Ranked #812

Bleach: Fade to Black - Kimi no Na wo Yobu

Cliched? Overbearing? Far too full of machismo? Has more plot holes than a colander?

I must be talking about Bleach.

The one thing that has always bugged me about most of the long running shounen anime is how creatively deficient they become over time. Bleach, like Naruto et al, is a prime example of the "anime-turned-cash-cow" phenomenon that seems to be occurring more and more these days, and this latest effort, Fade to Black: Kimi no Na wo Yobu (FtB: I Call Your Name), represents the series at it's worst.

Since this is a movie, I won't go into the details of the story proper as I don't want to give anything away. That said, I would dearly love to know how and why Takahashi Natsuko, who wrote the screenplay for shows like "The Daughter of Twenty Faces" and "Moyashimon", and worked on the script for the first two seasons of "School Rumble", could ever claim that the screenplay for this movie was some sort of achievement? The plot, which any long term, reasonably intelligent, watcher of the series will know is more of a secondary consideration these days, actually had a lot of potential. But, like so many other things that Bleach has touched upon during it's long run, the more interesting things are never explored as there MUST be a scene where Ichigo comes flying in to save the day. People don't really watch shounen anime for it's cerebral nature, but there such a thing as going too far in the other direction.

Anyway, the plot is full of holes. Period. There isn't any real way to hide or disguise that fact, and frankly, the movie doesn't even try. Here's one example, and this one has bugged me for so long that I'm throwing this question out to everyone. Seireitei is supposed to be protected by a barrier of some sort (if I remember the whole rescue Rukia from certain death arc correctly - oh wait, that describes 70% of the episodes), so if that's the case, how the hell do the bad guys keep getting in? In particular, how does something like a hollow from Hueco Mundo get in to Seireitei? One would think that they'd guard against that in particular, especially after the whole Aizen thing.

The movie touches upon a number of themes, the typical shounen themes of friendship and never giving up are there, but the driver for the story is Rukia losingher memories of being a shinigami. One would think that this was simply a case of supernatural amnesia, but for some reason the cause is able to affect existence on a near unviersal scale. If that's the case, then the cause of Rukia's memory loss is potentially more powerful than Aizen, the Captain Commander of the Gotei 13 Yamamoto-Genryusai Shigekuni, all of the Bountos, the Vizard, the Arrancar, and just about everyone else in the world.

See what I mean about holes?

As it stands, the movie is actually better if you don't know anything about the series, which is unfortunate as I thought the whole point of things like this was to add to the whole instead of being a glorified advert for the series (congratulations marketing department, you win this round).

The art and animation is decent enough on the whole, however there's some glaringly obvious problems, one of which is the fact that the characters look angry or constipated for a lot of the movie (especially Ichigo, even when he's "happy" he scowls). The faces are sometimes unnaturally distorted when the character is feeling some deep emotion (grief, for example), something which is only exacerbated with close ups of the character in question. There's also a number of scenes that feature something I call "unnatural body position", which simply means that on occasion the characters will look "odd" in some manner (the most common one I've seen involves the shoulders - watch and you'll see for yourself).

Animation-wise the movie manages to at least attain some respectability. The characters do move quite well, and the various combat sequences are pretty decent, but Bleach fans will know that the series is capable of much better than can be seen in this movie.

Most people will be familiar with the voice actors, especially if they're regular viewers of the series. The cast do a decent job overall, but in the end this is still just another episode of Bleach so there is a distinct lack of passion in the characters, however this is mainly due to the scripting and screenplay rather than the cast's acting ability. Morita Masakzu (Ichigo), for example, has a problem in that his character is supposed to be almost perpetually angry at something, and lives with a huge chip on his shoulder. This may seem like an interesting character at first, but after playing the role for this long without any real development to Ichigo as a character, it's understandable how one would be "bored" by now.

