I want to start by saying that I genuinely enjoyed the journey Bleach took me on, for the most part. From the beginning up until the end of the Fake Karakura Town arc, I found it thrilling, engaging, and full of hype. If the manga had ended there, I would have given it a solid 9/10 and recommended it as a fantastic read. However, that's not what happened, and I must evaluate the story, characters, and overall experience after that point, which left me feeling empty and disappointed. Despite this, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Bleach because the experience it offers is almost unparalleled. Few works can pull you in like Bleach does, even though it falters towards the end. Everything before that is completely worth reading.
*Slight spoilers below*
Now, onto the review. For the story, I'll rate each arc and explain why I rated them that way. Overall, I give the story a 6/10.
**Soul Society Arc - 9/10:** This arc had fantastic character development, with power scaling that wasn't too extreme. The story was thrilling and kept me hooked. While the beginning had some pacing issues and certain characters felt underdeveloped, these minor flaws were outweighed by the arc's strengths.
**Arrancar Arc - 8/10:** This arc focused less on character development but still had its moments. The pacing was inconsistent, especially in Hueco Mundo and parts of Fake Karakura Town. However, the fights were incredibly engaging and enjoyable. Orihime's involvement often felt unnecessary, and Ichigo's character progression stalled. The Vizards' potential was squandered, and Ichigo got several "asspulls" from Kubo. Despite these issues, the action scenes were spectacular, making this arc a standout.
**Fullbring Arc - 5/10:** I don't remember much from this arc except that it felt pointless. Ichigo getting his powers back seemed contrived, which significantly lowered my rating. The fights weren't particularly interesting, and the story lacked impact. New characters didn't resonate with me, and overall, it felt like a waste of time. I'm being generous with the score since I don't recall it being utterly terrible, but it was certainly mediocre.
**Quincy Arc - 3/10:** This final arc was mostly disappointing. The fight scenes were initially exciting but deteriorated towards the end. Ywach's character was poorly developed, and his abilities made little sense. The plot holes and unresolved storylines (like Urahara, Grimmjow, Nel, and Hitsugaya/Byakuya's battles) left me unsatisfied. The ending was weak, offering little closure and setting up a sequel that felt unnecessary.
**Art - 9/10:** The art was consistently excellent, with unique designs and ability visuals. Only towards the end did Kubo become somewhat lazy, skipping backgrounds and slightly altering his style. Still, the art remained a strong point throughout the series.
**Characters - 7/10:** There was significant character development, with many memorable characters like Mayuri, Aizen, Gin, Ulquiorra, and Byakuya. However, the main cast and Quincies suffered from rushed storytelling. Early on, the characters were well-developed, but they became less interesting towards the end due to the rushed pace.
**Enjoyment - 7/10:** I didn't follow Bleach continuously. I watched parts of the Soul Society and Arrancar arcs, then read the rest sporadically. This reading pattern might have affected my experience, but I still enjoyed it overall.
In summary, I don't fully recommend Bleach due to the latter arcs, which significantly detract from the series. However, the first two arcs are undeniably amazing and worth checking out for any Shonen fan. Thanks for the ride, Kubo. It's a shame the last arc was rushed and led to the cancellation of your work. I hope your next project will be as great as Bleach and conclude more satisfactorily.
My feelings towards Bleach (just like with Crash Bandicoot) remind me of my first love. When I fell in love for the first time, it was amazing. I felt happy and had a reason to live. Then she said no, and it was followed by years of pain and suffering. I survived by hoping she would change her mind, but she never did.
How does this apply to Bleach? Well, when I first started reading Bleach, it was my favorite manga. Sure, it was one of my first mangas, so I didn't have much to choose from, but the point remains: I completely loved it. The art was amazing, the story was awesome, and the battles—oh, don't get me started on the battles.
The story is good but simple. Ichigo was a boy who could see ghosts, and one day he encounters a Shinigami (God of Death). In Bleach, Shinigamis go around the world defeating Hollows, which are essentially corrupted ghosts. By some twist of fate, Rukia, the Shinigami, is forced to give her powers to Ichigo, and now it's up to him to fight the Hollows.
