Anime Bleach

[James]

[color=#707875]Although I'm very new to the world of fan-subs, I decided to check out Bleach's first episode today.

I am really impressed. Much of the comedy seems to be typically Japanese (ie: not particularly intelligent or mature), but that doesn't matter -- it works really well. In fact, I don't think I've personally seen very many anime that have made me laugh like this (although I have only seen a fairly small amount of anime, period -- so I'm always open to suggestions ~_^).

I like the fact that, although the show is fairly light-hearted in many respects (and it pokes fun at characters during even the most serious moments), it still has that serious undertone. It just seems to work incredibly well.

And as everyone has mentioned, the animation is gorgeous. Very vibrant, very crisp, with some pretty interesting characters thrown into the mix. I'm also in the process of acquiring episode 2 right now. I have a feeling that I could become quite interested in this series. ^_^[/color]

[AzureWolf]

[quote name='Dan Rugh']No wonder I don't like you anymore. You are the one that sounds like the 1337 anime viewer by trying to scold me. :([/quote][FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue]]\/[3? 1337? ]\|0\/\/ j00'|23 j|_|$7 ]33i]\|9 4]3$|_||2]).
Hahahaha, sorry, I couldn't resist.

While I am flattered that you think so highly of me, I was simply thinking more along the lines of going to the PC/Mac forum on OB and asking for help to configure your router. And I doubt that's the reason you dislike me. You can be unoriginal, steal my insults and use them right back at me, but I draw the line at the rolleyes smiley. That was just wrong, man...

Dagger, with respect to your idea about commonly-used action elements, you're probably right. However, I don't know why I don't associate the themes and executions in Bleach to Yu Yu Hakusho as much as I do towards Naruto. That may be because I saw most of Yu Yu Hakusho in a nonlinear fashion (i.e., Yusuke was asleep, awake, asleep, dying), but there's a slim chance that it isn't.

Bah, whatever. I can't put my finger on it, but I'll be able to express it sooner or later. When I do figure it out, it'll probably be what you said anyway, haha.

Now what I disagree with... Rukia is original? O_o Didn't you just describe her as Boton's unspirited twin?[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[Godelsensei]

[COLOR=Gray][FONT=Courier New]Just watched episode one, and my innitial reaction is, "eh."

Bleach is okay, though the main character's design is rather blatantly "borrowed" from a certain brilliant manga you can probably guess the name of.

The opening theme was pretty cool, but the ending I didn't like all that much.

Having read a bit (okay, four volumes...) of Zombie Powder and coming to the conclusion that it wasn't too great, I'm hoping that Bleach will be rather better.

As far as the begining goes, everything is still pretty generic.

I did like the table-flip scene, though.

Heh.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Dagger]

[quote name='Godelsensei][COLOR=Gray][FONT=Courier New]Bleach is okay, though the main character's design is rather blatantly "borrowed" from a certain brilliant manga you can probably guess the name of.[/FONT'][/COLOR][/quote]

Yeah, there definitely aren't any other feisty, spiky-haired shounen leads. :p

[quote name='AzureWolf][FONT=book antiqua][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue]Now what I disagree with... Rukia is original? O_o Didn't you just describe her as Boton's unspirited twin?[/COLOR][/SIZE'][/FONT][/quote]

I only meant that in regards to the role she plays at the beginning (mysterious girl employed by the afterlife who acts as a catalyst in getting the protagonist to fight), which is similar to Botan's. Rukia makes a much more respectable shinigami than the eternally perky Botan. In fairness, though, it shouldn't be too hard for this type of anime to come up with an "original" female lead... most of them resemble Keiko from Yu Yu Hakusho or Sakuno from Prince of Tennis--a token love interest who doesn't do much other than worry about the main character.

Eh, who am I kidding... I just like Rukia. She's cool. ;)

EDIT: James, I like how you phrased your comment about the show's ability to easily transition between comedic and serious scenes. I felt the same way but wasn't quite sure how to express it.

~Dagger~

[QuincyArcher]

in regards to favorite characters, i would have to say Tatsuki is one of my favorites even though she never plays a huge role in the series. I also really like Ishida (hence my screen name "QuicnyArcher"), who will probably be popping up in the anime within the next few episodes. his character really reminds me of the guy from Orphen, (his name escapes me right now) kinda the reluctant anti-hero type i guess.