Which leads me neatly on to the characters themselves. Oh look, the gang's all here (minus Chad, Orihime and Ishida - surprisingly). The problem with Bleach as a whole is that it never really looks at developing it's characters in any meaningful way, and this movie is no exception to that tried an tested (on morons), method. As a single movie it can get away with lacking anything in the way of real character development, even though there was a feeble attempt to highlight the "bond" between Ichigo and Rukia. As part of the greater series though, the lack of any real progression makes this seem more like just another episode of Bleach - it's just a bit longer than normal.

I will admit that as an action movie this isn't too bad. If the purpose of the movie is to "entertain" then it does just that - barely. One of the problems with Fade to Black is that it has a tendency to ramble at times, especially during the conversations (no one seems to have heard of getting to the point). There's also a distinct lack of urgency about the characters, almost as if they're trying a bit too hard. Since this is a movie I can forgive a lot more than I would have if this were a series episode, and it's only because of this that I didn't give Fade to Black a lower score.

On the whole though, this is not the best effort to come from the Bleach stable. Diamond Dust Rebellion was actually superior to this in many ways, so this is effectively a step down for the series. That doesn't mean it's not enjoyable, it's just that there's an almost juvenile feeling to the movie, almost as if it was designed to cater to wide-eyed 13 year old fanboys than the more hardened anime fan.

It's sad, but it seems like Bleach has finally run out of steam. read more

The movie is rather worthwhile to watch. So I'm going to try not to spoil for anyone so you guys can watch it for yourselves. First of all, the story was mediocre. It didn't really contain the BANG! movie watchers would want to have and even seemed unworthy of the long wait for the subs to come out.

However, I loved the art. As always, Tite Kubo is a great artist, although his story might not be great, looking at the characters is always cool. The sound was not especially good, and I wouldn't say it was too bad either. I'd give it a fair really, if you ask me. I much rather the action scenes have more boom and bang but it was okay.

The characters were original... but I didn't really enjoy Homura, who was quite bitchy about everything. Shizuku was a great character though but he played a rather subtle role so it didn't really work out. I didn't particularly enjoy Dark Rukia though. The character progression was too fast, it was like they were trying to rush everything. That's one part of the movie that was really a letdown. They should have let Dark Rukia get more screen time. I think the movie was fairly enjoying, although I wouldn't say very. It was crafted such that it can be appreciated and watch a few times over but its not really the kind that you'd whip out when you're yearning for a great movie. Overall, I think the movie was quite good, thanks to the art, sound and enjoyment level, although the plot and character development still lacks in some areas.

But what can I say? Just watch the movie yourself and you'll understand what I mean. read more

Another year, another tired Bleach movie. I have to say, after the Second outing I was hoping that the Bleach films would continue to improve, but unfortunately the third film falters again, and while it has it's fair share of enjoyable material, it's just not as fun as it should be.
Normally in a review I'd start by talking about the story, but god knows if the story to this one makes sense. There's some kids that are...I dunno, something like Bleach's version of the Nobodies from Kingdom Hearts, and they steal Rukia's heart and memories, and make everyone forget her because...god, I dunno. Anyway, it makes everyone forget her and Ichigo, so Ichigo tries to save her but because no one remembers him he has to fight a bunch of people all over again just like the Soul Society arc, only about a thousand times more lame. And then Rukia starts to become a hollow or something...I really don't know. The story in this one is an absolute mess, and while I know it's supposed to an excuse to have cool fight scenes, I just couldn't care because I was trying to make sense of this absurdly convoluted storyline. I can deal with convolution to a point(hell, I loves me some Square-Enix games' storylines, and those are about as convoluted as you can get), but this one was just unbearable. The art and sound were okay, and the fights were above average, but I really couldn't say I'd recommend this one for anyone that's not a hardcore Bleach fan. If you want some okay action, go for it, but if you're looking for a satisfying story then look elsewhere. read more

Bleach: Fade to Black is the 3rd Bleach movie, after Memories of Nobody and Diamond Dust Rebellion. The main premise of the plot is Rukia has gone missing and everything she’s done has been forgotten by everyone in Soul Society, and characters in the real world as well, except Kon and soon Ichigo. The story then unfolds with Ichigo trying to find Rukia and attempting to force his former friends, who have lost all memory of him, to remember both him and Rukia.

