Bleach
366 Episodes
Duration: 24 min/ep
Theme: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Shounen, Super Power, Supernatural, Demons
Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆
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Initial Thoughts
So, I'm finally watching the 2nd anime of the big 3: Bleach.
I do not have any idea what is this about. I don't know the plot or anything, I just know the name of the protagonist, Ichigo and he has a sword and that's about it.
So, watching the 1st episode gave me a really interesting surprise. I didn't know that this is about ghosts and shinigami. And it gave me massive nostalgia about the aspect ratio of the old TV screen. Really nice, and it is a really nice first episode. It has the hype and it has those surprise elements that you will be drawn in to watch more.
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| "Revenge Is Just The Path You Took To Escape Your Suffering." — Ichigo Kurosaki |
Full Review
A few episodes in and I'm quite wondering what's the hook of the anime. But based on some observations, this show may or may not be the inspiration behind some modern animes like Jujutsu Kaisen and even Demon Slayer.
While I'm not a fan of the enemies in this show, it reminds me a lot of Inuyasha, the enemies seem like a generic monster that just happens to be ugly and bad, but I'm not worried about it. I'm assuming that in a few more episodes, we'll encounter a real threat and legit goal. So far, I'm enjoying it but I'm not invested yet.
Since Bleach is part of the Big Three. I can't help myself but compare this to Naruto. The difference between the two in a few episodes is Naruto has a really good hook from the start. I believe that this pacing is for a build-up for Bleach but we'll see what will happen.
I just finished the 1st arc and it's so good. The battle is endless and the truth bombs are from left and right. The pacing is really great. Power-ups are smooth and necessary. It's really good.
Watching this reminds me of playing adventure games, where you need to pass through several fights and levels in order to proceed. It's really cool and fun to watch.
There are some fights and battles that seem repetitive, there are too many characters, and less time to fully know and understand them better. They mostly focused on characters in the first arc with regard to the backstory. The current arc contains characters from different teams and it's hard to keep track of their names and story.
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| "As Long As Someone’s Still Breathing, The Fight Isn’t Over." — Kenpachi Zaraki |
Finale
Heading into the finale seems weird to me. It does not feel like a finale. Despite more than 300 episodes, it feels incomplete. Way incomplete, if they ended the anime during the last arc, I will be satisfied.
Don't get me wrong, I really like this current arc but this is not fitting for a conclusion.
This ending starts with the unfinished battle for this arc. It was a nice battle but it's not fitting for a finale. Don't get me wrong, it's good but not the best.
I really like how they ended things here. The antagonist's realization and character development of the Soul Society. It might not be the best ending but those little touches of callbacks are nice - the substitute soul reaper is really fitting to be an arc for this anime. It brings us back to the earlier episodes.
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| "Even If No One Believes In You, Stick Out Your Best And Scream Your Defiance!" — Rukia Kuchiki |
My takeaway
Bleach at its core is about protecting what you love. Fighting for the sake of your loved ones. Ichigo worked hard in gaining strength, beating all the odds, surpassing beliefs, and shaking someone's foundation.
He protected his family and friends. He builds a friendship that lasts and fights for him as well. Bleach's story is a presentation of fighting for a purpose and developing one's self for it.
What are we fighting for?
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//Bleach
//sebajisoka
