Bleach Volume 1

Bleach Volume 1


By: Tite Kubo
Reviewed by: gothiclolitamaiden, 15
Rating: It was alright...


I probably don't even need to summarize Bleach. Most manga fans have already read it or heard of it, but for those of you who haven't: Ichigo Kurosaki fights evil ghost thingies called Hollows. That's really all you need to know. I have met die-hard Bleach fans and I have met fans disenchanted with the series. I am frequently told that the series starts dragging after a certain volume, though the die-hards will claim it isn't true. I wanted to decide for myself. So I picked up the first volume of Bleach for the first time.

The plot of Bleach isn't overly original, especially for a shonen manga. From the first volume it's evident that the series is probably going to have an episodic, monster-of-the-week formula. I've spotted a pattern. Hollows threaten Ichigo's family/friends and he fights them to send them to the afterlife/soul society thing. I'm not very impressed with the plot, but it does have potential to become more as long as the Hollow fights and their back stories stay interesting.

The art works for the series and is fairly expressive. Battle scenes aren't too confusing and I didn't spot any anatomical errors. Some of the character designs are a little weird, mostly male designs, but very distinctive. The gangsters that constantly harass Ichigo and co. look goofy, but they really couldn't be taken seriously even if they didn't look goofy. The Hollows look pretty good for monsters.
I'd like to see a little less focus on action and more focus on characters in future volumes, but I might be hoping for too much. Rukia is an interesting character so far, but Ichigo resembles a typical shonen hero a little too much. The gags involving Rukia's lack of artistic talent and some of the slightly perverted jokes are pretty funny. Overall, I think's it worth reading more volumes, but nothing to rave about.


Recommended to: Fans of shonen and supernatural manga 13+