Bleach V23 (2009)

"One of the hottest anime series around, with good reason...a complex world of spirituality and over-the-top battle sequences...  Adam Arseneau, DVD Verdict
"...funny, action packed...[the] mixture of darker material with the comedic was superior to a great many competitors...  Don Houston, DVD Talk
"There really isn't a whole lot to dislike about [Bleach]. Right from the start we are introduced to very fun characters that are animated in a very lively fashion  ViewPoints.com
"...one incredibly entertaining anime that will grab you and refuse to let go.  Carlo Santos, AnimeNewsNetwork.com

auphanonline.com 7 of 10
Imagine what your life would be like if your whole life, you'd been able to see spirits and ghosts. No I'm not referring to 'The Sixth Sense', I'm talking about the new action/drama/comedy anime called Bleach. The series follows 15 year old high school student Kurosaki Ichigo, and the adventures he has dealing with his rather unusual ability to see and communicate with spirits. But on one fateful night, he discovers that his until now harmless ability was about to put his own life and his families lives in great danger...At first glance, Kurosaki Ichigo seems like your normal 15 year old high school student. But life at the Kurosaki household is anything but normal. He lives with his father and two younger sisters who all help run the clinic they own. With a father who enforces the curfue with his fists and two sisters who can see ghosts also (but not talk with them like he can), there is never a dull moment in this house. But things get even stranger when one night he meets a spirit girl named Kuchiki Rukia, a Shinigami or an angel of death. She explains to him that because of his high spiritual concentration, he will be targeted by evil spirits called Hollows who would very much like to devour his soul. The only way for Ichigo to protect himself and his family is to become a Shinigami himself...While the pretense for this series may sound cool, I found Bleach to be a mediocre anime series at best. Other than the whole ghost aspect it seemed all too cliche, none of the characters seemed to spark that much interest in me (save for one of Ichigos' female acquaintances who had two rather nice.. features). They do a good job of balancing the heavy drama with some comedy here and there. But the only part that seemed to consistently entertain me were of course the fight scenes. But even these weren't anything really special, just your regular 'dude with giant sword vs scary monster'. Hmmm, I wonder who will win?! The animation was standard, although sometimes even a little too kiddy for my tastes. Overall, I had more complaints than compliments about this anime. I think this anime has potential and once they start getting deep into it I'm sure it may be pretty cool. But the first 5 episodes didn't convince me that this anime is worth the effort. If the storyline sounds interesting to you, check it out. Because thats about all that sets this apart from any other anime you've ever seen. I give it a 2.5 out of 5 stars.