Reviews Bleach (Anime Review)

Name - Bleach (Anime Version)

Creator/Studio - Studio Pierrot

Type - Anime

Style/Genre - Action/Comedy/Drama

Number Episodes/Volumes - 66+

Is it complete? - No

Format the Anime was viewed - Fansubs

Brief Description of Anime/Manga - Kurosaki Ichigo would have been your run of the mill Japanese high school student/punk. Everyday he goes to classes (kick some *ss), walks home (get his *ss kicked), opens the front door (get his *ss kicked by his insane dad and equally mental sisters), eats, does his homework, and goes to bed.

Except that Ichigo can see dead people... A lot of dead people.

He makes Cole Sear from 6th Sense look like Dickie Roberts.

But that doesn't seem to bother him any. More often than not he goes out of his way to help the dead, doing what he can to help them move on. For a while everything seems to be going fine and the teenage 6th Sense prodigy does his best to live a normal life.

Until he meets a ghost being chased by something big... something nasty, something Ichigo had never seen before. Before the two of them were consumed a figure leaps out of nowhere, wielding nothing more than a traditional Samurai sword, dressed in a black kimono with matching Hakama (Pants). Deftly combating the giant aberration she drives it away before disappearing herself.

The woman dressed in black re-appears again that night, stepping through a solid wall in his bedroom, revealing herself to be one Kuchiki Rukia, a Shinigami- Death God. Her purpose was to guide lost souls to heaven (Or Soul Society) and destroy souls who have lost their way and become monsters bent on consuming other souls, known as Hollows. The demon thing Ichigo had encountered earlier was one such Hollow.

And in timely fashion the monster shows up once again on Ichigo's doorstep. Rukia falls in battle this time, and as the Hollow begins attacking Ichigo's family (who is completely clueless as to what exactly is going on) she turns to him for help. Plunging her blade (Called a Soul Slayer, or Zanpakuto) into him, she transfers her powers as a Death God to him, and in a flash of light Ichigo finds himself wearing the same outfit as Rukia, wielding a massive Soul Slayer as tall as he is.

Vanquishing the Hollow Ichigo finds that, quite suddenly, everything has changed. He's just become an interim Death God, tasked with taking up Rukia's slack. Until she can figure out how to get her Death God powers back from Ichigo (or recharge her own) there's no way she can return home to Soul Society. Haplessly thrown into this, Ichigo's adventures have only begun to start...

Animation - 8/10 - Clean and crisp, with interesting art and character design, Bleach is a pleasure to watch. It's not as flashy or as stylish as some of the other Anime out there, but then again it doesn't need to be.

Voice Actors - 8/10 - All well done. Ichigo reflects the badass, High school punk he was born to be, Rukia; the irritable Shinigami, Chad, Orihime and Ishida all match their characters well. Conversations are smooth and natural and don't seem forced.

Music - 9/10 - I love the soundtrack to this series. The opening and closing songs are a pleasure to listen to rocking out fluidly, doing a great job of getting one pumped for the show. The actual in show music (used to enhance the mood or action) is even more brilliant. It's catchy and works very well. I love it.

Storyline - 10/10 - Excellent, excellent plot. Ichigo is always evolving, almost like DBZ, but unlike the said Anime his evolutions seen natural, and he only gains power and strength after overcoming a task or learning a lesson about him and his Soul Slayer. The series has a whole starts out with a rather generic story line, that picks up considerably after Ichigo meets Ishida Uryuu (a Quincy- A sworn enemy of the Death Gods). With the introduction of Kuchiki Byakuya, everything spirals wonderfully out of control and the true plot behind Bleach comes out.

There are times when it feels like watching Naruto or DBZ (5 tons of buildup for 5 pounds of fighting), however each fight is satisfying and well played out, and there's never any excessive buildup. Great battles tend to last several episodes, especially with Ichigo involved, but they never seem forced or over played. This is a first because even though Naruto tries to 'play' like this it falls short, and DBZ failed miserably at this aspect. All the battles work with the storyline and, for the most part, are essential to the plot, and never too excessive.

Characters - 9/10 - I'm in love with the characters themselves. They are well thought out, neither too powerful or too weak, and always just right for the situation. There are a plethora of characters on both Earth and Soul Society, each one is individualistic, driven by their own motives. Cookie cutter characters are few and far between which is pleasant for an anime of this size. Each character (from the lowly Shinigami Lieutenants to the powerful Captains, to each of Ichigo's companions and beyond) has a different ability or power associated with their persona. The Shinigami's powers very depending on their Soul Slayer and its skills, while the abilities of Ichigo's group vary depending on their own Spirit Energy. Some are lackluster (Orihime's is mind numbingly retarded, yet useful in it's own warped sense), but most are refreshingly varied and each powerful in their own sense. In essence, there are as many different abilities in Bleach as there are different Characters, which is quite impressive indeed.

The supporting cast is strong, though not as dynamic as in Samurai Champloo. They serve their purpose well, adding much more to the story than they take away.

Overall - 9/10 - Bleach is an excellent romp through Earth and Soul Society, with strong, clever characters, more abilities and powers than you could shake a stick at. Ichigo is a natural badass, who fills his role perfectly. The music and plot are top notch, both keeping you drawn in and excited from one episode to the next. The animation and voice actors give the world of Bleach a rich atmosphere and make it a thoroughly enjoyable experience. From where I stand now, the world of Bleach is still getting into full swing, which means there's much, much more left to enjoy. Ichigo's troubles are only just beginning.

Opinions - What more is there to say? Bleach is a hell of a lotta fun to watch. Everyone from Kon to Old Man Zangetsu are fun, instrumental characters giving great shape and volume to the Bleach universe. None of this is even mentioning the fact that Ichigo's Soul Slayer, in all its shapes and forms, is ridiculously huge, and wonderfully powerful. This is a highly recommended Anime. Watch as a regular human with a lot of spirit energy, becomes a full, blown Shinigami, throwing the world of the Elites in Soul Society upside down. If you like action and adventure with a strong, dynamic story line, Bleach will fill your plate just fine. It's not complete, but as of Episode 62/63, it's found an acceptable stopping point that leaves the viewer satisfied, yet yearning for more. Bleach is everything Naruto falls short with, and everything DBZ wishes it could be.

And hey, not once did anyone scream the name of their attack and stick a random multiple behind it (Explosive Soul Strike x 10Billion!!!OMGWTFl337H@|2|)c0|23!!!11LOLOLOLO).

Powerful characters, an excellent plot, and an edgy sense of humor, Bleach is sure to please. As of this writing the Anime has not been licensed by any US companies yet, and there are a plethora of Fansubbers out there, greedily pumping out episode after episode.

Based on the Manga series by Tite Kubo, Manga licensed in the US by VIZ Media.

Detergent will never be the same again.

~W

 

You beet me to it and did a fine job at it. Excellent.

 

Its really good. Nice job starring out the a**es. lol. Nice description.......its.....descriptive.

 

Nice job, mate. Keep up these amazing reviews.