Anime Review: Bleach

Overview Kurosaki Ichigo lives in the Japanese town of Karakura, goes to high school and has the uncanny ability to touch and see spirits. He kicks the butt of a mysterious young girl who enters his room one night in search of something. Ichigo shocks the girl, who says, 'you weren't supposed to see me'. The girl is Kuchiki Rukia, a Shinigami (Death God) sent to Karakura to eliminate the deadly Hollows. Suddenly, Ichigo and Rukia are forced to combat a Hollow which pounces on them. To save herself and Ichigo, Rukia transfers her powers to him. So begins the adventures of part-time Shinigami Kurosaki Ichigo, who goes to great lengths to save his friends and family.

Story

This is one action-packed anime, with a healthy dose of humor and likeable characters. Bleach has 113 episodes to date (and counting), and begins with how Ichigo comes to terms with his new-found powers. Adrenaline really begins to rush at about episode 14, with Rukia facing death for transferring her powers to Ichigo. The illegal entry into Soul Society and the subsequent nail-biting moments where Ichigo and company try various means of evading capture in order to save Rukia is sure to keep you glued to your seat. Mystery also spices up Bleach, for not all is well with the 13 Protection Squads. Beneath the smiles, tension and suspicion are brewing...

Characters and Art The art in Bleach is said to be superb which is true. No eyes taking up 3/4 of the entire face, nausea-inducing sugary sweetness in the girls or barely-there clothing. More importantly, the characters are unique, looks and character wise. Characters worth observing include the arctic-cold Kuchiki Byakuya, fiercely-protective Hitsugaya Toushirou and fast-talking Abarai Renji. However, when it comes to character development, Bleach is a little disappointing for its potential. It starts off wonderfully well, but after the Soul Society story arc, things go a little downhill. Oh well, there should be an improvement with the recent ending of the fillers.

Music To cap it all, Bleach has wonderful opening and ending songs. There's the dark-laced Ichirin no Hana (lone flower) and the punk-rock Dtechnolife. Some music may come across as silly on first hearing but they will grow you after some time and eventually make their way into your MP3 player. Trust me. My favourite is Younha's Houki Boshi, which means 'abandoned star'. There's something rather addictive about that one.

All in all, Bleach is a brilliant anime not to be missed, especially if you are a hard-core anime fan like Yours Truly. With that, may the reiatsu (spiritual energy) be with you all!

By: Wan Ying Yi

Photos courtesy of www.minitokyo.net and www.bleachportal.net.