Witchblade, Volume Six

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