Witchblade Takeru 1

By Yasuko Kobayashi and Kazasa Sumita

Takeru is a young Japanese girl who is being raised by Buddhist nuns. The convent, though, holds a dark secret: a chamber houses a locked box that contains the Witchblade - a powerful artifact that... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1594097836
• ISBN13: 9781594097836
• Release Date: January 2007
• Publisher: Bandai Entertainment
• Length: 184 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.3" x 0.5" x 4.8"

Customer Reviews

A very sexy take on the Witchblade manga-style

I've been a big fan of Marc Silvestri's Witchblade series and always thought that of all the comic book characters to come out of the Image Comics line during the 90's it had the most Japanese look to it. While all the Image artists from Jim Lee to Silvestri all had a way in drawing up very sexy female characters it was Silvestri's Witchblade which truly had an added influence of the more erotic side of Japanese manga. While it took quite awhile to finally move Witchblade to the realm of manga it finally made it and what came out of it tips its hat to the original comic book series, but also brings it own unique stylings to the table. Witchblade Takeru Volume 1 is written by Kobayashi Yasuko with artwork from artist Sumita Kazasa. Right from the get-go Kobayashi skips any introductory sequence explaining the origins of the Witchblade but instead introduces the reader to it's lead character in Takeru. A Japanese high school girl who will run into the Witchblade soon enough. The background of the Witchblade and how it pertains to Japanese folklore is explored through the first volume. The way Kobayashi weaves both the existing Witchblade mythos from the American comics with traditional Japanese supernatural folklore is quite seamless and looks to be a logical progression of the original comic books. Kobayashi has a clean grasp of what makes the Witchblade character quite the favorite amongst comic book fans, especially those of the male variety. Where the Sara Pezzini version was more accepting of the responsibility the character of Takeru fears what she's turning into under the influence of the Witchblade and just wants it off. It would remiss of me to not mention the artwork on a Witchblade book. I thought it would very difficult to reach the bar set by Michael Turner when it comes to drawing the Witchblade bearer, but manga artists Sumita Kazasa has more than put his own stamp on how to draw Witchblade. Takeru is all curves once under the Witchblade gauntlet's influence. Where the Turner version is quite lithe and athletic but still feminine the Sumita version is the epitome of ecchi (fanservice). Sumita-san's artwork is quite fluid and if not for some strategically placed armor would move into hentai territory. Sumita-san also does a great job of depicting the many fight scenes between Witchblade Takeru and the many demonic foes she has to fight against. Witchblade Takeru adds something new to the Witchblade mythos thanks to the good work by Kobayashi-san and Sumita-san. Volume One creates a nice balance of ecchi and horror that's a staple of some manga genres. While the book honors its American origins it also brings its own Japanese take on the Witchblade idea. I can't wait for Volume 2 to see the continued tale of Takeru as the new wielder of the Witchblade gauntlet.

Beautiful art and story

Other than the ending itself, there are two main things that I care about in a graphic novel: the art and the story. I'll go over these two subjects below. STORY The story of Witchblade Takeru is completely different although the main idea is the same as the original Witchblade. Basically, a girl is chosen by the Witchblade to fuse with it and to utilize its power to do certain deeds. In this case, Takeru, a young high school student, is supposed to fight monsters of a syndicate that desires the Witchblabe's power while trying not to be completely absorbed by the Witchblade and becomes an evil herself. She has a childhood friend (a boy), Kou, who likes her very much and will do anything to help her keep her sanity (and life). ART The art is incredibly beautiful and is rather erotic in nature (there is no picture with frontal nudity or sexual in nature so far). The characters and the backgrounds are beautifully drawn. Unlike the original Witchblade, Takeru isn't muscular, aggressive, and masculine at all. Instead, she is very feminine and possesses a great female figure. Kou does not seem to be muscular either, but he possesses a good sword fighting skills which should get even better over time. Overall, based on the first graphic novel, I really like the series. I wonder when the next volume will be published. Score: Art: 10 Story: 9 Ending: Unknown yet Overall: 9.5