Queen's Blade

Queen's Blade  (Japanese: クイーンズブレイド, Hepburn: Kuīnzu Bureido) is a series of visual combat books published by Hobby Japan based on the licensed works from Firelight Game Company's Lost Worlds. First published in 2005, it features sexually suggestive depictions of an exclusively female cast of characters. The overall plot of the game revolves around a tournament called the Queen's Blade, which is held once every four years to determine a Queen.

The series later evolved into a media franchise, spanning four manga adaptations, three anime adaptations, three light novels, and a video game adaptation. The series is later followed by a sequel called Queen's Blade Rebellion (クイーンズブレイド リベリオン, Kuīnzu Bureido Riberion?), featuring all-new characters as well as remakes of previous characters, and a supplement called Queen's Gate (クイーンズゲイト, Kuīnzu Geito?) , featuring licensed characters from other games and series. In turn, Queen's Blade Rebellion will be followed by Queen's Blade Grimoire (クイーンズブレイド グリムワール, Kuīnzu Bureido Gurimuwāru?), a new series featuring a different story, with more details still to come. Figures of the characters made by various manufacturers, such as Kaiyodo with their Revoltech series, have also been produced along with several memorabilia.

Beginning with the 7th series, it uses all-new game rules compatible with the Lost Worlds books.

Story
Main article: List of Queen's Blade characters In the Continent, a tournament called the Queen's Blade is held once every four years to determine the most beautiful and powerful Queen. Held in Gainos (ガイノス, Gainosu?, also Gynos), the Queen's Capital, various fighters from all over the Continent travel to the Capital to defeat Aldra, the current Queen. The overall story of Queen's Blade focuses on Leina, the heiress of the esteemed Vance Family and next in line for the throne, as she travels to Gainos, encountering many other warriors also competing in the Queen's Blade for their own intentions.

The original gamebooks feature characters designed by many popular artists, including Hirokazu Hisayuki (My-HiME), Kazuhiro Takamura, and Eiwa.

Gamebooks
At Anime Expo 2010, Hobby Japan announced that English translations of the gamebooks will be released in North America. There exist English versions for the characters Alleyne, Melona, Nanael and Tomoe.
 * Series 1 (Leina and Risty) - Released November 25, 2005.
 * Series 2 (Irma and Nowa) - Released December 28, 2005.
 * Series 3 (Tomoe and Echidna) - Released June 9, 2006.
 * Series 4 (Menace and Elina) - Released September 29, 2006.
 * Series 5 (Airi and Leina 3D) - Released December 22, 2006.
 * Series 6 (Nanael and Cattleya) - Released March 16, 2007.
 * Series 7 (Nyx and Melpha) - Released June 29, 2007.
 * Series 8 (Melona and Claudette) - Released October 18, 2007.
 * Series 9 (Ymir) - Released February 15, 2008.
 * A limited-edition second-player color version of Ymir was distributed exclusively by online hobby shop Post Channel.
 * Series 10 (Aldra and Alleyne) - Released June 20, 2008.

Anime
An anime adaptation of Queen's Blade, entitled Queen's Blade: Exiled Warrior (クイーンズブレイド 流浪の戦士, Kuīnzu Bureido: Rurō no Senshi?), was produced by ARMS. Directed by Kinji Yoshimoto, the anime aired twelve episodes in Japan from April 2 to June 18, 2009 on AT-X, with subsequent broadcasts on Chiba TV, Sun Television, and Tokyo MX. The series aired uncensored on AT-X, while being heavily censored on other channels. Six DVD and Blu-ray disc volumes were released by Media Factory between June 25, 2009 and November 25, 2009, each DVD/BD volume containing one of six OVAs. A second season, Queen's Blade: Successors to the Throne (クイーンズブレイド 玉座を継ぐ者, Kuīnzu Bureido: Gyokuza o Tsugumono?), aired on AT-X and other channels from September 24 to December 10, 2009. Six DVD/BD volumes were released by Media Factory between December 22, 2009 and May 25, 2010, each containing six OVAs which continue from the first six.

