Bleach: Sennen Kessen-hen - Ketsubetsu-tan
I can hardly decide which of the two new seasons was better or worse. Like the first, this season got off to a pretty dynamic start and delivered more Bleach lore to fans of the series. Among other things, this season also included one of the most popular Zaraki fights from the manga, which was well represented.
The real problem with this season is not whether it's good or bad, but how generic it is. Absolutely nothing happens in this season that hasn't already been done several times by other shounen, one cliché follows the other, offering no variety whatsoever.
The first season had already given a good start for this arc, in the sense of setting the stage for the theater act. Kubo introduced so many new characters [Sternritters] into the story, only to give them no depth or relevance and remove them from the show like cannon fodder. A lot of the fights weren't even necessary because they had no relevance to the plot.
A purely spontaneously introduced new group attacks the Soul Society, winning one-sidedly so that the main characters can finally train again. A couple of Kubo's favorites are given the biggest asspull ever so they can come back to one-sidedly beat the crap out of their previous opponents. While Ichigo makes his tenth "Number One" appearance and shocks everyone again. I get it's cool when the protagonist shows up like this, but Kubo tries it again every arc, this idea is already completely stale.
Although the Sternritters were given such interesting abilities, practically nothing was done with them except for 2-3 Quincy who actually made a notable appearance. As expected, Yhwach continued to sit on his chair-sama and talk about how smart and wise his mustache was.
This season had relatively mediocre pacing, combined with a lot of monotonous fights and a lengthy training arc. As a whole, it's not particularly noticeable, but for a single season, it's a major drawback.
The animations were about on par with the first and were of a satisfactory quality. However, the animations are far from earth-shattering, and nothing that hasn't been done is far better.
It's less relevant, but as a German, I'm always impressed by how much Japanese authors love German words. And although only 1-2 German words are used per episode, such as "Vollständig" or "Auswählen", not even these can be pronounced correctly.
[Conclusion 5]
Despite its appearance, Bleach is a more profound manga/anime, even if the author often doesn't focus on it. The concept around the Soul Society is very creatively done and for me, Bleach is a relatively healthy mix of a shounen with a more sinister approach.
Unfortunately, Bleach has the problem that the author often puts more emphasis on action than on anything else. As a result, his own world-building and the story have to suffer.
Although I thoroughly enjoyed both seasons, I can see why Bleach is simply too tough a meal for many people. A shounen that chews through the arcs again and again in a similar pattern becomes very monotonous in the long run.
[Enjoyment 7]
