*Bleach* is one of the longest-running manga and anime series in history. After seeing a few episodes of the anime, I decided to read the manga. So far, as of the first volume, it's pretty good.
The basic story utilizes very loosely various elements of Greek and Japanese mythology. The protagonist is a young man named Ichigo who is an odd duck, from an odd family. He is a young high school student with strawberry hair, who lives with his father and two younger sisters. As if being teased about his weird (for Japan) hair color isn't bad enough, he has some weird spirit sense abilities. First off, don't pay attention to the fact that other characters have hair colors other than dark hair, and that Ichigo is thus not that odd. It's part of the humor and characterization, so just bear with it. Ichigo's hair really is his hair color. The others are just stylized browns, blacks and brownish-reds.
This is important because, when I first read this a few years back, I didn't know enough about Japan to get the more subtle aspect of the issues with which our protagonist must deal. In Japan, there is a huge emphasis on conformity. You must look and act how folks expect to keep the peace and to be traditionally Japanese. This means having "Japanese" hair colors, not hair that is evidence of Western ancestry. Some schools even force students to dye their natural hair colors black. Now, to be fair, this *is* getting better as time goes on, but there is still a ton of bigotry about these issues. I have no doubt this is part of what the narrative subtly implies Ichigo faces.
Anyways, the spirit sense I mentioned earlier comes into play in that he can see ghosts. And no, he isn't crazy. At times in the near future, he will probably wish he were crazy, but he isn't. As someone who can see ghosts, he takes it upon himself to scare off folks who are desecrating the place that a spirit hangs out. He doesn't really enjoy his self-appointed tasks, or his abilities, but he does them nonetheless.
One day, things take a turn for the truly weird – yes, it can get even worse to the point that the above seems almost normal by comparison – when a girl suddenly appears in his room one night, and then his family is attacked by a monster. It turns out the girl is a supernatural being called a “soul reaper” (as in the Grim Reaper), whose job it is to send souls to the “soul society” where they will rest while awaiting reincarnation. Most souls, though fearful, go willingly once the truth is explained, but some souls, called “hollows” go bad. They need to be sent to the soul society by force.
Unfortunately, in a bizarre turn of events, the soul reaper in question, named Rukia, is forced to transfer her powers to Ichigo. Now the young man must do her job until she recuperates, and thus, a new soul reaper is born.
Yeah, I know, the premise is really strange, but it works. Mostly because the series relies on a combination of humor, action, and scenes of characters put forth in such a way that we really care about them. It is useful to note the cultural norms at play here. On top of the hair color/ancestry issues, his family would be considered messed up by even the more gregarious American standards. You can imagine, then, that to a Japanese person, this would be absurd levels of strangeness, yet they do love each other. They are sweet, and they really get you to care about them.
As well, the world building is fun so far (and in the future volumes I've read so far). The author makes use of mythology to undergird his premise. The world building adds to the enjoyment of the series. From what I've read online, Christian and other mythology eventually shows up to subtle or more aspects.
Some might roll their eyes at Ichigo, who is yet another in a nearly endless line of protagonists that could be described as “jerks who are really heroic and good people”. Though it should be mentioned that he is more gruff most of the time, and is only a "jerk" to those who try to mess with him and cause him problems. Again, the author sells it.
The other characters are fun, though we only can see so much of them at first as the emphasis for the first volume in a manga or comic book will tend (by necessity, really) to be on the main protagonist. But Orihime, Ichigo's sisters and dad, and his friends, make for very interesting characters. Even the side characters who are jerks to him tend to be funny or interesting in how they are drawn and depicted. I'd say that so far the author did a good job in the characterization department.
The story, though with promise, could suffer from problems if not varied and allowed to become formulaic, yet it obviously did not do this. It lasted a long time, and from what I've read so far and heard, it lasted for a reason. I look forward to seeing what cool stories the author put out in future chapters and volumes, and highly recommend this first volume of the series.
Rating: 5/5 Stars.
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Reviews with images
11/10
As someone who’s a couple decades late to bleach, this first volume got me hooked right away. I’ve seen it everywhere so I figured it was about time to start, and I’m not disappointed in the slightest and definitely recommend.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2014
Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2024
As someone who’s a couple decades late to bleach, this first volume got me hooked right away. I’ve seen it everywhere so I figured it was about time to start, and I’m not disappointed in the slightest and definitely recommend.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2024
Great condition, definable overpriced though kind of crazy to sell or for more money than the original listed price on the product itself
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Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2006
Top reviews from other countries
Gustavo
Uma ótima obra
Reviewed in Brazil on April 16, 2024
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Reviewed in Brazil on April 16, 2024
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El inicio de una increíble historia
Reviewed in Mexico on August 13, 2016