Hayate cross blade
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese manga
series written and illustrated by Shizuru Hayashiya
. The series is set is an all girls' school with sword-fighting at the center of the story. Originally published by ASCII Media Works
, the manga started serialization in the shōnen magazine Dengeki Daioh
on November 21, 2003 and ran in that magazine until May 21, 2008. The manga restarted serialization in Shueisha
's seinen magazine Ultra Jump
on August 19, 2008. As of December 2008, nine bound volumes
have been released in Japan by both ASCII Media Works and Shueisha. Seven Seas Entertainment
licensed the manga for release in English, and the first volume was released in October 2008. Three drama CDs
based on the manga were released in Japan by Frontier Works
in collaboration with Geneon between March 2006 and May 2008.
Nagi Kurogane is a sword scholarship student of Tenchi Academy. However, she cannot go to school because she is undergoing rehabilitation. Therefore, her twin little sister, Hayate, disguises herself as Nagi to go to the school. In the school, the scholarship student must fight against other scholarship students to win higher ranks. But because Hayate's only interest is how to pretend to be Nagi, she is not interested in the mandatory fights. However, knowing that her old orphanage is in eight million yen
in debt, and is being harassed by collectors, Hayate resolves her mind to take part in the fights. The participant gets 50,000 yen if she wins a bout, and she gets one million yen if she enters the next rank.
Since each participant must have her partner, Hayate asks Ayana Mudō to be her partner. Ayana is a talented swordsman, but she does not take part in the fighting because of her personal reasons. At first, Ayana thinks Hayate is annoying, but in order to face her ex-partner whom Ayana injured during the duels, she cooperates with Hayate.
Teams generally duel in pairs with each partner using one sword, though as of volume three, an exception is made for Jun Kuga, who fights with two swords. Each team is divided into and . Though there is no major difference in their actions in actual battle, the "Heaven" and "Earth" are usually considered to take the offensive and the defensive respectively. The "Heaven" will have her star attached to her left shoulder and the "Earth" will have her star concealed (this is known as the ). If the "Earth" has her Shadow Star hit, she will be unable to continue fighting. Striking the star of an opponent "Heaven" is the only way to achieve victory. However, the student of a role can only strike the star of the opponent with the same role, otherwise, the strike is considered invalid. A victorious team receives 50,000 yen
as a reward, which is apparently increased for higher-level duels.
On special occasions, such as during the sports festival, winning results in a team receiving double the usual number of points. These days are known as a . When a student has zero stars, she will have to forfeit her status as a Sword Arts student. However, she is allowed to make her challenge one more time. The process is known as , and such students do not get financial rewards even when they win. The use of any weapons outside the stipulated sword is banned, though there has been at least one occasion when this rule is bent. Also, teams A-ranked and above are allowed to modify their weapons. Breaking rules can result in points being deducted from a team, with harsher punishments like confinement for severe offenses. Other known violations are the unsheathing of swords for non-regulation reasons and using modified weapons outside stipulated areas.
When the pact between sisters-in-arms is dissolved, the number of stars they had gained up until that point is divided equally among them. On the other hand, if two students enter a pact with different numbers of stars, their ranking is also affected. A lower-ranked student pairing up with a higher-ranked student will have a higher position due to the greater average of points earned as compared to a team of the same rank. The opposite applies if a student is higher-ranked than her new partner.
series written and illustrated by Shizuru Hayashiya
which started serialization in ASCII Media Works
' shōnen manga magazine Dengeki Daioh
on November 21, 2003 and ran in that magazine until May 21, 2008. The manga restarted serialization in Shueisha
's seinen manga magazine Ultra Jump
on August 19, 2008. The reason for the switch was not explicitly explained, but the reason given was due to "various circumstances". Eight bound volumes
were released in Japan by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Comics
imprint
between June 26, 2004 and January 26, 2008, though Shueisha republished the eight volumes under their Young Jump Comics imprint featuring new covers, new character descriptions and revised panels. Volume 9, the first volume published solely by Shueisha, was released on December 19, 2008. This was also commemorated by a signing session at the Kichijoji branch of Animate
. Seven Seas Entertainment
licensed the manga for release in English, and the first volume was released on October 28, 2008. The second volume was released in February 2009, the third in May and the fourth followed in July.
based on the manga series were released by Frontier Works
in collaboration with Geneon between March 24, 2006 and May 21, 2008. Bonus tracks are included on each CD, where the voice actors talk while out of character. Also, the booklets for the drama CDs have short, presumably non-canon strips by Shizuru Hayashiya. The first drama CD covers the events of the first manga volume, plus two extra tracks covering original material. The second drama CD covers major events during the school festival. The third drama CD features original material, with most recurring cast members being voiced in at least one track.
