The Anime That Never Ends Just Came to an End: Bleach

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Greetings, ladies and gentlemen!  I’m back again this week with a new review!  This week, I will be looking at one of the longest running animes of all time.  I’ve joked and a called it “The Anime that Never Ends”- a title that can be also used for other long-running shows like One Piece and Pokémon-, but as the title suggests, this show just recently came to an end.  But I’ll get more to that later.  For now, let’s get started on this week’s review on the famous long-running anime Bleach.
Despite the title’s unusual name, Bleach has nothing to do with actual bleach.  The show follows fifteen year-old Ichigo Kurosaki, who since childhood has been able to see the souls of the dead.  Ichigo is able to live with these powers, until one fateful day.  In his hometown of Karakura Town, a series of strange events occur where invisible entities have been plaguing the town.  All of these events come to a head when Ichigo meets a mysterious and hot-tempered girl named Rukia Kuchki.  Rukia claims that she is what’s known as a Soul Reaper, and the mysterious entities terrorizing Karakura Town are called Hollows- evil souls that can only be defeated by purification.  After a fierce battle with one of these Hollows, Rukia is left unable to continue fighting.  Her only option?  Give her Soul Reaper powers to Ichigo.  Ichigo becomes a substitute Soul Reaper and defeats the Hollow.  From there, a saga began.  And a very long one at that.  Running for nearly ten years with three hundred and sixty-six episodes, Bleach is certainly one of the longest running animes in anime history.
Now I know I haven’t praised the series all that much thus far.  Honestly, I’m sitting on the fence with this one.  That’s why Bleach gets a three and a half out of a five star rating.  For the most part, the animation is decent.  At the beginning of the series, it’s pretty rough.  But towards its end, the animation cleaned up very nicely.  And the story is also pretty decent.  Though drawn out, it is pretty entertaining.  I have to admit, after the first few episodes, I was pretty hooked.  However, this leads to some downsides.
Among one of the biggest downsides to Bleach, and a very obvious one, is this: it’s so f@#*$%g long (pardon my French)!  Seriously, I’m not even halfway through the series- in fact, I’m only three and a half seasons in!  Bleach becomes entertaining when you first watch it, but at some point, it gets boring, which is another issue.  Part of this has to do with a reoccurring pattern seen throughout the series.  At the beginning of an episode-or season-, Ichigo is in the midst of a fierce battle.  Midway through, he takes a serious blow that nearly kills him.  And by the end, he’s up on his feet and more powerful than ever.  You can see it throughout the entire series.  So obviously, the two things that have kept this series going- length and story- are the biggest pitfalls to the show.  But does that mean you should avoid it at all costs? Of course not!  Though it would take a while to complete the series, it is certainly worth your time.  Just keep in mind, it’s not perfect.  And be warned, it is long.  Like I said, it would take a long time to finish watching the series- I’m not finished with the series.
Now, you may have heard me mention that this marathon series recently completed its decade-long run.  On November 1, 2014, Toonami aired the 366th and final episode of Bleach.  The series ended much sooner back in 2012 in Japan.  Many fans of the show may be disappointed in this, but the show certainly lives in the hearts of those fans-cheesy I know.  My kudos to those fans who have stuck with the series for as long as they have.  You have more guts and dedication than I do!
So to finish off this week’s post, let’s just say this long-running series meets a pretty mediocre level.  Still, it certainly is worth trying anyway.  Who knows?  Maybe you can sit through all three hundred and sixty-six episodes.  If you’re interested in getting started, you can watch all the episodes online, primarily at crunchyroll.com.  You can also by the series in season box sets wherever anime is sold.  Well, I guess with that much said, that’s all I have for this week.  Until then, stay tuned for more!

-Hanime on Anime

Bleach Trailer
Bleach Box Set 22 Trailer


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