The story is well written with very few, if any, plot holes or gaps that might leave the viewer slightly confused. While the main themes running through are simple, there is a lot of backstory, both created for the film, and from the original series, when Rukia first met Ichigo. The story also tends to focus on a few supporting characters as well, but the story does centralize around Rukia and her relationship with the other characters.

The art in Fade to Black is brilliant throughout. It all looks fantastic, both the character detail and the background art. The animation is smooth and fluid; with some great fight scenes portrayed flawlessly. This has some of the best art you’ll see in any of Bleach, however, when flashbacks occur to the original series, they don’t remain updated, but they look as they did when you first watched them. Some may like this, some may not, however, I thought it added a nostalgic feel to these scenes, and preferred this to if they had recreated those scenes.

The soundtrack is, again, very good. Taking the best pieces from the series soundtrack and using them as they should be. The background music always fits the mood and never once seems out of place, with emotional scores for the more expressive scenes, and fast paced classics for the fight scenes. The music being recognisable generally helps the feel of the film. The voice acting is done very well by all characters as expected of these voice actors who now must know these characters like the back of their hand. All the necessary emotion is there when it needs to be, and the characters really come to life because of it.

The central characters to the plot are, of course, Ichigo and Rukia. However, a large cast of supporting characters is brought in to help. Each character’s reaction to what’s occurring is portrayed very well, matching the character’s personality in the original perfectly. The main introduction of many of the secondary characters is for the fight scenes, be it with Ichigo throughout the course of the movie, or for the big fight at the end, but this doesn’t take away from their time on screen, as many of these characters are ones we don’t see enough of in the series, so seeing them in a proper fight is always exciting. The villains in the film are well written and interesting. Their motives are clear and understandable. They’re not just some mad people out to attack everyone because they feel like it; they’ve got a back-story and relations with other characters.

Overall, this movie was thoroughly enjoyable. It’s approachable if you’ve never watched an episode of Bleach before, but is better if you’ve seen at least the first 3 series (the whole of the Soul Society arc) and would perhaps help if you’ve seen further through to the Arrancar arc. It is fairly reminiscent of Ichigo’s first trip to Soul Society and the first story arc of the series, arguably the best point of Bleach so far, which works in it’s favour, and to any fan of Bleach, or this style of shonen anime in general, this film should be very pleasing to watch. read more

Don’t make me repeat myself. It will help to read my reviews of the previous movies prior to reading this one.

And after a long waiting, here comes the third Bleach movie. I must say, the guys who make these slowly improve the overall. It felt like they combined the best elements of the previous movies. The good part of the first movie was the twist about memories and the good in the second was the focus on a character from the series instead of a filler one. So, expect another theme about the importance of memories and lots of centering on the characters. The second movie was about a tragic event in Hitsugaya’s past, this one is about Rukia’s. And yes, it does feel good as a premise as far as filler missions go. The plot was otherwise simple and predictable as it usually is but at least the main idea of lost memories was enough to care about whatever dramatic attempts this movie had.

Production values being so damn high means that even the cheesiest battles look fine and even offered some good choreography at the final dual for a change. Adding cinematics like turning the image slowly to grey or having a sad eerie sound during the flashbacks gave a boost to all those moments the action just seemed pointless. Also, it felt like the animation was a type of “Find Waldo” as many flashback scenes are actually taken from the series, including filler arcs. So, it was a sort of summary of what happened so far and tribute to the evolution of the relationship between Rukia and Ichigo… before it was scrapped for that lame Inoue rescue mission. In any case, you better not watch this movie before the series as it reveals a lot of important events. It still feels weird at times as Rukia and that filler girl had huuuge eyes and the way lips are drawn is a hit or miss to not appear as lame. Still, very good overall. And let’s add to this the atmospheric music themes and the very catchy ending song too. Those finer touches actually helped me stay awake through the otherwise cheesy plot.

