CREATOR

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Tite Kubo

PlOTLINE

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Kurosaki Ichigo seems like your average cranky teenager at first glance, until you realise that he has the ability to see supernatural creatures. So his life is already somewhat f***** up, but then one day he chances across a Shinigami (deity of death), Kuchiki Rukia, on one of her evil-spirit-slaying missions. By a twist in fate, her powers are transferred to him, unleashing a chain of events that force Ichigo out of his apathy. And together with a bunch of quirky and colourful sidekicks, a reluctant Ichigo sets on the path that will eventually turn him into one of the most powerful Shinigami EVER.

COMMENTS

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A series that I was addicted to instantly after my introduction to it. It's not just because I'm quite the sucker for the supernatural, but I fell totally in love with the characters in the series, and the story itself. The series has some really interesting takes on the supernatural world. Also, I feel that one of the most striking things about this series that sets it apart from the ton of popular series, is that it's coolness incarnate. The jokes, the humour, the portrayal of the events and characters just have a very modern feel to them.

At the same time, there are people who felt that this series isn't very accessible/likeable at first. I'd say give it some time. It'd grow on you. Just one more thing. There're relatively obvious yuri (lesbianism) hints in it. They certainly don't bother me but I just had to comment since this is the first series that I've come across that has such obvious yuri shades.

MAIN CHARACTERS

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The characters are one of the things I love most. They however, appear over time, and only several of them can be introduced without giving away spoilers.

KUROSAKI ICHIGO. Our central character. A gruff, cranky, fiery and reluctant 15 year-old who is not the greatest fan of his own special ability. However, he's also big-hearted, brash and persistent, and it's a great kick watching him grow into his amazing powers (trust me, he's VERY powerful). Also, look out for his family. They're a hoot!

KUCHIKI RUKIA. A rather mediocre Shinigami whose path crosses most unexpectedly with Ichigo's. Rukia's mostly blase about things, but her stay on Earth mellows her, and she has this really odd sense of reasoning (watch her when she tries to behave like a human schoolgirl, it's hilarious!).

ISHIDA URYUU. The ice to Ichigo's fire. ^_~ Ishida's a Quincy (watch to find out what this means), and has a love-hate relationship with Shinigamis. Cool, composed, an all-around great fighter, he is a most unwilling sidekick to Ichigo, but they form a great partnership anyway. He also has a very bizarre streak totally cracks me up!

INOUE ORIHIME. The first impression of her is a sweet, kind and completely ditzy girl with uhm, a large bosom. But seriously, she is acutely perceptive to the others, and she gets even cooler when her powers are eventually unleashed. She is also very devoted to her friends.

SADO YASUTORA (CHAD). A gentle giant who uses his size to help people, and not to hurt. While he does come off as a wall or something, but actually he's a huge softie who does have a sense of humour. His powers lie mainly in his inhuman strength.

KUCHIKI BYAKUYA. From the name, you do realise he's related to Rukia. Basically, this man is a Captain in the Soul Society, and extremely skilled. He is also single-minded, absurdly so, and would eventually pose one of the biggest challenges to Ichigo's progress.

ABARAI RENJI. Byakuya's Vice-Captin, and well, probably sidekick. He's the exact opposite though. Dynamic, flaming, volatile, and yes, totally cool! He is also a devoted friend, once he has determined where his loyalites lie.

URAHARA KISUKE. The mysterious owner of a shop which sells various goods that Shinigamis would need. His background is intricately linked to the Soul Society and too much of a spoiler, so for now, he's just a slick and shrewd shop-owner with a refreshing devil-may-care attitude.

KON. As you can see, Kon is a walking, talking stuffed toy. ^_~ Why he's like that is too big a spoiler so I won't give it away. Kon isn't a major character, but he's so damn cute and annoying at the same time! And also, he is voiced by none other than the mangaka Tite Kubo himself! *applauds*

MANGA DETAILS

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Number of volumes : 17
Status : Ongoing

Read. The. Manga. It is seriously good. The artwork is clear, precise and you know exactly what's going on even in the flurry of action scenes. The humour is hilarious, although it's a tad slapstick at times, LOL. I think the character design is refreshing and damn, does the great mangaka know how to make his characters look COOL. The clothes, the hair, I like them all. *nod* And watch out for the action, which I thought was particularly well-done. The one minor grouse I have is that the action/plot becomes very, very condensed once you reach the Soul Society story arc, and the pace just FLIES. You'd really have to focus to catch up with it!

ANIME DETAILS

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Director : Abe Noriyuki
Character Design : Kudo Masashi
Music : Sagisu Shiro
Episodes : 25
Status : Ongoing

ANIMATION

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In general, I think it's good, and I'm thinking that the action scenes will really be outstanding as the story progresses! I have a slight issue with the lighting in the anime. To portray the otherworldliness of the series, the suffusion of light throughout the animation is perhaps understandable. However, at times, I find the glow (soft as it is) a little distracting. It is not a peeve though, and I enjoy the animation anyway. The character design is consistent and mirrors the manga design very closely, which I appreciate.

SCREENCAPS

VOICE-ACTING

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I will readily admit that I'm hardly familiar with Morita Masakazu, who voices Ichigo, the main character. But I have to say that he's really good! *__* I think he fits the gruff, kind-hearted and downright sarcastic personality of Ichigo perfectly! Also, I'm so glad that not-so-renowned seiyuu are given meaty roles. I mean, I love my Miki Shinichirous and Seki Toshihikos but they're established, and there ARE so many good, new seiyuu who need that big break too. The rest of the cast is also consistently good. Sugiyama Noriaki's most famous work is Sasuke of [Naruto], but he gets more range in [Bleach], because Ishida can get REALLY neurotic at times. ^_^' I also like Matsuoka Yuki's work as the ditzy but loyal Orihime. She really IS cute, lol. Last but not least, Tite Kubo does pretty well as the loopy and melodramatic Kon! ^_^

MUSIC

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The music is sometimes fun, quirky and upbeat, and sometimes melancholic, like the anime itself. I like the background music a lot, which ranges from rousing action scores, and haunting melodies during the more angsty scenes. The OP and ED tracks also, have proved to be well-chosen! They're very addictive and just refuse to leave your head. ^^;;

• Orange Range (OP 1) - by Asterisk
• Life is Like a Boat (ED 1)- by Rie Fu
• Thank You! (ED 2) - by Home Made Kazoku

RESOURCES

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BLEACH 7 (fan site)

BLEACH WORLD (fan site)

BLEACH FANLISTING