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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A very promising beginning!, October 1, 2007
This review is from: Witchblade, Vol. 1 (DVD)
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On the run from the Child Welfare Department that wants to take her 6-year-old daughter away from her, jobless and homeless Masane Amaha has come to Tokyo for a new start. Masane is a beautiful young woman with a tragic past. She remembers nothing of her life before a destructive earthquake hit six years earlier. When the Child Welfare Dept. catches up to her once again, she makes one final, desperate act to keep little Rihoko and lands herself in prison. While there, a confrontation with a local murderer that is more than what he appears brings out a hidden power in Masane. She has been endowed with the Witchblade, an ancient, living weapon that attaches itself to select women throughout the ages, turning them into savage warriors to satisfy its lust for violence and blood. As Masane's battle in prison allows for her escape, her clever daughter Rihoko pulls off an escape of her own with the help of a photographer with journalistic ambitions. Rihoko eventually makes her way to her mother's secret meeting place, but will Masane make it there too? She'll first have to work out an arrangement with a mysterious company that wants control of the Witchblade and whoever possesses its power.
"Witchblade" Volume 1 gives us the first 4 episodes of what seems to be an excellent 2006 Japanese animated series (Anime) based on the successful American "Top Cow" comic book series. No doubt, this animated series will get mixed responses from fans of the comics and the short-lived live-action TV series starring Yancy Butler from 2001. The reason for this, besides the fact that not everyone appreciates Anime, is that it has nothing to do with Sara Pezzini or any other Witchblade characters established in the United States. While it is my understanding that this Anime series IS considered canon, the characters and story are completely new and completely Japanese. But so what? The art is top notch for Anime, and this is coming from someone who is far more into American animation. The characters and story are engaging, and there's plenty of the traditional Anime violence and sex appeal too. While the show, thus far, doesn't have the overall darkness and grit one sees in the Top Cow comics, it's certainly not bubbly, cutesy Anime. This is definitely for the grown ups, and, after all, these are only the first four episodes. They have their sweet and colorful Ghibli-type moments, but they have their darkness too. Anime fans in general would probably love this, and for those who are less familiar with the genre, perhaps you have seen an American show called "Gargoyles?" If you enjoyed that show (probably the finest American animated series ever), you'll probably get some enjoyment out of this too.
With only the first four episodes, the Volume One DVD certainly leaves one wanting more. The episodes included are: The Beginning, Bewilderment, Defiance, and Movement. There are some nice extras included as well. The best is probably the fun tour of Top Cow Studios in Hollywood, led by owner Marc Silvestri. There's also a nice interview with lovely voice actress Mamiko Noto, who voices Masane in the original Japanese language. Yes, the DVD includes the original Japanese language, English subtitles, and English language versions. And, yes, there are differences between the Japanese and English language versions of Anime, so it's best to watch them both. One wants to see the more accurate text translations, but it's easier to enjoy the visuals fully when you don't have to try to keep up with reading the dialogue. The bonus features also include several Anime DVD trailers, video versions of the opening and closing songs, and a promotional video. The DVD is packaged with one of those cool, silvery slip covers that look great until you touch them and get your nasty fingerprints all over them. It's also the "opens like a book" kind. Plus, inside are two booklets. Okay, one is a little catalog. The other is an actual bonus. It's a booklet featuring production art and a great interview with the director, Yoshimitsu Ohashi. I highly recommend this DVD for fans of Anime, of Witchblade, of animation and comics in general, or just someone looking for a more adult kind of animated program. I'll be looking forward to future volumes!
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
WHA'HAPPEN?, March 7, 2008
This review is from: Witchblade, Vol. 1 (DVD)
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It is said, by Westerners who have lived and worked there, that Japanese culture and society are so foreign to ours that most of us can't even comprehend the differences, nevermind their causes and effects. Perhaps the one popular medium where we get some feel for the divergence is the increasingly popular Japanese anime market. Even the most accessible films--the Ghibli Studio stuff or an adaptation of classic American animation, like Little Nemo--have aspects, subplots or even large swathes of narrative that are basically incomprehensible. Take a great family film like Kiki's Delivery Service: it's not only impossible to tell where or when the story is taking place but so much of the underlying mythos is left unexplained that each step of the plot is surprising, if only because it seems so odd.
This adaptation of the American comic book Witchblade is kind of like a Miyazaki film in ways both bad and good. On the plus side, the animation is terrific, pretty nearly Disney worthy, making it easy to watch. The voice work and translation is good too, so the extent anything makes sense we can follow it, which isn't always the case with Asian imports. This is a high quality art work.
The setting is the typical -- for anime -- post-apocalyptic world of big corporations and dubious government agencies combined with supernatural/metaphysical weirdness that beggars comprehension. A young woman who has survived whatever destruction is supposed to have occurred came out of the blast with a child and, at opportune moments, the titular witchblade, a metallic prosthetic hand which appears as she changes into some kind of magical being. Well-endowed to begin with, she loses a significant amount of clothing in the transition and becomes an erotic killing machine.
It all makes for great-looking eye candy, but the literary merits are debatable and it's hard to be either profound or emotionally-moving when you're challenging the viewer just to try and figure out what's going on.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great story, skimpy costume!, October 8, 2007
This review is from: Witchblade, Vol. 1 (DVD)
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The storyline of "Witchblade" is classic manga, with an interesting twist. Masane, the heroine, is a young mother, who with her 6-year-old daughter, Rihoko, struggles to cope after a disaster wipes out their home. Regaining her memory, she finds herself on the run and burdened with a mysterious glowing bracelet. Whenever Rihoko is threatened -- by a child welfare agency trying to putting her into foster care, or by mostrous felons -- Masane morphs painfully into a superhuman warrior. Aside from the government agency trying to help her, there are industrialists trying to capture her and regain possession of the bracelet, which courses with the power of the Witchblade, an ancient power-giving object. Masane must navigate between these powerful interests, with the reluctant help of a young freelance cameraman, to rid herself of the cursed Witchblade and gain her daughter's freedom.
The story line of WitchBlade is engaging, and its characters symptathetic and nuanced. The child welfare group is truly doing what seems in the girl's best interests. Masane truly (and convincingly) loves her daughter, but is really not in control of her life. Her possession of the Witchblade is her greatest strength, but also her greatest distress and the cause of her separation from Rihoko. I particularly loved the writing, as voiced by the actors, which was energetic and fun.
There are elements of the film I could do without. The script, as spelled out in the subtitles, was horrible and dull. I've never seen subtitles vary so much from the words spoken on screen. And the enormous voyeuristic element that was Masane's bustline distracted from an already-great storyline. This distraction only doubled (no pun intended?) when Masane morphed into her alter ego, a three-quarter naked warrior with naught but wisps of costume to conceal her "armaments." Gratuitous through-the crotch shots didn't help. Ho-ly Hannah, help us! The story is episodic, like a Saturday morning cartoon, complete with intro and outro music and credits. Watch these once and then skip the rest.
Yet, I got a kick out of this story of mother-as-manga-monster. It isn't suitable forn the preteens in your life, but might be fun for the 17-25-year-old male who can tolerate likes a decent story with a lot of female anatomy without having his head explode. Not so sure about the young ladies, who might be put off by the near-nudity or appreciate a strong female character. Your call.
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