Hopefully Destructive Shinigami Tales

One of the funniest stories I like to reminisce on is the time it took me to get through Bleach. I would have been in in my final years of elementary when the manga was first being released and in high school when I started reading the manga.

Now that I’ve revisited the anime to catch up before starting the Thousand Year Blood War arc, and started collecting the manga, I thought I would recount my experience with Bleach. How I was drawn to the Big 3. How I came across the series. Keeping up with the manga until I didn’t think of jotting down where I left off. Losing rank of it for years because of this, and eventually getting around to finishing the series.

This is a condensed history of my Bleach journey.

Latching Onto Two of the Big Three

For those unaware, The Big Three is a term used for three anime that gained traction and helped popularize anime and manga. Those being Naruto, One Piece, and Bleach. While some were already making names for themselves in the west, like Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, and Pokémon, these three series were the ones that helped sky rocket anime’s popularity in the 2000’s.

Of the three, I would definitely say that Naruto and Bleach were the ones I was drawn to the most. Naruto because of the anime and a few of the games, namely Clash of Ninjas 1 and 2. Bleach because of the manga. That’s not to say I disliked One Piece and I’m pretty neutral towards it today. It was just the one I was drawn to the least.

Getting Into the Series Part 1: It All Started with Volume 15

There are two instances where I got into a series based on a volume cover that wasn’t for the first volume. One was Fruits Basket, with volume eight, which had Haru Sohma on the cover, being my introduction to it. The other was Bleach with volume 15.

My memories of how I spotted volume fifteen is a bit foggy to me. I either saw it in either my local or school library and it caught my eye. Or I saw someone with it and it caught my curiosity. Whichever the case, I do remember volume fifteen being the first volume I picked up.

This was the volume where Yoruichi was training Ichigo to unlock Bankai in the three day timeline she gave Byakuya. It was also the volume where Gin Ichimaru broke his Lieutenant, Izuru, out of jail, with the volume ending with Izuru, Momo, and Renji’s introductory academy days.

This volume would end up being the reason I got into the series. I would also say that it was the reason Gin, and especially Izuru, are some of my favorite Bleach characters.

Getting Into the Series Part 2: The High School Years

I got into the series during my freshman and my sophomore years. I ended up reading through the already available volumes through my school library.

When I finally caught up, which was with volume 24 from what I recall, I ended up using a site to continue on. To my knowledge, the site no longer exists, but I did use it to read Bleach and Death Note up to L’s death.

I ended up getting to the Fake Karakura Ton arc at the end of sophomore year. Specifically the chapter where Soi Fon was fighting I believe Ggio Vega (though it could have been the fight with Barragan) where she activates her Bankai at the end.

Let it be known that this one scene would be the only thing I would remember when I moved the summer after my sophomore year.

A Lack of Foresight Leading to Years of Forgetting

Because I did not have the foresight to jot the chapter down, I would ultimately loose track of where I left off. And I didn’t end up going back to the site I was reading it on. Because of this, I would lose track, hoping that I could figure it out once the volumes caught up.

I did eventually figure it out, several years later, and finished through the Fake Karakura Town arc. Though I did end up setting the series down again.

This time, it had to do with a few factors.

• Some of the reception at the time. Namely how some readers felt that the manga should have ended after Aizen’s defeat. Because of this I thought I would set it down once I got through that point.
• I think I was also trying to focus more on catching up with Naruto’s manga at the time. I feel like Naruto was the series I gave a bit more priority to, despite how much I liked Bleach. That said, I still haven’t finished Naruto, knowing how it ends through spoilers and the like.
• I lost interest in anime/manga period. My interests/fixations tend to cycle. Not in patterned time frame by any means, but I will move on from one interest to the next after a period of time. I would definitely say that anime and manga was probably one of, if not the longest fixation I had. I did move more towards manga in high school and into my twenties, but the interest was still there. All this to say, at one point I just lost interest. The factors of it being not knowing what to start, not finding a lot of titles that interested me, and shift towards an interest in Transformers and Star Wars creeping in.

Finishing In Parts

I did end up finishing Bleach, determined to finish at least one of the two completed Big 3 series. However, it did end up taking longer than I expected since motivation was all over the place.

I ended up doing it two parts: The Lost Shinigami/Fullbringer arc and the Thousand Year Blood War arc. The foyer, I got through pretty quick. Given that this was the shortest arc in the series, it isn’t to surprising. I also just wanted to get through it since it was my least favorite arc and I wanted to get to the Thousand Year Blood War.

I would put the series down for a bit after I finished this arc. However, thanks to the, then announced, anime adaptation of the Thousand Year Blood War, I used that as the motivation to continue.

Going into it, I did know that this arc was a bit controversial. Namely, that it felt rushed and some dissatisfaction with some characters arc (ex. One complaint I’ve seen was that Ukitatke didn’t get much time to shine in a battle setting, not even showing off his Bankai in Bleach’s entirety). I do think it does feel a bit rushed, but it did have some good moments too. And given the circumstances, I can understand why.

It’s a pretty well known fact that Tite Kubo’s health contributed to this, as well as wanting to get the series done on schedule. When it comes to criticizing this last arc, I haven’t seen anyone say that the issues effecting Kubo at the time was not one. He also acknowledges it and is more active in the Thousand Year Blood War anime, where additional scenes have and will be added to help expand on the arc where the manga didn’t.

In summary, I did end up finishing the series, despite my procrastination. It’s one thing I’m proud of when it comes to finishing manga. Especially when it comes to Big 3.

How Long Did it Take Me to Finish Bleach?

In total, it took me about fifteen years to finish the series. Most of that time would go to the fact that I lost track after I forgot where I left off, with another year or two going to that timeframe when I lose of interest in manga.

It has become a sort of running joke of mine. Granted, I know everyone’s journey through a series will be different, and people can put a series down for any amount of time. I just find it funny that it took me as long as it did to finish it, despite it being one of my favorite series.

Conclusion

Looking back, I’ve always enjoyed Bleach. While Naruto would have been my favorite or a time, over the years, I realize I enjoy Bleach much more. It’s the one series of the Big 3 that I feel I can and will return to. As seen with my recent anime rewatch. And while it may have taken me years to finish the series due to a lack of foresight on my part, procrastination, and a shifting interest, I am glad that I was able to finish it.

What has been your experience with Bleach? Did you consume the anime or manga more? Or was it a bit of both? What are your thoughts on it in terms of the Big 3? What thing did you enjoy about it?