Bleach Season 1: The Substitute, Episodes 1-2

What do you get when you mix every trope from action anime with swords, sorcery,  horror, comedy, drama, the afterlife, and interesting unique characters?  You get a surprisingly fun and occasionally touching TV series for teens and older.

In the fall of 2004, the animated adaptation of Tito Kube’s hugely popular manga Bleach hit the airwaves in Japan. Two years later the English dubbed version hit North America on cable television. Highly successful, the series has over 330 episodes, multiple stage musicals, and four theatrical movies released.

Episode 1: The Day I Became a Shinigami

Bleach opens its first season episodes episodes with an edgy and still stylish main title sequence.  It starts with a serious and mysterious mood on one hand then veers into almost psychedelic colored sequences. One thing is sure, and that is it shows attitude from the start. There are a bewildering number of characters shown. I remember first watching this and thinking, “This is going to be bad, isn’t it?”

That mix of disparate elements quickly proves to be an accurate reflection of the content of the show. There are beautiful moments of moodiness and sudden transitions into comedy, which is often of the Looney Tunes violent kind. But just as suddenly, a genuinely emotional scene will appear to tug at the heart strings.

The hero of the show, Ichigo Kurosaki, is introduced in a comically violent scene that ends with a poignant surprise. It also serves to let us know that we are dealing with a world filled with spirits of the dead, which the fifteen year old can see. It is an ability he finds annoying. Actually, it seems like the orange haired boy finds everything annoying.

His family owns a small pediatric hospital in a small city. Upon coming home, he’s immediately assaulted by his buffoonish and cheerfully abusive father. No wonder Ichigo is cranky. Also introduced are his younger sisters, Yuzo and Karin. The latter has some wonderful lines and seems to be the voice of reason. Well as much as someone officially in denial can be.

On his way to school, our protagonist sees something he hasn’t seen before – a monster. Before he can do anything, the mysterious black robed figure seen in the beginning comes to the rescue and then vanishes just as quickly.

Later that night, guess who walks into his room through his open window? Oddly, she ignores him – until he kicks her in the back and sends her sprawling. No wonder Ichigo doesn’t have a girlfriend. It is antagonism at first sight with results that don’t go well for the teenager.

It is an amusing spoof of all the magical girls appearing in the main character’s bedroom and demonstrates a sly subversive undercurrent of mocking the genre. Eventually, she identifies herself as a 150 year old Soul Reaper who fights monsters and escorts ghosts to the afterlife. We have arrived at exposition time.

Exposition accompanied by some of the worst visual aids you’ll ever see. Her artwork is rather… unique. She does not handle art critiques well, but you have to admire her viciousness.

At this point I gave in to the weirdness and allowed myself to go with the flow. Bad things ensue and Ichigo finds the lives of his sisters in jeopardy. Demonstrating unusual strength he finds himself in a mortal fight with a monster called a “hollow.” One big mistake by him leads to the Soul Reaper being badly wounded and a desperate sacrifice is made by her…

Which changes Ichigo’s life forever. With Rukia Kuchiki at his side, the orange haired boy will find challenges and adventure in an epic journey through the supernatural.

Episode 2: The Shinigami’s Work

The next day greets Ichigo with two feet to the face. Oh wait, that was his father, Isshin, doing the greeting. Only Ichigo remembers the attack from the night before and his family thinks a truck ran into the house. This perturbs him and he wonders if Rukia went back to Soul Society, the place spirits go to.

At school, he shows once again what a gentleman he is by bumping into a classmate, Orihime, and knocking the pretty girl down. Rude only begins to cover his behavior and their mutual friend Tatsuki dresses him down for it. But the buxom redhead is completely flustered by the boy’s presence and retreats. She is a stereotype of moe, which can be loosely translated to being a childish cute girl. This is a very common type in anime.

In the classroom, a mysterious transfer student shows up. You guessed it, Rukia has returned. I love the way she threatened him when she pretended to not know him. Ichigo’s reaction was priceless as well. It makes me want to use the method some day. She yanks him out of class and explains she is currently inhabiting an artificial body, called a gigai, because she’s lost almost all of her powers.

Being a fan of the original Japanese with English subtitles, I must mention that the original voice actress is far better than the American one. This scene really hammers that home as Rukia affects a demeanor totally unlike her real personality.

All business, Rukia forces his Soul Reaper form out of his body and takes him to where another hollow is loose. What follows is a war of wills as Ichigo wants nothing to do with any of this and Rukia is determined to mold him into a proper Soul Reaper. Stubborn doesn’t begin to describe the boy. There are a few words that do, but this is a family friendly blog.

