So this one took a bit longer than usual, but besides it having more pages than the previous chapters, our typesetter needs to rest his wrist, let's hope he's back into shape soon.
Anyways, here are the Musha-Miko and company:
Download it
here, and enjoy!
Thanks for the release!
ReplyDeleteNice.
ReplyDeleteLB, sorry for posting this here, but there didn't seem to be a particularly apropos place to bring this up.
ReplyDeleteI have two QB questions that I want to ask, and you seem to know the series better than anyone:
1) What's the source of Claudette's ability to manipulate lightning? QB seems to be a fairly magic-poor world, and most supernatural abilities seem to have a clear basis (often biological, e.g. Aldra's ability to summon demons due to her half-demon heritage, or learned, such as Yuit's alchemy).
Claudette's Rebellion profile seems to hint that Thunderclap, her sword, is what generates the lightning (as I recall, it says something about improvements to the sword removing the need for it to charge up). However, there is plenty of circumstantial evidence pointing the other way (various instances of her generating electricity when it's not there).
How does she have that ability?
2) Was there some sort of animated short that had a crossover between QBR and another show by the same animation studio? I saw reference to this on a QB thread in another forum, but if this exists I can't find it.
Thanks!
I think this is the crossover you're looking for: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2nYcuhpvtk.
DeleteThe other show is Hagure Yuusha no Estetica..
For the second question, like Amsaim said, indeed. (Because of the nudity, it typically doesn't last long on Youtube)
DeleteAnd well, you kinda could try the Queen's Blade wikia, that despite not allowing a couple of spoilery topics, certainly is a more organized place on specialized info that here... but nevermind that.
About Claudette, I'm pretty sure that she could only use thunder in the original series because of the Thunder Clap. And in Rebellion, she doesn't need the sword anymore because she has magic gems equipped (quite a lot of them, judging from her outfit).
Thank you both very much!
DeleteAmsaim, that was indeed the crossover I was looking for. Now I just need to go about finding a (or dusting off my Japanese and making my own) translation.
LB, you're right in that I forgot about the wiki. That said, you still seem to have more knowledge about the series than any other single person (or at least, any who've devoted an entire website to it), and since I come here a lot, it seemed natural to ask you. Mea culpa.
I really should start reading that manga serie you are translating... I guess I'll do that soon-ish! :)
ReplyDeleteI thought that Claudette was mostly innate due to the "circumstancial evidences" you mentionned... Especially since Leina at the end is able to summon lightning too, and she doesn't have Thunderclap and they mention that "she's able to learn other people abilities", hence it being innate. Buuut.... I assume leecherboy knows better than I do!
About that video... Personally, I found it frankly insulting. I feel like ranting about it, but I'll be nice and abstain for you guys sake.
Since this is now the thread to ask about various QB-verse things, I might as well ask mine!
*** HEAVY REBELLION ANIME SPOILERS ***
Is it me, or is there going to be a SERIOUS lack of antagonists in the second season of Rebellion? I mean, yes Claudette still has her army, and yes the witch has a ton crapton of minions according, but there's so few "named" characters left. I mean, let's look at the three factions that are logically fighting in Rebellion 2:
Queen's Army: Claudette, Elina. I suppose you could add Branwen in there maybe... If you reaaallly stretch things out, maybe the two dwarves since they didn't actually fight Claudette at the end (though supporting her still sounds like a bit of a stretch).
Witch: Herself, Melona. Melona is currently Lyla's prisoner and brought to heaven, so she's not free right now. Menace we don't know anything about, but I guess she might still be with the witch. Airi really sounded as if she had far more important things to her now than following an evil witch orders by the end of QB Season 2...
Captain Liliana is a definitive antagonist, but not one too serious.
And everyone else is either directly in Annelotte party, or at least friendly to her (Like Izumi or Aldra). In my opinion it doesn't make any sense that Sigui is in Annelotte's party (Yes, Sigui now opposes the queen, but there's still the issue of Annelotte being half-demon and Sigui hunting them like mad...), but she is.
There isn't any character left to introduce as far as we know... So who can actually serve as antagonists for an entire season? A few episodes sure, but a full season I don't see how.
I suppose that Echidna could make a credible antagonist though for a time (She beat handily every single opponent she faced, she's a mercenary so Claudette could hire her and as far as I know, there's no mention of her at all after she nursed Irma back to health at the end of QBS2) if they do plan to put her in Rebellion...
*** END SPOILERS***
If there's some stuff I'm not aware of, please make me aware of them even if they are spoilers :)
ayrawinla, you bring up some good points.
DeletePlease everyone be aware of more possible spoilers!
The circumstantial evidence I mentioned before regarding Claudette's lightning seeming to be innate are the various times when she seems to use it without Thunderclap present - this happens both in the anime (I don't think she has it when she zaps Risty in episode one of the first series), and the manga (in one of the later chapters of the Hide & Seek manga, she's sitting at a desk talking to Elina about the absent Leina, and grows irritated enough that electricity manifests).
However, as LB suggested, I checked the QB wiki. It has a translation from the official QB website that talks about her "magic sword Thunderclap" that can create lightning. That's pretty definitive, even if it doesn't answer those odd circumstances mentioned before. I suppose we can chalk that up to artistic license (or, if we wanted to be really crazy about it, we could propose that she's used the sword long enough that she's internalized, or otherwise figured out how to duplicate, some of its magic).
I'm less given to believe that Leina can use lightning herself. I take the "flare of energy" that seems to be there with some - but not all - uses of her Dragon Tail attack (e.g. when she fought Belphe in QBR) as more of a visual flare - like a special effect - rather than an in-character manifestation of power. It's like when a lot of characters power-up in anime, the background will change or flash...I don't think that's what's literally happening so much as it is a visual allegory.
