Alternative TitlesEnglish: Witchblade Synonyms: witch blade Japanese: ウィッチブレイド
Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 24
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Apr 6, 2006 to Sep 21, 2006
Duration:
24 min. per episode Rating:
R - 17+ (violence & profanity)
L represents licensing company
StatisticsScore: 7.541 (scored by 4728 users)
Ranked: #9242
Popularity: #417
Members: 10,049
Favorites: 110 1 indicates a weighted score
My Info
Popular Tags
action sci-fi supernatural |
SynopsisMasane Amaha and her daughter Rihoko are on the run from a government child welfare agency that wants to take Rihoko away from her mother. They are caught and Rihoko is taken away. Meanwhile, Masane is attacked by an advanced weapon that can disguise itself as a human being. When faced with the danger, a strange light emits from her wrist and she transforms into a powerful being. She destroys the weapon and consequently becomes involved in a power struggle between powerful organizations, with her at the center of their attention. Because she holds the greatest power of them all, the legendary Witchblade.
(source:AniDB)
Based on Marc Silvestri's and David Wohl's American Comic book series |
Related AnimeAdaptation: Witchblade
Characters & Voice Actors
Staff
Reviews
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tehnominator
17 of 25 people found this review helpful
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24 of 24 episodes seen
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| Overall |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Character |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
It is an age-old adage, good advice and a cliché to say "Never judge a book by its cover." However, this concept cannot be more appropriate to associate with an anime such as Witchblade.
Immediately, what we would expect is an anime about large-breasted, scantily-clad women engaging in violent acts with one another with healthy dollops of fanservice, an overbearing or non-existent plot, and characters who are only meant to be exploited. Wrong, wrong, wrong one shall be if one is to pass this judgement on Witchblade.
It is an unfair assessment of Witchblade to assume that it is simply fanservice fodder. The service is undeniable and ever-present, yes. The battles are frequent and it is easy to assume this is a mindless action anime. But to regard this anime as such is to execute the prisoner without hearing his plea.
What we have here is a well-conceived story delivered with seeming mediocrity. What we have are wonderful and interesting characters who are confined by the will of the writers. What we have is an anime almost smothered by its exterior, making the underlying elements of it hard to notice if we do not examine it carefully.
The story seems particularly basic and generic. Big organisations, secret government activity, conspiracies, and the regular "Joe" getting caught up in it. But that is what is perpetuated by a general story outline as to what Witchblade is about. What is anime TRULY covers is a tale of a single mother who will stop at nothing to provide, protect and care for her daughter. And it is THIS story that makes Witchblade excellent.
The production values for this anime are better than average. The art is vibrant and the designs and setting are well drawn. The one downside though is the sometimes sloppy appearance of some of the character designs. While some characters are given classy or unique designs, others are a bit over the top. The one noticeable thing is the sex appeal of the Witches. Their designs are built around strong, full-bodied and well-endowed females. But it also has cute designs as well, considering Rihoko, who is utterly adorable.
Witchblade's music is generally good, suiting the atmosphere of the anime. Some pieces are downright melancholy, including the track that is used for the "preview" at the end of each episode. In an interesting twist, dialogue and music are used rather than images to present these previews that are not exactly previews. They are moments, if you may, of Rihoko and Masane reading aloud letters they've written (and probably never were able to send) to one another interchangeably for each episode. These scenes are driven completely by the sound and the seiyuu, and they work incredibly well. The emotional impact of these few minutes do more than some anime need an entire episode to create. Also, for fans of voice actresses, the anime features Noto Mamiko doing what is a role that is so uncharacteristic of what she is used to, but pulling it off amazingly well. Notably, she also performs one of the ED themes for the series, and it is a soft, pretty song with just a lilt of sadness in it that seems to go perfectly with Witchblade.
The highpoint of this anime is of course the characters. They facilitate the action and basically create the story around themselves. The protagonist Masane is going down in anime history as being a badass, loving single mother. She is an upfront and honest person, on the ditsy and careless side, but it is her charisma, and her friendly and fun attitude that allows Masane to win you over (she is more than just her impressive breasts or her powers). Rihoko is probably the most important character of the series, linking together every major group that is presented in various ways. She is a child, but unlike other children in anime, she is presented rather realistically. She is extremely responsible and very competent, yes, but she has that childish naivete, trust in people and fascination with the world within her that any young person would have.
The relationship between mother and daughter is in itself a great reason to watch this anime. They love one another so thoroughly, so earnestly, and so overwhelmingly that is it truly beautiful to consider that an anime such as Witchblade is even capable of presenting something like this so well. The supporting cast are made up of the likeable and eccentric boarders of the hotel in which Masane and Rihoko stay, Masane's strict but kind boss and an enigmatic scientist who knows more than she lets on, and several other baddies. Their relationship with Masane and Rihoko are all extremely interesting and provide most of the entertainment or intrigue for the anime.
The one downside again is that perhaps they would have all done so much better in the hands of different writers or a different studio. However, the "ifs" are not to be considered, since there is no helping it. And what Witchblade is then left to do is help itself. Which it does, and does spectacularly. The concluding episodes of this anime are utterly riveting and are enough to leave you in tears, moved by what you see and experience. The themes that were being built throughout the series come to fruition and are examined and revealed. The story that it sets out to tell is told, but another, stronger, and more important story is also given to us.
What we have here is not a tale that is revolved around throwing a mother and child into a messy underworld of the supernatural, but it is a tale built around the love of a family. For that alone, this anime is worth watching.
