Busou Shoujo Machiavellianism

Finally something to sate my appetite for high school action series. The first episode was pretty fun, and did a good job of setting things up. I mean, a school where deliquents get their will broken and the main character is a guy who refuses to conform. There's only one way to resolve that - through martial arts.

I like Nomura, he's so cheeky, and uses it to hide his fangs.

Rin best girl. I love the oni mask.

The fight scene was great, and I love the level of detail to the martial arts. BTW, Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage Ryu is an actual martial art.

According to RandomC's preview this is mostly a comedy series. How accurate is that as a statement? That's kind of the main draw for me some I'm curious how that holds up.

edited 5th Apr '17 4:32:10 PM by Chariot

Based on episode 1 it is a more combat oriented D Frag.

The comedy is strong in this series, and it doesn't clash with the action scenes, instead they enhance one another. Calling it an action D Frag is pretty accurate.

Almost every martial arts in the series are actual martial arts in Japan and while some of them are exaggerated for the manga, most of them are accurate. Some of the effects of the techinque are obviously exaggerated though. Here's the wiki links for the styles used by the main characters. Almost all the techniques used by the characters are real ones. Most of these are Japanese wiki: Onigawara:Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage-ryū https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashima_Shinden_Jikishinkage-ryū

Warabi: Taisha Ryu https://ja.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/タイ捨流

Satori: Keishiryu Kidachi Kata(This is the techniques that is given to police officers in Japan, which probably is a hint to whoever is Satori's master) https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/警視流#.E8.AD.A6.E8.A6.96.E6.B5.81.E6.9C.A8.E5.A4.AA.E5.88.80.E5.BD.A2

Tsukuyo: Yakumaru Jigen Ryu (Iai) https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/薬丸自顕流

Nomura: Jigen Ryu (but in this he applied to a hand-to-hand fighting style, so the author invented some of it) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jigen-ryū

Amou: Okinawan Karate (The Tenagata (手刀)/sword hand is a technique from aikido and okinawan martial arts. Obviously, the author exaggerated to the point it can actually cut).

The writer even listed many times the source or manual books and the name of it's authors he used to learn the techniques. He's actualy a martial arts practicioner himself and still learning even to these day.

One actual practicioners of the Taisha Ryu, the style used by Warabi even thanked the author for using the style as it is generally uknown to the general public. Even his Sensei and fellow students loves busou shoujo

The authors' previous series, Shinakoi, is even more detailed, since it puts heavy emphasis on the martial arts aspects.

edited 7th Apr '17 5:24:46 AM by sasagane_alan

You know what I like about the premise? The school is basically a dumpster for the unwanted male teens of the world, and there's a government out there that actually okays it. That's where the comedy comes from to me, and it makes for an interesting watch because of it.

edited 7th Apr '17 10:14:59 AM by VeryMelon

Episode 2:

Nomura just wants peace and freedom and everyone is making a fuss.

Rin is just the cutest, I like how her temperature literally raises the more she gets embarrassed.

Nomura is really suave in his own cheeky way.

So now we have a goal set up for Nomura - to get all the stamps he needs. It will definitely take some fighting.

A fake Italian, how horrible!

They actually pointed out that whip is impractical weapon, nice.

Damn, the bullet sequence is pretty cool.

Nomura's reputation takes even more damage.

Rin is such a tsundere.

You know, from what I've seen so far, I'm convinced the real delinquents are the girls. They're batshit crazy and downright weird(Rin wore a fucking demon mask as a kid) and the males seem pretty much normal. Well, from what we seen. I read the manga up to chapter 12, and the males don't really show up that much, so the series is basically an all girl-school trying to kill a sole male. Really, this school is such a severe civil rights violation, I'm surprised America or some other country hasn't tried to intervene.

Yeah, they act more like warlords than a disciplinary committee and just do whatever they want. The system is crazy even as far as weird anime schools go.

I mean Rin and Mary is the sane one, some of the others are just psychopaths.

