Bleach has always had elements that have fascinated me, and that is why for this highlight I decided to focus on what I love most about this anime series.  Check out this awesome trailer below by Jigokuchou26 on youtube:

I started watching Bleach early on when I was looking for a new series to become addicted to, and I found Bleach.  Of course, I binged watched the series.  I like the action elements and the story line as well as the character development.  I am also a huge fan of the character designs especially when supernatural characters like Ulqiourra, the Espada, and the Soul Reaper Captains are introduced.

Ulqiourra, Espada number 4 in his second form (equivalent to a Bankai).

For those who have not seen Bleach, here is a relatively quick summary.  Bleach is a story that revolves around the adventures of Ichigo Kurosaki, a teen boy with supernatural ability to see ghosts.  He comes to realize that the supernatural world around him is a lot more complicated when he sees his first Hollow, which is a corrupt human soul.  He has a run in with his first Soul Reaper, Rukia, as well.  Soul Reapers are shinigami (angels, grim reapers, mixture of both), and their job is to send spirits on their way to the Soul Society (which is essentially heaven) and cleanse Hollow spirits so they can pass on to the Soul Society.  They maintain the balance between the souls in the earthly realm and the souls in the Soul Society.

When a hollow attacks Ichigo and his family, Rukia comes to save them.  Rukia is then injured and she offers her power to Ichigo in order for him to save his family.  Thinking she will only be giving him a fraction of her power, she drives her Zanpakuto, her spiritual sword, into his body, and he takes almost all of her power.  Ichigo becomes a substitute Soul Reaper with a Zanpakuto of his own and defeats the Hollow attacking his family.

From this point onward Ichigo now has Soul Reaper powers and later developes his own power once Rukia’s power is taken from him.  Throughout his adventures, he fights Hollows, other Soul Reapers including high ranking Soul Reaper Captains, he storms the Soul Society to save Rukia, he storms Hueco Mundo (a purgatory realm) to save his friend Orihime, and he takes on the Hellverse to save his sister.

I always liked to compare Bleach to Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy.

In a way, Ichigo is like Dante as he goes through the various realms: Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso.  This is, of course, a very loose interpretation of the famous poem.  I liked the very different look at the spiritual worlds.  The Soul Society seems clean and sterile almost too much, but it still has its poor, run down side to it as seen in the Rukon district (Rukongai).  This introduces the concept that there is a stratification in a place that is essentially heaven.  Despite this, there is still room to move up as souls with high spiritual energy can become Soul Reapers or even Soul Reaper Captains.  Families, in the Soul Society, are made up of people that had no blood bond in the earthly realm, but formed a family in this world.  It’s interesting that people may not see their loved ones when they cross over, but can still find a way to have a family even if it is not the earthly one they remember.  The Soul Society and the way it is run has its flaws, but it also can give people a chance to start over, and to live a seemingly normal life.

Seireitei home of the Soul Reapers, Soul Society

Then Ichigo goes to Hueco Mundo which is the Purgatory realm, and everything in it is barren, gray and a vast desert.  Despite this place seeming to be lifeless, Ichigo and his friends realize that life can exist in such a place.  They come to realize that there is some good to be found in a place that is rife with hollows and corruption.  We see this most when Ichigo runs into a little hollow child by the name of Nel (Nelliel), and her strange and loyal companions.  Ichigo saves her, and she becomes extremely loyal and attached to Ichigo.  Nel proved over and over that Arrancars can be good and loyal especially when they believe in the one they are following.

Nel and her companions.

People often refer to Hueco Mundo as hell as it is seems to be the antithesis of the Soul Society.  I think Hueco Mundo is more of a purgatory realm for many reasons.  Hueco Mundo is the realm where Hollows live.  Hollows were once normal human souls that have become corrupted for various reasons, but once they become Hollows, the human part of them dies and they become more like heartless monsters.  This is why Soul Reapers cleanse Hollows and allow them to go to the Soul Society.  It stands to reason that Hueco Mundo (Hollow World) is more of a purgatory realm then a place of punishment.

