BLEACH
Genre: Adventure, Supernatural
Studio: Pierrot
Hello my friends.
I am still working on the Part II of my Own Reflections of this fantastic anime that means so much for me, for I enjoyed it in during some of my best years – Inuyasha. I am still eager to watch the first episode of:
But, due to chance, I was checking the catalog of Crunchyroll, and then I saw that another sweet story was released, and that story is…
So, then, I decided to take a little break from everything related to Inuyasha, and give some time to another of those anime that absolutely had an impact on me, unlike any other, except for Inuyasha. And again, the title says it all.
For me, talking about Bleach is like talking about many elements that helped me shape my vision about narrative and character development. I know it sounds very odd coming from a shonen anime, but I am looking forward to explain this feeling in the following entry.
And of course, it comes then the typical questions:
Are you guys feeling ok? Healthy and happy?
If the answer is yes, then I am happy. Now, into the review.
PREMISE
Based on the beautiful manga written and illustrated by Tite Kubo, Bleach tells the story of Ichigo Kurosaki, a 15-year-old high schooler that, since he was a child, has the special ability to see ghosts and spirits; one day, he meets a very strange-looking girl wearing miko clothes, called Rukia Kuchiki, who claims to be a Shinigami and hunts evil spirits that can kill humans, known as Hollow. Shortly after their encounter, Rukia and Ichigo are forced to fight one of these Hollows; and despite winning, Ichigo «steals» Rukia’s Shinigami Force, something that makes him a Substitute Shinigami and hunts Hollows.
That leads him to know the Soul Society and meet many fascinating characters, both Shinigamis and Hollows, along with other Human World residents, including Orihime Inoue, Yasutora «Chad» Sado, and the Quincy, Uryu Ishida; all of them with their own powers and personalities.
Kubo published Bleach from August 7, 2001 to August 22, 2016; shortly, he started publishing Burn The Witch, as some spin-off of Bleach, first as a one-shot manga, and then as a mainstream work. Furthermore, Studio Pierrot animates Bleach. I must confess that when I discovered this last fact, I was surprised. I simply couldn’t believe that Pierrot was the one behind Bleach, but some time after watching both Naruto and Black Clover, I finally convinced myself about that fact.
Finally, Shiro Sagisu composes the soundtrack. Do you know what other anime he composed? Neon Genesis Evangelion. Of course. That’s why I spent hours listening to the soundtrack.
STORY
Before I start, there is a funny trivia about Bleach. At the beginning, Weekly Shonen Jump rejected Bleach, because its plot has some similarities with Yu Yu Hakusho, so Tite Kubo desisted of his idea, but after receiving a letter from Akira Toriyama, praising his work, Kubo tried again and again, until Bleach was finally published.
As a whole, and for those Bleach fans, the manga has many story arcs, including The Substitute Arc; Soul Society Entry Arc, Soul Society Rescue Arc, The Arrancar Arc; The Thousand-Year War arc among others. Of course I am not going to talk about all of these arcs, because it will take time, and, unfortunately, Bleach has the same problem as Naruto, it has so many unnecessary filler arcs.
But despite this gigantic flaw, Bleach, as a story, has an impressive quality; it is constantly developing. What do you mean by this? Simple. Every new arc expands everything the previous one established in terms of story and characters. Of course, except for some fillers. During the first arc, after the encounter between Ichigo and Rukia, Bleach takes good care of his narrative, mixing world-building, character development, with some of the best fights scenes in anime, probably not as flamboyant as Gurren Lagann, or as psychologically intense as in Death Note, but they are well choreographed, and have a lot of substance. What do I mean by this? That the emotions of the characters are present in many of the fights, and sometimes, like in the Arrancar Arc, these fights are symbol of a previous tragedy that one of our characters must face once and for all.
Those who are well-aware of the fight between Ichigo and Byakuya Kuchiki, will know what I am talking about.
Furthermore, the animations is pretty fluid. Well. That’s nothing to be surprised about, since it is Studio Pierrot we are talking about; they are heaps of experiences regarding fighting scenes. And colour palette gives some uniqueness for the settings. I.e. Hueco Mundo.
And Soul Society.
And this is just the world in which Bleach takes place. So imagine the rest.
The best for you, regarding the story, is to follow it one episode at the time, so you will fully understand how the world of Bleach works. But for me… How do I explain it? Every time Rukia, or Uryuu, or Yoruichi introduces us in every new concept of the Soul Society, or Shinigami, or anything, they are straight forward, no digressing. And this small fact is very important for me, because it taught me the importance of keep developing, to get your story to new grounds, and never to stop taking your narrative toward other places, as long as you acknowledge what you did before, it is all good.
CHARACTERS
For me, Bleach has some of the best characters in anime history. Ichigo Kurosaki has a pretty interesting backstory, one in which he can delightfully see that balance between a pretty serious-looking hero, and an altruistic personality that makes him a balanced, compelling hero. And he evolves through training and knowledge, and we relate with him straight away. The same goes for Rukia Kuchiki; we see her, fighting, suffering, growing, and having her own story. An event of such a wingspan that it even gets us.
The same happens with Orihime, Chad.
And Uryu. The way he introduces us to the Quincy is so interesting i think we immediately root for him too.
And finally…
SPOILER ALERT – I think Sosuke Aizen is one of the best villains in anime history. He is so unpredictable, so powerful and so terrifyingly resourceful you, at some point, will think he will win. Seriously, every time I saw this guy, I was shaking in fear. And let’s not forget about Gin Ichimaru.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, there are so many great things to say about Bleach; it is definitely one of the greatest anime of the 21st century, and a great member of the Shonen world. Definitely I will recommend it to anyone, even those who are not anime fans.
Trust me. Everything is worth the time. And I hope that this entry perfectly serves as my personal love letter to both Bleach and Tite Kubo.
And next time, join me, because I am gonna BURN THE WITCH (LOL)
Sorry. I know it was a terrible joke.
Jainituos Presents 