Moeru Japanese Sword Girls (萌える日本刀大全)

This illustration is by Harunoichi, and is probably the most fan-service filled image in the book. The styles vary wildly from artist to artist, some good, and some not so good.

I've been seeing more art work by Refeia recently in commercial books, and this artist contributed one of the best pictures (imo) to the Headphone Girls art book. Really do hope to see more work in the future!

This one is by Shishizaru, who draws an awful lot like Katsuya Terada (best known for Blood: The Last Vampire). In each section, the swords are named and described.

So which do you prefer, girls with swords in school uniforms, or in their traditional Japanese dress? I'm in the school girl camp, it just looks more unassuming, like she can't really know what she's doing but then proceeds to beat you down :D It also has a pop culture flair that just makes it look cool.

But don't get me wrong, I absolutely see the appeal in the other direction. With the traditional clothing, it really combines a sense of grace and beauty with lethal skills. Plus, there's no limit to the costume design. More of the artists in Japanese Sword Girls chose the more elaborate, detailed, and colorful designs of traditional Japanese clothing.

This girl would have been better suited for a Halloween edition, she reminds me of the girls from Shikabane Hime ^^;

I have a review on my site, with more pictures and info, in case you're not sold on this yet. It's available at most online retailers, like Akadot, J-list, and Amazon Japan.