[Dan Rugh]

[quote name='QuincyArcher']in regards to favorite characters, i would have to say Tatsuki is one of my favorites even though she never plays a huge role in the series. I also really like Ishida (hence my screen name "QuicnyArcher"), who will probably be popping up in the anime within the next few episodes. his character really reminds me of the guy from Orphen, (his name escapes me right now) kinda the reluctant anti-hero type i guess.[/quote]

"the guy from Orphen..." would that be Orphen? lol I don't really know anyone else from that show except the blonde kid who's name, I think, is Magus. Oh well.

The thing about Ishida Uryuu is that whole Jin look-a-like, Sasuke sound-a-like issue. He looks like a pretty cool character I must admit, though. I love Sasuke's seiyuu, Sugiyama Noriaki anyway, so why am I complaining. haha

I was looking at pictures of characters who will be appearing later on in the show the other day. Abara Renji, Hitsugaya Toushirou, and Ichimaru Gin all look like really cool Shinigami that I can't wait to see in the future. Paku Romi, the voice of Temari in Naruto, will be playing Toushirou... she's does a lot of male voices ex. Ed in Full Metal Alchemist and Katsushirou in Samurai 7. Renji will be played by Yusa Kouji who does the voice of Akimichi Chouji in Naruto. It'll be weird to hear that voice out of anyone besides Chouji. lol

[James]

[color=#707875]I just saw episode 2. It'd been stored for a little while, but I finally got around to watching it.

I am really pleased with it; I think it's substantially better than the first episode, which is really nice. The best part, perhaps, is that episode 2 slightly increases the complexity of the story, without compromising the light-hearted overtones from the first episode.

If things continue in this way, then I think we could definitely be set for something very memorable.

In terms of the specifics, there are a few things that I really enjoyed.

[spoiler]I particularly enjoyed the fact that Kuchiki (I'm forgetting her "original" name, if it was different) has remained a part of the story. It's a great twist that she's now living with Ichigo and guiding him through the story. She is great because on the one hand, she's providing the audience with some background information at certain moments, while on the other, she's providing a good sense of comic relief throughout the story.[/spoiler]

Oh and, is it just me, or is Kuchiki's hair very awesome? It seems to have a noteably different shape from most generic anime females, which is why it stands out to me. She comes across as a pretty distinctive character.

[spoiler]And is it just me, or are Inoue's breasts abnormally enormous? o_O It almost seems...sexist, or something. lol[/spoiler]

Also -- and again, I could be wrong -- [spoiler]it kind of seems that Inoue's friend may have some kind of interest in her that is more than just friendship. Or at least, it could be interpreted that way. I mean, I noticed that she seems to already have a strong disliking for Ichigo, as a result of his treatment of Inoue. She seems very defensive of Inoue. But also, her clothing and everything...she almost seems quite masculine for a female. Is it just me, or does she come across as being somewhat androgynous? lol[/spoiler]

I don't have a lot of experience with this type of series, so I could be barking up the wrong tree there. But that was a subtle impression that I was getting.

Other than that, I really enjoyed many of the subtle elements in the episode. [spoiler]I liked the fact that the camera panned up, past Inoue's brother's picture. I almost think it'd have been better if Ichigo hadn't spelled out exactly who he was -- there were enough visual hints to make it known to the audience, without actually directly hitting us with it.[/spoiler]

But that's honestly a minor complaint, in what was otherwise a very cool episode.[/color]

[QuincyArcher]

[QUOTE]Originally Posted by [B]Dan Rugh[/B]
[I]"the guy from Orphen..." would that be Orphen? lol I don't really know anyone else from that show except the blonde kid who's name, I think, is Magus. Oh well.[/I][/QUOTE]
hahah oh yeah

[QUOTE]Originally Posted by [B]Dan Rugh[/B]
[I]"The thing about Ishida Uryuu is that whole Jin look-a-like..."[/I][/QUOTE]
bleach has been around since 2001, didnt samurai champloo just begin airing earlier this year? wouldnt that make Jin an Ishida look-alike?

and as for what james was saying about the complexity of the story, i couldnt agree more. one of the things that i love about this series is how much detail Kubo gives about every little thing, especially when it comes to hollows, soul society and the shinigami order.

