- I was absolutely OBSESSED with Bleach. Some manga readers often avoid mainstream mangas b/c they're mainstream. But Bleach is definitely a must read manga.
So anyways, you guys already get the idea. Kurosaki Ichigo meets a Shinigami named Kuchiki Rukia. She gives her powers to him, etc. etc. You get it. That's the base of the manga.
The first plot to me was called the 'Aizen Arc.'
The actual arcs are:
- Agent of the Shinigami
- Soul Society
- Arrancar Arc
- The Lost Substitute Shinigami
- Final Arc: The Thousand Year Blood War
The first 3 arcs (421 chapters I think) are what I consider the 'Aizen Arc.' Everything that Ichigo + friends did was b/c of Aizen. The reason why Ichigo met Rukia was Aizen. The reason why Ichigo exists is technically b/c of Aizen (if you've been caught up with the manga, you'll know why). Literally everything connects to Aizen somehow b/c it's all his doing. He planned everything from before the beginning to the end.
The Lost Substitute Shinigami arc is... rather slow, but it really gives you a sense of Soul Society of substitute Shinigami in general. And now we're at the final arc. So many secrets are being revealed in this that I was literally checking MangaHere every 4-5 hours to see if the new chapter had been updated. I was miserable waiting to find out what happens next. I am now as well. Since this is the final arc, Kubo really does have to reveal every question in the manga, but there are so many so this arc may be as long as the first.
The story is easy flowing, though not consistent in Substitute arc, but all in all, suspenseful and jaw dropping. Really, really great story, mainstream or otherwise. -
= Art =
- If you look up demotivational posters, there is one where the main Bleach characters from the first several chapters to the current them now in the manga. It shows how Kubo's art has changed throughout the entire manga. And as in all my other reviews, I can't draw any better, you probably can't draw better. We probably wouldn't be reading it unless the art was decent and/ore great. Art is a 10. -
= Character =
- Kurosaki Ichigo may be... hot tempers, arrogant, hot and the main character, but he isn't my favorite in the series. I find his character to be the archetypal heroine. Something is threatening the world/his friends or family and he must get stronger b/c he just got beat... then he fights again and wins some new power that of which he loses at the end. That's it.
Kuchiki Rukia... I REALLY love her. Her drawings, her personality, and the fact that she can defend herself. She is one of the rare female characters that don't cry, but instead defend themselves and others. Plus she helps Ichigo with his problems. She does more to help him than those people who may think they're helping him, but are just dead weight. *cough* Orihime *cough*
Inoue Orihime is literally that one character in any Shounen manga that just get in the way. She's useless! She may have 'powers' and shit, but she only got them b/c her brother gave her those pins. If he didn't, she'd be long dead. I really dislike her. "Kurosaki-kun!" this and "Kurosaki-kun!" that. SHUT. UP. YOU. STUPID. WOMAN.
There are a lot of other characters, but those by far are ones I consider to be 'main' enough to talk about. Though I should say this, most of the male characters are DROP DEAD GORGEOUS. Ulquiorra Sciffer, Grimmjow Jaggerjack, Kuchiki Byakuya, Ichimaru Gin; Love you all and many others. -
= Enjoyment/Overall =
- It's a bit obvious that I enjoyed the manga. I've said everything I needed to say (minus the spoilers). Totally recommend this manga, mainstream or not. A very interesting, suspenseful read.-
