The second installment in the Bleach movie series is by-and-large an improvement over the first. DiamondDust delivers with higher-quality animation, more drama, and more badass bankai fights. Scenery and character design (especially facial expressions) are superb, and fights are fast-paced and engaging. Audio is typical for Bleach, which is to say that it is outstanding (though the producers are slow to put out a dubbed version, one can expect that like Memories of Nobody it will be fantastic). DiamondDust has more fights and the battle is on a larger scale, involving more Captains and some new powers.
Viewers will be treated to a plot that is unequivocally superior to that of Memories. While the common structure - bad guy appears, steals something that can be used for great destruction, and good guys go after him - is still present, most fans will love Hitsugaya's role as main character and will appreciate the attention given to his relation to the thief. Truer to the series itself, beneath the action lies a critique of societies that would blindly adhere to their laws.
Despite the improvements, DiamondDust does have a few noticeable faults. While this time the enemy is a real match for the Captains, fights remain unsuspenseful and there is seldom any real sense of danger. Ichigo and Hitsugaya's final showdown against the enemy is extremely brief and makes it seem as if the studio had run short on time, budget, or both. And finally, Hitsugaya's story and reasoning for abandoning Soul Society felt forced and illogical. Still, this is a very well done film. Better than Memories and easily superior to the majority of series-based films, DiamondDust is worth a watch.
Overall Score: A
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