This is the plot for the first arc. Although it will get complicated later with various plot holes, this is all you need to know before diving into the manga. The first arc introduces Ichigo and the main cast, who are mostly interesting. However, I don't remember seeing most of the main cast in the last chapters—not even Ichigo (though, to be fair, he finally appeared in the last chapter).
Soul Society came next, and it hooked me. This is where the story really kicks in. There were many characters, but they were all amazing. Few were unlikable, the battles peaked, and the art improved. This is the golden arc of Bleach.
Then came Hueco Mundo, and although it felt repetitive, I was okay with that because it was still the Bleach I knew. But then came the final battle of that arc—and it was followed by years of suffering and pain.
The characters became mere pawns in fights, the story got boring, plot holes appeared, and it stretched beyond its limits. When a normal manga gets stretched too far, it usually adds bad and horrible plots. Bleach avoids this by stretching chapters in such a way that 18 pages might only show a character raising a sword or falling to the ground. That's not just bad—it's outright insulting to the fans.
It recovered slightly after the end of the arc but fell flat again afterward. The only things good now are the art, which is one of my favorite styles, and sometimes it still delivers a good battle.
I'm giving it a 7 because if it were based on the first arcs, I'd give it a 10. I don't want to rank this lower than Naruto, but if the ending isn't at least acceptable, it will probably drop to a 6.
The only reason I still read this is because I still have hope it will recover, but chances are that, just like with my first love, it won't happen.
To be honest, I'm not a fan of Bleach. I usually just read it while waiting for something better to come along. I actually stopped reading Bleach for about a year, picked it up again at the most recent chapter, and felt like I hadn't missed anything at all. The storyline feels overused, and the characters seem two-dimensional. Among all the weekly manga I currently read, Bleach would be the easiest for me to stop following.
Bleach is one of those manga series that seems like it will never end. It has become incredibly popular and features some highly enjoyable segments. However, it also includes some rather dull arcs. Currently, Bleach is in its final arc, and yes, it is finally coming to a close. Many speculate that the final chapter will take about a year to wrap up. Personally, I don't see it ending anytime soon.
Art:
The artwork in this anime is extraordinary. Each character possesses unique and dynamic powers, unlike anything seen before. For instance, Byakuya Kuchiki wields a Cherry Blossom-themed power, as do some of the Espadas.
Enjoyment:
Some of Bleach's filler episodes are incredibly boring! If you plan on watching the anime, avoid wasting your time on them. These fillers do not exist in the manga.
Overall:
I rated Bleach a 9 because, despite its engaging moments, it suffers from boring filler content. If the fillers were more exciting, it might have earned a perfect score. Enjoy!^^
I really can't imagine who wouldn't have heard of Bleach, but for those of you out there who haven't, here's a quick taste of the world of Kurosaki Ichigo, a 15-year-old boy who has the ability to see ghosts. His world is turned upside down when a Shinigami (Death God) named Kuchiki Rukia is sent from Soul Society to take care of some Hollows causing havoc in the real world.
A blend of martial arts, epic fights, and plenty of laughs creates one of the most famous animes known, right up there with Naruto and One Piece.
This series will soon have you glued to the books, screaming out with excitement at Ichigo's AWESOMENESS!!! (though he does get defeated quite often >.<)
At first, I must say that the series created by Kubo Tite, which really impressed me around a year ago, has now become one of the biggest disappointments in my life.
Well, the beginnings of Bleach weren't anything extraordinary, but I still enjoyed it (now when I remember those Karakura School times, I feel really nostalgic). When the Soul Society Arc started, I was like "OMFG." There were great fights; I even enjoyed the training sessions and especially Ichigo's power-ups and his hollowfication. The enemies were great, and the plot was interesting. In the anime, we heard the 'Number One' song many times during the most exciting scenes. Overall, it was freakin' awesome art. But who could have thought back then that the ending of the Soul Society Arc would mark the end of Bleach's greatness? One of the biggest minuses was that too many characters were introduced, but it didn’t spoil that arc.
