AUTHOR'S NOTE:
I have Netflix. I have free time. I love writing shit.
Anime reviews comin' at ya.
Witchblade, along with almost every other Anime series out there, is a Japanese show adapted from said popular Manga. It was animated by Gonzo Entertainment, and of course, localized in North America by Funimation. It aired in 2006, almost six years ago. And lemme tell ya: the quality of the visuals would lead you to believe its way newer. Witchblade is chalk-full of all the smooth black outlines and glorious art you could want.
The premise of the story follows a pair of hermits, Masane Amaha, and her daughter Rihoko, as they span the region of Japan, running form the ongoing pursuit of Child Welfare. Since the mother and daughter have no home to live in, the government is obviously trying to take Rihoko into custody to put her into an orphanage. Not exactly the most cheerful setting so far.
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| You may begin masturbating. |
What Rihoko doesn't know is that her mother is the bearer of a legendary artifact: the Witchblade. The Witchblade is an ancient war weapon that takes control of its wearer when the host's adrenaline gets running (Excitement, pleasure, desperation, etc.). The control results in the Witchblade transforming young Masane into a demonic demon lady, capable of massive volumes of destruction.
Upon a large company, Doji Industries, discovering the whereabouts of this artifact, as well as who the host is, they draft Masane into their work force to rid the world of the Ex-Cons, a branch of military machine Doji themselves manufactured but lost control over.
We have lots of good voice acting in the crew of people; if you like other Gonzo Animes and their voice cast, you can expect a lot of the same thing here; Jamie Marchi, who is almost a staple in modern-day Anime, is the lead role for the beautiful Masane, and doles out her lines perfectly to fit the character. Robert McCollum is another big-time voice actor, and voices Yuusuke Tozawa, another major character in the series. He sounds a lot like Troy Baker, for all you Tales of Vesperia fans out there.
The series starts off pretty well, taking the first few episodes to introduce the setting, wide array of characters, and establishing a stereotype among each of them. Look, it's an Anime, so it's gonna happen. The more predictable they get, the more you can connect with the characters anyway. The characters are all charming in their own little way, and their interaction with the world around them leads to you seeing them in a routine that
adds to the engagement of the series. Good shot, Gonzo!
In the second half of the series though, the series takes a gruesome and dark nosedive when Masane figures out a dark truth about everything around her; a truth that basically compromises everything that's happened up until then. It will give you a sense of dread when you figure out that an impending doom is looming just around the corner for the second half of the series. It's a real play on your nerves. This sense of dread is what the
directors wanted, though, so kudos to them.
The last four episodes of the series revolves around the disaster about to happen, and Masane has to do what a mother could only think of at this point: Assurance that her only child is going to be alright. These four episodes are incredibly well-made, spacing out these touching scenes between the two perfectly. I'l openly admit that I was bawling my eyes out about halfway through Episode 22 (You'll see why if you watch it), and for a good reason: The bare thought of motherhood being in jeopardy scares us, as people.
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| The scene that reduced me to a total emotional wreck. |
It's a thought nobody likes; the thought of not having their mother there to comfort you, or give you a hug, or always be there for you if you need a brace to lean on in life. No matter how many times you may say you hate your parents, or just bag on them in general, this series will show you not to take any of that for granted.
Witchblade looks like an Action Anime, but it's a Drama/Lifestyle show through and through. The storyline far from reflects on why you'll watch it: The show is REALLY about a mother and daughter in a world the don't know, just trying to be together forever. It's a touching Anime, and I recommend you watch it. I guarantee you'll want to give your own mother a big hug at the end of it, because I sure did.
~WILL
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