WITCHBLADE Volume 1
DVD Review by David Blackwell

DETAILS: 100 minutes, two featurettes, textless songs, promo video, trailers, 8 page insert booklet
VIDEO: 1.78:1 (Anamorphic Widescreen)
AUDIO: English 5.1 Dolby Surround, English 2.0 Stereo, Japanese 2.0 Sterreo
Subtitles: English

EPISODES:
1. THE BEGINNING
2. BEWILDERMENT
3. DEFIANCE
4. MOVEMENT

STUDIO: Gonzo/ Top Cow Studios/ Funimation Entertainment
RELEASE DATE: 9-25-2007

WITCHBLADE is a great comic book. It has spawned a TV series which was hit-and-miss and now an anime series. WITCHBLADE is talior made for anime.

Masane Ahama is a mother found at the middle of a great earthquake in near future Tokyo six years ago. She had no memory (and holding onto a baby) and her diary said who she was. She is on the run with her daughter (from the Child Welfare Agency) that is wiser than her mom. CWA has a great authority over any child and their parents. Adding to her problems is that she is in the possession of the powerful weapon known as the witchblade. Everytime she gets in a fight with some really dangerous opponent whether it is a robot (disguised as big fat men seeking to warm women up) or CWA women with clone blades, she gives into her darker instincts and unleashes the power of the Witchblade as she transforms into someone not like her. The WITCHBLADE anime gives strong character development, moral choices, and enough T&A for asome anime fans. It's a win-win for evryone.

SPECIAL FEATURES: TOUR OF TOP COW STUDIOS WITH MARC SILVESTRI has Marc (the founder of Top Cow and cretaor of the Witchblade) gives a tour of the comic book studio.
JAPANESE CAST INTERVIEW- VOICE OF MASANE AMAHA- teh voice of the central character gives her insights on playing the voice, the various difficulties, and her opinion on the anime.

Also included is a promotional video for the anime, textless openings without teh credits, and trailers for other anime (including a trailer for Volume 2 of WITCHBLADE). I do wish one could skip the forced trailer for another anime before you go to the main menu (after loading the disc).

FINAL ANALYSIS: The WITCHBLADE anime is off to a promising start and the various story elments leave room for various things to come. I can't wiat to watch volume 2 and 3.


this DVD review is (c)11-29-2007 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission. send all comments to lord_pragmagtic@hotmail.com  



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