Witchblade

This is an odd mix of good, bad, awesome and mediocre which in the end - all things considered - averages somewhere in the middle.

So overall score of the title is either 5/10 or 6/10, and I'm unsure which.

At the beginning of the anime there are amazing fight scenes that are both creepy and at the same time charged... even sexually charged even. The design of protagonist is interesting as well, and protagonist - Masamune - is an extremely unusual archetype (a bit silly/foolish, but sincere and good hearted character...), that very rarely is shown in an adult form in anime. The anime also ... excels in a few slice of life scenes, where it shows human side of their characters....

However at the later half something odd happens, pacing breaks, the anime touches many different themes, drops some of them, fails to properly conclude some more of them, quality of script drops, and characters that previously were full of life suddenly turn into carton cutouts. It is really odd. At the same time, when script quality starts going down, the anime tries putting more melodramatic scenes, which don't feel right or convincing, and in the end it finishes on a weird note.

So, it is an oddity. Despite good moments, I can't say it is great, due to some ridiculous story turns, that are completely unbeliavable. The anime also includes very magic-like ability to make weapons which is never really explained, and doesn't seem to fit the fairly realistic world. Some central elements are never explained as well.... so it really feels like some content was cut or missing. Oh well. Music delivers on occasions as well, with its main battle theme being interesting.

So, detailed breakdown:

Story: 4/10. There are very nice scenes of slice of life nature where character shines. However, there are ridiculous story turns where characters are acting oddly, where they make weird decisions and everybody takes those for granted, very strange technologies that can't be possible in a realistic setting, and very uncertain tone. Basically, it is as if the anime can't decide if it wants to be a monster anime, comedy anime, drama or anything else. Some things are good, but there's a large amount of oddities in the story.

Art: 6/10: The art is nice, but it runs on consinstent low fps low level of detail. Lots of details are abbreviated. The character style is realistic, though, and veverybody is an adult, which creates postiive experience. I really liked design of combat forms as well, those were pretty and had "dangerous kind of sexy" feeling to them, which worked well with depictions of combat thrill that were so very well done in the first half of the anime. Still, it could use an improvmenet.

Sound: 6/10: The voice acting is a mixed bag, with certain male character being quite wooden. The music, however, has some interesting tunes I liked.... it also had plenty of tunes I didn't like.

Character: 5/10: The anime shines in slice of life scenes centered around group of certain secondary characters. However, when it requires dramatic portrayal, drama, it fails to pieces. Characters act in unreasonable fashion, act crazy for no reason, do things that are accepted by others for no reason, etc. So, the amazing slice of life moments are very often outweighted by another blunder elsewhere. And I said they lose personality closer to the end of the anime.

Enjoyment: 6/10: It is okay. I watched half of it, put it on hold, and when I resumed it.... I realized that the series no longer have the energy they had in the first half. Which was a disappointment.

Overall: 6/10: It is okay series htat is either 6/10 or 5/10 and I'm uncertain which is more appropriate. The primary reason for watching is heroine's design, few interesting fights in the first half, and some nice slice of life moments in the middle. However... this is not masterpiece, and I wouldnt' call it a must watch. You oculd pick it up if you're interested in heroines character (which is unusual), because she is an unusual archetype. If only they could maintain the proper pacing and story quality througought the series....

So... Bottom line is: Decent, interesting design and interesting character of heroine, however has as many ups as it has downs, and overall averages in quality. Might be worth checking out if you have the free time, but is no masterpiece.

Have fun.

Well I decided to expand this review abit

Story: 6/10
I'm not usually the type of person who cares how complex or simple a plot is but I know where to draw the line as well with the two extremes. Unfortunately Witchblade crossed the line of complex into "incomprehisable", it's not that it lacked information, infact it was quite the opposite. They present far too much information far too fast, and sometimes all at once. It's sometimes useless and unnecessary for the viewer to know yet they give it to you anyways. Alot of things get lost as well, some characters even get slightly forgotten until they ... crop up like a guest apperance. It is also missing some action, it's sorta lacking on that. On the bright side the story is touching in a sweet kind of way, it's hard not to get a little engrossed in it.

Art: 8/10
Gotta hand it to Witchblade, while the main characters chest was huge the art quality wasn't demished. I have to say that I really anjoyed the art, they did a wonderful job balancing the main characters chest with teh rest of her body, she didn't look like she might fall forward. The style was soft and gentle, yet when needed rustic and unrefined. I have to say if anythign I enjoyed the art style most of all.

Sound: 8/10
Music sometimes defines an anime, it sets the mood and the emotion, I feel like it was definately appropriate. I gotta admit I enjoyed both the ending and the opening songs which is not usually common. They fit the feel of the anime, and the background music was beautiful as well, so no complaints on that front.

Characters: 7/10
Gotta hand it to Witchblade, the characters may've been a bit cliche-ish but they had their own unique qualities that made them sound out as individuals and not just clones of each other. Their personalities didn't always mix but they somehow found common ground and were able to build friendships of it. They also showed some personal development through the anime, which is important when you notice how a character has grown and changed, for the better or worse. While the development was subtle it was noticable and pleasently refreshing.

Enjoyment: 6/10
I can't say I cared much for the story, it was overly complex (and I'm not the dullest crayon in the box mind you) and sometimes drawn out and annoying but I did find some parts to enjoy. It was a rather heavy anime and I probably wouldn't suggest this for someone looking for a lighthearted, feel-good anime but it's definately for those seeking something with a little more depth to it. Otherwise it was alright to say the least.

Overall: 6/10
I wouldn't recommend this anime really, but I wouldn't tell someone NOT to watch it. I believe this kind of anime is the type that leaves an individual imprint on everyone, each unique in it's own way. I have say if anything it's worth watching for the art and music alone, even if the plot is rather insane sometimes.

Witchblade, based on an American comic, is ok. I say what brings it down more in my eyes is its very similar set up to Blassreiter. Witchblade had an awesome start and hit the brakes when it was getting good to develop characters and never really picked up again. The characters were likable enough, but were rather one dimensional and I felt I had seen most the characters before and done better. I still had fun watching the characters, but it was B movie fun, not Oscar-winning, LOTR fun. This is a series that could have done with 50 episode budget to develop both characters ... and plot. I would liken it to a shortened Bleach with girls as the only fighters, and the ending being Rukia getting taken away, the end. Wish they would do a better remake, and have more seasons.