The focus shifts over to the pretty girl from before and it appears strange doings are afoot. A near collision by a car with Orihime leads to a scene that goes from serious to silly to mysterious in quick order.  It also is the origin for the leek spinning meme that was all over the Web for awhile. She is an odd girl.

One thing that struck me originally watching these episodes was how the show could go from serious to silly on the drop of a dime – and pull it off. That’s a real tightrope walk for a genre that normally favors mindless action.

Things get progressively darker as the episode goes on. Evil hasn’t just reared its ugly head, it also has a plan and it revolves around the innocent girl. We get her back story to a limited degree and it turns out the character isn’t as one dimensional as expected. Tragedy haunts her difficult life and there are reasons for her to have some screws loose.

A new threat and a new revelation about hollows lead to the first of many cliffhangers in the series.

Thoughts

The first two episodes of Bleach do a very good job of establishing the setting and introducing three of the main five characters. There is a feeling of a wide open universe about to be unveiled and mysteries abound. A surprising amount of time is given to fleshing out the characters, which gives them more personality than expected.

Bleach is very entertaining, with a rare mix of comedy, horror, and drama that actually works. It is bloody and violent, so it is suitable for the 12 and up crowd. There are plenty of fights to keep the kiddies happy and enough character development to ensnare adults.

I first heard about it from a teenager at church who was determined I should watch it. While I’m not anti-animation by any means, I did have the memory of having to watch Dragonball Z when I was assigned to moderate a movie message board. That did poison me against the shounen (boys action) genre pretty thoroughly and most anime in general.  But a sick spell in the winter months several years ago meant I had a lot of downtime to kill, preferably with something along the lines of having brain dead content.

So I saw Bleach was on Hulu and decided I’d give it a few episodes. To my surprise I kept watching and got hooked. The bigger surprise was that I didn’t find myself mocking it ala Mystery Science Theater 3000. Unlike the younger types, the draw for me wasn’t the fights, but the interesting characters and mysteries unfolding around them. I’ve been watching it ever since.

Technical

This review and subsequent ones will be from the DVD box sets for the first three seasons put out by viz Media. In an effort to streamline things, I’ll be reviewing two episodes at a go. Yes, I actually think highly enough of the series to own the best of it as it went downhill in subsequent stories.

The presentation is 4:3 aspect and I was surprised how heavy the interlacing was. I had to tweak VLC to get rid of the very apparent lines.  Fortunately for me, my PC has the horsepower to handle the most advanced deinterlacing. Those lines won’t be apparent on an old TV set but might on an HD set.

Audio is nice and clean, with both the original Japanese and the English dub present. English subtitles are optional.

I recommend watching it in Japanese with subtitles. Viz took some liberties in translation that lost some of the nuances, though it is nothing major. The original voice cast is superior by far with the American cast sounding like they are reading to children.

Disc 1 extras include production art, previews of the manga and Shonen Jump magazine, and a clean version of the end title. The latter is particularly nice as is the song, Life is a Boat.

The DVD case itself is fairly good quality with separate plastic leaves for each disc. The pages are held together by tape and I can see that breaking over time. But since it is tape, that is easily fixed! Inside the slip cover, you will find easter eggs of Kon and Ichigo’s hollow mask printed.

Additional Screen Captures

Fear of Change

Walter Russel Mead has a must read on the Oslo attacks up at The American Interest. Go read it.

Health 7-26-2012

Not a good night, was awakened in the wee hours by coughing. It’s the right bronchial again. Feeling dopey and have the beginnings of a sore throat from drainage. It is going to be a slow day.

I’d thought I was having a relatively good day for a Monday too. I walked up the driveway to get the mail and didn’t notice any chest congestion then. Gah.

Sunday Drive

That was a tired Sunday.  I was supposed to substitute teach the Gospel Principles class during second hour of church and wondered if I felt well enough to go.  One short prayer over that and I tried to wake myself up. It was a borderline situation.

Then a phone call around around 8 AM from a friend at church made it clear I’d better go in.  Somehow, I’d just agreed to teach Elders Quorum third hour too, since the friend was too sick to make it in. While I didn’t have as much prep time for the lesson as I’d normally like, last minute substitutions are nothing new to me. So prayer answered; message received.