[Dan Rugh]

[quote name='QuincyArcher']bleach has been around since 2001, didnt samurai champloo just begin airing earlier this year? wouldnt that make Jin an Ishida look-alike?[/quote]

LOL I guess you're right, but since I just started getting into Bleach, it seems the other way around for me. =P

[quote]I'm forgetting her "original" name[/quote]
Her full name is Kuchiki Rukia. The only reason they're all calling her "Kuchiki-san" is because she [spoiler]now goes to their school and everyone is supposed to address everyone else by their last names.[/spoiler] So no change there. Anyway, I love Rukia because she's always so serious but she still can come off as hilarious when the time is right. It's great how [spoiler]fake she is when she's in school or around a classmate. When they saw Orihime on the street, Rukia at first said something like "Who the hell are you" and then when Ichigo told her who it was, her voice got real high and happy. The part when she was in Ichigo's closet with his sister's pajamas on was great, too.[/spoiler]

[Billy Shears]

[quote name='Dan Rugh']There are over 150 chapters in Japan right now and I think 3 or so volumes have been fully translated and released by Viz in America. There ya go. I thought a big fan would know that sort of stuff :p[/quote]

But, I wasn't talking about the manga, I meant the actual anime. I knew that much about the manga, haha. Sorry, I was caught up in the excitement ( :wigout: ) of finding out it was finally released in Japan.

I got 5 or 6 kids at school hooked on "Bleach", (Christ, the only freshmans who like anime/manga...) so one of them downloaded the fansubs and said it was pretty good. So I will soon see them...

[anime[blood]]

I just can't wait for the American Dub, I've fallen in love with the Bleach manga. I've noticed though that the artwork isn't as good which doesn't suprise me because of the animation that has to be added from translation from manga to anime.

[James]

[QUOTE=Dan Rugh]

Her full name is Kuchiki Rukia. The only reason they're all calling her "Kuchiki-san" is because she [spoiler]now goes to their school and everyone is supposed to address everyone else by their last names.[/spoiler] So no change there. Anyway, I love Rukia because she's always so serious but she still can come off as hilarious when the time is right. It's great how [spoiler]fake she is when she's in school or around a classmate. When they saw Orihime on the street, Rukia at first said something like "Who the hell are you" and then when Ichigo told her who it was, her voice got real high and happy. The part when she was in Ichigo's closet with his sister's pajamas on was great, too.[/spoiler][/QUOTE]

[color=#707875]Oh yeah, I understand about the naming thing. But for some reason I'd wondered if her name was different. Momentary memory lapse. ~_^

I definitely like Rukia. As I mentioned earlier, I also really like her actual design...she has a different look to traditional characters (like Inoue, who is as typical as they come).

Is there any word on when episode 3 might be available?[/color]

[Dagger]

[quote name='James][color=#707875']Is there any word on when episode 3 might be available?[/color][/quote]

I believe the first subbed version came out last night... well, it [i]was[/i] last night over here--would that have been the morning for you? Agh, I'm so bad at time zones!

[quote name=''anime[blood]'']I've noticed though that the artwork isn't as good which doesn't suprise me because of the animation that has to be added from translation from manga to anime.[/quote]

I've glanced at some images from the manga, and I find that so far I actually prefer the anime artwork. In truth, I don't think the majority of anime feature markedly worse artwork than the manga upon which they're based--Full Moon wo Sagashite comes to mind, but only because the original manga is so carefully drawn and detailed. For me, action-heavy material is much more exciting in anime form (assuming the battle scenes are well-directed and have at least moderately good animation). That's why I've never bothered reading the Yu Yu Hakusho or Hunter x Hunter manga... I adore both series, but only as anime.

~Dagger~

[Billy Shears]

[QUOTE=James][color=#707875]
Oh and, is it just me, or is Kuchiki's hair very awesome? It seems to have a noteably different shape from most generic anime females, which is why it stands out to me. She comes across as a pretty distinctive character.