After that, the Arrancar arc began. The moment the two arrancars arrived on Earth was almost like a total rip-off of the moment in Dragon Ball Z when Vegeta and Nappa landed on Earth. And after that, we met the Vizards. Once again, the author introduces more characters without giving them enough screen time, adding unnecessary complexity. But it wasn't so bad at all. Actually, the fall of Bleach started with the Hueco Mundo Arc. Since then, Bleach became a completely mindless fighting manga. It was only about fighting. New characters—the Arrancars—looked completely idiotic (well, we have some emo-guy here, Grimmjow’s transformation is like WTF? o_O, and there are much worse things).
And what's going on in Bleach at the moment? For a few months already, we've had a series of 2-3 chapter long fights that seem to never end. What's worse is that it seems Kubo has completely forgotten about main characters like Ichigo or Rukia. I don't even remember the last time I saw them in the manga. Well, the whole Hueco Mundo Arc seems like the worst shounen story ever written. The reason I still read and watch it is that 30 minutes per week isn't too much, and I still hope to finally see my dear Rukia in action (damn, I miss her).
To all people planning to start reading or watching Bleach—read/watch it only until the end of the Soul Society Arc (you can also see the 1st movie, but that's all). If you're looking for a really good shounen manga, go pick up Kateikyoushi Hitman REBORN!, D.Gray-man, Busou Renkin, or One Piece. You won't be disappointed with them.
After finishing the TYBW arc, it's clear that Kubo-sensei put everything he had into the last arc but didn't take the time to create a well-defined ending. The final fight scene with Yhwach felt rushed, and I wish it had been spread across a few chapters instead of being resolved by Ichigo taking a lucky swing. However, I still enjoyed it a lot.
Even though there were some slow moments in the manga, it always managed to bounce back with something more exciting and surprising, which is what makes Bleach such a great manga. My favorite arc was definitely the TYBW arc because of its build-up and the backstories woven throughout. The shock factors came into play when the pace was slowing down. While this may not be the best arc I've ever seen, it felt special looking back on the earlier chapters and seeing Ichigo's development.
The only thing I would say that Bleach lacks is worldbuilding.
Bleach is one of the worst manga I've ever read. It starts off well with a typical shounen plot, but it quickly becomes insanely repetitive. The characters, who initially showed a lot of potential, end up being plain and irrelevant to the story, only appearing every 100 chapters to fight a new villain pulled out of thin air.
The ridiculous number of power-ups Ichigo, the main character, receives is truly impressive. I've read Dragon Ball, Black Clover, Naruto, and none of them have even half the amount of invented power-ups and plot twists. If the main character is losing? No problem, he'll suddenly become ten times stronger because he happens to be 1% of an incredibly powerful race and just awakened his powers.
The writing is terrible, the story is virtually non-existent—it's all fights. The world-building and power scaling are subpar, even compared to Dragon Ball. Bleach is only cool if you're 13 years old and enjoy flashy, non-stop sword fights.
STORY: Bleach doesn't have a complex story. Taking 71 chapters for the first arc, it surely takes its time to present the series, the power system, and the main cast. The biggest plot twist is executed well, but other than that, it's very linear and simple. Starting from Soul Society, it's clear the direction Bleach wants to take as a battle shonen. The rules are: everyone gets a fight, nothing off-screened. These rules are maintained throughout the series until the last chapter. This is a strong aspect of the series because it means that everyone gets a focus and nobody gets left behind. While this is surely true, this decision also brings out one negative aspect: some arcs feel unnecessarily stretched to fulfill these rules.
ART: Without a doubt, art is the strongest aspect of Bleach. From the beginning, I've been pleasantly surprised, and throughout the series, I was never disappointed. Every meaningful moment was perfectly captured with either single-page spreads or double-page spreads. The average art kept pace with the wonderful spreads and never dropped in quality. Despite some occasions during comedic times, the pages were never too cluttered. Even the paneling was very neat and clean. Regarding the 'white space' often meme'd and ridiculed in the anime community, I never found a particular page would be better if Kubo had drawn the background. I came to love the 'white space' as Kubo's stylistic peculiarity.
