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Jul 19, 2008 12:44 AM
#1
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Sep 2007
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THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE.
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I was very disappointed. The whole series was great, but I expected more from the finale. Still a very good anime though.
Oct 3, 2008 2:24 PM
#2

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Jan 2008
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I actually felt a tear drop when this ended. It started out decent, and I wasn't sure if I was going to like it or not, but in the end it was really nice, and I'm glad I did.
I reject your reality, and substitute my own.
Oct 24, 2008 4:54 AM
#3
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Jun 2008
2
I really loved the ending! It wasnt all teary & sobby at the end, like I thought it would be..it was a great finale..
Nov 30, 2008 8:34 PM
#4
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I liked how it ended and I liked the series as a whole.
Dec 9, 2008 1:40 PM
#5

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Aug 2008
2537
Great End! As I always say the death of a impolrtant character must be huge! Mainly in the end of the series! The final battle was incredible! I adored!
Apr 7, 2009 9:48 AM
#6

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Dec 2008
983
that was a great anime. the anime as a whole very much deserves an 8/10, and the pisode 5/5. T.T
Jul 4, 2009 5:19 AM
#7
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Feb 2008
418
The Witchblade degeneration thing seemed kinda random, I mean I can understand the clones going through it since they were clones but the original too? and the whole I Weapon surge seemed stupid as well. I mean if they were drawn to her couldn't we have gotten a helicopter to extract Masane away from Tokyo and too some point where they could've set a trap for the following I weapons? In terms of resources Wadou would've been sure to give Takayama anything he wanted.

The final confrontation with Maria and co. felt tacked on too. It was ok and I definitely see potential for a sequel (I want to know why Riko was so damn compatabile with the Witchblade) but it was a bit of a mess towards the end.
Aug 1, 2009 2:10 PM
#8

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Oct 2008
16
Truly enjoyed this series from beginning to end. It was truly worthy of my time. I would want a sequel but that might be to much to ask. Overall 8/10
Aug 13, 2009 1:02 PM
#9

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Apr 2009
1418
A good anime overall... well ok the characters felt a bit out of it sometimes and there were a few things that needed some more screentime or even a completely different execution, not to mention that the OPs were abysmal... but other than that it was still a good series... Masane was a nice character and the ending was touching indeed.
Oct 29, 2009 1:27 PM
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Oct 2009
1
sob sob....
Nov 22, 2009 7:09 PM

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Oct 2008
207
It felt like most of the second half was really going down hill... You had a terrible opening and Maria as a main villain felt extremely forced. However, the last three episodes really picked up and improved the series as a whole. I felt quite satisfied with this ending.
Jan 31, 2010 1:58 AM

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Oct 2007
3811
The ending is great. Having Masane die makes it a good ending since it would suck if the heroine just kept on living.

Loved the series. It's sad, but yet so comforting at the same time.

The characters are great.
Mar 4, 2010 8:44 PM

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Mar 2008
33
T^Tmasamune!!!
................ ゆっくりしていってね!!!......................
Mar 13, 2010 3:22 AM

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Sep 2008
4406
I liked it but is just felt so lacking, and the story just had some massive gaping holes in it.

First of all they never even explain what the Witch Blade is, they never say where it came from, who created it or what it's purpose is, all we know is it's a pointlessly powerful weapon that serves absolutely no purpose what so ever.


Second is How was Masane even able to destroy it, no other users where able to and didn't seem like she did any thing special.

Third, Why did it even pick Masane? why didn't it just pick Rihoko right away while she was a baby? it was dormant on Masane for 6 years and even still tried to jump to Rihoko while she was in the car so what was the point of going to Masane?

Also the ending was so abrupt, it could have benefited greatly from an Epilogue. I dunno it feels like this was canceled or some thing and they had to think up an ending as soon as possible.
It doesn't think, it doesn't feel, it doesn't laugh or cry..... All it does from dusk till dawn is make the soldiers die.
Jul 13, 2010 7:21 AM

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May 2009
41
i agree with Jigero it would nice if they explained a few more things about the witchblade or if they would have made an OVA like ep 4.5 or someware around there when all the action hasent started yet but not to late in the season to give a explanation about it.

The ending was one of a kind i havent seen an ending like this in a while would like to see more EDs like this but can't have all the mains die at the end. here agian i agree with Jigero i would love to know how she destoryed the blade. dunow guess i will take a quick glance at the manga. overall i think this gets a 7 of 10 it was a good animation but i think there were a few bumps along in the story that didn't need to be there.
Aug 3, 2010 10:57 AM

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Mar 2010
55897
great anime if there werent so many other anime to watch i would probly rewatch this one. Bring back a lot of old memories. Ending is great overall i really enjoyed this series.