[spoiler]And is it just me, or are Inoue's breasts abnormally enormous? o_O It almost seems...sexist, or something. lol[/spoiler]

Also -- and again, I could be wrong -- [spoiler]it kind of seems that Inoue's friend may have some kind of interest in her that is more than just friendship. Or at least, it could be interpreted that way. I mean, I noticed that she seems to already have a strong disliking for Ichigo, as a result of his treatment of Inoue. She seems very defensive of Inoue. But also, her clothing and everything...she almost seems quite masculine for a female. Is it just me, or does she come across as being somewhat androgynous? lol[/spoiler]

[/color][/QUOTE]

Rukia has that one big lock of hair that comes down across her face...so cool. Not many female characters that I know of have the hair on their faces.

[spoiler] About Orhime's breasts...yes, they are big, hah.[/spoiler] But if you've ever had a chance to look at "Zombie Powder", you can see that the only female character (name forgotten) has [spoiler]extremly large breasts, too. Then one of her classmates asks another "how she can eat so much and not get fat", and the other girl says "because she's a boobs machine"[/spoiler] I'm glad someone besides me noticed that, because I kind of felt like a pervert :eek:

And as for Tatsuki [spoiler] she doesn't seem overly friendly in the manga. There has to be a small backstory to her. I think her parents died... But there is another girl who is incenting shojo-ai relationship with Orhime. Her name is Chizuru. She has glasses and makes frequent passes at Orhime. Then Tatsuki butts in and tells her to "back off" and "don't corrupt Orhime, you libertine. [/spoiler] Tension. :flaming:

[Dan Rugh]

I forgot to post about Bleach 3. :eek:

It was a good wrap up to episode 2 with how [spoiler]Orihime's brother came to his senses for a bit and killed himself so Ichigo didn't have to do it.[/spoiler] I don't know why, but the thing with Orihime's hairpin almost [spoiler]had me in tears lol.[/spoiler]
They played some really cool music that I don't think we've heard yet in the 2 previous episodes. Good stuff.

It looks like we get to see more of Chad in episode 4. I can't believe that he is only 15. He should definitely play basketball. haha

[Dagger]

I wasn't really in the mood for episode 3 until tonight, but I'm glad I saved it for a little while because the action is quite spectacular. Judging by the preview, the next installment will be much more light-hearted--which is great, because although I enjoyed the unrelenting drama and fighting in episode 3, the brief comedic scenes toward the end (not to mention the hilarious post-credits preview) almost killed me. I am still awed by the quality of Bleach's action sequences; the main show-down of this episode has some surprisingly innovative camera angles and feels a lot more dynamic than your average anime slugfest.

Hey, I've got a question for all you manga readers. I actually noticed the same thing as James regarding Tatsuki (is that right?) and Inoue--are there any [spoiler]hints about a possible relationship between them in the manga?[/spoiler] I already know which Bleach pairings--canon or not--I'm most likely going to ship. ;)

~Dagger~

[QuincyArcher]

i completely agree about the action sequences in bleach, they are always stellar even in the mangas. thats one of the things that i love most about this series. and as for what Dagger was saying:

[QUOTE]Originally Posted By [B]Dagger IX1[/B]
"I actually noticed the same thing as James regarding Tatsuki (is that right?) and Inoue--are there any [Spoiler]hints about a possible relationship between them in the manga?[/spoiler][/QUOTE]

I think Tatsuki kinda sees herself as Inoue's big sister as well as her best friend, like its her duty to protect Inoue. towards the end of volume 5 [spoiler]when Inoue faces her first hollow (aside from her brother)[/spoiler] and the end of volume 8 they go into more detail about their relationship if you feel like checking it out. but its nothing huge.

[Guest AnimeFanaticG]

I just watched the first 2 and i agree with everyone, it kicks serious butt. It lives up to the Manga, and i can't wait for more to come and i DLed the IY4Ever FS.

[Billy Shears]

[QUOTE=Dagger IX1]Just a quick heads-up: TechTV is currently airing [B]R.O.D the TV[/B] (you can check the TechTV website for the exact schedule), and will start showing [B]Gungrave[/B] at midnight on October 12. I was hoping that both of these highly anticipated series would end up on CN, but at least Adult Swim still has the Read or Die OVA.

