Bleach, this is one of my all favorite mangas. Its anime recently got its final arc release date confirmed. This is probably the first manga I ever read because; I realized that the anime doesn’t cover the last arc. The anime will be back after a long time to complete the last arc next year, till then what better way to stay in touch than to catch up with the manga?
Welcome back to another week of our recommendation series and yes, as you may have guessed this week we are talking about Bleach. This is kind of my way to celebrate the anime’s release date (or month at least) confirmation. So let’s get right into details!
Introduction
Bleach is one of the OG shonen mangas. It still has a massive following and sales to date and all for a very good reason. Bleach is written and illustrated by Tite Kubo. It started its serialization in the Weekly Jump on 7th August 2001 and ended on 22nd August 2016. It has a total of 74 volumes of 705 chapters which are about average if I consider how long DB and Naruto are.
Bleach is a perfect example of a shonen anime. It has a simple story, awesome fight, lots of plot twists, and a lot of superpowers. It has a huge cast of characters and quite a lot of them make it into a different arc as well. So, let’s talk about a little more details.
Plot
Bleach follows Ichigo Kurosaki who is a human who can see spirits. He soon attains the powers of a soul reaper and he must cleanse corrupted spirits called “hollows”. Do not worry, if you don’t know already the plot gets really complicated very soon. The plot picks up pace really fast and doesn’t let up at all till the end. Once you are through the Ryouka Invasion arc that is it. The series won’t give you breathing room at all.
Aside from the really fast-paced action, Bleach has some really good world-building as well. Almost everything is explained and almost everything happens for a reason. As for the plot twists, you won’t see them coming for the most part. A lot of them are typical shonen plot twists but, there is a lot you can’t predict.
Characters
Bleach has a massive roster of characters and a lot of them are really good. I mean, I’d need a whole article to list my favorite Bleach characters and tell you why I like them. Ichigo himself, for example, is rather unique when it comes to his powers. We are not told exactly “what” is he till the very last arc, that is when the true nature of his powers is revealed. Then there are others like Ulquiorra, Kyoraku, Urahara, and of course, Aizen. There are a lot of other characters I like too.
Art
Bleach has really good art. Like it is Tite Kubo’s style, he spends all of his effort in drawing the character and usually leaves the background simple or even plain. The main reason why Hueco Mundo is just nothing but a dessert is that Kubo-sensei usually does not like drawing backgrounds. Only in the last arc do we have elaborate backgrounds. I am not complaining though because the characters look awesome and the plain background highlights them more.
Why you should read Bleach?
Quick pointers on why you should check out this manga
- One of the OG shonens
- Easy to get into
- Really fast-paced plot and lots of twists
- Awesome fights
- Good world-building
- Awesome art
Conclusion
That is it for now. Let me know your thoughts and recommendations down in the comments. Stay tuned for more content and yeah, I will take my leave here. See ya!
