My first experience with the big three... [8.2/10.0 ⭐]
Contains Spoilers
It’s about time I tackle one of the original big three, and it’s not going to be One Piece. The first season of Bleach introduces some key concepts (ie. Hollow's, Shinigami, spiritual power) and characters (ie. Ichigo, Rukia, Uryu, Orihime, Chad), and overall does a good job of explaining the mechanics and mythology of the Bleach world. The “Agent of the Shinigami” Arc has great moments such as Ichigo facing the Menos Grande, Ichigo vs Renji and Ichigo regaining his Soul Reaper powers - my rating for the first arc is 8.3. The second season of Bleach features some great fight sequences and builds on the lore of the Soul Society including it’s key figures (ie. Gotei 13). The “Soul Society: Sneak Entry” Arc improves on the first season with great worldbuilding, use of flashbacks, drama and action; I don’t even mind that it just becomes the ‘Ichigo show’ for the vast majority of the Arc - my rating for the second arc is 8.8. The third season of Bleach elevates the groundwork laid; establishing more lore surrounding each prominent Shinigami and hardly slowing down between intense battles (ie. Ichigo achieves Bankai, Kenpachi against Tosen, Ichigo against Byakuya). The “Soul Society: Rescue” Arc broadens the viewers' understanding of the Bleach power system and includes one of the best betrayals in anime history - my rating for the third arc is 9.3.
The sixth season of Bleach exponentially expands on the lore and power-scaling of Hollows, marking the introduction of the titular Arrancar as well as the Visored. The ‘Arrancar Arrival” Arc features some intriguing combat and progression of Ichigo’s training; however, there is some inconsequential filler-escque content, but on the other hand there’s enough Rangiku to keep me happy - my rating for the sixth arc is 8.4. The seventh season of Bleach begins in underwhelming fashion, with a quarter of the season consisting of filler; however for the most part the action makes up for it (and the introduction of Ichigo’s daughter; the infamous Nel). The “Hueco Mundo Sneak Entry” Arc does provide a somewhat underwhelming plot that rehashes similar story beats to the original Sneak Entry Arc (replace Rukia with Orihime), but it remains of solid quality - my rating for the seventh arc is 8.1. The eighth season of Bleach allows for some poignant growth from the main cast and continues the complex characterisation of their Arrancar adversaries. The “Fierce Fight” Arc has its issues with pacing and redundant subplot but it has awesome highlights: Chad v Gantenbainne, Rukia v 9th Espada Aaroniero, Ichigo v 6th Espada Grimmjow - my rating for the eighth arc is 8.4. The tenth season of Bleach is constant high-stakes action paired with great expositions and a fair share of dramatic moments. The “Arrancar v Shinigami” is as advertised; perfectly balanced battles between the Shinigami Captains and corresponding evil Spanish Hollow’s, as well as the riveting Espada Nel subplot - my rating for the tenth arc is 8.9.
The eleventh season of Bleach provides an amazingly paced mini-Arc that presents key plot points and an emphasis on some of my favourite characters in the whole series. The aptly named “Past” Arc brilliantly delves into Sosuke Aizen’s backstory while utilizing the Visored (ex-Shinigami) and Kisuke Urahara to tell this story; not only is the self-contained plot compelling but the excitement of seeing characters in different contexts is an amazing concept - my rating for the eleventh arc is 9.1. The twelfth season of Bleach features some of the best animated fights in the whole series and allows for further character development for some of the most underutilized characters in the series (both points apply to the Shuhei Hisagi fight). The “Fake Karakura Town” Arc continues to excel in its excellent fights, character design and improved pacing; it does suffer slightly from 5 episodes of unnecessary filler (with a… slight exception) - my rating for the twelfth arc is 8.9. The fourteenth season of Bleach delivers a near perfect ending to the Arrancar Arc; featuring the best fights in the entirety of the show, the greatest individual character moments and some truly amazing plot heel-turns. My only complaints with the “Downfall” Arc are the needless filler and Aizen’s lack of drip in his Hollow-form (especially compared to Ichigo); the pacing and action is perfect, without these issues it would easily be the crowning achievement of the original Bleach series - my rating for the fourteenth arc is 9.2. The sixteenth season of Bleach is the final installment in the original series, introduced as a bridge between the Arrancar and TYBW arcs; it’s often not regarded in the best light, but it serves as a fine transitional arc. The “Fullbringer” Arc helps to explain some of the longest-standing unexplained phenomenon in Bleach, and despite its odd and badly-paced story, it features some compelling moments that make it an enjoyable watch (especially the last 5 episodes, which are especially good) - my rating for the sixteenth and final arc is 7.9.
The “Bount Arc” which comprises the fourth and fifth seasons of Bleach, is the beginning of anime-exclusive content and is regarded by fans of the series as the worst offender of ‘filler’ in the show, spanning an agonising 46 episodes. I was advised not to subject myself to this - therefore the aggregate rating for the fourth and fifth arcs is 6.4. The ninth season of Bleach supplies more anime-exclusive content, providing two seemingly disjointed storylines that loosely come together in an underbaked finale. The “New Captain” Arc suffers from convoluted writing, non-cannon power systems, timeline issues and instances of lackluster animation; the parts of the story that actually focus on the Shusuke Amangi are pretty solid though - my rating for the ninth arc is 7.4. The thirteenth season of Bleach delves into the complex relationship between Shinigami and Zanpakuto with some impressively animated fights and a pretty tight original storyline. The “Zanpakuto Rebellion” Arc does suffer from additional filler content introduced in the complimentary Sword Beasts Arc, but shines in its concept and interesting action - my rating for the thirteenth arc is 8.2. The fifteenth season of Bleach is the best filler season in the show, comparable to some of the higher quality cannon arcs due to its action-packed nature, good use of pre-existing concepts in the Bleach universe and maybe the best animation in the entire series. The “Gotei 13 Invading Army” Arc notably has some different linework and actually looks very sharp, and although the story is somewhat basic, it’s extremely entertaining (because I was running out of time, I watched this arc in dub… and hey it’s pretty good) - my rating for the fifteenth arc is 8.7.
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