There are still the usual clichés you find in any fighting shounen movie. It is still to the most part a parade of special attacks and the “Let’s save Soul Society for the millionth time” theme is present for once more. And as I said, beyond the initial interesting premise of the story, the plot is cheesy as hell. Soul Society is in danger; Ichigo to the rescue, everyone fights the minions and lets the lead take on the boss. Plus, it gets lamer with one more addition. Remember how in American superhero crossovers, the heroes always fight each other when they meet? Just for the heck of it? Well, it is the same with this movie. Ichigo gets to fight EVERYONE he meets as they are supposed to have forgotten him. And yes it makes sense to do that but it gets staggering if 50% of the movie is spars between good guys that never result to anything other than advertising their transforming swords. The rest of the story is about… err… a super hollow created by Mayuti, that erases the memories of someone in EVERYONE’S minds… which escapes in the bodies of two children who can teleport… who were trapped in Hueco Mundo for a century… who return to find their good old friend Rukia and punish the tyrannical Shinigamis… and pretty much invade like the defenses in Soul Society are made of rice paper and turn everything to nice wax statues. Damn, movie villains seem to have 10 times the destructive power of the series villains.

Ok, if you try to make sense out of it, you won’t find any. This is Bleach we are talking about; remember? Plot holes bigger than Menos Grande are present as we never really told what the hell was the main enemy. A hollow that could transform from a tiny snake, to a scythe that erases memories, to a gargaduan tentacle freak that turns people to statues? For real now, that thing was supposed to be a simple Hollow? It owned most Espada. And what the hell was that glowing bottle thingy? And how could Urahara go to Soul Society if a barrier was supposed to prevent him from doing so?

All I can say is that unlike the previous movies where Ichigo just storms in and beats the villain in a flash, here he is not able to do that right away as the villain here can teleport and has Rukia and two children as hostages. This made things more interesting to watch. Still, the conclusion was predictable and cheesy so don’t keep your hopes up. He finds a way to win even without using his bankai.

In all, the story in the first movie is similar yet far better. The drama of the two children fades away pretty fast without any sense on part of the plot. Half of it is pointless duals and the other half is Swiss cheese. Also, the movie assumes Ichigo’s schoolmates or the Arrancar threat don’t exist so that makes it to stand alone and being unable to fit in some filler moment. Ok, theoretically it can be placed after the filler arc concerning the past of several captains as we get to see Mayuri without his mask. Then again, fillers in this series defy time and space so you can place it anywhere you like.

Still, the cast is more entertaining than the other two movies. The focus is Rukia but for a change, we get to see Mayuri going insane in his lab, Kenpachi going amok in battle, Renji showing care about the person who he doesn’t remember and many more. Thus, at least as far as characters go, they feel less dry than in the previous movies. Heck, they even brought Urahara in the action and had Soi Fong in a half-naked, half-yuri scene. Oh, and Kon was also there to be the comical relief that goes all emo on the loss of Rukia. Very pleasing moments. Not great but still better than before.

As for the new characters, those two kids? They had no idea what they were doing. Trying to find their names by making Rukia forget them? WTF? All whining and no meaning. Senna kicks their butts in personality and she was a much weaker fighter without even remembering anything. There is no way you can sympathize them. You can hate them for causing all this trouble out of whining and for torturing poor Rukia like that. Oh, and Rukia? She reverts to the passive damsel in distress who is need of Ichigo to come and save her again. Come on, this got old. Ichigo is always about saving girls than protecting the world from cosmic horrors. The entire Soul Society had turned to a hideous wax statue and all he cared about was saving a chick. Ok…

Value and enjoyment ain’t much for the various reasons I mention. This third attempt made some steps forward (more focus on multiple characters) and some backwards (lame whining new characters, plotholes big enough for the Enterprise to fly through). It is still an average time killer if that is all you want. read more

I watched this movie with a couple of friends, we watched this purely out of curiosity of how bad they could make a filler movie. We were not disappointed. This filler movie was of such bad quality that I actually turned it off within the first half hour when an even occured that caused Ichigo to do something preposterous. After a minute of discussion we decided to keep on watching but this time with even lower standards and watching it purely for the complete and utter worthless junk that it is.