As Witchblade shows us, family can come in different forms. "Blood is thicker than water" is a proverb thrown away by this anime. A family is not only biological--it is deeper than that and can be made anywhere once there are people there to love one another. The family structures that are created are enough to touch even a hardened or sceptical viewer. It is hard not to end up being emotionally affected by some the things that are shown, and for that, this anime accomplishes something. It does not grow a heart. It shows you that it had a heart all along. We just had to look under its skin.
Despite being shackled by its exterior, Witchblade manages to break each of its constraints. In the end, what is freed is a powerful, moving and truly touching anime; an anime about loving your child enough to give them your everything, even if it means destroying yourself, and about loving your parent enough to let them do that. read more
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twillit
26 of 43 people found this review helpful
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24 of 24 episodes seen
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| Overall |
7 |
| Story |
6 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
6 |
| Character |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
Last Wednesday I caught the Flu, I worked through the first two days and took friday off. Wow, three day weekend of misery. So, after calling in friday morning I go back to bed, early saturday afternoon I awake, soar, hurting, miserable and bored. Now you know the state of my mind, and body, as I watched a 26ep Witchblade marathon!
Okay, let me get it out of the way early, it's a good series. It didn't wow me, it didn't bore me. It kept me engaged for two days of coughing and fever.
So we have a story set in the near future of an amnesiac .... woman name Masane, in post...... disaster ........Tokyo, with a way too mature for her age daughter and a whole host of formulaic characters. Uh, yeah, sound pretty bad huh? Well, Masane has big... Huge Boobs! hmmm, doesn't help any, does it?
Remember, I still say this is a good series, worth watching once you get past it's shortcomings.
What's good about it you ask? Well, the animation is good, it done by Gonzo and is as good as anything you might see from Production IG or their like. The music is okay, nothing really stood out, but that can be a good thing. Voice acting is excellent in the subed version. Technically is a quality product, polished and professional.
The characters? Well there is no real growth, but you do get to know each character pretty well. Yes, many are overly simplistic, of course I personally know many overly simplistic people in real life! Even being simple and formulaic, the are not grotesque stereotypes. I guess they do have some depth. Even the most insane characters have enough history to explain their problems.
Character relationships feel natural, especially the bond between Masane and her daughter Rihoko. Not only that, but the "family" of characters that surround Masane, well they bond, but not instantly. Things take a little time and yes, in time there is a love interest. It won't surprise you when it happens, which is another good thing.
I guess what really shines about this anime is the pacing of it all. There is drama, but it doesn't take up an entire episode. There is action packed combat and it never takes more the fifteen minutes to finish a fight, compared to dozens of episodes in some shows. Every episode gives you some drama, humor, action and fanservice. Everything is very well balanced and not rushed.
So, yes, the series is good. I would never say that I loved it, but it did satisfy my need for anime entertainment. read more
Recommendations
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Chalked full of Action and ready to kick ass! Both series have a Female protagonist who has to do dirty work. While Witchblade has the protagonist wielding a special "power" called the Witchblade, Mnemosyne has the protagonist wield a power of Invulnerability/Regeneration. Mnemosyne is a bit more gory than Witchblade but its an Excellent anime by my standards. Mnemosyne is still currently Airing (at a slow rate) but the 3 Episodes that are currently out are a must SEE!
For the guys: Witchblade being the boob-a-licious anime it is, Mnemosyne has a bit of nudity here and there. so 18+! (NOT HENTAI >=O )
~Enjoy
Both of these great anime involve powerful woman protagonists as main characters who are in tight struggles against the consequences that these powers bring. Although Mnemosyne is more sinister, both contain intense fighting scenes and have interesting plots. What's more, the two main female characters from these anime are voiced by the same seiyu.
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Both involve a beautiful woman that can transform into a bloodthirsty superhuman being recruited by the government to fight people with similar powers that have gone mad, and the ending plot twist is similar for each.
Devilman Lady and Witchblade look at the evolution of man into monsters, though Witchblade looks at it through a more technological way as opposed to Devilman Lady which is solely supernatural.
They both feature adult female lead characters who transform against their will into tough, blood-thirsty, "monster-like", feral fighters. The protagonists of each anime have important reasons for fighting, though they are different, as one fights to find her true identity as a person or a beast (Devilman Lady) and the other fights to protect and take care of her daughter (Witchblade).
Violence, sexuality, adult life, government conspiracies and the unbridled lusts for raw power are explored thematically in both anime as well.
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Opening Theme#1: "XTC" by Psychic Lover (eps 1-13, 24)
#2: "Dear Bob" by KOOLOGI (eps 14-23)
Ending Theme#1: "Ashita no Te (あしたの手)" by Mamiko Noto (eps 01-13)
#2: "Kutsu Himo" by Asami Yamamoto (eps 13-23)
#3: "kodou ~get closer~ (鼓動～get closer～)" by PSYCHIC LOVER (ep 24)
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SubTnT [SubTnT] (Brazilian Portuguese)
Related ClubsComic Book Fanclub, Psycho Characters., Horror Anime Fanclub, HURRAY BOOBIES!!, Witchblade, Mizuki Nana, Dark Anime Club, The Psychotic Guild, Action/Fantasy Anime Lovers, English Dub Watchers, Rule the World, The Mamiko Noto fanclub, Noto Mamiko Fanclub, The Mamiko Noto Club, Witchblade Lovers, Female Badass!, Anime MILFs & Mature Women Fan Club, Sexy Murderess Bitches!!!, Kanda Akemi, Japanese Anime's #1 Fans 日本のアニメの＃ 1ファンFUNimation fan Club, Justice or InJustice?!, (I can't believe it's a) GONZO Fan Club!, Anime Addicted, Tv5, We ~ Love ~ Anime see all
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