost Worlds rules. 

Plot

Tomoe falls, and her clothes rip

Credits: GAOI Archive

The anime tries to follow over a dozen girls battling it out to be queen, cramming all that action into just 12 episodes. With so many waifus coming and going at lightning speed, the show struggles to keep us otaku up to speed, resulting in messy script.

The best way to enjoy the story? Don’t compare it to other anime in the genre. Instead, think of it like those quirky ending cut scenes in fighting games. It’s all about the mechanics, the entertainment, and the addictiveness, just like Queen’s Blade.

It’s incredible how they take simple superpowers like shape-shifting or super strength, making them so sexy and exciting. Sure, it might not sound super original on paper, but the complexity of their battles is mind-blowing.

However, those battles include some wild stuff: a girl with acidic projectile nipple lactation that only burns clothes, another who constantly pees herself, and one who walks around bottomless with only a snake wrapped around her waist as a censor. 

The shock value is more hilarious than annoying. Queen’s Blade is so over-the-top in its silliness that it sometimes becomes downright hilarious.

If you can look past that, you might enjoy it. Seriously, give it a shot before deciding to drop it!

Art

Melona pressing her finger on her lips

Credits: IMDB

Queen’s Blade art books are crafted by some of the best in the business—Doujin artists like Mibu Natsuki, key animators like Kaneko Hiraku, and character artists like Hisayuki Hirokazu.

Over a dozen talented artists teamed up to make this series a visual feast, and it totally shows in the merch and the anime. Thanks to the pros at ARMS, each character is drawn with exquisite detail.

Sure, their outfits show much skin, but they’re way more intricate than the usual full-body armor most viewers expect. The accuracy of the original artwork? Stunning!

The backgrounds and static environments are equally impressive. Even the background characters, like soldiers and citizens, are detailed. Mad props to the artists!

However, some action scenes suffer from limited frame rates and 'skippy' attacks, which can be a bit jarring, but it’s not a deal-breaker.

And let’s talk about the oppais! It’s all about the fanservice, and Queen’s Blade does not hold back. After all, we’re talking about Japan—oppai isn’t going anywhere.

Voice Acting & Music

Meplh waiting for her turn

Credits: GAOI Archive

They went out with this anime, from top-notch production by ARMS (a member of the Association of Japanese Animations) to an A-list cast of voice actors.

We’ve got legends like Rie Tanaka, Mamiko Noto, and Aya Hirano! Their voices fit their characters so perfectly; it’s like they were born for these roles.

However, I must admit that with some of the more monotone voice actors like Rie Kugimiya and Yuko Goto, it's hard not to picture Shana or Mikuru. Still, their voice work is stellar, even if the script doesn’t quite do them justice. That’s more of a story issue than a sound one.

The music and sound effects are top-notch, perfectly matching the scenes. There are lots of orchestral overtures and dramatic music that amp up the fight scenes.

Each battle rumbles with intensity, and the cries echoing through my house are epic. This show is best enjoyed on a big-screen TV with your surround sound cranked up to 11!

Characters

Claudette preparing for battle

Credits: GAOI Archive

This anime is all about the characters; their relationships and backgrounds make it so intriguing. It’s not super deep, but it keeps things interesting. I can’t stop gushing about the fantastic quality of the characters on all levels.

The artistic quality? Top-notch.

The voice cast? It's an accurate all-star lineup!

The originality? Straight from the best minds in the anime and doujin world.

Imagine drawing 50 illustrations of the same character, incorporating over 20 special moves with different strengths, weaknesses, heights, speeds, and movements. It adds depth and detail to these characters, making them unique and balanced enough to keep every fight interesting. This level of detail and effort makes this anime stand out!

My Verdict Leina lying down with her armor undone

Credits: GAOI Archive

The series was outsourced, so the art isn't top-tier, but the animation is decent, and the battles are short and sweet.

If you’re into unique character designs, you’ll love this series. After all, Queen's Blade is highly character-driven. So, don’t expect a deep, gripping story, flawless artwork, or swoon-worthy romance.

Queen's Blade didn’t just become popular overnight; it’s been steadily building a dedicated fanbase for the past FOUR years. For those who still don’t get why people love this show, check out the anime merchandising websites and see how many Queen’s Blade items are constantly sold out.

Some might not realize there are as many, if not more, Queen’s Blade fans as there are fans of Touhou or K-On! Love it or hate it, Queen's Blade is an anime made strictly for the fans.

What do you think about this anime? You can let us know your thoughts at the Otaku Community!

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