Witchblade

[BTime]

Witchblade

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STORY: 6/10
Revolves around a Mother [Masane] possessed by the Witchblade and attempting to care for her daugher [Rihoko] after having recently moved back to Tokyo. Masane is recruited by a major weapons exporter to dispose of failed projects and to further their understanding of the Witchblade. The story itself isn't bad per se, it's just that we've seen similar fare before. While somewhat unoriginal, the story maintains a good pace with excellent execution. Some points were lost due to some side plots being underdeveloped.

VISUALS: 7/10
Much of the combat takes place at night so there is an almost excessive amount of black used. The characters and surroundings are cleanly detailed, though not with any sense of ultra-realism. Bakuretsu Tenshi, Full Metal Panic, Gantz, or Last Exile [and many others] are examples of Gonzo Studio's atypical artistic stlye which are again exhibited here in Witchblade. I had problems at times discerning some details through all the black levels otherwise I would have rated this much higher.

AUDIO: 6/10
Not an audiophile, but I thought the music and effects were appropriate and cleanly executed. Some audio bits were used fairly repeatedly, but not so much as to detract from the viewing experience. That being said, the audio track was pretty forgettable, not that that's a bad thing.

CHARACTERS: 8/10
Having seen numerous Anime, the characters here all feel like people you've seen before. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. The series does place an emphasis on the Mother/Daughter relationship, though we do get to see some character development in the people around them. Witchblade is primarily a story driven series w/ fight scenes, not the other way around. A good story should provide some suspension of disbelief, and for the most part Witchblade manages to pull this off.

OVERALL: 7/10
Witchblade does have a proper story arc with a beginning, middle, and end. The series has a decent amount of action, though some may feel it should/could have had more fight scenes. I felt the series paced itself well though did come off as slightly rushed at the end. Witchblade is best known for it's original comic book series by Top Cow as well as the live-action series on cable television. Top Cow had given Gonzo Studios pretty much free reign with creating an Anime series of the Witchblade licence, and IMHO Gonzo did a good job that left me wanting more. Thank you Gonzo & Top Cow.
This show has been licensed and could be showing soon on Adult Swim.

Suggested Rating: PG-13

[Reawen]

Nice review, BTime! Overall, I'm in agreement with your conclusions. Although it wasn't groundbreaking, Witchblade was a pleasant surprise to me, as it was much more story-driven than expected.

Originally Posted by BTime

I would also rate this as PG-13 due to some of the shows content.

One additional note I'd make: For the TV version, Masane's Witchblade outfit was blacked in in many places, because the original version was deemed a little too.... little for TV. This I think also contributed to some of the problems with the night scenes being difficult to discern.

On the DVD version, her outfit is restored to the original. Meaning there's not much of an 'outfit' at all... and is much more PG-13 :p

(as a note, the screenshots in the Anirec are from the TV version)

[BTime]

Thanks,

Sothis has been bugging me forever to do some Rec's, and I felt compelled to do one for Witchblade as it really slipped under the radar here. It was also nice to watch a show that was written for a slightly older audience than the Naruto/DBZ crowd.

[OverLord01]

Here, here. I got the first dvd of the show and I must say it is good! I agreed with all you said on your review of it. I put the show on my Top Ten List until Rozen Maiden triadent makes an an appearance, which hopefully is soon. I still got it on preorder.

[isaguy]

I cried at the end of the series just kept screaming "NO THERE HAS TO BE ANOTHER WAY DON'T DO IT"

[GrendelSilmarillion]

i think that that witchblade suffer,s for its first few episode,s
i mean the first 3 episode certainly have some contentthat could and probably has put ppl of watching it ie, the Xcon attacks, i felt there were definite sexual over/under tones to there attacks, there basicaly rapist,s / pervert,s getting there jollies
also when meloni transforms again theres definite over/under tones in the way she fights ,the joy of battle seems like a sexual high for the witchblade bearer
however once u get past these small sections of the first few episodes it dies down and the story begins to unfold
the note,s at the end of each episode really help to focus in on the mother/daughter relationship
also tho the outfits are a little "little" ie covers less than the smallest bikini the show isnt really ecchi, tho the beach episode is defiantly fan service ,tho i think its a bit of a send up of the genre esp with the old man and the 3 women

anyway im bout half way through so il probly put up some more views later

n.b. the opening ending music was ok on the first 12 episode but the same cant be said for the last 12 opening ending credits

[AstroJunkie]

Personally I felt this series was a knife in the back for the original creators, even though on the DVD they say they're really proud of it, heh, proud of the money they made off selling the rights.

If a japanese studio does a version of Darkness, god willing it WONT be Gonzo.