Welcome To Shibuya-cho

I know it's a little late this time folks, but last week the Witchblade: Takeru v. 2 manga came out, and revealed the bizarre conclusion. At the same time, the Witchblade anime is arriving this week -- a little late, but finally. The manga and the anime, while both supposed to be continuations of the american series (not directly, but they exist as some point in a post-Sarah Pezzini world), they actually have very little to do with each other.

The manga, subtitled "Takeru" since that's the name of the wielder, focuses on a high school girl who lives with nuns that have been guarding the witchblade for decades. Her boyfriend is the descendant of demon hunters, and her best friend is a nymphomaniac. I know, it sounds fairly typical, but it is full of gore and action, as well as the basic struggle for control between the wielder and the Witchblade.

What I love about it is that unlike so many American comic companies these days, it is an actual manga version of an American series, rather than the repint of a series in black and white or in digest form. It is a real manga written and illustrated in Japan by Japanese people, hence the meaning of the word manga. And on the other hand, what ticks me off about it is not that the Americans in the series are portrayed as psychotic, war-crazed asses, but rather that the Witchblade itself is some kind of demon hand.

Now I am a Witchblade fan, that's the main reason I started reading this series, and for those who don't know the Witchblade was spawned when the forces of light and darkness had sex and a creepy little bracelet appeared. But for the manga writer to keep so much, and yet change the origin to it being the hand of some great demon that was cut off, eh, just bugs me.

And the anime version puts a strange twist to the story. A woman named Masane is found at ground zero of some unexplained, or even defined, catastrophe in Tokyo lying unconscious holding a baby and wearing a bracelet. some time later, she's using the Witchblade to fend off some huge corporation and the government both vying for the blade. Just had to get that bit out of my system.

Anyway, there are a few titles coming in, including a lot of new books, and number 2's to a bunch of series that premiered a while ago like I Hate You More Than Anything, and In The Starlight. Also, two long awaited yaoi titles Passion v. 4 (and you were surprised when volume 3 appeared), and Constellations In My Palm. If none of that has you interested, I'm sure you're still reading all the books you bought last week. See ya next time boys and girls.

Ja ne!
Mat K.