Witchblade Volumes 4

Witchblade Volumes 4 – 6

Joseph Luster April 25, 2008

Witchblade picks up at the halfway mark with a continuation of the drama that ensued over Rihoko’s custody at the end of volume three. In fact, the majority of the four episodes on this disc serve as a break from the normal action, offering up some insight into Masane and Rihoko’s relationship, as well as the one that begins to form when the latter’s real mother, one of the Neogenes, takes her under her strangely analytical and robotic care. Aside from this conflict, the rest of the volume is almost all Neogene action, as even more maternal dramatics pop up between Rihoko’s biological mother and the young and impetuous blade-wielder-in-training, Maria, who also turns out to be one of her daughters.

I think there’s a fight or two somewhere in there, as well.

As if all of this wasn’t enough of a break from your normally scheduled Witchblade scenario, the final episode on the volume is a vacation episode. Though the relationship between Masane, Rihoko and the rest of the apartment tenants has developed a great deal, it’s still some of the most unapologetic filler I’ve seen in a long time, so don’t shy away from the fast forward button if you’re feeling a little antsy. This is its sole duty; the kind of inconsequential meandering it was engineered to zip by.

The first half of volume five is largely focused on the escalating business politics in the cutthroat world of Douji Industries, including the development of a new “Ultimate Weapon,•bCrLf and the threat of malfunctioning war machines going berserk and wreaking havoc in the city. This is first hinted at when a rash of murders linked to some leaked Douji weapons begins to alarm the public, and surly Detective Nakata is determined to get to the bottom of it.

A lot of what happens in these episodes changes the overall dynamic of the show, with a major shift of control over the Witchblade program sending some characters rising to the top, while others fall to the wayside. Honestly, this probably sounds pretty boring, at least when synopsized into a handful of sentences, but it succeeds thanks to the surprisingly well-developed relationships in the show, especially that of Masane and Rihoko, both of whom have an interesting connection to the other that isn’t hindered when it’s discovered that they aren’t actually biologically linked.

The audience for a show like Witchblade more than likely comes and stays for the action, however, and the story is so close to containing just the right amount of steel-edged exchanges between both the Neogene sisters and Masane herself. The last episode of volume five in particular has a brutal ending that signs the coming of the End Times for the series. It still won’t be enough for a lot of potential fans, though, and I can’t say I blame anyone that might be moaning on a message board this very moment about the lack of super powered roughhousing that only seems to rise as each release passes.

It’s kind of fruitless to detail the goings-on of volume six, so I won’t bother. Anyone that’s made it this far will no doubt be seeing it through to the end. What I can say, however, is that the final episode is almost 100% action, all of which builds up to an ending that many will have seen coming by the time they finished the fifth volume. It’s not the most satisfying of endings, but it feels conclusive enough to avoid triggering the Nerd Rage Impulse Beacon implanted in anyone that’s been scorned by vague finales and quick cuts to credit rolls.

I don’t know exactly how emphatically I could recommend Witchblade. On one hand, it’s a fun series that has a lot more heart to it than one might expect beforehand. On the other, it’s a bit plodding in its narrative at times, and probably doesn’t offer as much action as the show’s planned demographic would appreciate. If you’ve already gotten hooked on the series, finishing it up is a must, but give it a rental on Netflix or something if you’re not sure about it. If anything, it’s certainly on the higher end of recent Gonzo productions, and the DVDs are loaded with some great inserts and bonus features.