Bleach is an anime of the 2000s which was pretty famous around the world. If you’re searching for a mainstream anime of the early 2000, it’s a good choice for you. Bleach has gained a lot of criticism. If you want my review to be short, try giving it a shot no matter what people have said about it. Bleach has one of the most entertaining universes in anime.
Here’s a little spoiler alert for the people who are planning on watching the series. I will try to keep this review as spoiler-free as possible!
Plot
The plot, or perhaps setting to be more accurate, is quite unique. Shinigami, or gods of death, have their own specific society watch over the souls in the living world. Each Shinigami in bleach carries a unique Soul Slayer, also known as Zanpaktou, based on the user’s style and personality. Along them, there are Hollows, and two other groups later introduced in the anime, Vaizard and Arrancar. The unique setting of bleach allows it to create many characters under this much of a captivating enviornment, and I believe it is one of the strongest points about the story. Bleach isn’t strong in terms of plot. We all know Bleach is a shonen anime, and it comes with a lot of generic shonen tropes like ‘Saving your friends’ or ‘Getting a power up just to save your friends’. Even with these generic tropes, it was quite enjoyable.
Bleach Story Review
The story of Bleach has ups and downs like every other anime. Sometimes the episode will keep you on the edge of your seat, while you’re unable to contemplate the thought that you’ll have to wait another week, and sometimes, you’ll be begging that a certain ongoing arc ends so the story can continue. When the story isn’t a filler, the progress of the episode can be quite slow and the action can be really good. The fillers are the reason that Bleach loses a point. Every filler episode in Bleach is either full of dull dialogues or lack of action. While the plot itself isn’t that unique and follows every other shonen anime trope, it does have some plot twists that make it unpredictable sometimes. The conflict between the world of the Shinigami and the world of the Hollows and its impact on Earth, that is caught up in the middle, is very fun to watch.
Arcs (Bleach Review)
Bleach has some of the best arcs in shounen. I will be going over some of my favorite arcs below.
Soul Society Arc
It is divided into 2 main parts: the first, in the world of humans, where Ichigo acquires shinigami powers for the first time, and the second in the Soul Society, where Ichigo and his friends go to save Rukia.
I found the first part quite nice and enjoyable, in fact, after getting the powers, Ichigo and Rukia seem to have fun in the world of humans, killing some occasional hollows and having a good time with their friends, but the whole thing is not destined to last, because Rukia must return to the Soul Society.
Hueco Mundo Arc
Hueco Mundo arc is full of fights, with many unnecessary ones too. They lengthened the arc more than it should originally be.
In this arc, the Espada are revealed, which causes several fights in the human world. As the Soul Society prepares for the fight with Espada and Aizen, Orihime is kidnapped.
After the final battle against Ulquiorra, which marked the end of the arc, the protagonists suddenly realize that they have no clue how to go back from the Hueco Mundo. All the while, Aizen and the remaining Espada headed to Karakura Town to activate the power of Hogyoku.
Characters
Bleach has one of the biggest casts in anime, where some of the characters developed great, and some developed poorly. The cast makes the anime captivating since every character has their own specialty. When a character tries to take out their Soul Slayer’s greater form, Bankai, you’re just sitting there holding your breath. It’s because of all these characters and their own unique swords and abilities in this anime are worth watching.
OST
OST is one of the strongest qualities about the anime. The soundtracks makes the fight more intense every time. That’s what Bleach is good at; making things seem cool! Honestly, Bleach has some of the best OSTs out of all anime. Everyone loved the way Shiro Sagisu played with the instruments for the Anime. Some of my favorite OSTs from the anime were Clavar La Espada, Invasion and Nothing Can Be Explained. In particular, the Hueco Mundo OST really impressed me.
Visuals/Animation
The animation and visuals are the weak points of Bleach. At its worst, it has low frame rates, offset character designs and framed action, while at its best, it has high frame rates, smooth animation and more vivid colors. Most of the time, however, it is decent. Not average, but not bragworthy in any way.
Voice Acting
The voice acting was a hit or miss for me. Sometimes it feels like the voice actors lost all of their passion because they got bored of the project. Most of the times, you see a real talent behind the voice acting which gets us further invested. The anime can also be enjoyed in English dub.
Bleach Review Final Verdict: 7/10
When I saw bleach for the first time, it didn’t impress me that much. But when I rewatched it, I noticed a lot of things that I missed before. Many factors. from the story to the good characters have a positive mention from me. I definitely recommend watching this anime!
Want to watch Bleach right now? Check out our other article about the top 5 places where you can watch Bleach.
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