I recently stumbled across the Queen’s Blade series.
This series is difficult to describe, but I’ll give it a try. Start with a storyline similar to Zatch Bell or Highlander, but replace the (creepy) Mamodo or immortals with ridiculously busty women. I don’t know how they procreate in this world; I’ve seen several episodes, and I’ve seen almost no male characters.
As you go through the story, you follow Leina, a spoiled warrior princess who seems to go around watching fights, but rarely getting into them. It seems that she makes friends with all of the more powerful women that, presumably, she will have to fight in the future.
On a side note, this is something that always bothered me about the Highlander series. In several instances the immortals befriended other immortals. They had to realize that one day they would have to face each other. It seems like any genuine friendship among such competitors would be impossible, given the consequences of losing.
Anyway, The Queen’s Blade can be summed up in three words: breasts, breasts, and breasts. Oh yeah, and the occasional crazy justification (other than genuine love) for girl-on-girl scenes. Strangely, their most powerful attacks seem to be geared toward cutting off their opponents’ clothes. It’s like Gen-13, except the attacks affect the opponent’s clothes instead of their own.
The show is almost formulaic in its ridiculous sexual overtone. A weaponsmith’s size K breasts that jump out of the way as she crafts her weapons and fights with a sword that’s bigger than her? Check. Half elf girl whose lack of underpants seems to be an actual plot point? Check. Demon girl who wears a french maid dress and sucks the life from her victims by french kissing them? Check. Another demon girl who squeezes explosive fluids out of her…never mind. I think you get the picture.
I’ve reached a point where I am no longer shocked by anime. After seeing some of the crazier things that have come out of Japan, this series is tame. The only thing that bothers me about the Queen’s Blade is that there are a few genuinely interesting storylines, and those gems are wasted on a show that’s defining characteristic is its gratuitous sexual overtones.
By the way, they have a fighting game for the PSP based on this storyline. I’m probably not going to get it, but here is a short video with all of the cut scenes. There’s even a male character.
I’ve since moved on to watching another series called “Sacred Blacksmith,” and I’m liking it a lot. I may write about it in the future.