CHARACTERS: Character writing is definitely average for a shonen series. 'A whole lot of characters given a backstory to justify their behavior and why they are there' is essentially a good description for what I'd say is the majority of the cast. Bleach being story-driven does not excuse this. No characters get deeply explored or challenged, not even the MC. Nonetheless, some characters stand out as the best without any real competition, such as Ulquiorra, Aizen, and Yhwach. Regarding the MC, Ichigo isn't a bad character, but I wouldn't say he's good either. The 'I'm weak, I want to get stronger to protect my family' is the oldest and most average gimmick for a shonen MC, and that's exactly what Ichigo is: average.
ENJOYMENT: Enjoyment-wise, Bleach is comfortably a top-tier series, until the Fullbring arc though. The combination of top-tier art and countless fights is everything a shonen fan asks for, and Bleach definitely delivers in this aspect. This holds true for the whole series, but things change from Fullbring onwards. From that arc on, the amount of contrivances to stretch the story becomes unbearable.
The anime is exceptionally elevated by its soundtrack, and the initial story is solid enough to make it an enjoyable experience. The new seasons benefit from good animation in addition to the fantastic music, which compensates for shortcomings in the content. However, the manga does not receive these advantages, and I found myself unable to continue after a certain point because the story no longer mattered to me, the characters ceased to interest me, and everything felt hollow. Bleach has always been overhyped due to the music creating some undeniably amazing moments, but without that, I believe the manga has been lifeless for a *long* time.
After re-reading BLEACH over the past two weeks, I finished it and definitely reconsidered the rating I had given this manga. It made me increase my rating from a 7.5 to a 9. BLEACH is not just another fictional action-packed shonen manga. Re-reading it gave me the opportunity to assess elements that are quite unusual for shonen manga, especially JUMP manga. Kubo Tite is also trying to convey messages about DEATH and LIFE, some of which may challenge our philosophical views.
The character development, particularly in the later volumes, is remarkable as the focus shifts to the philosophies behind each battle, especially from the HUECO MUNDO arc onwards. The introduction of new characters elevates the story to a different level.
In summary, Kubo Tite provides us with an answer to the meaning behind the title BLEACH through its development. As we realize, BLEACH means, and I quote, "To eradicate the soul or, what it means to die."
To be fair, I haven't completed the entire series yet, but after finishing volume 22, I've really lost interest in Bleach. The artwork is fantastic, and there are parts that I thoroughly enjoy, but overall, I find the story somewhat dry and the character interactions rather dull. I appreciate the comedic moments, and there are certain characters I love, like Aizen and Kenpachi, but the rest of the side characters don't particularly resonate with me. I might return to this series in the future, but for now, it's not my cup of tea. Hearing that many people consider the Soul Society arc the best part makes me think I'll enjoy the series even less as I continue.
Popular Reviews
Oh Bleach, how I loved you.
My feelings towards Bleach (just like with Crash Bandicoot) remind me of my first love. When I fell in love for the first time, it was amazing. I felt happy and had a reason to live. Then she said no, and it was followed by years of pain and suffering. I survived by hoping she would change her mind, but she never did.
How does this apply to Bleach? Well, when I first started reading Bleach, it was my favorite manga. Sure, it was one of my first mangas, so I didn't have much to choose from, but the point remains: I completely loved it. The art was amazing, the story was awesome, and the battles—oh, don't get me started on the battles.
The story is good but simple. Ichigo was a boy who could see ghosts, and one day he encounters a Shinigami (God of Death). In Bleach, Shinigamis go around the world defeating Hollows, which are essentially corrupted ghosts. By some twist of fate, Rukia, the Shinigami, is forced to give her powers to Ichigo, and now it's up to him to fight the Hollows.
