RingoStarr1991

*THIS REVIEW IS BASED ON CHAPTERS 1-581*

***THIS IS A SPOILER FREE REVIEW***

In the world of action manga, most people have attributed 3 titles as the "big 3" or various names. Of these three manga, one really stood out for me by starting out truly spectacular but unfortunately losing a lot of steam.

Story:

Agent of the Shinigami/Soul Society Arc (10/10)

Arrancar/Hueco Mundo Arc (7/10)

Turn Back the Pendulum Mini-Series (8.2/10)

Fake Karakura Town Arc (2/10)

Fullbring Arc (0.1/10)

Current Chapters (6.9/10)

Since this is an ongoing manga (as of this review being posted), I feel that it is appropriate to give some sort of numerical value to each of the arcs. I normally shy away from rating individual arcs of stories but Bleach is quite the unusual case.

So Bleach is somewhat of a rollercoaster of a ride. It starts out so hyped up, lives through that hype for awhile, then steadily makes the fanbase angry by dragging on too long. Then, as a follow up throws in a very boring arc only to be followed by a interesting "ending" that is still ongoing.  

To give you an idea of why most Bleach fans praise the start of the manga is because the story does literally everything right. In fact I am bold and confident enough to say that all action/adventure manga/anime should take the time and pay respects to both the manga and anime versions of Bleach's beginning arc(s). The Agent of the Shinigami and Soul Society arcs was filled with everything you need to have a perfect action packed story. These aspects are, a main character that must become stronger in order to overcome ____ challenge, a person (usually a female (also sometimes a weakened female)) that needs to be saved, and of course sub-plots that work in tandem towards the climax of the main focus of the story. The Soul Society arc has all of this tied neatly in a bow with cherries on top. You had interesting characters, a fast moving plot, and multiple ideas of who the real antagonists  were.  

The arcs that follow; The Arrancar and Hueco Mundo arc were not per say bad; they just had no chance to live up to the hype that the first arcs had brought to the playing field. The mini-series arc that occurs before the Fake Karakura Town arc was very interesting since we got to see said characters of the arc pasts which made them more likable. The downfall of the manga though is universally the same for all bleach fans, the Fake Karakura Town Arc. Without spoiling anything, this arc has such a huge build up with so many fights going on only to end with the main "bad guy" wanting to lose. It was so pitiful to see all this buildup, no what was supposed to be the CLIMAX of the manga fall so hard on its face. In all honesty though due to the events leading up to this arc conclusion, the manga could of ended here and been good. But it doesn't.

Instead of leaving on a somewhat decent note, we get the Fullbring Arc which confused us all in wondering what the hell is going on and why the author ever thought it was worth putting in the manga. You get antagonists that are bland and idiots and on top of that, it's just plain boring to read. Thankfully the arc that follows (the one currently going on) seems to have put the manga back on track (somewhat) for hopefully an ending that Bleach deserves.

Overall I cannot give the manga a rating yet since endings are so important for closure purposes so until the manga ends, this category will be left blank.  

Artwork: 8.5/10

The artwork in Bleach has always looked and felt unique even through all the noticeable changes. The action scenes look great, characters look unique, and the settings are very nice and feel relevant to what is going on. I feel like it gets better as the manga goes on which is something I cannot say for a lot of other manga I have read.

Characters: 6/10

 This category also shouldn't be rated since more characters will undoubtedly be added later on but I have a feel on everyone that has been presented so far. Basically you have a lot and I mean a lot of characters that do feel unique and spectacular. You also have a bunch that really drag down the show and really hinder the flow of the story. Ichigo is though a really good action character since he usually can keep his composure, he is compassionate, and he has such potential to grow due to his circumstances. The supporting cast in most of the arcs do a pretty good job of moving the story on but there are some cases where some characters that get introduced really seem useless. The villains of the middle arcs are what really let me down in this manga. They had everything going for them but become bland and uninteresting.

Overall (so far): 6.3/10

This manga has problems and these problems unfortunately taint a perfect start for any manga that has ever existed. It also has a specific problem that most people have grown tired of seeing; a main character that has to "power up" or "level up" in order to face some sort of challenge. If you do not like this (IE: Goku's leveling up) then go away. If however you want a really engaging manga that stays interesting for quite some time, then by all means pick this up. Even though we all bit#@ about the failings of the middle arcs, we would still go back and re-read this manga. It has too many good moments to be ruined by the failings of the troubled arcs.

Enjoyment: 8/10

Thanks for reading my review! If you liked my writing style, would like to see some other reviews, or just want to talk, please stop by my page!

Sincerely,
Awesome Drummer