Anime Review: Bleach Part 1

Anime Reviews

First Off: Bleach

I got board so I decided to blab on about Bleach's first season. I left out a good part of the story, but meh.

Bleach is currently an ongoing anime and manga. While the anime has Arcs to fill in the gaps for the writers to get ahead (in my opinion) the manga is far ahead of where the anime is today. Especially if you are only watching the English ones that come out on TV with programs like Adult Swim.

Anyway, let me start from the beginning. The story picked up quickly, and didn’t leave you with what sometimes happens with animes/mangas. Getting past the first episode or chapter, which is sometimes why some people skip what could actually be a good story. For example The Hobbit written by JRR Tolken; it’s harder than hell to get past the first part of the book in my opinion, but the rest of the way is highly entertaining.

The pace is a bit slow, but the story is good. Soon it begins to rip at your heart strings when one of the main characters (Rukia) gets taken back to Soul Society and the main character (Ichigo) has his powers stripped from him, and almost his life along with it. Ichigo, who is determined to save Rukia from her impending death in Soul Society, goes through the harsh and brutal training of gaining his powers back. He eventually gets them back, but at a price.

Ichigo, three of his friends (Ishida, Chad/Shado, and Orihime), and a cat are then ready to go into Soul Society. Basically what heaven is to this world, aka not what I hope heaven is like. Though I would be happy with it. The group forces their way into the center of Soul Society where the Shinigami reside. They are split up and forced to fight some of the 13 Captains of the Gotei 13. Simply put, the strongest people you could have the misfortune of running into while trespassing. Meanwhile one of the 13 Captains, Captain of the 5^th Squad Aizen, is found dead. With the mysterious death of a Captain and the invasion of Ichigo and Company Soul Society is in a tail spin trying to keep things together.

Ishida and Chad get gunned down the Captains. Ishida manages to defeat the 12^th Squad Captain Mayuri but is easily defeated when he comes across the 9^th Squad Captain Tosen. Chad is easily taken out by the Captain of the 8^th Squad Shunsui. Orihime gets captured along with them, as well as the comrade that got them into the center of Soul Society Ganju. Ganju had been taken out by Byakuya, Rukia’s older brother and Captain of the 6^th Squad, when Ichigo and him got oh so close to rescuing her. Ichigo would have been gunned down as well if it hadn’t been for the cat that went with them, aka Yoruichi, who got him away. But not before informing Byakuya that she would bring him back stronger than him in just 3 days.

In those three days Ichigo trained hard with his Zanpactou (a sword all Shinigami have) to obtain Bankai. Bankai is extremely hard to learn and can take not only decades but hundreds of years for a Shinigami (who is usually dead to begin with) to obtain. Though in three days time Rukia’s execution was to commence, and luckily thanks to Ukitake Captain of the 13^th Squad it was stalled with enough time for Ichigo to get there, stop the execution and save Rukia. Now he had to fight Byakuya, where he did prove that he had obtained a very powerful Bankai. In the battle Ichigo’s Hollow Side came out, the price he had to pay for his powers, but was able to force it aside and defeat Byakuya.

Things seem great now right? Not at all. There is still the case of the mysteriously murdered Captain Aizen. On the execution grounds Aizen shows up, no he is not actually dead, and uses a device to extract something from inside of Rukia’s body. This is what he was after all along, and why she was scheduled to be executed for such a petty crime; giving Shinigami powers to a human (Ichigo). Now realizing what was really going on, the rest of the Captains and their Vice-Captains tried to stop Aizen from getting away. Though two of the other Captains stand by his side as highly powerful Hollows (Menos) take them into Hueco Mundo, the Hollows Realm. These two Captains are 9^th Squad Captain Tosen and 3^rd Squad Captain Gin.

In the end of this season Aizen and Company got away. Ichigo and his friends were forgiven, Rukia’s life was spared. Now Ichigo and Company go back to their home town in the Living World without Rukia to live their lives… until the threat of Aizen’s return comes forth in one years time.

All in all it was very good. I couldn't stop reading and watching at the same time. They're both wonderful and Tite Kubo is a wonderful storyteller! Gives you just enough to try and figure it out, but leaves you hanging so you keep going.

I'll do the next part, the Bounto Arc, later.