Found Manga- Witchblade Takeru

Witchblade Takeru #2

I found Witchblade the same place I found Bakuman. I picked it up because it was a manga and I know of the Witchblade property in american comics. I knew kinda of what the story of Witchblade was before I started reading it but did not know this one exactly. So I started reading it then half way through I thought "I need to read the first part." Not because, I didn't know what was going on, but because it was good.

The story is about Takeru who is draw to the witchblade and then fuses with it to fight demons. Thisi volume starts with Her and her childhood friend Kou, a demon hunter from her village, talking to the American Secretary of Defense, Eric Mason. He tell them that they are resonsible for resurecting the demons and creating the witchblade, in the hopes of creating a weapon. The deamon revolted and left no survivors. He also reveals that Takeru's father was the head of the research.

Fuura, the leaders of the demons, wants to return to their birth place. The village that Kou and Takeru call come. Gakura one of Fuura's high ranking followers, also a demon, is given the leg of Master Hougen to have more strength for the up coming battle. Master Hougen is a very large very bandaged person. 

Takeru tells Sakurai, the head researcher of the NSFW, and Kou that she is afraid to become a demon. Sakurai tells her that no one who has ever held the witchblade has become a demon.The NSWF is a group that "supports 'the future of mankind'". Takeru then finds out that the demons are attacking her village and runs to help in tears. Her grandmother, Sister Senshuu, feels them coming, but it is to late they are already there. They search out Kou's Father, because he is a doctor.  

The demons are feasting on the villagers as Takeru rushes to stop them. 

Gakura and Takeru meet each other and they begin to fight. While they are fighting Fuura tells Kou's father that she wants him to heal Master Hougen, so the demons can continue to feed on him for eternity. Mason prepared a naval fleet after Sakurai informs him of the current situation and he seem to just brush her off. Returning to the fight between Gakura and Takeru, he tells her that she is half demon and that he can feel the demon blood in her. She admits to loving to kill and craving blood right before she stabs him.

Takeru drags Gakura's upper torso, or all that is left of him, to Fuura and demands she let her grandmother and Kou's dad go. She then changes back and asks if she is half demon. She then learns from Fuura, who is grief stricken because of what happened to Gakura, that Takeru is indeed half demon. Her father, who is actually Master Hougen, impregnated her mother with a demon egg. So, that his child could bare the witchblade. Fuura also says the reason they feed on him is that he tortured and used them as lab rats so they are now punishing him for it. Fuura then turns into a large butterfly like deamon and begin to attack a now stocked Takeru. Takeru's grandmother shields her only to get stabbed by Fuura bringing Takeru our of her shock and she begin to fight Fuura. 

Meanwhile, Sakurai realizes that Mason only wants to use the witchblade as a weapon. he is on him way to Japan with a whole naval feat. As Takeru and Fuura fight, Mason deploys an airstrike on to the village. Kou now is feeling useless because he can not help Takeru. He realizes the demon half of Takeru has also been skin grafted into his hand, after an accident that happened a few years ago, is now reacting and turning his arm into a demon hand. Bombs begin to drop on the village, Fuura realizing that the demons have lost, cradles Gakura as they are consumed by flames. Saying "That is was all just a dream" as she cries. 

Takeru realizes that her grandmother has been killed in the airstrike and then disappears as a bomb drops near here. Takeru goes after Mason on the navy ships. She takes out each ship one by one till she finds Mason. Kou and Sakurai fly after her in a helicopter. Kou says he will do anything for Takeru he doesn't care what happens to him self. Kou and Sakurai find Takeru in the wreck of the ship. Kou jumps down to her. She begs him to kill her. Because the witchblade has begun to consume her and she is becoming less and less of her self. Insted of killing her Kou cuts off her arm that the witchblade has attached to. She thanks him shedding tears of joy.

One year later, Kou and Ayaka, a friend of theirs who has no idea what happened, take Takeru to her grandmother's grave. Takeru is now in a vegetative state, because the only way the witchblade could come off was with Takeru's death. Since it came off before that it has left her in such a state. Kou has hope for the future and will never leave her side. 

I really liked this manga. It was short but had a great story and good characters. They weren't over the top or unrealistic. They acted like people not some made up thing that you see in some many comics and comic books. I liked that there was drama but again nothing to over the top and it fit very well with in the world that was made. A full complete package for me. I do have one problem with this manga. One teeny tiny problem. How much boobs, butt, and va-jaja there is every were. There are random pantie shots that do not need to be there. I know exactly what kind of underwear most of the female characters are wearing. Now I am not going to go into the over sexulization of woman or how much this is over used in comics world wide at this point.

But it's as if this comic can not go with out 5 pages with out at least a boob or butt or pantie shot. There is even witchblade va-jaja at one point. I understand that the target audience is teen boys or gay women but come on. I am a bi woman and I like a nice set of boob or a good butt as any. It kinda of takes away from the story. No, it does take away from the story. Now if the story wasn't as good or that was the main point of the story it would be different. "The story wasn't the good but at least I got some boobs" would be what this review would say. But, it's not the case. Also, when ever Takeru goes into witchblade form her hips and boobs become more shapely and pronounced. Her lips even get more full and pouty, they even get bright red lipstick. She is a high school student draw her as such! She looks like a woman in her late 20's or early 30's. Just head desk on that front. Over and over, head to desk.

Any who, moving on, the demons are really sympathetic characters. They eat humans because that is their food. If their food was oranges they would eat that and it would be a war with farmers not demon hunters.They were made put into a world of pain and suffering and now they have no place of their own. I would be a little pissed of too. 

Also, on the boob topic, when Fuura goes into her full form there are not boobs or butt for her. Only Takeru gets that. Earlier there was boob from her in her kimono, but not during her fight with Takeru. I just found it odd. That only one character was given the boob butt treatment. 

Over all I really liked this one. I definitively give it a Shiny Gem rating. I will definitively watch the anime that came from this manga. 

~^.^