It's hard to talk about Bleach without mentioning the absolutely wasted potential of this amazing series. There was a time when Bleach was one of the hottest series around and was legendary enough to be placed in The Big Three of shonen manga, along with One Piece and Naruto. However, over time, the quality and popularity of Bleach ended up dwindling. This ultimately led to the rushed finale of the manga and the unfortunate cancellation of the anime.
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However, not all is lost for Bleach fans — the announcement of a new Bleach anime that would cover the Thousand-Year Blood War arc has finally brought some much-needed attention towards the series. Now is the perfect time for people interested in Bleach to catch up to the series, with the anime being a great choice for the same. While the manga certainly has its merits, the following advantages of watching the anime instead have convinced most fans to believe that the anime is the superior medium to enjoy Bleach.
The Show's Animation Is Brilliant At Times
As is the case with most great shonen shows, it's only expected that Bleach's animation would be off the charts. However, the manner in which the animation absolutely shines in some scenes should definitely be commended. After all, Bleach isn't exactly a recent show — the show is almost two decades old, yet the animation doesn't feel like it has aged bad in the slightest… with a few exceptions to the norm coming during scenes that don't feature too much motion. Of course, the animators can't be faulted for this — no show is perfect, especially Bleach.
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Kubo's art style might be great to witness in its own right, but props need to be given to the stellar work Pierrot has put into Bleach. It's no easy task to clear stellar animation week in and week out, yet the studio has cut no corners in ensuring that the viewers of Bleach are thrilled at every step of the way.
The Fights Feel More Impactful And Damaging In The Anime
Speaking of the animation, one can't fail to mention the brilliant work that Pierrot has done when it comes to the fight scenes as well. Each and every encounter in Bleach is a visual spectacle in the anime, with the clash of swords and the amazing nature of the various abilities present in the show being an absolute treat for fans of the show. Again, props should be given to Kubo for creating such a stellar base that Pierrot could capitalize on. Keeping aside the criticisms when it comes to Kubo's storytelling, there's no denying the fact that the artwork is absolutely excellent. Some people even consider this artwork to be the best out of the Big Three, and Pierrot does these fights justice with their stellar animation.
The Soundtrack Is Excellent
Bleach's classic soundtrack is the stuff of legends that most fans still remember to this day. The energetic female vocals coupled with some truly brilliant instrumentalization make for an audio-visual treat that most shonen fans would lament missing.
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It might be a small part of the big picture, but the soundtrack of Bleach deserves its credits. In a way, the music is like a bass guitarist in a band — its presence might fade into the background at times, but removing it will completely destroy the end product. The soundtrack is an integral piece of the puzzle that makes Bleach such a fan-favorite show all over the world, and one can only hope that the newest season of Bleach manages to do this soundtrack justice.
Watching Each Bankai In Their Full Animated Glory Is A Sight To Behold
It would be impossible to talk about Bleach without mentioning the amazing moves that each Shinigami can use. There are two forms that their Zanpakuto can achieve, with the second and final form being the legendary Bankai that everyone knows and loves. Watching these Bankai in the manga is great enough as is, but it's the anime where these Bankai end up coming into a class of their own. The only bad part about the Bankai in the anime is that there are several final Zanpakuto forms that are yet to be revealed. Thankfully, with the announcement of a new Bleach anime, fans can rest assured that their favorite Shinigami will get their time in the limelight as they finally reveal their Bankai to the masses.
The Ending Of The Manga Is Extremely Underwhelming
Instead of being a point in favor of watching the anime, this is more of a point against the manga and why most people should just be content with the way the anime ended. Of course, this is a hard ask — the anime ends on one of the more hated arcs in Bleach and doesn't really provide a definite conclusion. However, that still has nothing on the underwhelming "proper" ending of the manga. This ending is especially disappointing given the promising way in which Bleach's final arc started. The Thousand-Year Blood War arc showed a ton of potential that was ultimately squandered by the higher-ups at Shonen Jump and Kubo himself. The end result was a conclusion that fell flat and one of the worst endings to any shonen series in a long time.
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