Bleach Review from Update 6/1/14

Hey guys! Thanks for being so patient for this review. I was thinking that I was going to have to post this review with the next update but I was feeling inspired and actually had the ability to do it.

Enjoy!

This was my first big show after finished the 103 Episode D. Gray-Man. I know I have talked about this before but my first experience with Bleach was a commentary video about funny moments in anime or something like that. He was talking about how long it took to save Rukia (almost 3 seasons!) The guy then showed the Rescue scene where Ichigo throws Rukia to Renji. I loved it and wanted to watch the show, but I forgot about it....

A couple months later I was watching Cartoon Network because they had been playing a movie I wanted to watch and after it finished I left the TV on for background noise as I wrote. Toonami started and I got to see Bleach. An episode from season 12, so the summer of 2011. I though it looked really cool so I started to watch the series on YouTube (I was at work when I decided I wanted to watch it) and managed to watch the first four episodes in English. It wasn't until 2 months later that I watched the entire 366 episodes on Hulu (I finished the series shortly after it ended in Japan). When I finished I started to read the manga and I am now up to date. I love this series and even if I didn't cram watch it like I did with Naruto & Fairy Tail, I was certainly impressed. 

You're probably wondering what this has to do with reviewing. I just wanted to explain my history with Bleach a bit before I go into it. 

Bleach is a story about 15-year-old Ichigo Kurosaki. For the most part the story, up until the time skip, takes place over the course of half a year to a year. The first season is a whole 2 months or so. Ichigo and Rukia clicked instantly. While most people say this is COMPLETELY ridiculous and there is no way they would bond that fast...I beg to differ. My best friend and I met shortly after the start of our junior year and within months we were as thick as thieves. So their relationship is probable.

The second and third season happens over the course of summer break. The big fight against Aizen takes place over the winter months. It is actually a surprise Ichigo made it through the first year of high school because of the months he was gone. 

The most irritating thing about the anime is ALL the fillers. There are whole seasons of fillers. The bound? Annoying...plus it gave me high hopes about Noba (he is hot and oh man his voice). The Zanpakuto Arc? While I love it, it was literally pointless and dragged on. Fillers are probably why it took so long to finish (think of the original Naruto series where I couldn't get past the fillers). After reading the manga I fell in love even more with the series. When I started reading the Lost Agent arc was being released in the US and the Quincy war was starting in Japan. The manga was quick and easy to read because I already loved the series (same as I did with Naruto and D. Gray-Man).

*NOTE: I HAVEN'T READ FAIRY TAIL YET BUT I WILL EVENTUALLY*

So that is my opinion on the anime and manga. Too many fillers in the anime and the manga was superb (until Ichigo's hiatus...but I won't go into that because I want to keep this spoiler free and not curse out Tite Kubo yet again). 

Now characters. There are SO MANY of them it is almost impossible to keep them all straight. Unless of course you are me and completely insane about shit like this. However I will only discuss the main characters (i.e. Ichigo, Rukia, Orihime, etc) and my favorites of the 13 Court Guard Squad.

Ichigo Kurosaki
- Uses Zangetsu and is at a Bankai level as well as a Captain level of power (possibly even higher)
- He is 15 to 18 years through the series
- He is human, Shinigami, Hollow, and Quincy
- Favorite Bleach Character

(I have always thought that Loke's human form looks like Ichigo...a lil bit)

Rukia Kuchiki
- Uses Sode no Shiroyuki and is at a Bankai level
- She is...well old.
- She is a Shinigami and the Vice Captain of Squad 13

Orihime Inoue
- Uses pixies? fairies? things??? I don't know what their actual name is but they look like fairies. Let's just say she uses damn hair clips.
- She is 15 to 18 years through the series
- She is human

Sado "Chad" Yasutora
- Uses his arms
- He is 15 to 18 years through the series (which is hard to believe due to his size)
- He is human and part of Xcution

Uryu Ishida
- Uses a bow and arrow that is made of reiatsu
- He is 15 to 18 years through the series
- He is a Quincy