An OVA series, called Queen's Blade: Beautiful Fighters (クイーンズブレイド ～美しき闘士たち～, Kuīnzu Bureido ~Utsukushiki Tōshi-tachi~?), was announced on the May issue of Monthly Hobby Japan. The series takes place after the events of the Queen's Blade tournament but before Rebellion, and chronicles the characters on their separate paths. The episodes were released on six DVD and Blu-ray volumes from August 25, 2010 to March 30, 2011.

In North America, the first and second anime adaptations are licensed by Media Blasters under the respective titles Queen's Blade: The Exiled Virgin and Queen's Blade 2: The Evil Eye. The first season was released between May 18 and October 26, 2010 as three DVD volumes, each containing four episodes, while the second season was released between May 24, 2011 and July 19, 2011 as two half-series volumes. Blu-ray box sets of the two seasons were later released on February 15, 2011 and September 27, 2011, respectively.

The opening theme for the first season is "Get the Door" by Rie Ohashi, while the ending theme is "Memories and Promises" (思い出と約束, Omoide to Yakusoku<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="font: bold 80%/normal sans-serif; padding: 0px 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">?) by Ayako Kawasumi, Mamiko Noto, and Aya Hirano, the voices for Leina, Tomoe, and Nanael, respectively. The opening theme for the second season is "Empty Sky" (墜ちない空<span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">, Ochinai Sora<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="font: bold 80%/normal sans-serif; padding: 0px 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">?) by ENA while the ending theme is "buddy-body" by Rie Kugimiya, Yuko Goto, and Kanae Ito, the voices for Melona, Menace, and Airi, respectively. For the OVA, the ending theme is "Bitōshi Carnival: Taoreru Toki wa Maemuki ni" (美闘士カーニバル～たおれる時は前向きに～<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="font: bold 80%/normal sans-serif; padding: 0px 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">?) by All 19 Beautiful Warriors, consisting of the entire female voice cast of the series.

Manga
An anthology comic of Queen's Blade was published by Hobby Japan with four volumes released between April 25, 2007 and February 25, 2008. A manga adaptation centered on Leina illustrated by Kabao Kikkawa was serialized in the October 2008 issue of Media Factory's seinen manga magazine Monthly Comic Alive. Three volumes were released between February 2, 2009 and January 23, 2010 under Media Factory's Alive Comics imprint.

Another manga adaptation of Queen's Blade illustrated by Iku Nanazuki called Queen's Blade: Hide & Seek (クイーンズブレイド -Hide&Seek-<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="font: bold 80%/normal sans-serif; padding: 0px 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">?), began serialization in the December 2007 issue of Comp Ace. A spinoff of the original, the series centers on Elina searching for her older sister Leina, and it introduces Frolell, a servant of the Vance family who travels with Elina on her journey to bring Leina back. Five volumes were released by Kadokawa Shoten between June 26, 2008 and June 26, 2010.

A third manga adaptation, called Queen's Blade Struggle (クイーンズブレイド ストラグル<span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">, Kuīnzu Bureido Sutoraguru<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="font: bold 80%/normal sans-serif; padding: 0px 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">?), is illustrated by AstroguyII and began serialization in the December 2007 issue of Dengeki Black Maoh, and continued in Dengeki Maoh after the latter stopped circulation, albeit with new chapters delivered bimonthly. The first volume was released by ASCII Media Works on March 27, 2009, with four volumes currently available as of February 27, 2012 under their Dengeki Comics imprint.