Likewise, thought the comment about Leina was her empathizing with her opponents (e.g. when she fought white-haired Tomoe) rather than actually learning their moves, but it's been a while since I watched the original animated series.
In regards to the Rebellion anime, I think that the second season will be just like the second season of the original Queen's Blade. After all, all of the characters were in Gainos, and most of the outright villains had been defeated...and yet it lasted twelve episodes before Leina fought Aldra. Expect more interplay between the characters and fights based on thin reasons.
After all, as you noted, the opposing factions are still there, if light on "named" fighters.
Finally, in regards to that crossover...yeah, Akatsuki (the name of that character, based on what I wiki'd) pretty well dominates the girls, but from what I read that's not necessarily an incorrect interpretation of how things would go in such a fight. The guy seems to be quite strong (he defeated the demon lord of another world...apparently that world's equivalent of either the Devil or the Swamp Witch, depending on how you look at it), and experienced (he's gone world-hopping before).
I said before that I tend to look at things through the lens of tabletop RPGs...in that sense, this guy has several levels on the girls.
That's without even getting into the marketing demographic issues of "the girls are meant to be sex objects, so we need to have a strong, dominant male character easily overpowering them."
Anyway, I hope that helps!
I don't think any QB fan really enjoys that video ^^U. I heard that maybe it was made out of spite for QBR's poor early DVD sales (that didn't turn out that bad in the end)...
DeleteAnd well, though I tend to wildly disregard many of the events that happened in the anime (and even with alzrius backing me up), I can't discard that Claudette may have some electric powers of her own. After all, even if we know she bought the Thunder Clap from Cattleya, we don't really have enough info on the mechanics behind her power (yet?). On the other side, like Mirim's case showed, not everyone can use the magic gems properly...
It's worth noting that in Struggle, Leina's Dragon Tail does seem to have energy to it, as it desintegrates Nanael's clothing.
DeleteInterestingly, Exiled Warrior doesn't have her using Dragon Tail at all throughout the series...it seems she uses a move I liked to call "Reina Paunch" to win her fights...
As for Claudette, it may be that to protect herself from Thunderclap's effects, she has some kind of basic magical training.
"That's without even getting into the marketing demographic issues of "the girls are meant to be sex objects, so we need to have a strong, dominant male character easily overpowering them.""
DeleteNyeah, that's the part that irks me the most. While Queen's Blade fan service is incredibly over the top, the characters themselves are extremely nice. They are motivated, driven, strong, capable and picks themselves up after defeat (which is huge). Not only that, but in most media I've seen, the second a female warrior lose her clothes, she basically becomes a sniveling helpless being... Here, while some might be slightly embarassed, they keep fighting since modesty is far less important than their lives or mission. The character's willpower is part of what makes me like Queen's Blade so much. Sure, there's fan service and I could do with maybe sliiightly less, but... In my book, sexy is good. Combine everything together, and Queen's Blade is awesome.
It's also why I adore Shion so much: She fits every aspect perfectly, and I love the art style too, hence why you have 4 Shion (I actually have a 5th made, but it's 100% impossible to make it distributeable so I'm not going to even try).
Anyway, back to QB! I suppose they will make fights for the thiniest of reasons, but the original Queen Blade season 2 had the perfect setup due to the tournament so that they could pit anyone against anyone... They might pull off something similar to that in Rebellion part 2 too, though.
The reason I mentionned Leina having some thunder power is that (in the anime, last episode of season 2), Leina finished off the demon using the "Thunder Dragon Tail", which other characters commented that she learned the thunder attack from fighting against Claudette and combined it with her own Dragon Tail. It's only in the anime of course, so as you mentionned, it might be disresguard-worthy.
For Claudette, being able to not be shocked by her own thunder would definitively be critical. I sort of assumed that her sword did act as a sort of thunder rod though (except maybe the other way around?) I'm kind of wondering if the directors of the anime/stories do actually have those kinds of details thought about, or if it's just "Well, she shoots lightning in her Lost Worlds book so she shoots lightning here too"...
The sexual politics of Queen's Blade is, to me, fascinating, since it sends wildly different messages depending on how you look at it.
DeleteFrom a "meta" perspective - that is, viewing it as a product designed for public consumption - it's horribly sexist. The women are unrealistically sexy, run around half-naked, and situations ludicrously push sexual innuendo. It's clearly designed to appeal to, if not celebrate, the male gaze.
But from an in-character perspective - that is, seeing the world and the characters the way they see themselves - the message is almost completely the opposite. There's very little sexual cognizance regarding what the women wear, and even the background characters don't seem to regard them as sex objects (with a single exception, from a scene in the Shigi Rebellion OVA). Even the interplay between the female cast members is largely asexual, with the exceptions tending towards flirting and teasing more than anything truly salacious (though the rare such situation does occur, such as Luna-Luna trying to tentacle-rape Annelotte).
John Oppliger of AnimeNation once called Queen's Blade "a harem anime with no central male character," but is a harem with no such character still a harem...or is it just a group of women? How one answers that question will, I think, largely determine how one approaches Queen's Blade.
Arigatooo!
ReplyDeleteChapter 4 has been taken down (and only chapter4) can we get a re-upload?
ReplyDeleteOh? Weird... I'll use a sendspace link for the time being, there it is.
DeleteI got a DMCA notice for it, which is odd, since I know for a fact no one in the states or in north america has the rights for the QB series.
ReplyDeleteI think someone might be trolling.
please reupload this file T.T
ReplyDeleteHi, you can find working links of everything in the "Translations" page above, let me know if any of them doesn't work~
Delete