West meets East, and tide has begun to turn, or has it? WitchBlade is a well-franchised American comic that made it's way across the Pacific to find a new life by the hands of the artists at Gonzo Studio. In this version, the heroine is a kinder, gentler woman who is all about being a hapless mother, but still the all encompassing Mother figure.  The story of a woman cursed with the ultimate power, a young daughter with a mysterious past, and some powerful entities after the WitchBlade itself. 

Highlight

Of course the slight clothing of our lead and the other Neogenes will keep the men in the audience coming back, but that is not the real entertainment of this series. The real highlight of this series is the humanity that is brought out through the lead character. There is Yuusuke, a freelance photographer, who is looking for the ultimate scoop, but finds himself caught up in something that reminds him of what makes life worthwhile. Reiji Takayama, the corporate executive is cold and calculated but finds that everything he had spent his life striving for was nothing without the warmth of another human to share life with and the importance of family. Then there are all the other characters close to our hero, Masane and her delightful daughter, Rihoko, who bring in the full monty when it comes to playing out the essence of Mother and Daughter. This is the focal point of the entire series and is by far the real strength of it.

The most engaging part of the series was when the secret to the Ex-Cons is discovered. These Ex-cons had been on a rampage, killing at will and being used to draw in the WitchBlade, or were drawn to the WitchBlade Power. But the secret to these weapons is that they use a human shell as the camouflage to allow them to wander around in the human world, but the only thing is that they seem to retain is something of the original human in their psyche. The main player in this discovery is a former police officer who was a kind and gentle person and in his death has become a brutal killing machine. In the end it plays out that the original human is finally let rest, but the damage is done and this puts a real moral dilemma to the test. Do we use the dead to fight our battles? The answer is not given, but the question is asked.

Overall

Once you get past the over-the-top women in this series the essence of it comes out fast and has a long lasting power that drives it along. It is easy to watch because of the hot women, but the story is solid and does not need two sexy, killer women running around in barely anything at all. The Mother/Daughter story is very touching due to the fact that they are not really related, but the human bonding is often deeper than blood and in this case, it is all about the bond of love that holds them together and this Mother's love has a profound effect on everyone she comes in contact with. I found myself becoming very sentimental when it came to this relationship and also understanding why the men that surround her are like moths to a flame. 

Seeing this on Blu-ray was the cherry on the top of a great sunday. The animation is worthy of the high definition that comes with the 1080 dpi picture. Gonzo did the the franchise proud with this twist to the original story. The clearly Japanese sensibility comes across in its glory in this beautifully rendered show. The characters are given the detail that they deserve and the background is slick and natural. There is also a great series of interviews with the creators from Top Cow that gives an in depth discussion of the series and the work that went into getting this into the Anime market. I hope that more of the independent creators see this and also see the opportunity that could come from expanding their market and vision.

For a hard core WitchBlade fan, this may push your approval because of the changes that are given to the main character, but it should also be a piece of your collection. For those who are not familiar with the franchise, you should check this out. It is a worthy series that has oh so much more to offer than just really hot chicks.

ComicsOnline gives WitchBlade: The Complete Series on Blu-ray 5 out of 5 psycho machines wanting to warm you up.