To the masses Top Cow may not be a well known juggernaut like DC or Marvel but comic book fans know the company intimately. I remember when the publisher began releasing its first line of titles and spawned from Image. Operated by Marc Silvestri, Top Cow launched its most popular comic, Witchblade, in 1995. The series went on to be very successful with a continued release, a short-lived TV series, and rumored film in the works. About a year ago the franchise quietly jumped across the ocean and landed in Japan.

Last year GONZO worked with director Yoshimitsu Ohashi and designer Uno Makoto to produce an anime series based upon the Witchblade universe. If you were ever a fan of the comic book then you should know going in that this Witchblade is very different. Sarah Pezzini is nowhere to be found and the show takes place in a dilapidated Tokyo rather than New York City. This change in venue and focus may be jarring at first for fans but like many other franchise if you look at this anime as simply an alternate continuity then it's easy enough to accept.

The show seemingly takes place in the future judging by some of the available technology, though they never really discuss a time period. All we know is that after a great earthquake most of Japan has been left in ruins. When the show began a woman named Masane Amaha appeared with her daughter Rihoko and there was some trouble with the Child Welfare Services. Before long we discovered the Masane was actually the wielder of the Witchblade and all went to pot shortly thereafter.

The second installment introduced some interesting aspects to Witchblade and set up some decent villains. The volume started with two Cloneblade users facing Masane though one of them did all of the fighting while the other merely watched. As the volume progressed the one who battled Masane started to lose herself to the weapon and eventually succumbed to it. This brought several questions into play as to what Masane's future with the Witchblade will be and when the armament will actually consume her. Some other interesting developments came up such as Tozawa's discovery of Masane's secret and the insinuation that Rihoko was not her daughter.

Before the third volume started I didn't really know where things were going to start off. There were many places they could go with the story from where it left off though I must admit that I was surprised the X-Cons took center stage. For a few episodes now we have watched Masane kill X-Cons but their origin has never really been shown. We learn in the third volume that they are actually deceased people whose bodies have been donated or sold to science. From that point their humanity ceased to exist and they were turned into hybrid robotic killing machines. It's kind of silly because the X-Cons are essentially human transformers with no will of their own. One minute you'll see a guy and the next they'll morph, clothes and all into a bloodthirsty robot. Then again, I suppose if you can accept that Masane can turn into Witchblade and fight with a very revealing outfit you can accept anything.

The volume goes off into some other directions after this point and there are a few storylines that come up. Rihoko continues to meet that woman who strongly resembles here on the way to the marketplace. Tozawa pesters Masane about the Witchblade and tags along to see her in action again. We also see Masane dress up like a lady and go to an event with her boss. Of course you may be able to fit a boor into a dress but at the end of the day it's still a boor. The most interesting turn of events from this installment comes towards the end of the third episode when Masane gets into some trouble. I can't really discuss what transpires without revealing the plot twist so I'll refrain from further explanation.

At the end of the day I enjoyed the third volume of Witchblade significantly more than the previous ones. Sure it's a guilty pleasure because it's essentially just one fan service shot after another but I'll be damned if it's not a lot of fun! Despite the quality episodes included here I must say that there is still something I can't quite put my finger on. Some of the storyline feels a little too loose and there are still several things that are up in the air. I want some answers to my questions but I guess I'll have to wait until a future volume to find out!

If you have read any of my reviews then you already know that I love GONZO productions. They have a way of rendering a show with cool designs, slick animation, and higher than average video quality. Witchblade fortunately does not break from GONZO's tradition of excellence.

The character designs for the show by Uno Makoto come to life with a great level of detail and presence in most every scene. Considering Makoto lent his designing talents to other shows like Gravion and Love Hina I'm sure you can ascertain just how, um, "developed" the female characters are. The action and animation is also top of the line though I do have to share some of my disappointment with a couple scenes during this volume. Like the previous installments some of the animation seemed stilted at times and this time around it surfaced during regular dialogue bits rather than just action. It wasn't enough to cheapen the production but it certainly made me take notice.

Technically speaking the video quality on this disc is fine enough but it's nothing entirely stellar. FUNimation has included four episodes here but the compression rate once again is slightly higher than average so you're going to see blocking and artifacts nestled in darker sections of the image. Some light grain was also present in scenes where lighting wasn't designed to be the best and I spotted a few instance of aliasing here and there. There are plenty of moments where Witchblade looks brilliant though and on the whole the transfer here is better than most. I just wish FUNimation hammered some of the nitpicky flaws out of this release.

Like most recent series released here in America Witchblade comes with three audio tracks. On the lighter side of things is a pair of 2.0 stereo tracks for English and Japanese languages. The audio quality in both is exemplary with precise and flawless sound but it unfortunately doesn't pack the wallop on the soundstage that you'd hope it would. The 5.1 English track is a definite step in the right direction with a greater sense of immersion and presence on the soundstage. Some of the effects don't provide as much impact as you'd expect them to but overall the quality is very good. With regards to the dubbing quality both the English and Japanese languages offer an enjoyable experience though I feel that the English dub has a little more fun with the "sexy" part of Witchblade.

Like the previous installments of Witchblade, the third comes with a few bonus features worth poking through. First up are a collection of trailers, a mini-booklet, and clean animations. After that the disc coughs up an eight minute interview with the Japanese voice actor for Reiji Takayama which is kind of fluffy in content but interesting enough. Like the prior volumes, this one also has a look at the Witchblade franchise from the American side of things with Top Cow leading the discussion. For about 15 minutes hey talk about the series and how it came to be animated.

Witchblade has become a fun show with gratuitous violence and T&A (always a winning combination). The episodes here push the story further than the previous volumes did and there's actually quite a lot that transpires. If you have been keeping an eye on the show or have been on the fence then I'm pleased to say that my wavering feelings about it have tipped towards the positive. I loved the comics and though this incarnation of Witchblade may be entirely different it's quite a hoot. Sure there is a bit of camp associated to it all but if you can get past that you'll have a good time.

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