Story 4/10: The story is way too predictable and way too similar to other shounen anime. The main character with unusual ability to learn and become strong unnatrually fast. Hmm, where have I seen that before?? Because it borrows so much in terms of story elements from other shounen anime, you can kinda figure out what's going to happen at the end of an arc 20 or so episodes in advance. This type of anime is the same as DBZ, and yuu yuu hakusho. The good guys always win no matter what kind of set backs the characters face. Even the "way" the characters become stronger is too similar to earlier shounen anime. Eccentric teachers trying to draw out the hidden power in each main character to overcome their own limits and weaknesses. The "similarity" issue is just one aspect... other other aspect is all kinds of annoying inconsistencies in the Bleach universe that drive me nuts. Things from unusually powerful Aizen that is so much more powerful than anyone else, it doesn't make sense; a way too convenient way of explaining all the convenient occurrences throughout the series- hou***u; inconstant aging between the soul reapers etc etc etc... Finally... some of the arcs like the bount arc and the amagai shunsuke arcs are just atrocious... and many of the fillers are basically what the writers came up with when they were high on acid.
Art 7/10: Early in the show, the animation was rough at best with the characters looking quite... strange. But as the series progressed so did the art, and now it looks pretty top notch.
Sound 6/10: While the BGM is sometimes pretty nice, other times it is very irritating. Who ever decided, "If you want to see some action..." (or number 1" by hazel fernandes) was a good song for a shounen anime needs to be shot. It sounds like crappy, cheezy 70's disco music. It just doesn't fit at all! There is some others that is awful and it sounds like an equivalent of someone's nails on chalkboard. There were also many ending and opening songs that were really bad as well. But there were some that were really good as well, like Ranbu no melody by Cid which is running in the current season as of feb 2011.
Characters 7/10: Characters are decent in Bleach. Development is slow but they are interesting...BUT some are almost copy cats of other shounen anime characters. Lets compare Ichigo and Yuusuke from yuu yuu hakusho. They both get into fights, they are both seen as yankee's in high school, they are both eventually "recruited" by the other world or the soul society, and they aren't exactly human. They are both head strong, caring of others, and aren't bound by rules in the slightest. They don't talk politely, they are dense, they always win eventually, and very protective of others... especially Orihime/keiko. The renji-Ichigo relationship is also quite similar to Yuusuke-Kuwabara... Over time both characters become incredibly powerful throughout the series with the help of eccentric/odd mentors. You can say that many of these traits are similar in most shounen anime like Naruto also shares similar characteristics, as well as Son Goku... But "that" is what sells, and that is what gets people hooked.
Enjoyment 7/10: Most of the enjoyment comes from some kind of "addiction" factor where you just have to see the next episode even though you know what's going to happen. Bleach does that VERY well, and it will keep you hooked, wanting to watch more until there isn't any left to watch. Same kinda formula that other very popular shounen anime used.
Overall 6/10: It's not the best shounen anime, it's not very original, and it's quite predictable... but in the end you'll in the least enjoy the many action sequences, and the progression of the characters throughout the anime.