One of the main issues with this movie, other than that it is a filler and therefore meaningless, is that the entertainment value was really low, there were too many characters in the movie so it felt really halfassed in that aspect and then the story. This movie had one of the absolute worst plots I've ever seen in anime. For people who follow bleach and is not a complete fanboy of anything that looks like bleach regardless of plot, I'd bet you'd agree with me when I say it was very, very silly. I don't want to spoil this for anyone else contemplating watching this so I shall say no more, but the plot was of very bad quality.

Did you know that the captain with the foxhead's natural stance is bankai? read more

So Bleach, the good old Bleach, one of the most important Shonen series right now. Bleach Fade to Black is the third movie of the Bleach franchise being preceded by The Diamond Dust Rebellion and Memories of Nobody. First and before all, if you don't like the series then I doubt you will enjoy this movie.

Story: As a side story the story of this movie doesn't relate to the main story. By some odd reason Captain Mayuri is experimenting on something and somehow a white liquid appears and start freezing shinigamis. Meanwhile, Rukia Kuchiki who was in Soul Society at that time is impacted by a weapon and she loses all of her memories and all the people that know her also lost the memories of Rukia... Well, almost everyone, the only one that wasn't unaffected was Kon and some minutes later Ichigo. Ichigo embarks on a journey for discover what happened to Rukia. I'll put to the story a 6 out of 10.

Art: The same as the anime but it adapts pretty well on the events that happened to Soul Society. 7/10

Sound: The same seiyuus and same music but some new ones that really goes well with the movie. 7/10

Characters: well, again the same as the anime so you will see the impatient Ichigo, the mother caring Rukia, the cold Byakuya, etc. 6/10

Enjoyment: For being a movie based on a Shonen serie you will see alot of interesting battles. Even if you don't like Bleach, you cannot say that the fights are quite good and we can see characters that hardly appear on the manga or in the anime fight so thats a good point of its favor. 7/10

Overall: The story isn't that interesting but the enjoyment of watching Ichigo, Renji and others fight for save Soul Society and at the same time save Rukia's memories is what gives life to this movie. It isn't as interesting as the second or first movie but it holds great; although it is forgettable. The only thing I didn't like of this movie is how Ichigo over abused of his bankai (although he tends to do that in the main series) and that Ishida, Sado or Inoue didn't appear at all nor are mentioned. 7/10 is the overall for this movie. Good for watch and waste like two hours but not worth watching again. read more

the story actually revolves around rukia, 2 hollows in human form kidnap her so that they can be together. while that is happening the memories of rukia in all shinigamis starts to fade away, even ichigo's memories but luckily he remembered her. with no one on his side, ichigo is left to only one choice, fight seiretei and look for rukia alone. a really must-see anime movie. it didnt even make me blink an eye. :D

Perhaps my score of an 7 intrigues you? Because everyone else has pushed it to the side like you do your asparagus or brussell sprouts (if you like these, then please think of the vegetable you hate most)?

Honestly folks, were we really thinking this movie would be something other than fan service? Come on! It's so typical for shounen, especially long running shounen to mass produce pieces of work that highly resemble your Great Aunt Babette, the one who's always pinching your cheeks, or commenting on how big your...ahem. Well I'm sure you get the picture. It's meant to be a filler! I can't help but do this, but these movies are ranged in the area of the Naruto movies (which are by FAR the tackiest things I've ever witnessed). Although Bleach gets a certain amount of respect from me, in that it is much more mature than Naruto. Anywho, for the review.