This is the plot for the first arc. Although it will get complicated later with various plot holes, this is all you need to know before diving into the manga. The first arc introduces Ichigo and the main cast, who are mostly interesting. However, I don't remember seeing most of the main cast in the last chapters—not even Ichigo (though, to be fair, he finally appeared in the last chapter).
Soul Society came next, and it hooked me. This is where the story really kicks in. There were many characters, but they were all amazing. Few were unlikable, the battles peaked, and the art improved. This is the golden arc of Bleach.
Then came Hueco Mundo, and although it felt repetitive, I was okay with that because it was still the Bleach I knew. But then came the final battle of that arc—and it was followed by years of suffering and pain.
The characters became mere pawns in fights, the story got boring, plot holes appeared, and it stretched beyond its limits. When a normal manga gets stretched too far, it usually adds bad and horrible plots. Bleach avoids this by stretching chapters in such a way that 18 pages might only show a character raising a sword or falling to the ground. That's not just bad—it's outright insulting to the fans.
It recovered slightly after the end of the arc but fell flat again afterward. The only things good now are the art, which is one of my favorite styles, and sometimes it still delivers a good battle.
I'm giving it a 7 because if it were based on the first arcs, I'd give it a 10. I don't want to rank this lower than Naruto, but if the ending isn't at least acceptable, it will probably drop to a 6.
The only reason I still read this is because I still have hope it will recover, but chances are that, just like with my first love, it won't happen.
To be honest, I'm not a fan of Bleach. I usually just read it while waiting for something better to come along. I actually stopped reading Bleach for about a year, picked it up again at the most recent chapter, and felt like I hadn't missed anything at all. The storyline feels overused, and the characters seem two-dimensional. Among all the weekly manga I currently read, Bleach would be the easiest for me to stop following.
Bleach is one of those manga series that seems like it will never end. It has become incredibly popular and features some highly enjoyable segments. However, it also includes some rather dull arcs. Currently, Bleach is in its final arc, and yes, it is finally coming to a close. Many speculate that the final chapter will take about a year to wrap up. Personally, I don't see it ending anytime soon.
Art:
The artwork in this anime is extraordinary. Each character possesses unique and dynamic powers, unlike anything seen before. For instance, Byakuya Kuchiki wields a Cherry Blossom-themed power, as do some of the Espadas.
Enjoyment:
Some of Bleach's filler episodes are incredibly boring! If you plan on watching the anime, avoid wasting your time on them. These fillers do not exist in the manga.
Overall:
I rated Bleach a 9 because, despite its engaging moments, it suffers from boring filler content. If the fillers were more exciting, it might have earned a perfect score. Enjoy!^^
I really can't imagine who wouldn't have heard of Bleach, but for those of you out there who haven't, here's a quick taste of the world of Kurosaki Ichigo, a 15-year-old boy who has the ability to see ghosts. His world is turned upside down when a Shinigami (Death God) named Kuchiki Rukia is sent from Soul Society to take care of some Hollows causing havoc in the real world.
A blend of martial arts, epic fights, and plenty of laughs creates one of the most famous animes known, right up there with Naruto and One Piece.
This series will soon have you glued to the books, screaming out with excitement at Ichigo's AWESOMENESS!!! (though he does get defeated quite often >.<)
Bleach is one of the worst manga I've ever read. It starts off well with a typical shounen plot, but it quickly becomes insanely repetitive. The characters, who initially showed a lot of potential, end up being plain and irrelevant to the story, only appearing every 100 chapters to fight a new villain pulled out of thin air.
The ridiculous number of power-ups Ichigo, the main character, receives is truly impressive. I've read Dragon Ball, Black Clover, Naruto, and none of them have even half the amount of invented power-ups and plot twists. If the main character is losing? No problem, he'll suddenly become ten times stronger because he happens to be 1% of an incredibly powerful race and just awakened his powers.
The writing is terrible, the story is virtually non-existent—it's all fights. The world-building and power scaling are subpar, even compared to Dragon Ball. Bleach is only cool if you're 13 years old and enjoy flashy, non-stop sword fights.
