This first volume beautifully delivered the nostalgia dose I was looking forward to. Bleach remains on my list of favourite manga franchises from my childhood and it all begins with 15-year-old Ichigo Kurosaki, a kid who sees spirits in his everyday life and is unwillingly brought to become a Soul Reaper, only to discover himself.

This first volume kicks off with a couple of small story arcs that brilliantly introduces us to the world and the characters, hinting at subtle and powerful philosophy about death, redemption, and after-life. With excellent artwork to accompany the action sequences and a brilliant dose of humour injected into the banter, this volume is a testament to how to strongly begin a manga series.

Yours truly,

Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/

The first few volumes are good, but the later half (especially lately) this manga is just horrible.. with meaningless battle scenes trying to exceed the previous one, but it just turns out to be pages of explosions and people staring at each other. Can't believe its still included in top 3 manga in most current list (along with naruto and one piece).

A fast jump right to the action. This has a similar premise to a lot of Shonens, but as with most of those, the action is well done and feels high stakes.
Orihime being such a ditz was annoying, but I'm glad she did get some depth quickly. It will be interesting to see how Ichigo grows through the series.

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Seen the anime a long time ago, but it's my first time actually reading the manga. It's kind of cool seeing the subtle art differences between this and the anime. Love the way the Hollows look - super creepy!

I keep getting Bleach recommended to me, as Yu Yu Hakusho, a similar series, is one of my favorite manga.

I figured I would give it a try. And I see the appeal, the main character is interesting, while still pretty stereotypically Shonen Jump. The art style really show cases the action well. And the story hints at some interesting deeper conflicts.

I wasn't completely enthralled by the story though. In many ways it felt like something I had already read. It treads similar territory to Yu Yu Hakusho, Demon Slayer, Soul Eater, and the list goes on.

I may eventually give the series an honest try. But for the time being this taste was enough for me to get an idea what it is about.

entertaining i guess

Ok so that was great. That was freaking great. Must get book 2 ASAP.

Bleach itself is a fantastic series, all forms and styles. Whether you're reading the manga or watching the anime, you'll take great enjoyment in doing so. The story follows 15-year-old high school student, Ichigo Kurosaki, who has the strange ability to see the spirits of those who haven't passed on to the afterlife. One day after school, a mysterious girl appears in his room by the name of Rukia. She is what's known as a Soul Reaper, or shinigami, if you want to get technical. After a fight with a dreadful spirit known as a Hollow, Rukia bestows her powers unto Ichigo in which he rightfully hands the Hollow a solid whooping and eventually destroys it. For however long it takes, Ichigo will learn from Rukia about how to be a proper Soul Reaper and protect the town and those he loves.

In terms of the manga, it has a very solid stream about it. The stories and ideals remain consistent with each other, almost never branching off. In this sense, the story is rather easy to follow, but at the same time, it also allows for great plot twists to occur. This formula is presented in a win-win manner for the manga.

In terms of the anime, it has some inconsistency, but mostly keeps the masses entertained. With the occasional filler episode (and in some rare cases: filler arcs), they are usually (in the earlier episodes, anyway) somewhat consistent and fairly well-written. However, Bleach eventually gets milked for all its worth and the quality suffers for it. By the end of these escapades, the series has dulled unlike Ichigo's Zanpakuto. However, if it's before episode 168, you'll most likely find yourself to enjoy it.

By the end of it all, like Naruto, the quality drops. However, unlike Naruto, Bleach is able to maintain watchability and readability regardless of set money-milking. Overall, if you're a fan of anime, I highly recommend this series as a whole.

My Bleach journey begins.

Bleach is the story of a regular high-school guy "Ichigo" with the ability to see ghosts who one day becomes a soul reaper after meeting this mysterious girl "Rukia" in order to save his family from an evil soul.

"

Alright so I watched the anime of this a year or two ago, just didn’t remember it very well but remembered liking it. Now I’ve finished the first book, definitely liked it.

What’s it about?
The main character sees spirits and ghosts. A crazy thing involving that stuff happens to his family and changes his entire life and who he is. I know that description is vague as f*** but it’s the only way I can think of describing it without giving major spoilers.

Pros:
The story is very interesting and well written. Surprisingly emotional at times.
The art is good.
There’s some good manga action.
This book is pretty funny at times despite the dark themes.
This is a very unpredictable story, never gonna know what happens next.
There’s some pretty cool monsters in this volume!

Why not 5 stars:
The characters aren’t very interesting. The main character is sorta cool but often whiny. His family is annoying. There’s a few other kinda generic side characters which wouldn’t be so bad if the other characters were interesting. There’s one interesting character in this book (the  former soul reaper ).

Overall:
I definitely recommend this one and will be continuing the series. It’s a great action-comedy with supernatural themes, that’s usually a recipe for a good comic, I just hope the characters get a bit more interesting.

4/5

4/5