Hueco Mundo.

The hell verse, on the other hand, is different than Hueco Mundo as we see early in the series with Chad’s encounter with a cockatiel that has the soul of a little boy trapped inside.  This little boy, Yuichi Shibata, witnesses the murder of his mother by the hand of a serial killer.  Yuichi’s mother was killed on a balcony and Yuichi tries to stop the serial killer by grabbing his shoelaces.  It sends the serial killer and Yuichi over the balcony where they both die. The Serial Killer immediately becomes a hollow, sucks out Yuichi’s soul and puts it into the body of a cockatiel.  The serial killer, a now cruel hollow, follows the bird (and boy) around and harms anyone who takes it in as a way to torment the little boy.  When Chad resolves this issue with help from Ichigo, the little boy’s soul is sent on to the Soul Society.  But in the case of the serial killer Hollow, we see a whole new realm open up and his soul being dragged into hell.

Gates of hell opening and dragging in a corrupt soul.

This suggests that if you did evil in your earthly life, there is no other option but hell and you will be taken there forcefully.  That is why I don’t consider Hueco Mundo a hell verse because there is clearly a separate place for evil doers in this universe.  Now who decides all this is not clear in Bleach as it is suggested that there is a higher level than is seen in the Soul Society’s hierarchy.  We do get to see some of the hell verse in a Bleach movie called Hell verse when Ichigo’s sister is taken hostage by denizens of this realm, and it is a very interesting take on hell.

Lowest level of Bleach Hell Verse.

Ichigo Kurosaki

Ichigo Kurosaki in his Soul Reaper form.

I loved watching the development of the main characters (Ichigo, Orihime, Satoro (Chad), Uryu Ishida, Rukia) as well as how they interact with each other and the various worlds and supernatural creatures they encounter.  The main character, Ichigo Kurosaki, is a character that you love to watch because he has a good, noble side as well as an impetuous side which makes him both endearing and sometimes frustrating.  Ichigo will not allow for any harm to come to his family and those he considers friends.  He is willing to go to the depths of hell to save his sister and storm the Soul Society to save a friend.  This makes him a hero that you love because he doesn’t give up and he has a lot of heart.  He also has strong bonds with his friends especially Chad.

Both Chad and Ichigo are considered outsiders, Chad for his height and Ichigo for his bright orange hair.  Ichigo used to get into a lot of fights because of his natural orange hair color as everyone always claimed he must have bleached his black hair.  Since it is his natural hair color, it always got him into trouble as it made him different.  Being different can make someone a target for ridicule and misunderstandings as he often was.  It is Ichigo’s differences that has made him stronger and more open minded.  For all the things thrown at him, Ichigo seems to be able to handle these supernatural occurrences pretty well.

Ichigo and his friend Chad.

An upcoming live action adaptation?

Talks of an upcoming live action adaptation of Bleach has been around for quite awhile now.  It seems it is more than a rumor as seen in this IMDB page:  Bleach Live Action adaptation IMDB page. This adaptation has been in production since 2010 with no update.  Will it go forward or will it be shelved?  I have no idea.  I am interested to see what will come of it with some of the producers that are said to be working on it like Peter Segal (Get Smart, Anger Management, 50 First Dates) and Masi Oka (actor in: Heroes, Heroes Reborn, Hawaii Five-0).

Do I think there is a possibility of decent adaptation?  It is possible in my opinion because, even though Bleach is a huge story, if broken up into several movies or even a television show it can be done.  If all the filler is cut out and it focuses on the entirety of the Ichigo and Aizen arc, I could see movies being made from it as there are definitely good stopping points and cliff hangers. When more is updated about the project, I will definitely be writing an article.  For now, we shall see what will become of the live action adaptation.

But if you haven’t yet explored the world of Bleach, I would suggest giving it a try.  It has quite an epic story and characters that you grow to love.  So check it out and that is it for this anime highlight!