There were no nonmembers investigating the faith, so second hour duties evaporated and I had a chance to do some real preparation of the lesson. The topic was the General Conference talk by Elder Quentin L. Cook titled LDS Women Are Incredible! which is about, you guessed it, the women of the Church.  With the Relief Society Presidency being changed today, I had a chance to catch some sisters in the hallway and ask them what they would like the brethren to understand about them. That was educational, being terminally single.

Feeling prepared, I went into the lesson a bit more confident than I’d felt before. But I could feel my energy levels dropping by the minute and I’m just grateful I didn’t put too many to sleep. Interesting how the Holy Ghost prompted me to go with a completely different approach to the lesson than I’d planned.

The important thing is the class and I survived to see another day.

The drive home was somewhat blurry around the edges, so I took a minor scenic detour to keep me awake. No, not a ditch. An alternate route.

That turned out to be more stimulating than expected thanks to a blond woman in a full size van who wanted to do 70 MPH on a windy and hilly rural road. Tailgating me during what is supposed to be a relaxed Sunday drive is not what the doctor ordered. Though I’ll admit it kept me awake.

I was able to outrun her in the curves but she always came up on me in the straight sections. At first I thought I was imagining her being lead footed, but it happened mile after mile. Just when I thought I’d shook her off, there would be the Ford logo in my rearview mirror.

And they say men are the aggressive drivers.

Eventually I made it home and didn’t even have to dodge any deer while coming down the driveway. Food, then bed followed. Sometime around 6 PM I awakened and did something, but I don’t remember what. Hey, that was almost four hours ago and the memory goes once you get older.

Somewhere along the line I started this post.  Currently feeling very blurry around the edges again and it will be an early night for me.

Health 7-23-2011

Yesterday was a tough day. It was day two of sneezing, but far worse. For awhile there, I didn’t think I’d make it out to a movie with a friend. Somehow, I got through it and I think getting out of the house was helpful. Only went through half the tissues I took with me.

Learning to play a game endorsed by Mensa while having chills is not recommended. The game is called Ket and involves a board, mirrored pieces, and lasers. Interesting game.

Breathing it a little tight again; chest congestion seems to always follow the sinuses cutting loose this year.

Back pain is better and I’ve hiked up the driveway to get the mail the last two days. Not close to the 2.5 mile walks I prefer, but better than nothing. Oh to be able to do 5 mile walks again.

Another Tim McVeigh but in Norway

With the body count soaring in Oslo to 92 at the latest count, it appears that nationalism has finally reared its ugly head in Europe. Not that it has been hiding, but the neo Nazi types haven’t been blowing things up or shooting people in this manner. Unfortunately, nationalism is always just under the surface in xenophobic Europe – especially in the North.

The media is wanting to make it out to be a Christian fundamentalist motivation for Anders Behring Breivik, but I think they’ll find it more to be a reaction to Muslim immigrants. I’ve known Norwegian Americans who are extremely racist and view the Northern European stock to be superior to all other races. So I might be a bit biased there.

Ever since I became aware of the lack of assimilation by foreign immigrants of Muslim descent in Europe, I’ve been concerned. Europeans, despite their vaunted championing of human rights, have not been socially welcoming to the hired help. Instead of using the “melting pot” concept of integration, the newcomers where essentially confined to ghettos. That’s never worked out well anywhere for increasing tolerance, understanding, or more importantly -- upward mobility in a society.

Culture clashes are always fraught with friction, but in Europe it has always involved violence on a large scale at some point. Pogroms against Jews, the Nazi extermination of minority groups, and the ethnic cleansing in the former Yugoslavia are recent examples of an old story there. My fear is that one day we will see ethnic clashes in the old countries that end up bringing back fascist governments.

Right now I’m hoping this butcher was a sole actor and that it wasn’t an organized conspiracy. Governments in the West have their hands full enough with Islamist extremists.

Once again, I find myself only being able to pray for people that have gone through something horrible.

UPDATED

It looks like Breivek hated a lot of people, not just Muslims. He also hated Nazis and Marxists, lumping them all together while having neo-Nazi connections. It is starting to look more like Jarod Loughner rather than McVeigh, but not as obviously crazy. Definitely some serious cognitive dissonance though.

There is also a question of whether his Facebook account was changed after his name was released to include Christian and Conservative on his profile. Lulzsec or Anonymous involved? Hard to tell the way “ends justify the means” has gotten to be a standard in our world.

Interpol will be setting up a task force on non-Islamic terror and some are getting paranoid over it. If they haven’t been tracking the white supremacists and nationalists already, what in the world is wrong with them? While it may be used as a political weapon (what isn’t these days?), there has been a clear need for this for years if not decades. At least we keep an eye on ours over here, despite them being a fading threat since the Oklahoma City bombing.