Story: Seriously, there's not much there. It's all action and Ichigo screaming Rukia's name and fighting some kids who have a history with Rukia and managed to get into the Soul Society to cause some serious damage. Does this sound original to you? Didn't think so. Your probably wondering how these two white kids got into the Soul Society as well as why they waited until NOW to find Rukia and make them 'theirs forever.' Don't bother. This movie is here to serve the masses. Don't let this crush your soul! Welcome to the world of shounen.

Art:...um what's there to say? It's the same as the show (except for those despicable episodes they call the Bount arc (fillers, EW)!) I mean the characters all looked the same to me. Although I got to see Urahara without his hat on for an extended period of time and was highly pleased. Look, there's nothing special to it. And I'm not all into the art unless it WOWs me and this movie didn't wow me with anything special. It was just Bleach's look.

Sound: Okay so I was moved by the music. I take anime music very seriously and it's usually my deciding factor for just about anything. And I don't know what it was about this soundtrack but I was moved folks. Absolutely pleased. I was giddy with joy whenever I heard the music. It's dark and compelling. I believe it fit perfectly well with each scene the music was incorporated with. It's definitely what made me like this movie so much.

Character: None of the humans are here (Chad, Orihime (thank god), Uryu). It's all Shinigami, all the time. Large doses of Rukia, of course this movie is about her, Ichigo, Kon, Kisuke, Renji, Toushiro, Byakuya. We even have smaller doses of Rangiku, Ikkaku, Yumichika, Ukitake, Cherry blossom man (because I cannot for the LIFE of me ever remember his damn name!), Old man commander, ?Shuuhei? (hmmm...purple hair, black mark on face, resembles Ichigo), Mayuri, Yoruichi, Soi Fon, and Kenny of course (I laughed when he went berserk), and quite a few more. I mean, seriously. Can we say FAN SERVICE?

Enjoyment: I really enjoyed this. Haha I know sounds contradictory right? Well I knew what I was expecting when I went into the movie. Hell I even expected something a little less (more goopy mush if you really want to know) and was surprisingly delighted when I was given exactly what I wanted. Hinting at Ichigo and Rukia and a walloping 90 mins of action, a plot you have to read between the lines to find, and all of our favorite Bleach Shinigami.

So if your a Bleach fun SUCK IT UP and just watch the damn movie. Don't go in all "Oh my god, this one HAS to be better." Your gonna be disappointed folks.

It's all the same stuff. Same shit, different day.
Get over it and move on. read more

So, Bleach Fade to Black... the fighting was good, the storyline flowed nicely, the animation was as expected but it seemed to be lacking the greatness you'd expect of a movie from this series. Perhaps it's because they're trying to pump out as many Bleach related side stories as possible.. who knows... the best part about it was Kenpachi Zaraki's unleashing of wildness.. I wasn't awed..

First of all, this follows the standard Bleach movie rapsheet. Massive conspiracy/major problems happen in Soul Society, things are fine in the Human world. Ichigo goes to Soul Society to help clean up mess, so on and so forth.

If you have seen Bleach: Diamond Dust Rebellion, it is essentially the same thing except different characters.

I can't explain my problems with the movie as to, I would be spoiling.

All in all, I enjoy the artwork and the music. I like the characters that Tite Kubo has created.

The storyline is essentially a filler story-arc summed up in an hour/half, like the other anime movies out there.

I'm not saying, "Don't go see this movie", nor am I saying, "Go watch it nao, it is teh greatest anime movie evar." Go watch it if you're bored, and you have nothing else to do. read more

Diamond Dust Rebellion had to be one of the better movies, until now. The storyline is both interesting and enjoyable, reminding the viewer of the eventful days when Ichigo first stepped into soul society. The only down side for me is the lack of appearance of Ichigo with his hallow mask.

The story had similar elements from previous movies; in my opinion this worked in Fade to Black's favor.

The art was 10/10; fantastic all the way through. It was the pinnacle of the Bleach animation.

The soundtrack was a little too techno for my taste, but it went well. The action sequence sound bytes could have been longer. Overall it was highly enjoyable.

