Review 10: Witchblade

The first one I've seen since the creation of my original blog was Witchblade. Kinda spicy for my tastes, but I loved it. It did leave me at a loss for words the first time I saw it, though. Looking at the show the first time, I was like, "WTH", based on what I saw late in the 1st episode; there were certain characters that I couldn't stand (which reminded me of people like them in real life, I won't say who for either) and the ending made me kinda mad. Still it was as good as a friend put it, so I thank her for recommending it to me.

Based on the comic book, the Witchblade anime deals with Masane Amaba, the new chosen wielder of the Witchblade. Masane means well, but in terms of household  duties, she's a bit of a klutz. After the Great Quake ravaged Tokyo some years ago, she is found unscathed at ground zero with a child in her arms. Masane came out of it alive, but at the cost of her memory. Six years pass, and Masane plans to have a peaceful life with the child Rihiko, who she believe is hers. However, from the jump, she is caught in the power struggle between a government agency NWSF (she deals with this group's Child Welfare Division early in the anime) and a huge corporation, not to mention that as the host of the Witchblade, she gains abilities to fight, but it gradually eats away at her life force. Such is the downside of the artifact, and with Masane as a temporary host, she must do whatever is possible to secure a future for Rihiko... even though Masane herself may not be part of that future.

Licensed for the US under Funimation, the anime lasts for 24 episodes made in the Gonzo studio. On TV, the series is rated TV-MA, so it's not advisable for the young to see it. Even so, there is a bit of a difference between the TV and DVD versions. Because the original design showed too much skin, they darkened these areas, and returned it to the original form in the DVD release. Another difference is that compared to the American comic, the cast and setup of the anime were entirely original. The comic book and TV series protagonist was a NYPD homocide investigator, Sara Pezzini, who happened to come in contact with it. In the anime, Masane has it without any backstory to how she came in contact with it. All this combined with other factors, some may consider it to be nearly completely unaffiliated with the Top Cow comic. In a way, it's the inverse, albeit similar to Mirai Nikki, and the live action Mirai Nikki - ANOTHER:WORLD... save that the Witchblade anime, name aside, as little in relation to the work it's loosely based from at all, where as one could make comparisons with Mirai Nikki.

Witchblade got an 8 of 10 from me, but I didn't post it before since my Wolf Scale was made on the second post. I say that it's worth checking out, but there are others by the same title worth noting as well, though the storyline for the other media differed from the anime. It has a bit of a raunchy feel to it, so if that's not your cup of tea, then don't force yourself to see it.