'Witchblade' Anime on Sale

Coming soon to retailers is a Japanese television animation whose origins are rather familiar to a great deal of westerners.

The story of a woman whose fated selection as a warrior blessed/cursed with the most powerful weapon humanity is aware of, Witchblade is a sleekly designed anime whose penchant for tough love has made it a success.

Based on a comic book originally produced by Top Cow Productions, Ltd., Witchblade's adaptation into an animated television series and subsequent importation back to the West will re-familiarize audiences with what it means to protect the one's you love and with what it means to struggle against the hand of fate.

The story of the Witchblade anime finds a young woman by the name of Masane Amaha, struggling in 22nd Century Japan that has seen its share of natural disaster. As a single-mother whose relationship with her young daughter is put to the test when regional welfare workers decide to separate them, things aren't exactly going as Masane always wishes. But the Child Welfare Services may soon be the least of the woman's problems, for the darker powers of the world will see fit to interrupt her life as well. Organizations seeking to build weapons of unknowable destruction and syndicates searching for a way to mutate human genes in search of control for some sort of super-human power; as difficult and disappoint as Masane's personal life may be, it pales in comparison to the greater picture of which she will soon be involved.

Fortunately or unfortunately, Masane is unaware of the fact that she herself is an individual with mutated DNA. Genetically modified to suit any number of purposes, she has been given the ungodly power of the "witchblade." It is a power that any number of organizations is struggling to grasp, but as an independent woman seeking what it is that constantly drives her to protect those she cares for, one might guess that Masane could care less. Unknowingly thrown into a world of violence and intrigue, Masane searches for hope.

Distributed by FUNimation Entertainment (School Rumble, Early 2007 Licensing, Anime Expo 2007), the Japanese animation production Witchblade is currently scheduled for domestic release debut on September 25th, 2007. The first DVD release of the anime will also contain the following DVD extras: Witchblade cast interview, promotional video and "The History of Witchblade" featurette (part one of four). While Masane configures to use her new and mysterious abilities of untold power to protect her daughter, others conspire against her in hopes of usurping her unique talents. A full-length animated television series under the directed of Yoshimitsu Ohashi, Witchblade is a production of GONZO Studios (Origin: Spirits of the Past, Solty Rei) and helps bring eager anime fans some familiar fantasy/science fiction.

Delivering beautifully colored characters whose simple but markedly effective designs attempt to coordinate a story about one woman's survival, Witchblade has caught attention from many fans perhaps mostly for its well-endowed protagonist Masane. It is however important to note that Witchblade is often mentioned by some as the first Japanese animated television series to gain notable commercial success, that is based on an American property. The older appeal of Witchblade (the television series is rated TVMA) also expands the program's capacity to do what most American comics do best: exploit the inhibitions of its audience to a fantastic degree.

About FUNimation Entertainment: FUNimation Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Navarre Corporation, is a brand management company and one of the nation's leading independent home video entertainment companies. The company has a proven formula for launching and advancing brands, and manages a full spectrum of rights with its brands including broadcasting, licensing, production, internet, and home video sales and distribution.