The bad: About halfway through I realized I’d gotten everything I wanted out of the series. I kept reading for the sake of completion, but still. Particularly after the Soul Society arc, characters become way less interesting and storylines are replaced with endless nonsensical fights. With every character and plot change I started seeing more and more wasted opportunities for development, which is a shame.
The good: Bleach is by far the coolest of the big three. Endlessly stylish with iconic character designs and slick weapons and clothes to boot, there is plenty to appreciate visually. I feel like a parrot mimicking what's been said before, but the Soul Society arc is genuinely one of the best shonen battle arcs I’ve ever read. The Gotei 13 are and always will be the ultimate anime organization. And yeah, I’m prepared to burn for this, but Bankai is infinitely cooler than the super saiyan and Gear transformations.
The first third of this massive story is an easy 10/10 for me. And IF the hundreds of chapters that followed had something more to offer other than paper-thin characters pulling increasingly-ridiculous power-ups out of their butts, then maybe it could’ve retained that score. Even so, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out why Bleach stands proudly as one of the Big Three. The dazzling fights, sick swords, epic drip and incredible main cast helped push this series to heights unscaled. And I haven’t even mentioned the S-tier waifus. (I’m convinced Rangiku and Yoruichi have permanently changed my taste in women.)
As is this is probably the best entry-level shonen manga you could ask for besides Naruto, but if you're already aware of the shonen tropes and cliches', this could be a bit of a slog. (Particularly the last third.)