Light novels
A light novel adaptation of Queen's Blade, called Queen's Blade: Sword of Unicorn (クイーンズブレイド　ソード・オブ・ユニコーン<span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">, Kuīnzu Bureido: Sōdo obu Yunikōn<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="font: bold 80%/normal sans-serif; padding: 0px 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">?), is written by Eiji Okita with illustrations by Eiwa. The first volume was released on April 27, 2007 by Hobby Japan under their HJ Bunko imprint, and released five volumes until November 1, 2008. A bonus novel called ''Fierce Battle! Queen's Blade (激闘！クイーンズブレイド<span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">, Gekitō! Kuīnzu Bureido''<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="font: bold 80%/normal sans-serif; padding: 0px 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">?) was published on March 1, 2008, with illustrations provided by Hirotaka Akaga.

A light novel based on the first anime series, written by Okita and illustrated by Tsumotu Miyazawa, was also published by Hobby Japan, and released two volumes between August 1, 2009 and October 1, 2009.

Video game
A role-playing game called Queen's Blade: Spiral Chaos (クイーンズブレイド スパイラルカオス<span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">, Kuīnzu Bureido: Supairaru Kaosu<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="font: bold 80%/normal sans-serif; padding: 0px 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">?) was developed by Bandai Namco Games for the PlayStation Portable. It was released on December 17, 2009, and features all-new characters and an original storyline exclusive to the game in addition to recurring characters from the original series. A limited edition of the game, called the Gekitō Pack, was also released, featuring a Cute figure from Figma and a bonus character voice CD.

Other

 * Queen's Blade Fan Disc: character dress-up software published in 2006.
 * Queen's Blade i: A mobile phone game using game rules from the combat picture book series. Service host by DigitalMediaLab,Inc. and it supports FOMA 703i and 901i series. Carriers include NTT DoCoMo. The service seems to have been discontinued since.
 * Queen's Blade Collection Card ver.2.0: A currently-produced card series with individual biography cards for each character (minus the Rebellion series so far), plus artwork cards and bubble gum.
 * Three visual books called Queen's Blade: Beautiful Fighters Biographies (クイーンズブレイド美闘士列伝<span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">, Kuīnzu Bureido: Bitōshi Retsuden<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="font: bold 80%/normal sans-serif; padding: 0px 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">?) were released by Hobby Japan, narrating the backstories of the fighters before the tournament:
 * Picture Scroll of the Musha-Miko (武者巫女絵巻<span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">, Musha-Miko Emaki<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="font: bold 80%/normal sans-serif; padding: 0px 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">?), illustrated by Eiwa, released on Abril 28, 2007.
 * Tome of the Ancient Princess (古代王女の書<span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">, Kodai Ōjo no Sho<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="font: bold 80%/normal sans-serif; padding: 0px 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">?), illustrated by F.S., released on February 15, 2008.
 * Adventure of the Exiled Warrior (流浪の戦士冒険記<span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">, Rurō no Senshi Bōken Ki<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="font: bold 80%/normal sans-serif; padding: 0px 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">?), illustrated by Hirokazu Hisayuki, released on February 28, 2009.
 * A databook called Queen's Blade: Perfect Visual Book (クイーンズブレイド パーフェクトビジュアルブック<span class="t_nihongo_comma" style="display: none;">, Kuīnzu Bureido: Pāfekuto Bijuaru Bukku<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="font: bold 80%/normal sans-serif; padding: 0px 0.1em; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: none; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">?) was released by Hobby Japan on June 27, 2009. Aside from compiled illustrations from other official sources, the databook contains extended profiles on the fighters, a "world guide" detailing many of the Continent's locations and the "endings" of each character, or how their stories are resolved in the Queen's Blade arc, sometimes leading into the Queen's Blade Rebellion arc. The book is licensed in North America by Vertical Publishing.
 * Queen's Blade: The Duel: A Collectible card game with Queen's Blade characters, later expanded with a few of the Queen's Gate and Rebellion characters and renamed to Duel System TCG. Released by Megahobby in 2008.
 * Queen's Blade: The Conquest: An RPG Browser game featuring the Queen's Blade characters made by Aiming in 2012, with plans to be expanded with Rebellion characters. It is free-to-play, though items can be bought to progress faster and reduce cooldown time.