~Dagger~[/QUOTE]

Dammit, Dagger! You beat me to the punch [SIZE=3][b]3[/b] [/SIZE] times! (just kidding)

The R.o.D airing on Cn was kind of a bummer, so now there are going to be a million Cn otakus clamoring for it like they do for InuYasha.

GitS:Sac is very, [i] very[/i] well worth watching. I saw the 2nd volume by my friends house. Great art and action.

[QuincyArcher]

just watched ep 4, but i got Lunar's sub this time instead of ANBU's and i personally think ANBU does a much better job. anyway watching Rukia fumble with the juice box is hilarious, especially when Keigo asked her if he could help with anything.

[Kwai]

[size=1][color=darkred]Been a while.

I've been following Bleach through the manga for the past two months and have become quite attached to it. However, whenever a manga becomes an anime or vice versa, there is always the apprehensive part inside you that debates whether the anime will be as good as the manga or not. Bleach, so far, has been so so. Of course, this might be because I've read too much and the repetition of the storyline is boring me. I don't think I can make up my decision until the main enemy shifts from [spoiler]the hollows over to the shinigamis over in soul society. That's where the real action and fun starts in my opinion.[/spoiler]

The manga is currently up to book 14 and looking good. I'd love to see all of those cool shinigami leaders put to animation... At the moment, my favorite character is probably [spoiler]Kuchiki Byakuya, followed by Urahara Kisuke. Byakuya's almost cruel indifference combined with his incredible power is very attractive, but Kisuke's happy-go-lucky, yet merciless personality is cool too. I also like most of the shinigami leaders, especially Zaraki Kenbachi.[/spoiler]

Big spoiler. Watch it.
[spoiler]The thing I love about Bleach is how the swords the Shinigamis wield have a name/spirit and a different form when they are unsealed. It spices things up in an otherwise common sword fight animation. Plus, it's fun speculating what the swords look like/their special effects when they are unsealed.[/spoiler][/size][/color]

[Dan Rugh]

[ANBU/A-Keep] Bleach 04 was released not too long ago.

It's a very good episode that's mostly about Chad and [spoiler]him acquiring a new pet parakeet (I think it's supposed to be a cockatoo, though). Chad finds out that the bird carries a curse with it, but he keeps it anyway. Soon after, he finds himself in several accidents, including a car accident that brings him to the Kurosaki Clinic. There, Ichigo and Rukia notice a large wound on Chad's back that appears to be a hand print from a hollow. It turns out that there is a soul entrapped in the parakeet that constantly attracts a certain hollow that enjoys eating Shinigami. Oh yeah... the bird can talk. lol[/spoiler]

I really like Chad as a character. He's a giant with a kind heart.

[QuincyArcher]

[QUOTE]Originally Posted by [B]Metatron[/B]
[I]"The manga is currently up to book 14 and looking good"[/I][/QUOTE]

manga-rain has finished up through volume 16 actually, and of course its much farther than that in japan.

and as for what you were saying about the shinigami's (big spoilers ahoy!) [spoiler] i really dont like Byakuya Kuchiki because he really seems like a pompus *** and he betrayed Rukia. i also think he might be involved in the conspiracy around terminal duo/the execution. Though i really like Renji, even though he helps Byakuya bring Rukia in, he realizes the error of his ways and joins the "Shinigami uprising" (as i like to call it) along with Kenpachi and the others. he has the coolest sword IMO as well [/spoiler]

[Dagger]

Whoa... episode 4 felt really short. ^_^;;

Anyway, Chad is cool. The part where he casually mentioned [spoiler]getting hit first by a steel girder and then by a motorbike[/spoiler] was just hysterical. I'm having a hard time suspending my disbelief with regards to his age (especially in Ichigo's flashback!), but I guess that's part of the humor too. Happily, there were some more great sparkly Rukia moments in the first half of the episode.

The [spoiler]cockatiel boy[/spoiler] has a rather cute voice. I wonder if we'll get to see [spoiler]exactly how his mother was killed?[/spoiler]

~Dagger~

[Anime Empress]

Oh! I love bleach. ^_^ It's getting pretty interesting...not to meantion it was good from the start. I like the cell job. The art style and all. It's pretty cool. XD