Honorable Mentions aka Favorites that aren't "main" characters

- Toshiro Hitsugaya: he is the captain of Squad 10
- Byakuya Kuchiki: he is the captain of Squad 6
- Renji Abarai: he is the vice captain of Squad 6
- Kisuke Urahara: he is the ex-captain of Squad 12
- Yoruichi Shihouin: she is the ex-captain of Squad 2
- Kenpachi Zaraki: he is the captain of Squad 11
- Isshin (Shiba) Kurosaki: he is the ex-captain of Squad 10
- Misaki Kurosaki: she is a Quincy
- Gin Ichimaru: he is the ex-captain of Squad 3

If you are interested in Bleach I definitely would recommend that you watch it. I loved it even with the fact that there are issues. The anime is 366 episodes long. The Japanese dub ended in March of 2012 while the English dub is set to end in October of 2014. The manga is currently at 583 chapters and still being released. It was announced at one point that the manga is due to end at the end of this year.

In talking about the anime I decided to put together a list of my top 10 openings and my top 10 endings from the anime. The opening credit was one of the things that drew me in and Bleach is one of the anime out there that hasn't disappointed me with an opening.

Top 10 Opening Credits

1. Anima Rossa by Porno Graffitti

2. Velonica by Aqua Timez

3. Shojo S by Scandal

4. Blue by ViViD

5. D-tecnoLife by UVERworld

6. Ranbu no Melody by SID

7. Harukaze by Scandal

8. Asterisk by Orange Range

9. chAngE by Miwa

10. Ichirin no Hana by High and Mighty Color

Top 10 Ending Credits

1. Sakurabito by SunSet Swish

2. Hitohira no Hanabira by Stereopony

3. Stay Beautiful by Diggy-MO'

4. Haruka Kanata by UNLIMITS

5. Song For... by Rookiez is Punk'd

6. Re:Pray by Aimer

7. Mask by Aqua Timez

8. Mad Surfer by Asai Keniti

9. echoes by universe

10. Kimi wo Mamotte, Kimi wo Aishite by Sambomaster

FUN FACT: I owned Stereopony's Greatest Hits CD before I had watched Bleach so I had fallen in love with the song Hitohira no Hanabira long before I watched the series. So imagine my surprise when I heard it playing during the end credits!!

If you can't get enough of Bleach when you finish the anime and the manga...never fear. There are four movies. I have compiled them into a list with 1 being a must see and 4 being a you can see it if you want. 

1. Bleach the movie: Hell Verse - the fourth installment into the Bleach movie franchise. Definitely a good watch. The story line of the movie is stand alone but it does hint at taking place after the war with Aizen because the opening scene is Ichigo vs Ulquiorra. 

2. Bleach the movie: Memories of Nobody - the first installment into the Bleach movie franchise. This movie really is a stand alone movie that takes place after Ichigo has rescued Rukia from the Soul Society. I recommend this one for sure. 

3. Bleach the movie: Fade to Black - the third installment into the Bleach movie franchise. This movie is utterly confusing. There is so much that happens that just doesn't logically fit with what you know from the original series. It isn't a bad movie, just confusing. It is a filler movie that makes you throw out your previous knowledge of Rukia's past and take it from there. 

4. Bleach the movie: DiamondDust Rebellion - the second installment into the Bleach movie franchise. This movie CLASHES in a bad way with the Zanpakuto arc of the anime. The best thing this movie has going for it is that it's all about Toshiro Hitsugaya. It isn't a bad movie it's just not my favorite out of the four. 

You can check these movies out and tell me what you think. I want to know your opinions about them. Are your ratings different? Would you have the movies in a different order? 

To end this review I am going to drop my final overall rating of this series. I would give the whole series (including the current chapters of the manga) a: 

4.5/5

So that is it for this review of Bleach. Did you like it? I tried really hard to not spoil stuff from the series so I just kept it to the bare minimum of the series. Characters I like and music I like. 

Fans of the show, I have a question: would you watch a second series? I am going to be discussing sequels and shows that deserve a sequel in the next update. Let me know beforehand what you think. 

Well that is all for this update. See you all on Sunday!

Ja ne!

Kat

=^.^=