It’s becoming a bit of a trend to see anime movies getting live action movies or television adaptions. It’s almost frightening, yet exciting in the same regard.
But at the same time, looking back and seeing that there are so many of them releasing, you find that not all of them are as decent in quality as their anime counterpart. There’s only so much that you can rush into a two hour movie that could easily be drawn out in twelve (or more) twenty-three minute episodes.
In the past, we’ve had groundbreaking hits such as Ruruoni Kenshin, Nana, and Erased. In contrast, we’ve also had movies like Attack on Titan that garnered some mixed reviews, and complete flops in the film industry such as Dragonball Evolution.
Let’s just… never speak of the travesties of that movie again, okay?
And now we have the Death Note television show set to premiere soon on Netflix, which is also gaining some rather mixed emotions. But that’s a review for another day, when it debuts and I decide to rip it apart, or praise it, whatever comes first.
Today we’re going to talk about the newest one to grace the stage, Bleach.
Bleach is one of the big-sitting anime along the greats of One Piece, Naruto, Fairy Tail, Dragonball, you name it, Bleach is right alongside it. And now it’s joined up and getting a live action movie. Its trailer just debuted a couple of days ago! You can view it here! While you’re watching that, I’ll tell you my thoughts on what could come from it, and what I think about Bleach itself.
Bleach:
I watched Bleach as a teenager, and it is to this day the anime of gripe in my eyes. I liked the premise of the show, with protagonist Ichigo Kurosaki, a boy who can interact with spirits, taking up the mantle of becoming a soul reaper bent on eliminating rampant monsters that corrupt the hearts of innocent people. Ichigo himself, fine character… at first. As the anime and manga went on, I found it droning and almost lackluster, especially at the end of the Arrancar arc. Then it just became too much.
The series had a lot of potentials, but it fell way too fast for me. I held on to Bleach from the first episode through episode… 290, I’ll estimate, but even bypassing the fillers can leave you with a rather salty taste. Ichigo took on way too many titles throughout his career, and became a bit… Gary-Sueish by the end.
Live Action:
Now, about this trailer.
I watched it a few times, and while it is only twenty-two seconds long, it leaves a lot of thought.
Ichigo’s actor makes me feel a bit… concerned about the direction that they’re going to take, but I’m at least thankful that they gave him the hair color that he has in the story. Because an Ichigo without orange hair, which plays a part in not only his namesake, but his age, his background, and many other qualities about the little strawberry boy, is just bad.
I don’t think the trailer is bad for a showcase, but at the same time, it makes me curious about what will happen next. The graphics, they look decent enough when thinking of Bleach’s concept. The hazing shadow of the Hollow dissipating behind our hero, the binding glare in Ichigo’s eyes… I’m hopeful, and I’m curious to see more of the cast.
What will Rukia look like, or Orihime? How will they portray Chad or Uryuu? How will they balance Ichigo’s school life and his Soul Reaper life? Will Kisuke and Yoruichi play a part this time around? How far into the storyline will the movie go, maybe up to the Soul Society’s Rescue Arc? So. Many. Thoughts.
I’m hopeful that there’s something more that will turn the tides of the anime/live action franchise. I just hope that my wishes aren’t squandered.
Shakyra Dunn 