Bleach: Series 4 Part 1

Introduction

Only two discs? That's unprecedented. So far Bleach has followed the format of 3 discs for part 1, and 2 discs for part 2 of a season. It turns out that Season 4 is a biggie, 28 episodes in length. Consequently, this season will be split into three, this part 1 is a 2-disc release, part 2 will be three discs, and part 3 will conclude the season with 2 discs. Season 4 of Bleach is also where the filler starts. That 'glub glub' sound is my heart sinking. I've just suffered through 13 more episodes of Naruto filler, that is material created by the animation studio instead of adapted from the original manga, and the last thing I want to see is another popular anime property start circling a drain. On the other hand, there's no certainty that this Bount Arc we are about to embark on will suck. In fact, it looks promising in that it appears to relocate the action back into the 'real world', and hopefully it will get back to the sort of story that so appealed to me, years ago in Season 1.


You'd think that a teenager's life would be complicated enough if he could speak to ghosts. But that was only the beginning for Ichigo Kurasaki. When he literally bumped into a Shinigami named Rukia Kuchiki, he was introduced to a whole new world. The Shinigami's mission is to guide forlorn spirits known as Wholes to the Soul Society, and protect them and the living from Hollows, perverted spirits that have become monsters that prey on other souls, living or dead. They are not supposed to let the living know about this supernatural world, but not only does Ichigo see Rukia, circumstances force her to give him her powers, and train him to be a Shinigami while she regains her strength. Through their adventures, Ichigo learns that his classmates Orihime and Chad are similarly bestowed with spiritual abilities. He also meets Uryu Ishida, the last Quincy, heir to a tribe of spiritual warriors from the human world that once sought out and destroyed Hollows, before the Shinigami in turn eradicated them for disrupting the balance.


Life seems to be getting back to normal, or as close to normal as possible in the Kurosaki household, where father thinks it's fine to wake his son up with a kick to the face. But Rukia was rescued, and even if she stayed behind in the Soul Society, Ichigo is satisfied with that. Except that there are still Hollows to be defeated, and now Renji has been assigned to Karakura City to nudge Ichigo in the right direction in keeping the streets Hollow free. For Orihime, Chad and Uryu, life is just as complex, especially now that they have developed and honed their abilities in the Soul Society, and are aware of Ichigo's other life as a Shinigami. But trouble lies ahead for Ichigo and his friends, there is an odd spiritual pressure at work in the city, strange new characters are abroad, and then Orihime gets sucked through a gateway into hell. Then the games really begin.

The first eight episodes of Season 4, the Bount arc, are presented on two discs courtesy of Manga Entertainment.

Picture

Bleach gets a 4:3 transfer that, other than the usual NTSC-PAL conversion issues, is unproblematic. The image is clear enough, the colours strong and vibrant, and the picture is as sharp as you would expect. It's a fun, colourful animation, heavy on the primary colours, and the character and world designs have universal appeal. Given that it is a long running show, you wouldn't expect a great deal of detail and frippery, but though the animation is simple, it's also very dynamic, especially in the action sequences.

Sound

You get a choice of DD 2.0 English or Japanese with a sole translated subtitle track to accompany them. The dialogue is clear, the show has some nice music, and it is all presented as vibrantly and competently as you would expect from stereo soundtracks. I've also noticed that while there is only the single subtitle track, the on screen text continues to be translated, which is an improvement over the first season.

Extras

Each episode ends in an Illustrated Guide to Soul Reapers Golden comedy sketch.

Disc 1 has a textless closing sequence, along with 14 line-art images in a gallery.

Disc 2 has the closing sequence again, and 19 line-art images in a gallery, as well as trailers for Naruto, the Naruto movie, Bleach, the Death Note live action feature, and the Bleach Video Game.

Conclusion

Maybe if I hadn't known that the episodes on this two-disc collection were filler, I may have had a more positive reaction to Bleach Season 4 Part 1, but I doubt it. The good news is that this isn't Naruto filler bad, with aimless diversions and just a pretence of effort in animation and storytelling. The story may not be a manga-storyline, but the Bount arc looks to be intriguing and well thought out, at least from this angle at the start of the run. There also seems to be some semblance of character study, if not actual character development, with Uryu Ishida getting an interesting focus towards the end of this set. Also, there is the return of Rukia to the real world, which is a source of delight for me personally, as I love her interactions with Ichigo, and her odd perspective on life. The bad news is that the filler has filler. There is a five episode spell at the start of this season, which looks deceptively like the start of a major storyline, ominous and troublesome for our heroes, but turns out to be nothing of the sort. In fact, at the end of the first five episodes, I felt utterly cheated by the show, felt as if it had deliberately wasted my precious viewing time. It's the sort of bizarre departure from the normal state of affairs, which in a soap opera can only be resolved with 'it was all a dream after all'. The resolution isn't that crass, but it comes close.


It does add to the quotient of comedy characters though, and now Kon is no longer the sole mod soul contained within a cuddly toy. Now there is cute annoying bird thing Lirin, pink rabbit Kuroda, and quiet green rag doll Noba, and they have added abilities as Bount detectors. Annoying as they are in the first half, it's almost worth it for the moment when Rukia first encounters cute rabbit Kuroda, and the subsequent desolate jealousy engendered in Kon. But my interest was really only engaged in the final three episodes, when the Bount threat revealed itself. The Bounts are a mystical tribe, much like the Quincies. The difference is that Bounts have developed by feeding off the souls of others in their desire to gain immortality and powerful abilities. They appear to be more than a match for Soul Reapers, which is why slowly but surely, the Soul Reapers grow in number around Karakura City. First Renji takes Rukia's place as Ichigo's assistant, then Rukia herself arrives. Meanwhile Yoruichi's spending more time in her human form investigating the Bounts, and she's called Soi Fon from the Soul Society to help. If the extensive Soul Society arc has had one effect, it has made the Bleach universe all the richer, and there is a lot more back story, and storytelling opportunity.


It's plain to see that the Bounts are equivalent to vampires, and so it is that the villains are tall, elegant, moody, enigmatic. They also aren't of a piece, and the first Bount that Ichigo faces, Yoshino, not only fights him to a standstill, but also has more benign motives. Surprisingly, she helps Ishida, and she acts against Ryo and Jin, her scheming compatriots. The Bounts are like Shinigami in that they have familiars to call on, just as the Shinigami personalise their swords, and it makes for some interesting action sequences, with Yoshino joined by a fire demon named Goethe in battle, while Ryo calls on a snake spirit. The final three episodes certainly supply the hit of narrative that the opening episodes lack, and I am interested to see what will happen next.


I must admit that I had a lot of pleasure in seeing these characters back in the real world, after two seasons in the Soul Society. It's the clash of the supernatural and mundane that initially attracted me to Bleach, and seeing Rukia draw some more of her bizarre explanatory diagrams was just as funny now as it was then. It's also fun to see Ichigo and his father kick seven shades of tar out of each other, and Ichigo's school friends are always good value. But in the end, I have to say that there is no need for a fart gag, especially one that isn't funny. It's a tentative start for Bleach Season 4, and it misses more than it hits. When it gets going properly however, there's more than a hint of promise, and this looks as if it will be good filler, not bad.