Witchblade - Talkback

Mikazuki

Banned
The series aired in Japan already and is out on Winny.

Honestly, I don't know what to think about this series since I happen to love the original Witchblade comic and tv series.

If I remember correctly, the series takes place 100 years into the future. While things look like normal Tokyo, at first, you see right away that many of the buildings were destroyed and Tokyo is partially underwater. Masane Amou is the newest Blade wielder.

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I really didn't understand what was being spoken so I don't know if Rihoko is her daughter or her little sister since Rihoko calls her "mama" and I think "mama ne". They arrive in Tokyo and immediately the police are looking for them. Meanwhile, in another part of town there is a brutal murder and the cops are investigating it. A photographer manages to take pictures of it before taking off.

Back with Masane and Rihoko, they're eating at what looks to be a ramen stand when the cops show up (I think the woman in pink is actually part of child services since she doesn't come off as a cop). The woman in pink talks to Masane and gives Masane a piece of paper to sign. Outside the room, the male companion takes Rihoko away who then begins to scream for "Mama" who is inside listening and is torn about it. The woman in pink goes outside and they take the little girl away who continues to scream and shout. Finally Masane runs out to get Rihoko but it's too late, the woman in pink and the man with her leave. Masane is held back by some cops but fights with them before stealing a cop car to chase after them.

Once Masane catches up she tries to ram the van which speeds up to get away. Masane doesn't pay attention to the road and crashes allowing the woman in pink and the man to get away with Rihoko.

Back to the photographer who is outside some building when the van with Rihoko pulls up. He takes more pictures.

Next we see Masane locked up in jail. As tears slip down her face she says, "Rihoko... gomen."

Back to the woman in pink and Rihoko. They're inside the building and the woman in pink takes the little girl to a bathroom room. The little girl attempts to escape.

Masane has a tattoo/scar/birthmark on her right wrist, or what appears to be a tattoo or scar or even a birthmark (can't really tell in anime). As she's sitting in jail the center of the mark lights up. In another jail cell, the guy caught earlier (at the murder scene) is drooling badly, his tongue hanging out and a strange blue glow is coming from his shoulder.

Rihoko is hanging outside of the bathroom window and she's a long way up from the ground. She jumps across the ledge to the tree and falls but lands on the photographer who is still lurking outside and taking pictures. The woman in pink is calling for Rihoko while a guard begins to look outside. The photographer takes off with Rihoko in tow.

Back in the jail, Masane is looking at the mark on her wrist which again begins to glow while the psycho guy in the next cell is still going even more crazy. He rips the sleeve off his jacket to reveal some kind of item strapped to his upper arm and it's glowing blue. The man is transformed into some kind of monster as the blue light glows stronger. Masane is in tremendous pain as the red dot on her wrist continues to glow as well.

A cop comes rushing into the holding cells and seems to be calling for back up as we hear Masane screaming in the background. He doesn't seem to notice the man-monster behind him. Wait, is it a machine or is it the man? No idea, but the thing attacks the cop and pins him to the wall. Ahh, it is the man who is now a literal killing machine. The cop fires off a shot and the killing machine laughs at the cop. The killing machine tells the cop good-bye before he kills him. All that's left of the cop is a blood splatter and a hole in the wall where the killing machine had the cop pinned.

The photographer and Rihoko park and he tells her something. No idea what.

Back in the jail, Masane is still in her cell and still in pain as she clutches the mark. The killing machine breaks into her cell and this terrifies Masane. The killing machine is intent on killing her when more cops show up. The killing machine kills the cops with ease before turning his attention to a terrified Masane who is backed into the wall and shaking.

The red light on her wrist again begins to glow bright red. As Masane cowers a red "whip" snaps out of her wrist and slice the killing machine, cutting something off of him. The "whip" slides back into Masane's body as she's in pain. Finally the Witchblade manifests itself from where the mark on her wrist was, she already is in possession of the Witchblade.

It takes over her body. This surprises the killing machine as Masane easily dispatches the killing machine. Masane leaves the ruined cop station and stands outside, licking the... blood?... off of her arm. The photographer is outside taking pictures when someone comes up and catches him. It's the same man from earlier (at the murder scene, sorry forgot to mention him). This man, earlier, was at the murder scene and on his cellphone with another person who was hidden. Masane is able to escape and collapses in an alley as the Witchblade goes back to sleep and Masane reverts to normal.[/hide]

The opening theme, XTY(エクスタシー) [Ecstasy], is by Psychic Lover. It's pretty catchy with lines like, "Give me your Ecstasy!" The closing theme, Ashita no Te (あしたの手), is sung by Mamiko Noto (who voices Masane Amou) and frankly it's a complete contrast to the opening theme.
 
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Interesting, another homerun for Psychic Lover. Anyway, the first in a long line of Nipponized American Franchises this year...let the ranting begin...lol

The series reminds me of an anime version of GARO.
 
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Bleh, I wished they did a better job at the animation...
it was not yet up to standard. I figured anime like these should be handled by the likes of Gonzo.
Kinda dissapointed. But the transforming sequence is a pleasure to watch. The rest is kinda like ok standard. Love the story tho. I personally followed witch blade until after The Darkness Saga, or at least somewhere around after the "family" Darkness and Sara met each other. I lost contact afterwards.
 
I just started collecting this series. To be honest, I didnt want to pick this one up. Im not a comic-book guy. The covers didnt look like "my thing".

But I was convinced to grab the first 2 dvds which contains the first 8 episodes. I was pleasantly surprised by the show.

One thing I love about the show is that the heroine is not a cry-baby. A lot of Japanese heroes are too emotional about becoming a hero. It's always "Waaaah! I dont want the super kewl gundam/robot/guyverunitripoff WAAAAAH!!!! LIFE IS SO HARD!!!! WAAAAAH!"

I mean god damn. But here we have a main character who accepts the Witchblade (her new bad ass armor suit and ability) and she accepts it because all she cares about is taking care of her daughter. That's something a lot of people can relate to.

Hell, I bet Mika was just eating it up! You probably related to it the most, Mika. So the main character was someone you could relate to and get behind. She didnt cry. She couldnt. She had to be there for her daughter.

I also like the dialog. It's fresh compared to the trash you usually get in anime. Interesting things are being said and you want to care. The opening and closing themes are also very catchy and great to listen to. (Yay Psychic Lover!)

The one thing that currently bugs me about the anime is that they keep calling the Woman's daughter something different. They spelled it Rihoko. Sometimes they call her "Ryoko" or other times they call her "Rayko" or "Reeko".

I cant help but wonder if that's intentional or just terrible dubbing. I mean damn. But beyond that the anime feels very solid. I can't wait to see more and see where the story goes.
 

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