Bleach Season 1: The Substitute, Ep. 3-4

The famous anime continues to introduce the main characters and shows a sentimental side during the attack on Orihime. Later, Rukia finds a foe she cannot vanquish while adapting to the world of mortals.

Episode 3: The Older Brother’s Wish, the Younger Sister’s Wish

Things pick up with Rukia explaining to Ichigo that there appears to be a mastermind hollow manipulating events from behind the scenes. As she plays detective, a sudden realization sends them on a frantic mission to protect Orihime. Being ghosts, hollows are drawn to those they loved in life and the redhead’s brother proves this correct as he arrives at the girl’s apartment.

What follows is straight out of a horror movie as the invisible monster assaults the girls. Initial toying with them, his attacks evolve into a brutal and quick death for Orihime, leaving a bewildered and wounded Tatsuki struggling for her life. I have to admit, seeing the dedicated cute girl of the show getting killed in the third episode was quite a surprise.

But this is a world filled with spirits, so Orihime isn’t gone yet. Stunned to see her own body on the other side of the room, she bravely attempts to save her friend. Fortunately, the hero of the piece finally shows up to save the day. Then gets his butt handed to him.

With Ichigo out of the way, Inoue recognizes her brother but has a hard time believing it is him. This leads to where the episode gets interesting, as the special bonds between older brothers and their younger siblings comes to the fore. It is a character defining moment for Ichigo.

Through flashbacks and dialogue, Orihime’s origins are presented and the incredibly sweet girl shines as a character. No longer does she appear to be mildly strange piece of eye candy, but emerges as a lonely girl dealing with terrible guilt over the past. The bravery shown before is not an aberration and the resolution to the fight isn’t a typical one. Instead it is very bittersweet and surprisingly emotional.

In the end, Ichigo agrees to help Rukia fight hollows.

Episode 4: Cursed Parakeet

Starting an episode by dropping a steel girder on a high school student draws extra points from me. It was unexpected and beautifully ludicrous – Chuck Jones would approve. So now we get to see more of Chad, Ichigo’s hulking half Mexican friend. Oh and he’s come into the possession of a cursed parakeet.

At school, Rukia is introduced to and roundly defeated by a juice box. While she puts up a good front, she is clueless on how day to day things work. I recall having a similar experience the first time I encountered one. But I prevailed, unlike the Soul Reaper. Fortunately for her, help is on the way as she quickly becomes the focus of the boys in Ichigo’s class.

There is always one ladies man in such a group, but unusually Mizuiro is a little guy who prefers older women. Yes, this brings out a sharp line or two from Ichigo that is most amusing.  Keigo fills the role of class idiot, in this case a hyper emotional one. He’s immediately smitten with the refugee Soul Reaper.

Chad shows up, parakeet and fresh injuries accompanying him. He’s a young man of few words and Ichigo’s closest male friend. A flashback reveals how they met, while showing Chad’s unique approach to fighting. Flashbacks tend to be heavily used in Bleach, always to flesh out characters.

I was kind of surprised to see Ichigo had any friends, given how gruff his portrayal has been.

Oh and there is a slight problem with the parakeet – it is possessed and can hold a conversation. I can’t claim to have seen the latter, but I sometimes think all birds are the former. Sure enough, bad things keep happening to Chad and he ends up at the Kurosaki family hospital. There, a curious reaction to the bird from Karin reveals a tragedy at the heart of the talking bird’s existence.

Bad things keep happening to Chad and his actions lead to a dangerous ambush and the dreaded “to be continued.” Get used to that, it will be seen in most episodes as the main story gets rolling.

There is an undercurrent of sadness and loss in these early episodes of Bleach. Also present is a subtheme of the importance of family with the strong bonds between the eccentric Kurosaki clan being emphasized. They may bicker and even assault each other, but when there is an emergency they support each other.

It is standard fare in action anime that the hero is on a journey learning to be responsible and protect others. That is certainly present in Bleach, but the emphasis on family is a welcome departure. The show has a pattern of using standard stereotypes and applying twists to them. Rather than a getting the normal fastball or slider, expect a lot of curveballs, screwballs, and knucklers.

Leftover Screen Captures