Bleach: The Substitute (vol. 1)

 

Reviewed By: Carla Land

 

Viz Media DVD

Review based on first disk (episodes 1-4)

Rating T (for Teen)

 

What it’s (basically) all about: Ichigo can see the spirits of the dead. This hasn’t really bothered him- it’s just one of those things. However, after meeting Rukia, the Soul Reaper, and having run ins with the Hollows (spirits who are evil and will eat good spirits), Ichigo is starting to dislike his special talent. When Rukia transfers nearly all of her powers to Ichigo by accident, Ichigo suddenly becomes a Soul Reaper of incredible power. Looks like high school just got a lot more interesting.

 

Nitty Gritty: This show has gained increasing popularity on Adult Swim, and the manga is a big hit, too. As of this writing, there is only one volume of the show out on DVD, with a second following on January 30th and a third scheduled for late March.

 

The language isn’t too shocking, with dammit, suck and hell being the most hardcore words used (in both subbed and dubbed versions.) The show has some fantasy violence- there is blood and swordplay, but nothing gory. There are some pretty intense and scary sequences (the Hollows are skull faced and appear to be prone to biting), and people do get attacked (sometimes seriously.)

 

There is no sex and no revealing costumes, though Orihime (a high school girl with a crush on Ichigo) is pretty busty. Ichigo is also disturbed to learn that Rukia has taken up residence in his closet after losing her powers and enrolling in his class at school.

 

The show itself has some touching and sad moments, so it isn’t all attacking bad guys. Orihime’s bother, who is attacked by a Hollow and becomes possessed by it, commits suicide to stop himself from becoming a Hollow completely. (Even though he was dead to begin with it’s still very sad.) Ichigo is a caring individual, and he also doesn’t care what others seem to think about him, and this comes across in his actions both as a Soul Reaper and as a regular kid.

 

Special features include production art, a preview of the Bleach manga, clean ending credits, and previews for Naruto, Hikaru No Go, and One Piece.

 

Survey says: This is appropriate for teen collections. Young kids are not going to be able to handle the scary situations, or understand the complex storylines, but teens will love it and have no problems with it.

 

Personal Ad: It was better than expected. I’m not usually a fan of shonen or anime derived from it, but this was a pretty good story with some interesting characters. I'll be watching volume two.