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series written and illustrated by Shizuru Hayashiya
Shizuru Hayashiya
is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known for her Hayate X Blade series which is licensed in English by Seven Seas Entertainment, and the manga adaptation of the anime Please Teacher!....
. The series is set is an all girls' school with sword-fighting at the center of the story. Originally published by ASCII Media Works
ASCII Media Works
is a Japanese publishing company in the Kadokawa Group which formed on April 1, 2008 as a result of a merger between ASCII and MediaWorks where MediaWorks legally absorbed ASCII. Despite this, the former president of ASCII, Kiyoshi Takano, became the president of ASCII Media Works. The company...
, the manga started serialization in the shōnen magazine Dengeki Daioh
Dengeki Daioh
is a Japanese shōnen manga magazine published by ASCII Media Works under the Dengeki brand. Many manga serialized in Dengeki Daioh were later published in tankōbon volumes under ASCII Media Works' Dengeki Comics imprint. The magazine is sold every month on the 27th...
on November 21, 2003 and ran in that magazine until May 21, 2008. The manga restarted serialization in Shueisha
Shueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
's seinen magazine Ultra Jump
Ultra Jump
is a Japanese monthly seinen manga magazine published by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. Originally, the magazine was a special issue of Weekly Young Jump which first issued in 1995. On October 19 of 1999, the special issue became the new monthly publication Ultra Jump...
on August 19, 2008. As of December 2008, nine bound volumes
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
have been released in Japan by both ASCII Media Works and Shueisha. Seven Seas Entertainment
Seven Seas Entertainment
Seven Seas Entertainment is a publishing company located in Los Angeles, California. It was originally dedicated to the publication of original manga, but now publishes licensed manga and novels, as well as select webcomics...
licensed the manga for release in English, and the first volume was released in October 2008. Three drama CDs
Radio drama in Japan
Radio drama in Japan has a history as long as that of radio broadcasting in that country, which began in 1925. Some consider the first Japanese radio drama to have been "" which was a radio broadcast of a stage play. Others consider the Japanese translation of Richard Hughes's "Danger" or to be...
based on the manga were released in Japan by Frontier Works
Frontier Works
is a Japanese company specializing in the creation and distribution of media related to anime, such as producing OVAs, radio dramas, drama CDs, anime soundtracks, or other related products...
in collaboration with Geneon between March 2006 and May 2008.
Plot
Tenchi Academy is an all girls' school that teaches regular classes as well as "Sword Arts". In Sword Arts, students attempt to perfect their combat skills by dueling each other. There are also , where students form a partnership with another and defeat other pairs to win rank and stars. There are 174 teams (348 students) that fight under the Hoshitori system. The administrator (also the student council president) of the school will give money to those with more stars, saying that "any wish will be granted, if you have enough stars."Nagi Kurogane is a sword scholarship student of Tenchi Academy. However, she cannot go to school because she is undergoing rehabilitation. Therefore, her twin little sister, Hayate, disguises herself as Nagi to go to the school. In the school, the scholarship student must fight against other scholarship students to win higher ranks. But because Hayate's only interest is how to pretend to be Nagi, she is not interested in the mandatory fights. However, knowing that her old orphanage is in eight million yen
Japanese yen
The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third most traded currency in the foreign exchange market after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a reserve currency after the U.S. dollar, the euro and the pound sterling...
in debt, and is being harassed by collectors, Hayate resolves her mind to take part in the fights. The participant gets 50,000 yen if she wins a bout, and she gets one million yen if she enters the next rank.
Since each participant must have her partner, Hayate asks Ayana Mudō to be her partner. Ayana is a talented swordsman, but she does not take part in the fighting because of her personal reasons. At first, Ayana thinks Hayate is annoying, but in order to face her ex-partner whom Ayana injured during the duels, she cooperates with Hayate.
Characters
- The main character of the story. She attends Tenchi Academy in place of her twin sister. She is well-meaning, but very stubborn and clumsy.
- Hayate's twin sister. She cannot attend school because of her rehabilitation, so she asks Hayate to pretend to be her and attend Tenchi Academy.
- One of the best students in Tenchi Academy, but at the beginning of the story she chooses not to fight. Hayate wants to be her partner, but Ayana finds Hayate to be annoying.
- The president of the student council, faculty director, and administrator. She cares very much about the academy's tradition of sword-fighting. As such, she is frustrated with Ayana's lack of desire to participate in the sword duels.
- The partner of Hitsugi, Shizuku is also in charge of ringing the bell that signals the start and end of the hoshitori. She is always seen by Hitsugi's side, only leaving to ring the bell. She is also incredibly fast, though Hitsugi wonders who is faster-her or Hayate.