STORY: Bleach doesn't have a complex story. Taking 71 chapters for the first arc, it surely takes its time to present the series, the power system, and the main cast. The biggest plot twist is executed well, but other than that, it's very linear and simple. Starting from Soul Society, it's clear the direction Bleach wants to take as a battle shonen. The rules are: everyone gets a fight, nothing off-screened. These rules are maintained throughout the series until the last chapter. This is a strong aspect of the series because it means that everyone gets a focus and nobody gets left behind. While this is surely true, this decision also brings out one negative aspect: some arcs feel unnecessarily stretched to fulfill these rules.
ART: Without a doubt, art is the strongest aspect of Bleach. From the beginning, I've been pleasantly surprised, and throughout the series, I was never disappointed. Every meaningful moment was perfectly captured with either single-page spreads or double-page spreads. The average art kept pace with the wonderful spreads and never dropped in quality. Despite some occasions during comedic times, the pages were never too cluttered. Even the paneling was very neat and clean. Regarding the 'white space' often meme'd and ridiculed in the anime community, I never found a particular page would be better if Kubo had drawn the background. I came to love the 'white space' as Kubo's stylistic peculiarity.
CHARACTERS: Character writing is definitely average for a shonen series. 'A whole lot of characters given a backstory to justify their behavior and why they are there' is essentially a good description for what I'd say is the majority of the cast. Bleach being story-driven does not excuse this. No characters get deeply explored or challenged, not even the MC. Nonetheless, some characters stand out as the best without any real competition, such as Ulquiorra, Aizen, and Yhwach. Regarding the MC, Ichigo isn't a bad character, but I wouldn't say he's good either. The 'I'm weak, I want to get stronger to protect my family' is the oldest and most average gimmick for a shonen MC, and that's exactly what Ichigo is: average.
ENJOYMENT: Enjoyment-wise, Bleach is comfortably a top-tier series, until the Fullbring arc though. The combination of top-tier art and countless fights is everything a shonen fan asks for, and Bleach definitely delivers in this aspect. This holds true for the whole series, but things change from Fullbring onwards. From that arc on, the amount of contrivances to stretch the story becomes unbearable.
OVERALL: 7.5
The anime is exceptionally elevated by its soundtrack, and the initial story is solid enough to make it an enjoyable experience. The new seasons benefit from good animation in addition to the fantastic music, which compensates for shortcomings in the content. However, the manga does not receive these advantages, and I found myself unable to continue after a certain point because the story no longer mattered to me, the characters ceased to interest me, and everything felt hollow. Bleach has always been overhyped due to the music creating some undeniably amazing moments, but without that, I believe the manga has been lifeless for a *long* time.
After re-reading BLEACH over the past two weeks, I finished it and definitely reconsidered the rating I had given this manga. It made me increase my rating from a 7.5 to a 9. BLEACH is not just another fictional action-packed shonen manga. Re-reading it gave me the opportunity to assess elements that are quite unusual for shonen manga, especially JUMP manga. Kubo Tite is also trying to convey messages about DEATH and LIFE, some of which may challenge our philosophical views.
The character development, particularly in the later volumes, is remarkable as the focus shifts to the philosophies behind each battle, especially from the HUECO MUNDO arc onwards. The introduction of new characters elevates the story to a different level.
In summary, Kubo Tite provides us with an answer to the meaning behind the title BLEACH through its development. As we realize, BLEACH means, and I quote, "To eradicate the soul or, what it means to die."
To be fair, I haven't completed the entire series yet, but after finishing volume 22, I've really lost interest in Bleach. The artwork is fantastic, and there are parts that I thoroughly enjoy, but overall, I find the story somewhat dry and the character interactions rather dull. I appreciate the comedic moments, and there are certain characters I love, like Aizen and Kenpachi, but the rest of the side characters don't particularly resonate with me. I might return to this series in the future, but for now, it's not my cup of tea. Hearing that many people consider the Soul Society arc the best part makes me think I'll enjoy the series even less as I continue.
Leave a Review