Captain America: The First Avenger

Finally a live action Captain America movie that is a good movie has arrived. Filled with action, a sweet romance, and a great deal of heart, it has everything a summer blockbuster should have. But will it be a hit with the public?

I just got back from seeing Marvel’s latest movie blockbuster attempt and can say it ranks up there with Iron Man 2 and Thor in quality, but below Iron Man. But I like it better than the two films I grouped it with and that is what sets it apart. Like Thor, it is part of the 3D fad of the moment.

Captain America begins with a discovery of a strange object in the Artic ice and for a second I thought I’d stumbled into a preview screening of The Thing prequel/remake. The object is very large and mysterious, with the government types using a fancy laser to cut their way into it. Inside they find conventional beams and struts, along with a frosted over cockpit. A glint draws the attention of one explorer and he scrapes away the frost to reveal that famous shield.

The film goes back to 1942 and a skinny young man desperately trying to get passed on a physical to join the armed forces. Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) has a laundry list of ailments that render him 4F (unsuitable for service) and can’t talk his way in. Later on, his since of right earns him a beating outside a theater only to be rescued by his best friend, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) who is about to be shipped out. As is typical of the movie, there are a lot of nice character moments between the two and you can buy the friendship.

A series of events bring Steve to the attention of a scientist, Erskine (Stanely Tucci) in charge of a project to create a “super soldier” for the US government. Dr. Erskine is a warm and humane presence in each scene Tucci steals. Yep, even Tommy Lee Jones is unable to stop Tucci from stealing his scenes, though it is a close run race.

Rogers also meets quite a dame… err, woman…. err, lady in Peggy Carter (Haley Atwell). Not just easy on the eyes, she is a nicely three dimensional character. You can interpret that anyway you want, it still applies. I’m going to have to see some other movies Atwell is in if this one is any indication of her acting skills. Carter can hold her own with the boys and is a crack shot. She also sees the real man in the frail frame of Rogers.

Of course Steve Rogers makes it through the experiment and becomes a perfect specimen of humanity with enhanced speed, reflexes, strength, and agility. But things go awry very quickly and he ends up being one of a kind.

Over in Norway and Germany, a vicious and brilliant scientist Johann Schmidt aka The Red Skull (Hugo Weaving) has been experimenting with powers mortals shouldn’t tamper with. Shockingly, he’s succeeding and his branch of the SS, Hydra, is becoming a force to be reckoned with. There is a connection between him and Rogers that destines them to be foes.

A journey towards becoming a hero and leader follows for Steve Rogers, with lots of action that doesn’t overwhelm the development of the characters. It is an unapologetic tribute to the bravery of the Allied soldiers who fought in WWII as well as old movie serials.

Chris Evans really surprised me and it is hard to believe he is the same actor who played the Human Torch in the Fantastic Four movies. His Rogers is a very believable and likeable hero, evincing bravery without arrogance and with an ever present sense of decency. The final scene set in the 1940’s was unexpectedly touching due to his and Atwell’s performances.

Hugo Weaving did a note perfect performance as the prideful and somewhat insane Red Skull. This is a character driven by a belief in his own mental perfection and a vicious temper.  The makeup effects were excellent and this incarnation of the character owes much to the unreleased 1990’s movie. But it is a much better portrayal.

Having Tony Stark’s dad, Howard (Dominic Cooper), be the genius behind Captain America’s shield and other gadgets was a stroke of genius. He also gets some excellent lines and you can see Tony didn’t fall far from the family tree.

Little things I noticed:

The way they worked an authentic version of the original comic book costume into the movie is very inventive and deliberately cringe worthy. The whole USO thing was an interesting addition to the mythos.

Fans of Luftwaffe ‘46 projects and fan fiction will love this movie to death. The aircraft are all derived or inspired by radical designs from WWII that never saw the light of day.

Keep an eye out for a dummy clad in an all red jumpsuit at the World’s Fair. It is a nod to the original Human Torch from the 1940’s.

There is a Band of Brothers connection in the film. Neal McDonough plays Dum Dum Dugan complete with walrus mustache. You may remember him as Buck in the fantastic WWII miniseries.

Stay after the credits. What happens after is much bigger than in any of the previous Marvel films. Much bigger.

Captain America: The First Avenger is a very enjoyable and old fashioned film. But most of all, it has a lot of heart and characters you’ll like. I recommend it to anyone over the age of 10 and especially to anyone who liked Raiders of the Lost Ark or The Rocketeer.