Behold of my awesomeness~
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But my feels.
Sep 16, 2010 1:00 PM
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Dec 2009
1877
*manly tears*
Nov 14, 2010 11:11 AM

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Jan 2010
381
I would have like this anime better if she didnt have to die at the end. I really hate when the character you get attached too dies. It made for a good ending though. I gave it a 8/10 and this eo gets a 4/5.
A man who knows nothing and says something IS the dumbest person alive. A man who knows something and says nothing could possibly be the smartest person in the world -Unknown

Nov 15, 2010 1:21 AM

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Jul 2010
50
anotehr anime that has a good ending which will be in my memory for years to come
Nov 18, 2010 12:15 PM

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Oct 2009
3296
Sucks that she had to die but yet pretty satisfying except a epilogue would have been great.
The series overall was very good it had a few plot holes like Jigero said.
And i would have definitely loved a OVA explaining some of the unanswered questions, well that would be impossible i guess since this doesn't follow either the manga or the comic ;..;

8(.5)/10 from me
Dec 6, 2010 7:35 PM
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Feb 2009
178
DeathReaper said:
Sucks that she had to die but yet pretty satisfying except a epilogue would have been great.
However, she died in the most fucking awesome way imaginable. Rihoko felt happy knowing that her mom, the most loving mom in the world, saved Tokyo, and she is now the daughter of the calm, good-mooded Takayama, probably living with Naoomi, Mariko, Michael, Tozawa and the old guy.

And most importantly: no more fucking Witchblade for who knows how long. At the very least, as much time as the centuries that lie between Pezzini and Masane.

Witchblade was great, the whole series is great, the anime proved to be better than the comic, and one more awesome series goes to the completed list!
Jan 30, 2011 6:24 PM

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Dec 2008
4878
akari92 said:
sob sob....

^ +1
Feb 8, 2011 1:21 AM

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Oct 2008
196
Definitely a fair end in my book. I knew she was gonna pass and they didn't do anything funny to keep that from happening. She never lost her sense of motherly love for Rihoko and I enjoyed that.

I won't think to much about small details because it'll ruin the ending if I start complaining about stuff. What I saw, was a good story. :]

Apr 12, 2011 11:09 PM
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Jul 2009
531
hmm.. did they ever explain why those people got weird feelings whenever they were around Rihoko?

Like that old man she met in the park/tower center thing. He was like: "What is this feeling?!" And he reverted back to normal and sat and ate lunch with her.
Then her mom had that weird feeling too, when they were sitting down at the table or something.

Did she have some type of power?
Jun 23, 2011 4:55 PM

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Sep 2008
1700
Loved the series as a whole, and even though the end was sufficiently "satisfying" I still felt like it was missing something... Can't put my finger on what, though. I think I would've liked a little bit more background on what the Witchblade is, why it exists, and why it ended up on Masane in the first place... Hmm maybe a little bit more background info on a lot of things would have been nice, but they wouldn't have been able to fit the series into twenty-four episodes then, I imagine.

Altogether, a great and very enjoyable series. So glad I took my friend up on his recommendation and wasn't turned away by weird body proportions [i.e. Masane's pointlessly huge chest] at first.
DeathReaper said:
And i would have definitely loved a OVA explaining some of the unanswered questions, well that would be impossible i guess since this doesn't follow either the manga or the comic ;..;

8(.5)/10 from me

I think this is an 8.5 by me, too.
Aug 31, 2011 5:18 PM

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Aug 2011
96
A sequel or OVA would be the best, maybe somehow magically she came back with that shell out of no where ;p I liked how all the characters ended up except for Masane.

9/10
Sep 21, 2011 7:28 PM

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Jan 2011
2858
Great show I wish they explained why Masane woke up near the baby Riko never the less it gets a 10/10 in my book. Masane is the epitome of motherly love. I'm glad I decided to give this anime a shot.

Now listening to the OP2 "Dear bob" makes me cry T-T they should of did a epilogue with that song.
[center]
Sep 22, 2011 6:17 PM

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Jun 2007
2253
As much as I LOVED the characterisation and how, in spite of the erotic costumes/breathing, Witchblade turned out to be a tasteful show about the bond shared between a mother and her child, the ending did bug me a fair bit. I'll never understand how Masane was able to make herself - along with her small army of adoring tanks - vanish into thin air. The Witchblade was meant to be indestructible, yet a person without much thinking power was able to come up with the perfect solution, at the last?... I'm not buying it.

