Story: 6
More than 300 episodes already, still the same old fighting minons, then fighting the ultimate boss. I have lost count of how many times Ichigo was near death or should have died from fatal blows. From fighting fellow shinigamis to fighting ex-shinigamis to hollows to ex-hollows to fighting their swords to fighting themselves.... nice twists (so predictable)
Art: 8
The art has evolved, thank god. It looks much more sleek and smooth from Saving Rukia Arc. I got to admit, the "atomic bombs" (aka. getsuga tensho) Ichigo produces in ep 339 really pumps adrenaline in my veins. Notice how the character appearance changed and improved since the beggining, especially Ichigo with his more handsome face. Rumor has it this is because of a shift in target of audience from pure shonen to attracting female audience as well.
Sound: 7
I really liked almost all of the openings and endings, I can see the developers put a lot of thought into the first impression, which is the opening, of the anime. The music all suited the theme of Bleach very well: exciting, upbeat and a bit wild like Ichigo's hollow form ;) The OST always bring up nostalgic feelings from when I watched Bleach as a tween.
However, it's unfortunate to say there's absolutely no change in OST for the past 6+ years. It's almost funny how the OST from Bount arc pops up when fighting arrancars.
Character: 9
The character designs are pretty amazing: from the hair, to the eyes, to the costumes to the personaities; out of the countless supporting characters, it is almost impossible to find two characters that I will mix up. There are also many characters that I adore because of their personality and design, like Grimmjow, Byakuya and Hitsugaya. The only thing that I'm not satisfied about is the character development. I have mentioned earlier Ichigo's powers went beyond godly with atomic bombs with a single slash. And he is much more mature since the beggining. But what about others? Rukia? Same helpless kid, even with her awesome zanpaktou. Orihime? You would think after the experience with Ulquiorra that she'd be more useful and grown up. Instead she just sits there and sees her comrades getting slashed up without ANY thought of, " hey, maybe it's time for my godly healing powers that can even bring back the dead."-.-
Enjoyment: 7
My eyes were glued to the screen before when I watched the epic battles like fights with the espadas. But now, I giggle at the most wrong spots. Why? Because it's so cliche and predictable. I'm sure the protagonists won't have a easy win EVER, and the enemy will strike back, almost killing them all. And I'm positive that no matter what the state of Ichigo's health is, he will get up and beat the crap out of the boss. But then again, it's always nice to see atomic bombs, earthquakes and flying people.
Overall: 7
This score is the absolute lowest I can give to my once-upon-a-time favorite anime. (I have sentimentlal ties to the soul society and its shinigamis.) OF COURSE I STILL HAVE HOPES FOR IT! I'll keep thinking that the anime will make me mind blown once more.
