Bleach

I have developed a liking for the anime series, "Bleach." The first storyline, which I prefer to recent episodes, deals with the proverbial¹ average teenager, who gains unusual powers when he comes across Rukia, a female death god (or shinigami). Death gods, mind you, aren't hellish creatures or anything like that. They look human, and are responsible for preserving the balance between the world of the living and the world of the dead.

A picture of Soul Society's shinigami captains ("Soul Society" being a spirit world, somewhat like heaven), taken from >>Shinigami<<:

The main character, Ichigo, becomes acquainted with Rukia, who lost her powers when Ichigo gained his. Together, they battle "Hollows." These Hollows, which figure prominently in the first storyline, are the souls of deceased people who were not able to go to the world of the dead. They are empty creatures that "eat" human souls, and must be purified by shinigami.

When Rukia is arrested by people from Soul Society for transferring her powers to a human, Ichigo sets out with his friends to free her before she is executed.

A picture of Ichigo and Rukia from Mangaluxe:

It doesn't seem particularly original as plots go, and there is rather more fighting than is pleasant, but I found the series very interesting as a whole. I've been able to learn more about Japanese culture, and can recognize several common words (soda/soka, hai, baka, taicho, etc.), although I don't know about the spelling. Another aspect that I appreciate is the wealth of characters, and the way their stories are told as the series progresses. Finally, I like how the series is not all about fighting or all about the comic relief, nor does it try to be unnecessarily deep. It is simply good entertainment, and a nice alternative to similar shows from the West.

If you are interested, you can find episodes online on YouTube. Just search for Bleach 1 through Bleach 73 or so.

The online episodes, by the way, are subtitled, for which I am thankful. Not only does it give you a bit of an ear for Japanese, but the voices also seem much more appropriate. Some time ago, after watching rather a lot of subtitled anime online, I watched some dubbed episodes on TV. It was terrible! No offense to those with American or Canadian accents (I have one, too), but it doesn't fit at all!

---

¹ I use "proverbial" loosely. I like the word.