Gonzo's writers NAILED Masane and Rihoko's characters. A better job could not have been done of showing how much the two loved each other, and seeing Rihoko reverse mothering her mother throughout the series was amusing. And an equally impressive job was done of making Takayama into a very human, very likable character as he fell in love with Masane, before discovering he was a daddy.

...but there's no denying that the story wasn't explained at all well. Why would a supernatural gauntlet of power desire to fight easily destroyed undead tanks? Why didn't it make Masane fight in the six years prior to her going back to Tokyo?... IT DIDN'T MAKE ANY SENSE! I'm willing to overlook many of the plot issues because of the series being an excellent character-driven drama, disguised as some sort of perverted fighting anime, but it does have its problems.

When I first watched it, I 8.5/10'd it; 9/10ing it on MAL. I'm keeping my rating as is. It's a flawed but still very underrated gem of a series.
Sep 23, 2011 8:37 PM
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Oct 2009
6
^^^MYYYY nigga Aironically Human offers some quality insight and he comes off as a realest , BUT he gave the show a 9 of 10 and that if just wrong. Anyone else notice how they just bounce Reina her Riko's biological mother and nobody cared (I guess it suited the plot) but they try to emphasize the importance of her gaining a relationship with her father. No shows perfect but there are some questions that demand answer which have been addressed by others except a couple. She was in the center of a earthquake and survived not only to find a baby but proof it was her's with her. It was'nt the witchblade that protect her riko and the maternity diary, the thing was'nt with her til afterwards. Why did Reina take the witchblade to start with and not put it directly on riko or herself ? maybe they answered that but I don't thinks so, they just posed the question.
Sep 24, 2011 7:35 PM

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Jun 2007
2253
Eh, my 9/10 is an 8.5 leaning towards 9/10. I'm a characters>story type of guy, and the characters were as wonderfully explored as the story wasn't. That's all there is to it.

Reina wasn't ever compatible with the Witchblade. The true host was the baby she had growing inside her. This was explained to Masane around halfway through the story. You could still argue that, if the Witchblade chose a random passerby as its temp host until Rihoko matured, it could have just stayed with the biological mother... I assume she never attempted to bond with it and/or the Witchblade wouldn't accept her, if she had tried.

Even though Reina was Rihoko's true mother, they didn't have that sort of bond. In Rihoko's eyes, her mother was Masane and that was that. It's little surprise neither party were shown to be emotional over her passing... but, yeah: the series could have done with a scene showing the two with sad faces, or something.

The father's role was more important because A) that role had always been vacant and B) around the time the truth came out, Masane needed someone to step-in to take over custody of Rihoko since she didn't have long left to live.

...Oh, and the maternity diary found near to Masane was probably in the suitcase with the Witchblade inside. That explains why the maternity diary would be there as evidence to suggest Masane was Rihoko's biological mother.
Oct 22, 2011 3:12 AM
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Jan 2011
8
NeosVigilante said:
A sequel or OVA would be the best, maybe somehow magically she came back with that shell out of no where ;p I liked how all the characters ended up except for Masane.

9/10


An OVA would be awesome. Very disappointed that Masane died, but then again, I don't really like any shows/anime where the main characters die. Other than that, it was a great anime. Can't believe it took me so long to pick it up.

Great anime, jus wish it ended better
LexiumOct 22, 2011 3:24 AM
Jan 2, 2012 11:15 PM

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Jul 2011
847
I liked the ending, but I agree with a lot of what's been said about some rather large gaping plot holes. I am all for the characters/development and this anime certainly had a mother/daughter relationship that is unrivaled. This saved the show completely, but even with that I can't justify giving it above a 7/10 as the story just wasn't there and there were to many unanswered questions. And not the kind that are put in on purpose for people to interpret.