- Hayate's roommate, Momoka is an energetic girl who initially hides during the hoshitori due to not having a partner. She usually gives Hayate advice on how the system at Tenchi Academy works. She eventually pairs up with Isuzu.
- A rather creepy girl originally resembling a yūreiYureiare figures in Japanese folklore, analogous to Western legends of ghosts. The name consists of two kanji, 幽 , meaning "faint" or "dim" and 霊 , meaning "soul" or "spirit." Alternative names include 亡霊 meaning ruined or departed spirit, 死霊 meaning dead spirit, or the more encompassing 妖怪 or お化け...
who appears in volume two, she is first seen 'haunting' Momoka in order to become her shinyuu. After becoming partners with Momoka, she gets a makeover that makes her less frightening. She seems to have quite an interest in the occult.
- Ayana's roommate, Jun is a rather playful girl who enjoys teasing Ayana though this usually earns her a beating. She cares very deeply for her shinyuu Yuho Shizuma, her half-sister.
- A rather cool and proactive girl, she is Inori Sae's sister-in-arms who seems to have some plans regarding the hoshitori duels, and wants to defeat Hitsugi Amachi with her own hands. She seems to be easily annoyed when other people get too close to her, and appears to be insensitive (as Sae describes her), but actually is the opposite as shown in later volumes. She seems to care deeply for others, but does not show it and even denies it. She seems to be as powerful as the student council president, Hitsugi. Hayate sees her as a mentor.
- A rather calm and cool girl, who is actually very skilled and very fast, and is often compared to Shizuku (Hitsugi's shinyuu). She is Akira's shinyuu or sister-in-arms. Though they are often seen together, she actually likes to tease Akira a lot. She is actually engaged to one of Akira's relatives. She is Akira's partner in her plan of defeating the student council president and her shinyuu, so that they can 'change' things the way it was meant to be.
Basic rules and regulations
A bell is struck by Shizuku Miyamoto to signal the start of fighting, after which it is struck again every three minutes. Duels are to cease after the bell rings for the fifth time. Therefore, each bout takes place within fifteen minutes. Participants are allowed to fight multiple teams, both successively and concurrently. However, in the case where a student has certain opponents in mind, certain applications need to be made for the challenge. When a team applies to take on multiple teams in one concurrent duel, they are expected to defeat all of them, or have the same number of points as that of all opponents in total deducted if they fail to do so.Teams generally duel in pairs with each partner using one sword, though as of volume three, an exception is made for Jun Kuga, who fights with two swords. Each team is divided into and . Though there is no major difference in their actions in actual battle, the "Heaven" and "Earth" are usually considered to take the offensive and the defensive respectively. The "Heaven" will have her star attached to her left shoulder and the "Earth" will have her star concealed (this is known as the ). If the "Earth" has her Shadow Star hit, she will be unable to continue fighting. Striking the star of an opponent "Heaven" is the only way to achieve victory. However, the student of a role can only strike the star of the opponent with the same role, otherwise, the strike is considered invalid. A victorious team receives 50,000 yen
Japanese yen
The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third most traded currency in the foreign exchange market after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a reserve currency after the U.S. dollar, the euro and the pound sterling...
as a reward, which is apparently increased for higher-level duels.
On special occasions, such as during the sports festival, winning results in a team receiving double the usual number of points. These days are known as a . When a student has zero stars, she will have to forfeit her status as a Sword Arts student. However, she is allowed to make her challenge one more time. The process is known as , and such students do not get financial rewards even when they win. The use of any weapons outside the stipulated sword is banned, though there has been at least one occasion when this rule is bent. Also, teams A-ranked and above are allowed to modify their weapons. Breaking rules can result in points being deducted from a team, with harsher punishments like confinement for severe offenses. Other known violations are the unsheathing of swords for non-regulation reasons and using modified weapons outside stipulated areas.
Ranking
The lowest shown rank is D, followed by C through A, then "Special A" and S. Rising in rank earns a team 1,000,000 yen. Students under the rank of A are restricted from entering designated areas of the school that only those A-ranked and above can enter, presumably for their safety. Little is known of these areas, as they are blocked by walls and guards. S-ranked students are part of the student council—the "S" is said to stand for . Council members wear a uniform distinctly different from other students, and have been shown carrying out duties such as planning events. Duels for the position of student council president have more complicated rules. These duels are limited to council members only, with the defeated party given a choice between an unlimited number of future challenges or to forfeit their sword-bearer status.Sisters-in-Arms
Teams are referred to as , while the relationship between two partners is also addressed as such. The term sounds similar for that used to describe close friends in Japanese, . Two students enter a pact via an application to the school administrative staff and exchanging the rings attached to the hilts of their swords. This is seen as a deep commitment much like the "marriage" that it symbolizes, and there have been occasions when sisters-in-arms are called "husband", "wife", or some variation thereof.When the pact between sisters-in-arms is dissolved, the number of stars they had gained up until that point is divided equally among them. On the other hand, if two students enter a pact with different numbers of stars, their ranking is also affected. A lower-ranked student pairing up with a higher-ranked student will have a higher position due to the greater average of points earned as compared to a team of the same rank. The opposite applies if a student is higher-ranked than her new partner.
