The shounen genre have always been criticized for being too cliche and repetitive based on it's plot and characterization.A notion i have always found to be unfair since almost all genre acquire a level of repetitiveness over time and originality become harder to obtain.But the main issue i have with bleach is that is doesn't even make the attempt to be original;instead relying on the success of other shounen for the premise of it's own success.From the very first episode any established shounen faithful will get an eery feeling of being down this road before.
The main character is introduced as a typical teenage boy who one day through an accident becomes a supernatural fighter (soul reaper)who battle the curse manifestation of human souls called hallows{yuyu hakusho}The fight scenes in the anime is remarkably similar to dbz,with the exaggerated power ups that make rocks rise,flashing light show ,using super speed to disappear in the midst of battle.
The characters were for the most part pretty uninteresting or 'cookie cutter' characters.
The animation and was good,with nice detail and rich colours.The sound was another plus with very nice opening and closing theme and the music that played when fights started.
Overall is your new to anime or the shounen genre bleach may have a lot to offer but for seasoned fans its best to look elsewhere.
