ANIME

ANIME REVIEW . Witchblade Vol. 4

First things first, if you haven’t viewed Witchblade Vol. 3 yet, you might want to skip this review. The episodes presented here are impossible to talk about without spoiling the end of that last disc.

Still with me? Okay. Let’s move on.

Picking up exactly where the 12th episode ended, Witchblade Vol. 4 sees child services attempting to take Rihoko away from Masane and deliver her to her biological mother. Masane makes a short lived attempt at hiding Riko, but eventually caves in following a Cloneblade attack that puts Riko in danger. For while Riko’s new mother is not particularly warm, or kind, she could potentially provide her a safer, better life. Suffice it to say the separation takes its toll on the both of them, reducing Masane to something of a shut in. But things don’t stay quiet for long, as yet another Cloneblade attack puts Riko in jeopardy and forces Masane back into action. It’s an action packed set of episodes, providing some of the most thrilling setups yet, and surprisingly, quite a bit of food for thought.

Now those of you blinded by the boobies might not know it, but if you dig a little deeper into the show there’s a lot of interesting stuff going on. For example, in this disc’s first three episodes some interesting psychological and sociological issues (in particular those surrounding family dynamics) brought to the fore. The whole debate over human beings as immoral/moral beings from birth is addressed through the characters of both Riko and the new Cloneblade, the former having been nurtured and guided by a loving (yet irresponsible) mother, and the latter having been left to her own wiles in the lab. It’s been said that there is nothing so cruel as a child left to their own devices, and the Cloneblade, having been given super powers and an accelerated growth rate – powers way beyond her ability to property comprehend — perfectly exemplifies this. Likewise, Riko is the perfect example that both nature and nurture are involved in creating a responsible, moral human being.

Second, there’s the issue of Riko’s true parentage, and who is more qualified/better situated to serve as her mother. While Riko’s found mother (I won’t divulge who, but it’s someone who has been watching over her in previous episodes) may be the best logical choice for raising her, given the biological connection, she’s overly analytical – clinical even – in her every interaction with the young girl. This could be because of her not having had the chance to nurture a connection with Riko over the six years she was absent, but could also have to do with her conception of children as obligations rather than miniature thinking persons. On the other hand, Masane, who has demonstrated time and again her complete incompetence as a mother, actualy manifests some concrete and positive motherly qualities. She cares about Riko, respects her judgment, makes her feel wanted, and takes the time to make her understand she is appreciated. Her every action is motivated by a desire to protect and provide for her child. Granted, many of the ways she goes about these things are questionable, but the qualities are there.

Character study aside, there are numerous interesting plot developments found in these episodes. What’s proving particularly nice about the Witchblade series is that the twists aren’t just arbitrary, but well thought out, planned and hinted at in everything from plot foreshadowing to character designs. Again, I’ll leave these for you to discover, but suffice it to say that they are exciting. Adept viewers might also pick up on the notion that Masane possibly has a real daughter of her own. I won’t say whom I suspect, as nothing in that regard has been fully divulged, but I think you’ll probably pick up on the character about the first or second episode of this disc (they keys are in a certain character’s facial features and personality traits).

But wait, you say, I keep talking about the first three episodes. What about that last episode on the disc? Ah, the beach episode. This is largely a throwaway cheesecake fest, filled with skimpy bikinis, Jello-jiggling, and other fanservice enough to tire out even the perverted Chou-san. It’s kinda fun, kinda goofy, but feels a bit of an irresponsible vacation given the events in the previous episodes – like a bad worker that takes a three days off during a deadline week. Furthermore a lot of the dialog in the episode seems a bit off, a little less true to character than in other episodes. But Gonzo and its adolescent fans like the fanservice, so I guess it’s best they get it out of the way before things get really serious. Special note: Girls also have their own bit of fanservice in this one. Check timecode 01:02:55 in Episode 15 for a glimpse.

Before I close, I must address two slight criticisms. As of Episode 14 the series has a new opening and closing, complete with new songs. These are terrible. In fact, they are so bad that I haven’t listened to either in their entirety yet. A shame the excellent Tomorrow’s Hand was tossed aside for a cheap pop song. The second criticism would be the openings and closings themselves: they just look lazy. The first is largely culled from existing Witchblade series footage, while the second zooms around a large mural/image of the whole character gallery. Sure, the second is interesting to look at once, but no replacement for the previous dreamy/emotional closing.

So, in conclusion, I’m glad I’ve stuck around, as Witchblade keeps getting better. While there’s one throw-away episode on this disc, the remaining three were compelling enough to make me watch the whole disc in one sitting (I usually limit myself to one or two episodes tops, even with regular television box sets.). Here’s looking forward to the next one.

The DVD

Again, everything I’ve said about the previous Witchblade discs hold here. The video quality is great, the audio is nice (again, I’m stuck on TV stereo for the time being), and the packaging killer. The cover sleeve art is handled by Stjepan Sejic, and has to be one of the busiest and coolest ones yet. It is a bit misleading, however, as Riko never gets kidnapped and placed inside a giant Witchblade emerald….but that’s beside the point. Likewise, the inner amray cover depicts Reina’s Cloneblade form, in the usual fashion.

Extras on the disc include “The Witchblade Forged – Part II” (the continuation of the extra form the previous disc), and an interview with Mie Sonozaki, the voice of Reina Sohou. Again, previous criticisms hold for these extras, though this second part of “The Witchblade Forged” flows a little better and contains a little less redundant info than the first. Lastly, the disc has the usual text free opening and closing animations, and collection of Funimation trailers.

All in all, a solid disc, and a definite buy if you’ve found yourself hooked on Witchblade. But, it you’re still teetering on the edge of fandom, pick it up. It just might be enough to sway you.

Witchblade Volume 4 hits stores January 29th, 2008

About the Author

Chris Nelson has been an off and on anime fan since the days of Streamline Pictures. A former film and English major, he is now a Software Engineer and contract Technical Writer living in the Silicon Valley.

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