REVIEWED
Witchblade Takeru
Don’t expect a storyline along the lines of the excellent original Witchblade comic series (in publication since1995 and available in book form from United Publications) OR the TV series (2001/2), OR the futuristic Japanese Witchblade anime and manga series (2004) OR EVEN the forthcoming (at the time of writing) US movie of the same name.
No, what we have here is an entirely new storyline with new characters; but with some similarities, like the Witchblade itself and other settings. Interestingly, it is written by Yasuko Kobayashi, who also wrote the Japanese anime and manga series.
The story is about Takeru, a young Japanese girl who is being brought up by Buddhist nuns in their convent. There is a secret chamber inside the convent, and in it is the Witchblade - a powerful, ancient artefact. Takeru has been having dreams about a girl and the Witchblade, but does not understand what they mean. However, when demons – previously believed to exist in local legend only - attack the convent, Takeru discovers the Witchblade, which attaches itself to her to make her become its bearer! This is just the start of a new, dangerous adventure…
The violent storyline and Kazasa Sumita’s superb artwork (including several explicit erotic up-skirt views) will be most appreciated by young males!
Available from United Publications at (IMHO) a very reasonable £4.99.
In the beginning there was Manga.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
man·ga [mahng-guh, mang‑]
–noun
a Japanese graphic novel, typically intended for adults, characterized by highly stylized art.
[Origin: 1985–90; < Japan: lit., cartoon, comic strip ]
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Manga – Japanese cartoon stories - can be comic strips, comics, or illustrated novels. It can be aimed at any section of society, but it is best known for its robot themed stories (mecha), sci-fi, children’s stories and romance. It has been in existence for 100’s of years, but it only gained popular recognition in the West since the 1960’s. An interesting statistic – 60% of manga readers in the West are female, but female readers account for less than 20% of other forms of comic.
Modern manga has been dominated by the influence of Osama Tezuka, sometimes referred to as “the god of manga”. In turn, he was heavily influenced by US cartoonists, particularly Disney (Mickey Mouse and Bambi) and Betty Boop. The astute among you will notice the large eyes, small nose and mouth which is the style most associated (in the West) with modern manga. Tezuka liked his large, round-eyed creations because he found it easy to convey distinct feelings with them.
Then there was Anime
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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
an·i·me [an-uh-mey]
–noun
a Japanese style of motion-picture animation, characterized by highly stylized, colorful art, futuristic settings, violence, and sexuality.
Origin: 1985–90; < Japan, borrowing of E animation ]
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 Anime – Japanese animation(s) - comes in three forms – TV series, DVD/video productions and films (movies). And now there are PC and games console games in anime style too. Anime started in the early 20th century, but like manga, only gained popularity outside Japan since the 1960’s.
Like manga, modern anime has been much influenced by Osama Tezuka, and his big-eyed characters are for many the hallmark of anime. Another Tezuka characteristic is the big tear which rolls down a character’s face when he/she is embarrassed. However, some other anime creators use realistic characters.
After the 2nd World War, Japanese film and TV studios had small budgets and couldn’t compete with their USA equivalents. Making animated cartoons didn’t need large budgets, so this was an area where Japanese productions reigned supreme in the home country. Becoming very popular, anime creators were able to experiment with the latest ideas and had budgets much larger than those given to the production of cartoons elsewhere in the world.
Most anime are derived from manga and the medium used for anime depends on the budget allocated to the production – TV shows cost the least, followed by DVDs/videos and films cost, by far, the most.
The popular anime Pokémon started off life as a games console game. Some anime become manga, but these instances are rare.
In September 1963, the anime Rocket Boy (see picture above), which was derived from the Japanese Atom (created by Osama Tezuka), was screened by NBC across the USA and the genre achieved instant success. It was so influential that it was remade in 1980.
The most successful anime is either Pokémon, first seen in 1997 and still running today, or perhaps Dragon Ball Z.
Akira (1988), based on the hit manga by Katsuhiro Otomo, was the anime breakthrough in film in the West. It was also famous for having the biggest  budget ever dedicated to a cartoon film (at that time). Still one of the most popular (or possibly the most popular) anime films today and often no.1 in the anime DVD sales chart, it is rated by many as the best cartoon film ever made.
Anime is watched by a tiny (but vocal!) percentage of the Western audience. In the UK, the satellite channel Propeller shows just 2 hours of anime per week. There is no other channel with dedicated anime airtime! However, Sony Pictures Television International plans to change all that. They have a 24-hour anime satellite service called Animax which is currently running in Latin America and some parts of Asia. They plan to expand this into Europe very soon and perhaps the USA is next? One thing is for sure – you’re going to hear a lot more about anime!
Kate Kennedy |
