Witchblade has become more than it set it out to be in the conclusive volume of this Jekyll and Hyde series.
plot summary
Masane’s power has been stoked to super nova proportions and she prepares herself for the inevitable outcome of those who so skillfully wield the Witchblade. But Masane’s new, stronger powers haven’t gone unnoticed by her enemies.
Maria has recruited another Neogene to her cause and the three rogue Cloneblades hurry to claim the Witchblade. I-weapons awaken and hungrily bear down on Masane, drawn to her waxing powers. All the while Masane waits with her beloved Rihoko as the countdown to the Witchblade’s apex marches on.
review
Astounding how this series turned it all around in the last volume. The series started getting much better at the fourth volume, but the last DVD was even better and even surpassed the last two DVDs in terms of overall story, depth and humanity. This volume had a great wrap up too, which made it worth plodding through the gratuitous boobage in the first three DVDs.
Character Development
The development in this series seemed to happen in reverse. It introduced characters as people towards the end of the series and became more in depth as it drew to a close rather than having development where it usually is; at the beginning.
Maria was always an interesting addition to the series, but she developed into a fully fleshed character as the series gathered itself together for its finale. She was the most human character in Witchblade, albeit an unbalanced one. Her motives were the easiest to understand and relate to. Maria was my favorite character out of the entire cast, although that’s not saying much.
Masane finally became a mother in Volume Five of Witchblade, but she fulfilled the role as it was meant to be in Volume Six. She was an annoying character throughout the series, yet she toned it down in Four through Six. This DVD actually made me like Masane, whereas before I cringed whenever she and her two cohorts, i.e. boobs, came on screen. The touching moments with Rihoko were believable and heart-tugging, two things I never expected from this series. Her screen time in Volume Six was very different from the other volumes and she didn’t act the slutty drunk hoyden, but rather as tragic heroine.
Production
The cover for the last DVD of the Witchblade series is inked by none other than Top Cow Production founder, Marc Silvestri. It’s not a very striking image, like the previous volumes, but it’s well executed. His personal style, however, doesn’t really compliment the style of the anime. The two seem at odds.
Volume Conclusion
I was impressed by the way Witchblade steered this initially limping series. I had zero expectations for Witchblade after watching Volume One and Two, and I was surprised when it changed from the sexually charged crapfest it began as into a mature human drama. There are still many unanswered questions in the series, but that doesn’t matter too much, because in the end, the story wasn’t about the Witchblade at all. Volume Six of Witchblade didn’t answer any questions conclusively, didn’t solve origin issues either, but it did wrap up the series in way which few other anime can; satisfactorily.
Volume Rating
Witchblade, Volume Six gets 3.5 outta 4 Hammies!
Series Conclusion
To judge this series in its entirety, I must take into consideration those first three wretched DVDs. With those in mind, the series gets low marks as a series overall. However, the last three volumes saves this series from total disgrace and I actually recommend watching the series starting from Volume Four, or at least fast forwarding all the scenes in One, Two and Three in which Masane opens her mouth or is transformed as the Witchblade.
The producers at the the studio should have fired the writers who came up with the idea to make Witchblade half softcore suckage and half decent anime when they pitched this halfbaked idea. What’s the point of taking twenty six episodes and splitting them into an anime with two completely different feels?
In the end, the series was a decent series, a confusing one at first, but ending on high note with a positive feel.
Series Rating
Witchblade, Complete Series gets 2.5 outta 4 Hammies!
Retail Info
- Publisher: Funimation
- Release Date:April 29, 2008
- Retail Price: $29.98
- Number of discs:1
- Episodes:21-24
- Run Time: 100 minutes
- Rating: TV-MA
- Language: English, Japanese
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
- Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Yes, this volume was completly different from what I was expecting since first episode. Watching this anime felt weird untill I understand that it wasn’t about Witchblade. Also at the begining I was disapointed that there were given no matter about origins of Witchblade, only some info on Clone Blades, as you said yourself. I really liked Masanes and Rihikos bonds. Last episodes were thick with drama and it reached something inside of me. I give a credit to them for being able to do so.
Thanks, for your reviews. I liked to read your opinion.
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Yeah, it was a sucker punch that knocked the series out of suckdom. Too bad it didn’t happen earlier.
Your opinions about the first few volumes are gay
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I was surprised about this series as well. I’ll admit, I only started watching it for the boobs and fan service so I actually enjoyed the first 3 volumes (ironic since I’m not attracted to women in real life, no?), but I did like that it got more mature.
Overall the series hit a lot of strong faults with humanity, mostly dealing with the desire for power. Wado was obsessed over beating his rival, Maria felt her power came from approval so she killed her higher-ups to take control, and Father obtained political and scientific power to achieve some sort of genetic “perfection.”
I just finished watching the series today actually so there’s a few things fresh on my mind from it.
1.) They didn’t explain a lot of things like what the whole point of the clone blades were or *why* anyone actually wanted the Witchblade
2.) I didn’t like how in the first few episodes all of the female fighters were nearly demi-gods but after that they became extremely frail.
3.) Nora died :’(
4.) The last set of Clone blades, I think they’re the 2nd or 3rd generation (Maria, Asagi, etc), had ugly transformations to me. The other ones were pretty, like Lady and Nora, but the new ones were monstrous than beautiful. I guess that might be the point, showing that power gets ugly, but I think Maria could have been less scary and more lady-like.
5.) It seemed like it was a cliff-hanger. I could see a second season taking place a few years later where Riko gets the Witchblade. Granted it was made to look like everything went happily ever after, all of the back story, not that there was much, on the Witchblade made it seem like it wouldn’t go away that easily.
6.) I read about this anime in Newtype magazine a few years ago and it said that the witchblade gives the wearer “orgasmic pleasure” from fighting. The show didn’t really seem to portray that or it was just weak in that department. Or, more than likely, the magazine over-exaggerated : (
So yeah, I really liked it a lot since it got me thinking about all of this. I’m no connoisseur of animation, but I enjoyed the series.
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