Manga
Hayate X Blade began as a mangaManga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series written and illustrated by Shizuru Hayashiya
Shizuru Hayashiya
is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known for her Hayate X Blade series which is licensed in English by Seven Seas Entertainment, and the manga adaptation of the anime Please Teacher!....
which started serialization in ASCII Media Works
ASCII Media Works
is a Japanese publishing company in the Kadokawa Group which formed on April 1, 2008 as a result of a merger between ASCII and MediaWorks where MediaWorks legally absorbed ASCII. Despite this, the former president of ASCII, Kiyoshi Takano, became the president of ASCII Media Works. The company...
' shōnen manga magazine Dengeki Daioh
Dengeki Daioh
is a Japanese shōnen manga magazine published by ASCII Media Works under the Dengeki brand. Many manga serialized in Dengeki Daioh were later published in tankōbon volumes under ASCII Media Works' Dengeki Comics imprint. The magazine is sold every month on the 27th...
on November 21, 2003 and ran in that magazine until May 21, 2008. The manga restarted serialization in Shueisha
Shueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
's seinen manga magazine Ultra Jump
Ultra Jump
is a Japanese monthly seinen manga magazine published by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. Originally, the magazine was a special issue of Weekly Young Jump which first issued in 1995. On October 19 of 1999, the special issue became the new monthly publication Ultra Jump...
on August 19, 2008. The reason for the switch was not explicitly explained, but the reason given was due to "various circumstances". Eight bound volumes
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
were released in Japan by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Comics
Dengeki Comics
is a manga publishing label affiliated with the Japanese publishing company ASCII Media Works and is aimed at a male audience. Aside from the main Dengeki Comics label, there is the related Dengeki Comics EX label which publishes a lesser number of manga volumes...
imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
between June 26, 2004 and January 26, 2008, though Shueisha republished the eight volumes under their Young Jump Comics imprint featuring new covers, new character descriptions and revised panels. Volume 9, the first volume published solely by Shueisha, was released on December 19, 2008. This was also commemorated by a signing session at the Kichijoji branch of Animate
Animate
is the retailing arm of MOVIC and is the largest retailer of anime, games, and manga in Japan. The first and headquarters store of Animate opened in 1983 and is located in Ikebukuro, a district in Tokyo, Japan. Currently, there are 38 Animate stores in Japan, and two in Taipei, Taiwan...
. Seven Seas Entertainment
Seven Seas Entertainment
Seven Seas Entertainment is a publishing company located in Los Angeles, California. It was originally dedicated to the publication of original manga, but now publishes licensed manga and novels, as well as select webcomics...
licensed the manga for release in English, and the first volume was released on October 28, 2008. The second volume was released in February 2009, the third in May and the fourth followed in July.
Volumes list
Drama CDs
Three drama CDsRadio drama in Japan
Radio drama in Japan has a history as long as that of radio broadcasting in that country, which began in 1925. Some consider the first Japanese radio drama to have been "" which was a radio broadcast of a stage play. Others consider the Japanese translation of Richard Hughes's "Danger" or to be...
based on the manga series were released by Frontier Works
Frontier Works
is a Japanese company specializing in the creation and distribution of media related to anime, such as producing OVAs, radio dramas, drama CDs, anime soundtracks, or other related products...
in collaboration with Geneon between March 24, 2006 and May 21, 2008. Bonus tracks are included on each CD, where the voice actors talk while out of character. Also, the booklets for the drama CDs have short, presumably non-canon strips by Shizuru Hayashiya. The first drama CD covers the events of the first manga volume, plus two extra tracks covering original material. The second drama CD covers major events during the school festival. The third drama CD features original material, with most recurring cast members being voiced in at least one track.
External links
- Hayate X Blade at ShueishaShueishais a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
- Hayate X Blade at Seven Seas EntertainmentSeven Seas EntertainmentSeven Seas Entertainment is a publishing company located in Los Angeles, California. It was originally dedicated to the publication of original manga, but now publishes licensed manga and novels, as well as select webcomics...