Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War - The Calamity Anime Film Review

14 years ago, the Bleach anime ended its 8-year run on a bittersweet ending that still left fans hungry for more. What was it Aizen saw within Soul Society that drove him to his tyrannical rage? How did Ichigo become so adept at gathering differing powers? What really happened during the Soul Reapers War with the Quincies? 10 years later, we'd get those answers as Bleach returned for a promised 4 years in The Thousand Year Blood War. Through some clever use of retroactive storytelling, Kubo managed to string together these missing threads into a cohesive climax that truly feels epic. That final year has come, but for one week, we get to see the first 3 episodes a month early. My advice as a recent fan? Even as just a taste of what's to come, you should see this NOW before social media spoils the best parts for you.

Let's get this out of the way: not every moment you'll get to see in full. Thousand Year Blood War, as an adaptation, has been quite transformative due to heavy involvement with its creator, Tite Kubo. This means some moments get greatly expanded upon, but others come sooner or later than how they were originally released. As such, certain bouts teased in the trailer, like Ichigo vs Yhwach, only reach the build-up stage while saving their actual clash for TV. There is a game-changing reveal that's dropped mid-battle, and Orihime plays a key role in keeping Ichigo in check. But we won't get to see the effects of Ichigo's return to a certain form until July. This is to be expected since it's only the first act of the final season. It sucks that we'll have to wait another month to see Gerard Valkyrie's full fight with 3 fan-favorite Gotei 13 members.

Fortunately, two stand-out fights are coming back-to-back that fans have waited for years. The moment God of Thunder was name-dropped last season, everyone wondered how Yoruichi's feral fight with Askin would turn out. I'm happy to report that they've delivered it to perfection. Her cat-girl form is undeniably sexy, as the theater I was at was hooting and hollering the moment she did the Jack-O pose. Yet when it was time for this thunder cat to claw the everloving crud out of Mr Untouchable Askin, those hoots changed to cheers as she darted through rooftops, hitting him again and again.

Everyone's got a 2nd stage, though, so Urahara had to pick up afterwards by finally revealing his Bankai: Benihime. This is where the anime takes liberties visually by going beyond what was drawn on the page. Benihime's double-page spread is instead introduced from the Bankai's perspective, almost like watching the start of a haunting. Its doll joints and Frankenstein-esque appearance also envelop the soundscape as it creeps from the shadows with creaking noises. When the fight begins, singular panels of Urahara jumping on each surgical stitch mid-air become rails for him to skate throughout the city. The result is a more visually legible fight that makes the surprise appearance of another character feel more rewarding.

The most expanded portion of this premiere was Uryu vs Haschwalth. This battle happened concurrently with Ichigo's fight off-screen, as Haschwalth was revealed to be Yhwach's body double. This is where the production's close-knit partnership with the original creator shines, because for the first time, we get to see what Haschwalth looked like when housing the Soul King's power. Since he was a Quincy born without the power to channel Reishi, he couldn't just unleash a Vollständig (the Quincy equivalent to Bankai) as his final form. Instead, he looks like a corrupted knight on the verge of puking black sludge from every pore. It's like he just finished chugging No-Face from Spirited Away. What follows is probably the best Quincy vs Quincy fight in the series thus far. It almost makes up for the cliffhanger Ichigo's fight was left off on.

Visually, this season feels more confident in Bleach's new aesthetic than ever before. There's greater care put into how bright the digital effects should be, and the use of CG cameras is particularly impressive. Uryu's fight with Haschwalth underground slowly turns into a match of Geometry Wars, yet not once was it ever disorienting. Yoruichi is practically coated in lightning effects once she becomes a cat, but they made sure not to overshadow her silhouette and make it feel more like fur. While nothing here in terms of raw animation tops the Yamamoto, Unohana, or Shunsui fight, seeing Urahara skate his way through stitches in an abandoned city gave me major Attack on Titan vibes. Bleach's new look has always been contentious to sakuga enjoyers for being too flashy for its own good. But at this point, they've cracked the code.

Some things are already perfect, though: it's Shiro Sagisu's score. Gainax fans are probably familiar with them due to their many collaborations with Hideaki Anno (Evangelion), but Bleach is proof of how versatile their talents really are. No other Battle Shonen Soundtrack incorporates Flamenco, Electronica, and literal Soul music into its theme songs. So getting to hear old classics like “On the Precipice of Defeat” with a full orchestra was always going to be a treat. Sadly, you won't hear the new rendition of “Number One” this time (not until the credits), but several tracks from the prior season make their return here. I especially dug “1106 TYBW CH united” for illustrating 3 worlds as one by having a choir and orchestra perform next to a rock band and electronic beat. I can guarantee once you see how it's used, you'll feel the same.

Final arcs to shonen have always been difficult to discuss. Theoretically, they're the culmination of years of storytelling where all the answers are revealed, and characters face each other one last time. But when discussing with shonen fans, they'll often reminisce about earlier peaks rather than the actual ending. To many, Bleach peaked at the Soul Society Arc. I disagree, not because Soul Society isn't great: it's that every arc afterwards has continued that story. If this is what's to come, Bleach might have one of the best final arcs in shonen.