Adaptations are controversial. We citizens of Internet-land are generally too bitter to hope for good adaptations. And, when fans call an adaptation a flop, we’re ready with an “I told you so” and a knowing nod. So, I bet you’d light your pitchforks and sharpen your torches if I said Witchblade is an excellent adaptation worth your eyeball time. Well, mob friends, I’m here to shine a revealing light on Witchblade and its boatloads of blood-stained booba and bums. But what I really want to talk about is the adaptation’s story. It might be better in the anime than in the original comic.
Witchblade (2006) follows amnesiac Masane Amaha. She’s a loving mom to her daughter Rihoko but not a wise mom. Her ditzy moments must have something to do with that bump on her head. Or the weird mark on her arm. Masane makes powerful frenemies when she turns into a red-headed demon woman with an oversized katana protruding from her arm. Now she must fight to get her daughter back, battle killer robot rapists, and figure out how to control the strange weapon that has turned her into its host.
A Brief History of Superhero Movies
In 2006, Gonzo released Witchblade, an anime adaptation of Top Cow’s dark comic of sexy transformation and violence. The story about a sentient weapon and its female host aired at a time when the world was eating up superhero movies faster than a certain plus-sized elf ever chomped fries.
But the feverish scramble for superhero media hadn’t peaked. Yet. Marvel Studio’s super-hits like Iron Man (2008) and Thor (2011) would set the bar for on-screen comics in a few more years. A flood of superhero movies followed. This golden age of spectacular CGI SFX included box-office busters like The Avengers (2012), Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), and Black Panther (2018).
We’re almost done with 2024, and the deluge has no end in sight. Thanks to the miracle of modern streaming, we can enjoy Witchblade right now with our perfect 20/20 vision of superhero movies and antihero stories that followed the anime adaptation and Marvel Studio’s many hits.
And, you know what, Witchblade holds up well. Witchblade was never as tame as Spider-Man, showed more skin than Black Widow, and took the violence of Venom’s symbiotic pact to darker places. And anime was the best way to tell Witchblade’s type of story.
An Even Briefer History of Sentient Weapons
Elricof Melniboné, the doomed prince created by Michael Moorcock, might have been the first to wield a sentient weapon. Just like the Witchblade, Elric’s Stormbringer caused a heap of trouble. And left an ocean of blood. Cursed sentient weapons are such jolly objects!
More Metal than Marvel
Witchblade is more metal than anything I’d seen from Marvel.
Before discovering tabletop roleplaying, Magic: the Gathering, or anime, comics were my hook. I had a Marvel IV tapped into a vein that kept me on a steady reading diet of Amazing Spider-Man, X-Men, and X-Force. Unsurprisingly, I spent enough time in comic book stores to learn about indie comics like The Darkness and Witchblade. Top Cow, an imprint of Image Comics, published both of them. You might know Image Comics from Spawn and The Walking Dead.
Witchblade stood out to hormone-buzzing-teenage-me because Sara Pezzini showed a lot of skin. This wasn’t an X-Men mega-babe like Jean Grey or Rogue in a tight-fitting superhero suit. This was a dialed-to-a-hundred hot woman getting into a hot leather hooker dress. On page 5! Sara’s hooker disguise was a different super suit, sure, but Sara was still busting bad guys. Those seven glorious pages — penciled by Michael Turner and David Wohl — were an unforgettable introduction to fan service. The kind of comic that turns boys into men.
If you need more proof, you can download issue 1 of Witchblade — legally and for free — from DriveThruComics.com.
An Anime Match Made in Hell
Witchblade the anime is nothing like Witchblade the comic. And that’s a good thing.
An anime set in the Witchblade universe means a license for skin, big boobs, and plenty of blood. But, if the producers were not careful, the story could have devolved into edginess for edginess’s sake. Which is not a great reason to be edgy (the emo kids proved that). Fortunately, Gonzo masterfully avoided this pitfall.
Witchblade (the anime) tells a compelling story of a mother’s love for her child. Just how far would you go to protect your kid? We hope we’ll never have to find out, but we can relate to Masane’s maternal instincts. The anime uses the Witchblade to flip this timeless tale and give Masane unmatched destructive power. Now the question becomes: “How far would you go to protect your kid if nothing could stop you?” This narrative twist draws vitality from the Witchblade premise that the comics never did.
In the comics, Sara Pezzini’s ties are to a friend and her police partner. Although Sara is a homicide detective, she’s ready to bend the law for revenge. Masane, on the other hand (not the one with the living gauntlet), has none of Pezzini’s training and no lust for vengeance. She had just wanted her kid back. So Masane’s journey into hell — dragged as she is by forces beyond her control and the thing fastened to her wrist — becomes relatable because Masane is an everyman. Or everywoman.
Watch Witchblade If…
Ultimately, the anime Witchblade has enough for comic fans while being its own thing. If you’re a fan of Guyver, Venom, Spawn, or Deadpool, then you owe it to yourself to watch Witchblade. On the other hand — even if you’ve never picked up a comic book — Witchblade makes the right pitch for most J-List fans.
Yoshimitsu Ōhashi directed the Gonzo production. Yasuko Kobayashi (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure) worked on the scripts, while Makoto Uno oversaw character design. Masa Takumi (Claymore and Peach Girl) composed the music.
Witchblade’s Megumi Rating
You can watch Witchblade on Crunchyroll. Your audio options include English or Japanese dubs and a few subs. Witchblade earns a Chibi Megumi rating of four for telling an edgy story where the edginess and violence make sense. It’d be too easy to have edgy violence for the sake of edgy violence.
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Have you watched Witchblade? Were you ever a fan of the comics? If you could give the Witchblade to any waifu, who would it be? Fernblade and Yorblade would be exciting, for all the wrong reasons.
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Sources: Comic book images from Witchblade #1, Digital Edition, by David Wohl, Brian Haberlin, and Michael Turner.