Jan 15, 2012 3:28 AM
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Aug 2011
550
I am bad at accepting bittersweet endings. That being said I think this was the best outcome for the story they had placed. I just had to see such a beautiful family broken up. Sigh...
Mar 20, 2012 6:02 AM

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91
I'm surprised how satisfying the ending turned out to be. I figured Masane would die but she died in a way that felt meaningful instead of cheap. I'm impressed Masane managed to use the immense power of the Witchblade to save Tokyo instead of destroying it. It's unclear if she succeeded in destroying the Witchblade or simply turned it back into a gauntlet so it couldn't bond to Rihiko. I'm also glad that even though Rihiko is without a mother she still has a family to take care of her. Would an epilogue have been nice? Yes, but I'm okay with the series ending on that note to let the viewers interpret how things will proceed after the end. It also helps that I have the special DVDs with the booklets that help explain Gonzo's take on this adaptation of Witchblade. ^_^;

There are still some large plot holes left unanswered but the overall strength of the series outweighs the negatives. Not sure if I'd call it one of my absolute favorite series of all time but it was really good and worth watching again. For my personal score I'm giving this series an 8/10. Not the deepest series around, it might throw potential viewers off with the large amounts of fan service and it is filled with plot holes at times. Nevertheless, it's classy, the characters are easy to care about and it is emotionally touching. Now I'm really glad that I scooped up those DVDs (with the silver slipcases, artwork by Top Cow comic artists and insert booklets with Gonzo staff interviews) for $40 a few years ago.



On a final note: I'm also extremely satisfied with Nishima's and Father's deaths. Nishima was so blinded by her research on the Witchblade that she didn't see the tank coming that crushed her, and Father was just pathetic in the end with his mother complex and all. Those are two characters I didn't mind see going. A pity Wadou didn't go with them (unless he jumped in the final episode?) but he's effectively ruined. Good stuff.
silver_huskeyMar 20, 2012 6:08 AM
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Mar 20, 2012 12:06 PM

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Jan 2012
1981
Nishima's death = win

Pretty so-so anti-climatic ending for me (very predictable also), but I was immersed in this series from start to finish. Very well done anime. 8/10 from me.

But then again, you really can't go wrong with boobs + butts + Mamiko Noto :D

OVA going back to earthquake events would be nice for sure

Lastly, does anyone else bother by the lack of variety in clothing, especially Masamune's casual clothes? I swear she wears the same outfit in every episode, even after she went cloth shopping very early on. I usually don't give a crap about these things, but it's kind of a shame to see such sexy body not being utilize to its fullest potential. :P
Mar 21, 2012 6:53 AM

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Mar 2009
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flaxman85 said:

Lastly, does anyone else bother by the lack of variety in clothing, especially Masamune's casual clothes? I swear she wears the same outfit in every episode, even after she went cloth shopping very early on. I usually don't give a crap about these things, but it's kind of a shame to see such sexy body not being utilize to its fullest potential. :P


To be honest, not really. Besides, the cutting edge fashion Masane sported while wearing the Witchblade left little to the imagination. (Hah! Don't hurt me for the bad pun, I couldn't resist.) Then again, I wasn't particularly interested in Masane's uh, impressive assets to begin with. I mean that as a female viewer in her late twenties. But the bleach and formal party episodes were a cool change of pace. Masane was stunning in that gown, cute in her bikini and lovely in her yukata. As for the lack of clothing change, I guess I see it so much in Western animation that it doesn't bother me if a character wears the same clothes everyday.
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Jul 26, 2012 4:01 PM

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Jul 2011
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Dang, after around the 20th episode, you sorta knew how the ending was going to play out. Loved the mother-daughter relationship throughout the show! The end brought some tears, and it was a terrific way to conclude. Masane's many sacrifices was really touching TvT

ALL OF MY EMOTIONS
"It is the emptiness that make the stars bright."

"If you've known pain and hardship, it is easier to be kind to others."
Jan 28, 2013 2:42 AM

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Jul 2009
740
i really enjoyed the series. great ending. the series could have been better but i really don't have any complaints to find it not satisfying. I feel like they could have done more, but maybe they were avoiding clashing with the original comic.
Feb 21, 2013 8:11 PM

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Dec 2012
188
Just finished the series and... well I have to give it a 10/10. The mother daughter relationship portrayed in this anime is so full love, yet so believable, you can't help but become attached to the characters. Masane easily made my favorites list with the way she handled her inevitable death. The anime held my interest every episode, and the ending was nothing short of fantastic. I wouldn't change a thing, it's great just the way it is.
Mar 5, 2013 7:32 PM

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Jul 2011
3028
Well I would have said that I loved this anime fully, but I'd be lying. yes I love all the characters, even the perverted old man, and the story. But I don't like anime where the main character dies. so like wtf, that left a knot in my throat and I wasn't very happy with the ending. I enjoyed 99% of the series, but that last bit left me unsatisfied.

