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IN BRIEF: Kurosaki Ichigo has always been able to see the dead; they look just as alive as the living to him, which is a problem when there's predatory ghosts out there. Still, even though he lost his mother years ago to a Hollow (the series' term for a soul that's lost its way), he gets by passing for normal... until a shinigami crawls through his bedroom window on a hunt for hungry Hollows. Shonen-esque monsters of the week ensue, until the abrupt emergence of the society of the shinigami interferes with Ichigo and his human friends' lives. They must decide what they're willing to risk in their quest to save their newest friend from eternal execution.
***SPOILERS BELOW***
OPINION: I don't want to disparage anyone who's found Bleach to be one of their touchstones in anime/manga. I myself enjoy the multitude of fanfiction out there. At its best, the characters are fun to watch, the plot is engaging, and the fights thrilling. Nevertheless, I also can't just encourage people to go watch Bleach without reservations.
Here are some of the issues that I have with it:
1) Swerving plot. The first dozen or so episodes have very little to do with the eventual focus on Soul Society, universe-spanning conspiracies and multiple-realities-warfare. I enjoyed the lighter, episodic touch that the beginning had, and it's disappointing to think that the manga-ka might have been forced to shelve his original plans for the series. Still, the first Soul Society arcs are interesting, and are straightforward enough in presentation. It's after Aizen makes his initial getaway to Hueco Mundo (roughly around the 60th episode) that the wheels start coming off. This is when new characters start being introduced left and right, and with the exception of the core Arrancar and the Vizored the newbies are not rounded out enough to be interesting. Ichigo and his friends go all over creation, it feels like, and fight everyone all the time, for goals that get more and more abstracted.
2) Not feminist. As with most shonen, the women are given short shrift. Some are there purely for T&A, and others have skill but will always take a back seat to the men. The most interesting ones get barely any screentime. Well, at least they occasionally win their fights. Enough about that.
3) The moronic ending. Again, many shonen do this, but I am very tired of timeskips that show two previously non-dating characters had their romance off-screen and have reproduced. That's just such a lazy cop-out for having to convince the audience that the characters are good together. Furthermore, the non-romantic elements of the future are dumb, too. Ichigo decided to raise his kid ignorant of the other worlds/powers, even though that was a bad idea when his own parents did it to him; why would he ever do that? Chad hates violence, but decided to become a professional fighter - what?
My reviewing system for films and shows that are NOT anime: 1-5: I hated it. I also don't think it has redeeming qualities, so you shouldn't watch it either. 6: I didn't like it. It's not my thing, I didn't like the execution, I don't want to see it again. However, I don't think it is a BAD film or show - it has qualities that will recommend it to those who like that kind of thing. 7: It was fine. I didn't love it, and I don't need to see it again. I won't be sad if I never see it again. 8: I liked it. I didn't love it, and while I'd like to see it again, I wouldn't want to see it often. 9: I loved it. I would be sad if I never saw it again. I might want to see it every few years. 10: I loved it beyond description. I wouldn't mind re-watching it every year.
********************************* Clarifying my Anime rating system: My number key below is an attempt to parse the small differences between 5 and 6, 7 and 8, & 9 and 10. When I rate, I consider my own enjoyment, the characterization and the plot, the appearance of the animation, and occasionally the soundtrack - in roughly that order. An anime will lose at least 1 point for presence of deal-breaker tropes (for example, comedic pedophilia), and more if the trope(s) ruined my enjoyment. On the other hand, it will gain at least 1 point for artistry in animation or sound. I don't expect to rate anything 1-4, as I would probably never finish watching something in this range of rating.
Cautious Recommending: 5: In this case, it started out with a higher score and slipped over time... because I normally don't watch anything that I would score below 6, except for movies (small time commitment). 6: I may or may not have watched the whole show, but I recognize deal-breaker issues in it, and I'm unlikely to rewatch. It just wasn't enjoyable enough for me to forgive its flaws. There would be huge caveats to any recommendation.
Likely to Recommend: 7: There's two types of 7s (ideally I could rank the second one 7.5). For the first, I didn't like it enough to think I would rewatch it, but also didn't see huge problems in the plot, characterizations, etc. and thought it was worth finishing. I might suggest it to someone if I know they like the specific sub-genre or other work by the studio. For the second, I recognize shows/movies that have high quality but just aren't my cup of tea. Not my thing, but usually I at least respect the work. 8: I had a good time watching it, but it didn't move me the way a 9 or a 10 does; it's possible that over time I would upgrade it if I liked it more on reflection. I would be willing to rewatch it if a friend wanted to watch it with me. I may or may not buy the DVDs (I'm more likely if there's something unique about it). I'd recommend it with the occasional caveat.
Highly Recommend: 9: I enjoyed it very much. It may have had one or two issues, but not enough to diminish enjoyment. It's possible that over time I would downgrade it to an 8 (changing tastes) or upgrade to a 10 (realize it's never left my mind). I'm likely to rewatch, and likely to buy the DVDs. I'd recommend it to most audiences. 10: Virtually flawless. I'd definitely rewatch, and definitely want to buy DVDs. I would shill this to anyone.
EDIT: for years when I'm participating in the MAL Anime Challenge, any anime in the Completed section with a * in the note was watched for the challenge. Similarly, if I'm participating in the MDL Drama Challenge, any drama with a * in the notes was watched for the challenge. Previous years' challenges will have their * removed.
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