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Title: Bleach
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| CONSUMER ADVICE |
Parents may want to make sure they read this series before they let their children read it, as this series contains rude and crude behavior, blood and gore, bad language, violence, and sex humor. |
Many people who read "Shonen Jump" consider "Bleach" to be the "anti-‘Shaman King’" of the "Shonen Jump" lineup. It's not hard to see why people would think about "Bleach" in this way. In many ways, it seems like author Tite Kudo looked at everything "Shaman King" did that made it popular, and just did the exact opposite with "Bleach." So much about "Bleach" seems like the exact opposite of "Shaman King," that I have to wonder if Tite Kudo's creation was thought up as one big elaborate joke. For example, "Shaman King" has very gorgeous artwork that I could just stare at and love the more I look at it; it’s in a league of its own. On the other hand, while "Bleach"’s artwork is also very original, compared to "Shaman King”’s artwork, it comes off as a bit rough and edgy instead of smooth and elegant. In "Shaman King," the main character Yoh is a cheerful kid who aspires to be the best shaman in the world, and is a very, very likable (if not bland) character. In "Bleach," the main hero, Ichigo Kurosaki, is a big jerk and pacifist, damning the gods for giving him such cursed "gifts." In "Shaman King," ghosts and humans (usually) walk hand-in-hand with each other. In "Bleach" the ghosts are horrible beings who only wish harm on humans, and it's up to the humans to kill them. And so on, and so on...you get the point.
With all this said, you could probably just read my review of "Shaman King" if you want to know what the story is, as it's too similar to bother repeating here. However, the story that "Bleach" rips off is kind of like a good country song: you swear you've heard over 100 songs that sound just like the song you're listening too, but you're enjoying the song too much to be bothered by this knowledge. What makes "Bleach" an interesting read is that the characters are fun, the art is unique, and the action is choreographed extremely well. In other words, "Bleach" is more style than it is substance at times.
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Cool.
The relatively minor story revolves around high-school student Ichigo accidentally stealing a (female) grim reaper’s powers, and until the girl gets her powers back, Ichigo has to basically take over her job for awhile. Nothing about this premise is particularly interesting, and it's certainly not original. The directions the story decides to go aren't even all that interesting either. The most interesting story twist comes from a popular TV evangelist for ghosts, who Ichigo suspects is a scam artist, only to discover that the guy can actually see ghosts after all. It's a small twist, and many people may not even see what the big deal about the twist is, but the twist stands out for me because it's a twist you certainly didn't see coming. Does this twist affect the story too much in the long run? Not really. The guy shows up here and there, and at one point plays a minor role in the series, but otherwise nothing much is done with the character. At least, not as much as could have been done. There are a couple attempts at slapstick comedy from a stuffed animal (who appears to be the anti-mascot character of the series), and a dark secret about Ichigo's past with his mother seems forced, but within the context of the story I guess we should be lucky to be getting what we do get.
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So cool...
One thing that most likely will catch your attention is that this series is violent...extremely violent at times even. In fact, considering that this series is under the "Shonen Jump" banner, I find it strange that Viz didn't slap this with an OT and release this series under their "Shonen Jump Advance" label (which would probably be a better home for this series). Still, at least this series is under one of the “SJ” labels, because now it’s priced at a very reasonable $7.95 per book. If the price were any higher this series probably wouldn't be worth looking into as much. But at such a cheap price, checking out the series isn't that bad of an idea now. There really isn't much more I can say about "Bleach." Once you read the first book, you'll know whether you'll like it or not, as the series never does get any better or any worse. In fact, you could probably live your whole life without ever reading "Bleach" and not miss much. But at the same time, what fun would that be? While this series is not great art by any means, for what Viz is asking for in terms of money, "Bleach" is a decent series that provides some thrills while it lasts. Just don't expect Shakespeare or anything, lest you be missing the entire point of the series.
Update: 11-8-06
There are times in life that a man has to admitt he was was wrong. This is one of those times I believe. While in my original review I did mention that "Bleach" was a series that was worth reading, I said that it was cheap entertainment and wouldn't be the most thrilling thing you would ever read. While I still stand by that statement, I think I must back down and admitt that "Bleach," while still predictable and shallow at times, has risen up to become one of the better action series in recent years. I have now read fifteen books of the series, and the characters have become deeper, more likable people. The storyline has taken a few twists that may not have made the series any more original, but has certainly made the series more interesting. Finally, the action sequences have been taken a notch up, and now are exciting and thrilling. If anything, the statement about the action being simply "okay" is no longer true, as the inventive battles are now the series most memorable moments. I also have to give props to a series that gives the love interest of the protagonist something to do, instead of setting her off to the side as the series goes on and the main character becomes more devoting to his fighting then his love life. So while all the above is still true, I feel I must alter the grade to reflect my new feelings of the book. So the series has been upgraded from a C+ to a B. I admitt I jumped the gun, and I'm sorry.
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