Forum - View topicREVIEW: Bleach DVD 14
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Monster in a box
Posts: 671 |
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A shame that level of quality only lasts for a few episodes.
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Unit 03.5-ish
Posts: 1540 Location: This space for rent |
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Is there some kind of law that says uber-long shonen series have to be formulaic, excessively soap opera-y, bogged down by tons of filler, mindless, and decidedly unexceptional? Or can we chalk this up to Japan being unoriginal/lazy? I've never followed Bleach, but it seems like the same damn thing as every other Shonen Jump series under the Viz banner.
Also, I can't believe they're still doing singles. At least Naruto is getting released in 13-episode chunks, you know? |
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Top Gun
 Posts: 4830 |
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At least through what I've seen (episode 98 or so), this segment of the series is by far as good as Bleach gets. As Carl used repeatedly in the review, "ridiculous" is the word of the day. When bankais start flying around on-screen and "Number One" is blaring in the background, you can't help but get pumped.
(The real pity about the show is how much the intensity falls off several episodes down the line, and it still hasn't returned to nearly that level as of the current [as] broadcast. Oh various shounen, how you could all learn valuable lessons from One Piece...) |
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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Well, among Shounen Anime Bleach is one of the best. Certainly better than Naruto and One Piece, in my not-so-humble-opinion. And I argue that Naruto needs to be released in chunks, otherwise few would bother to buy it. Not just because it is of inferior quality, but also that its fans are more likely to simply get the show online than the fans of Bleach. Yes, there is a huge overlap, but it seems to me that while almost every Naruto fan likes Bleach, the reverse isn't true. Now, the final fights of the Rescue Arc are very good, but they're plagued by too much filler in the middle (of the fights). For example, we see two characters fighting, and then we cut to Orihime and the others who just stand around talking and goofing off. It is infuriating. But I will say that Shounen has come a long way since Dragonball Z; at least the comedic relief characters in Bleach are actually funny. Most of them. Anyway, Rukia's reaction to when Ichigo saves her is very well done, and it does convince you that she is worth every ounce of pain that Ichigo suffered. In my mind, these episodes harken back to the first fifteen or so episodes, when Bleach actually knew what to do with its characters and the emotions were real and "lacking in cheese". Ah, good times. Sorry for being such a fanboy. But it is nice to see a run of Shounen episodes that for all their faults are not just good Shounen, but genuinely good Anime period. In my view they are definitely worth the near-forty episode wait; enjoy them. |
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Who Is This Guy!?
Posts: 183 |
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I never thought I'd post something like this...but I have to agree with Carl on this.
Ichigo's Bankai isn't just ridiculously cool...it's almost the pinnacle of Shounen cool. It's now an expectation for up and coming mangaka; if you wanna make something truly cool and badass...trumping Ichigo's Bankai is something of a 200-foot thick concrete wall... |
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Greed1914
 Posts: 4660 |
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Plus, it's flat out fun to say the word Bankai.
I also think it would be in Viz's best interest to just go to box sets for this show since it is so long. But then again, they had singles for Inuyasha, so it's not that surprising. Last edited by Greed1914 on Tue Jan 27, 2009 1:56 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Unit 03.5-ish
Posts: 1540 Location: This space for rent |
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No offense, but after watching a YouToob clip of the bankai...it didn't really impress me much. The shadow clone/illusion dance thing is a staple of, like, fighting games -- often used in super/finishing moves -- and similar effects have been used in other anime before, as well. So, I don't see what the big deal is...sorry if I piss anyone off with that statement.
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Zac
ANN Executive Editor
 Posts: 7912 Location: Anime News Network Technodrome |
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The "most awesome" parts of any shonen fighting series require context, and that context is usually "I just watched 26 episodes of this show in a row and holy crap this is the good part". You can't just watch a youtube clip of what people on a forum tell you is the good part and expect to be impressed. The best example I can think of is the Kyoto arc of Rurouni Kenshin - it's really fun and engrossing, but only if you've seen all the episodes leading up to that and know the characters. |
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Unit 03.5-ish
Posts: 1540 Location: This space for rent |
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My apologies, then; I'm sure if there was some kind of context to go on, then I'd be more impressed. I just have no real love for these shonen shows, and I'm not sure I could stomach a several-hundred-episode series even if I had consistently watched it on AS, which I often don't. That being said, though, and this may be a 20-year-old example, but it's the one that springs to mind most immediately for me.
Transformers (1980s movie): spoiler[when Rodimus unlocks the power of the Matrix and becomes the new Autobot leader and destroys Unicron, I imagine if you had ONLY seen a clip of that part, you would go, "That's cool, but I don't get it" unless you saw the rest of the movie and understood the importance of the Matrix and the phrase of lighting the darkest hour. We'll ignore the fact that the Matrix was a retcon of epic proportions, but hey, just calling itas I see it] |
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DmonHiro
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I must agree, Bleach is eaons ahead of Naruto, and Tenssa Zangetsu is...well......it's......just so badass. Combine that wit Ichigo's "I'm taking you down, and there's nothing you can do about it" attitude and he's the epitome of Shounen-Badass. Not that his opponent is below that: Byakuya drips of awesomeness, and never has the color pink been so badass as Senbonzakura Kageyoshi.
But, if you think bankai (I love that word) Ichigo is cool.......you ain't seen nothing yet. |
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doctordoom85
 Posts: 2094 |
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Well, while I do consider Bleach to be the lowest of the "shonen trinity" (Naruto and One Piece), I do agree that this is shonen at its finest during this part of the story. And I'd even argue that it's not entirely predictable, lest we forget what awaits us in the next volume.....
Also, this is one of the few shonen where I prefer the animated version. Generally, I slightly prefer the manga of long-running series, but I never was a big fan of Kubo's style (too few backgrounds, and his designs aren't my kind of thing). And yes, I think aside from Death Note, this is the best dub a Viz series has gotten. Truly great work. Though I've heard they changed Chad's VA recently, and since I haven't bothered watching the Bount arc, can anyone tell me if the replacement is good? (not that Chad talks that much, but still) |
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Monster in a box
Posts: 671 |
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No, he is not.
And I will never understand how most people like Bleach's first arc. The Soul Society arc is the only reason I kind of like the show. The 'core 5' are absolute bores. |
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Animehermit
 Posts: 964 Location: The Argama |
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ah i remember watching this a few years ago, I loved it back then, not so much now.
the animation in these episodes wasn't all that impressive, I still notice a ton of shortcuts everywhere. This is the best part of bleach, and its sad, really, this series had a lot of potential. Now, its just s generic shounen-fest, worse than Naruto even. Bleach's characters seem shallow compared to the true emotion inspired by other works in the genre(One Piece I am looking at you). |
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Top Gun
Posts: 4830 |
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Jamieson Price seems to have taken over the role, and while he was somewhat shaky in the first episode or two he appeared in, he's at least listenable as of now. Like you said, Chad has all of one or two lines every episode, so it doesn't even matter all that much. |
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Monster in a box
Posts: 671 |
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Is there any reason for that? Chad had a really good, and distinct voice before.
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