Bleach

[Kossage]

*Unmarked spoilers ahead.*

I've read the manga a bit, and it's interesting. I've also watched the anime series and found it enjoyable although the plot stuff gets repetitive after a while. It's nice how they've managed to develop characters in that large ensemble of a cast and give each of them screen time. Many characters have a detailed backstory, and it's quite fun seeing how the plot sticks together even with such a large cast of different individuals. The protagonists are amusing and dramatic in the right way, and you can sympathize with them at times. As for the protagonists go, I really like Rukia the most because of her cuteness, the interesting backstory and her personality plus what happens to her throughout the series.

The plot does offer its twists and turns even though a certain pattern is there, and I like the animation which is quite detailed at times. The battles are quite inventive (I remember how nice it was to see the new attacks every time Ichigo and co fought against the Shinigami during the Soul Society arc) and offer some eye candy every now and then. Both the Shinigami and Hollows are quite interesting, and I hope we'll be seeing more of the latter (plus all the stuff going on in the manga) at some point, because so far the anime's story has left certain important plot points about Aizen, the Hollows etc open. However, I think I spotted Grimmjow during the latest opening titles song unless my eyes deceived me, so it seems we'll be getting back to the big story sometime soon.

I've actually found myself enjoying this "filler" Bount arc. They've given some of the Bount interesting and at times quite tragic backstories, which in turn gives them depth, and they also have the nice Doll idea which in turn promises us some spectacular fights (like we've had so far, and it seems to get better as the plot arc gets more intense). The overall story has been fairly interesting with enough twists and dramatic stuff, and at the same time we learn new stuff about Soul Society, the Shinigami and various other characters, including some stuff about the protagonists themselves. The animation style has changed a bit during this arc, and it looks a bit more detailed, although the roughness which I liked about the animation at the beginning of the series is gone.

As for the sound, I like the seiyū and they really fit in their roles, becoming the characters themselves, and their acting can be both dramatic, funny and subtle when the story requires it. Even the most irksome voices do their job in a decent way, so I really have no complaints here. It was also quite nice noticing how some of the characters of Bleach bear a strong resemblance to my former high school teachers, so that adds a nice twist as well.

The music is kind of a hit&miss. When I first started watching the series I expected the kind of grandiose sound of the likes of Vision of Escaflowne and Fullmetal Alchemist (and what I mean by this is epic, choral melodies and an awesome orchestra backing up the action and making you feel the adventure), because this is an adventure with its nice bits of tragedy and psychological drama, and thus a sometimes epic and sometimes subtle orchestral and choral score would fit in perfectly. However, the music was kind of a letdown at first with its synthetic sounds mixed in with various intstruments, not to mention there was hardly any thematic development. But as the series went on I got used to the music after the initial shock, and nowadays I find myself enjoying many of the instrumental pieces especially now that I'm recognizing certain melodies used throughout the series as they establish new themes slowly but surely (like the Bount theme), although I still wish for a better sound and more memorable melodies.

All in all I've enjoyed reading the manga and watching the anime of Bleach. It has the right qualities to make it interesting enough, and even with all the fights and sudden twists it never loses its touch and always has the spirit within. This isn't something everyone will fancy, but those with an open mind and those who yearn for adventure will most likely find this series interesting.