Also, everybody is like oh yeah she died. But I don't see her dying. I only see her, not there, anymore. It is possible that instead of disintegrated, she could've just disappeared, and appeared somewhere else. Perhaps the future! lol.
Anyways that's how hopeful I am. So yes, I am hoping that she didn't actually die, like everyone else thinks. But I guess that kind of ending leaves it to the viewer's imagination.
So there you go, she didn't die. She'll appear later on, somehow. With the witchblade still in tact. yup.

ok, then. good show.
Apr 2, 2013 3:43 PM

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Feb 2012
2688
I wasn't expecting much from the series hell I even found most of the first half of the series kinda boring but the second half really got me. Maybe I'm just a sucker for parent/child stories.
Sep 9, 2013 8:14 PM
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Sep 2013
1
Oh well, this was so sad, at some point we all knew Masane was going to die, but I have no idea if she died along with the witchblade, that was her plan but it happened? I hope it did.
Nov 22, 2013 2:13 AM
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Aug 2011
7280
That was a good ending.
I was going to rage so hard if Masamune stayed alive in the end because that would have been the biggest pile of bullshit ever. Thankfuly that didn't happen.

On the other hand I don't think the series overall was good.
It just feels like there were so many tings that could have been expanded more.
Dec 10, 2013 1:13 PM

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Sep 2012
31
A lot of stuff came up so suddenly but oh well I didn't expect much in the first place. Turned out this Anime was actually really good, it was a good show overall.
One day I'm going to discover who I am. I'm not looking forward to that day.
Jan 16, 2015 5:24 PM
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Dec 2013
280
Awesome ending! I really think the last episode may have been the best one.
Feb 1, 2015 3:26 AM

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May 2008
390
Great show! The final arc was so sad... *sob sob*
May 26, 2015 11:55 PM
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May 2015
2
I think authors leave it to us to guess if Masane died or not. Here is my reasoning:
Actually in series there was no 100% confidence that Witchblade kills its owner (as it was with all cloneblade bearers), it was only Takayama's assumption.
Also I think there's something special about these moments:
1) Numerous flashbacks of the dead Lady, the final one aids Masane in killing distracted Maria;
2) Riko's last present for her mom: unknown origin of that bottle pendant; also what was the fluid inside of it? (i wonder if it actually was the special gift from the Lady to her daughter);
3) Slight heartbeat sound and weird glow of that small bottle during the collapse (if that really was it) of the Witchblade;
4) Probably the fact that Witchblade just releases by generating great amount of light, not by changing its owner to the highly compatible Riko who is actually standing nearby.
bmxseshMay 27, 2015 12:54 AM
Jun 24, 2015 2:20 AM
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Nov 2014
98
The bottle was filled with sand with the shell that Riko found for her and her mom to always be close while at the beach- unless you mean something else I missed.

In terms of the ending and heartbeat, I believe it was a show of love and a way of basically converting them all into "souls" or some free flowing entity with no more physically form, evidenced when a light turns into the shell. The bottle glowing represents the love she was about to release, and in doing so she neutralized the witchblade as well.

My take of it anyways. Great series 8/10
Aug 14, 2015 7:36 PM

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Jan 2013
2685
Don't understand why people are saying it was a good ending, she was forced to wear the Witchblade(still don't know how she got it on her in the first place) and then dies leaving her loved ones behind. It was touching but they really should of made it so she lived. A lot better series then I expected though so 8/10.
Dec 14, 2015 7:45 PM
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Apr 2010
5
shocking, how many people liked this ending. so much left unexplained.

where did the witchblade come from?

why did she have it? why did it choose her? how did it choose her daughter as a successor?

how was she somehow able to destroy it in the end? hasnt it survived for millennia?

why did rihoko the daughter have the ability to cause degeneration? what did that even mean anyway?

how were the i-weapons in need of mothers? that literally makes no sense and just seems like a way of tying in maria's story with the rest of the ex-cons/i-weapons, which were sex-driven/pleasure-driven if anything...

lastly, we dont get told what happens to everyone.

it just ends abruptly, leaving many plot lines unfinished...

really good show, but what a garbage ending. granted, the episode had great music and some rather delayed-gratification fight scenes, yet there's no excuse to leave everyone hanging on the origins of the witchblade, why it did what it did, especially when half the show is thematically centered around the suspense and thrill of trying to uncover what the witchblade is, why it exists, how it works, and why everyone is after it/what they are up to...

6/10.

the overall show, 8/10, bordering 7.5, because it's really just not forgivable to end it like that. we knew she was going to die, so the whole build-up is supposed to be about uncovering what's going on. instead we just get another 'pleasure-rush' and we're meant to let it die out just like she does. inexplicably, with little actual arousal, just sad regrets. how disappointing.
vexiumDec 14, 2015 7:48 PM
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