The characters are what make Bleach one of the best shonen animes ever made, and this movie everyone got to shine. I wish there was more of the supporting cast but there was enough to satisfy. The story focuses on Rukia and Ichigo as usual but it didn't dissappoint.

I thought the whole movie was done so well and lived up to the hype. Never a dull moment and my only complaint is that the movie wasn't 5 hours long. It was so good I wanted more, which is a mark of a great anime.

Overall for Bleach fans, or even first time viewers; you need not see the show to enjoy the movie. The importance of the main story line might seem a little trite if you haven't kept up on the series but the action more than makes up for it. So go and see this now! read more

I am kind of surprised other recurring Bleach characters were not shown in this film. Regardless, i enjoyed this movie. Though its a filler movie, its got some interesting bits of information on certain Bleach characters. This movie was also the most destructive as the soul society gets destroyed.

The movies plot was not the most original but tolerable. Art wise it remains the same as the other Bleach movie though new angles can be noticed if you pay attention to detail. The soundtrack is possibly the best compared to the other Bleach movies, of course thats my own personal opinion/taste. If you are a Bleach fan then this movie is a nice side story and well worth your time.

Its worth a watch. read more

Story: 7 - I will personally say, it is rather hard to top Diamond Dust Rebellion story wise. Because of the previous movie, I actually came in... expecting a little bit more then what is given. The story line, while interesting, came across as nothing really spectacurlarly new for the world of Bleach.

Art: 10 - I found the artwork to be what one would expect for this particular animel, and that I had expected.

Sound: 10 - Same with the sound.

Character: 6 - We don't get to love all our favorite characters even more here. Even Rukia really doesn't get any character depth added to her. The only ones possibly that do are the sixth and twelth division captains, but that is possibly because we tend to see so little of them.

Enjoyment: 8 - Not what I hoped for, definatly, but the emotions did pull at one, and the humor that was there, was histarical.

Overall: 7 - This movie could have had a lot more put into it then it did have, truth be told. It doesn't have the same charm that the rest of the Bleach fandom does, which was dissapointing, but it does work to feed the fan bliss craze, if one thinks about it. read more

Well what can I say for this movie.This is the 3rd Bleach movie.In the start of the movie there is something strange hapening in the Seiretei , then when Rukia comes to help she is being stolen.After that everybody forgets about her , unles Kurosaki Ichigo and Kon.From then on Ichigo and Kon face all of the people in the Seiretei.But as everybody doesnt know about Rukia , even she loses her memory as well but only when she starts to be a shinigami.

This is my first anime review so please bare with me. Also please note that if I EVER do an anime review, I'm talking about the anime SUBBED. No dubbed whatsoever. I have my reasons.
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I don't like the Bleach anime. I just don't. I hate fillers. Movies? Well I count those as fillers due to the fact that they were not in the original plot. Those who disagree, too bad.
I have watched the two movies prior to this: Memories of Nobody and Diamond Dust Rebellion. I have also watched the one after this one which is Hell Chapter/Verse. Fade to Black is by far my top one out of the four Bleach movies.

For starters, I actually felt something for the characters. I've caught up with the manga and I've seen the anime (minus the fillers). But that's the whole point. I wouldn't call it bias (people have told me that I am) in this case b/c you needed to have watched the anime before if you really wanted to watch movies. But that's just me. In Fade to Black, I actually teared up when Ichigo remembered Rukia and was trying to convince everyone else that Rukia exists. That's just me fangirlling the whole 'IchixRuki' thing.

Putting that all aside however, this movie was trying to send the message (or what I took from it) that memories may not last, but bonds do (cheesy. deal with it.).

The voice acting. EXCELLENT. The voices were connected. I know that b/c I was sucked into the movie. I was yelling in my head with Ichigo. And the ending song... I LOVE Graffiti. Tat song choice was great. The action was a bit on the... comical side as is in any anime with dramatic music.

So yeah... pretty good movie. Recommend it for those who have only read the manga. This shows that not all fillers are bad. read more