I'll say this tho: I like how you can just deal with their attempts at "correction" by beating the shit out of them. Seems fair.

It's basically Prison School but without the political pretension.

I am also once again very pleased with the depiction of martial arts in this episode. Strike and Shove It's very effective.

What most people outside the Japanese fandom don’t know is that this series is actually a stealth sequel (thanks tvtropes) to the authors’ previous series, Shinakoi, which was sadly cancelled leading to a rushed ending. Tsukuyo is actualy a major last minute character from Shinakoi. Shinakoi was even more detailed as the series was very much a martial arts action-dramedy-romance series with the martial arts aspect being generally the focus of it. It’s also more serious though never without comedic moments.

In the newest arc, some major Shinakoi characters has start appearing, which will probably confuse the non-Shinakoi readers. This is something that actually makes me wonder, if Busou Shoujo ever get a second season which probably will takes place after the Empress arc, how are they supposed to explain those characters without a LENGHTY flashback. Not to mention, Tsukuyo’s background tied heavily to Shinakoi’s plot. Same goes with how Aiichi was founded.

Honestly, I have a huge suspicion that the authors deliberately cook up a ridiculous premise to draw new fans before segueing to the martial arts theme of Shinakoi once more. The newest arc have been getting more serious, more in line with Shinakoi. Focusing very much less on the women domenating men to more conflicts between powerful martial artists while also focusing on their personal development. Busou Shoujo never truly abandons it’s ridiculousness though, it’s still overall diferrent than Shinakoi, after all.

edited 14th Apr '17 6:46:45 AM by sasagane_alan

Also with a main character who is alpha as fuck.

Huh, will have to check out the previous work then.

edited 14th Apr '17 7:14:36 AM by Shlugo_the_great

I gotta say, just started reading the first chapter, and I'm already liking it. I always hated stories where female characters just walk all over the male characters with no repercussions whatsoever. Having an MC who actually fights back while snarking like there's no tomorrow is quite entertaining.

Yeah, the main character not being a total doormat is one of my favorite things about this series.

Watched today's episode. Are fencing... foils, rapiers, whatever they're called that flexible? Damn thing moved like it was rubber.

edited 19th Apr '17 11:37:01 AM by RedRob

Foils are exclusively what is used in competition fencing. They have no edge, and the point is usually blunted. They're also extremely waggly and springy. An actual rapier, depending on how it is forged, can be that flexible, but is generally not recommended because you don't want a weapon meant to stab people to bend rather than pierce.

In that case, I'm pretty sure Mary was giving physics the middle finger in this episode.

I'm fairy certain Nomura's magic bullets have been doing that since episode 1

Something tells me that Busou Shoujo is published in a monthly magazine.

Man, rapiers do not move that way. This is some impossible flexibility.

Nomura gets a second girl... I mean supervisor.

I just assumed those were dramatized instants of Taijiquan or something involving qigong.

So on today's episode; Nomura Fudo. He fights bears.

Which have a really stupid voice. Thing looked downright freakish in some frames, but I couldn't take it seriously at all.

Also, pretty sure Warabi is some kind of psychopath. She freaking semi-crucified Masuko, and when she lost, instead of upholding her word, declared war.

edited 27th Apr '17 4:05:50 PM by RedRob

Not just fights, he sumo wrestles them. And it's going to get even crazier.

Would you believe that Warabi is still not the craziest one?

I'm still a little vague on the names of the others, but I'm personally guessing the green-haired one who talks like she's stoned. There's been a few hints of something nasty lurking under that air-head persona she projects. The miko is pretty much a cypher at this point.

Yeah, green-haired girl is definitely crazy, the bear was scared witless of her in the first episode.

As for this episode, it was quite enjoyable and I do like the bear.

I also found it quite humorous that this is the second series I have watched this week with a sumo episode (the other being Frame Arms Girls)

I love how this series has well researched, realistic martial arts... and then there's a sumo match with a bear. Because they can.

Yep, she's crazy.