Review for Bleach The Movie 2: The Diamond Dust Rebellion

Introduction

Of all the long running anime action serials that I watch, Bleach has to be my least favourite right now. More than any other show, even more than Naruto, it typifies the genre, in that it never tells in just one episode what can be stretched out to ten or more. It's a drip-feeding of story, a drip-feeding of character and emotion that feels like dilution at the best of times. Where we are in the Manga release schedule, in the middle of the Bount arc, hardly qualifies as the best of times. Before this turns into A Tale of Two Cities, I must say that there is hope to be had from the feature film adaptations. True, they have to avoid the main plot, and consist purely of filler, but the necessity of telling a story in just ninety minutes or so means that there is no scope for dilution. The Naruto movies may follow the rinse and repeat of diminishing returns, but the first Bleach film was surprisingly good. A rinse and repeat of that would be almost as welcome. But for the Diamond Dust Rebellion, the filmmakers actually created a new story, so this might turn out to be just as special.


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 Kurosaki. 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 did Ichigo see Rukia, circumstances forced her to give him her powers, and train him to be a Shinigami.


In the Soul Society, the Ouin, the Royal Seal is being escorted as it traditionally changes location. In charge of its protection is Squad 10 of the Shinigami, led by Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya. It's pretty much a routine mission, a formality, except that this time the caravan is attacked. Fire and lightning lay waste to the procession, while a masked swordsman goes after the Ouin. It's up to Hitsugaya to stop him, but he's shocked into inaction when he realises that impossible though it is, he knows the thief, and even more impossibly, the thief wields the same Zanpakuto sword as his own. Hitsugaya ditches his responsibilities to chase after him into the world of the Living, leaving the caravan devastated, and his Lieutenant, Matsumoto holding the pieces. Soon reports are coming in of crimes being committed by Hitsugaya, and he turns against the Shinigami sent after him to bring him back. As a result, Squad 10 is suspended, and the order is issued to execute Hitsugaya on sight. Ichigo and his friends still believe in Hitsugaya's innocence, and are determined to prove it. But by doing so, they will uncover one of the Soul Society's darkest secrets, one that could tear the Soul Society apart.


UK fans of Bleach who have been following Manga's release of the series may well find that certain points of the film may induce some head scratching. For instance, the mention of Visoreds and Arrancars could be confusing, and you may at some point in the film exclaim at what Ichigo does to his face. That's because Manga has gotten ahead of itself with this film, as it slots into the continuity a couple of seasons down the line. You could buy the film, and leave it to one side until you catch up with the requisite four or five series boxsets. But I reckon you shouldn't sweat the details, and enjoy the film for what it is.

Picture

Bleach's second feature film gets a top-notch transfer onto DVD. For once, an anime film gets a proper Film to PAL transfer, and the results are stellar. The image is clear and sharp throughout, there's none of that pesky judder or ghosting, and the animation is smooth and vibrant. To compare the results to what we may have got, take a look at some of the film footage in the extras, the promos and the trailers that are NTSC-PAL, and show all the softness and blurring that normally taints anime on UK DVD.

The film is a leap into the stratosphere compared to the television series, and not just for the widescreen ratio. The animation is fluid and expressive. There aren't many static talky scenes as low budgets require, and there's always some aspect of motion on screen. The film also moves the action to winter, and the city and landscapes get a somewhat bleaker and chillier feel as a result. Needless to say, the action suits a film budget as well.

Sound

You have the option of DD 5.1 English and Japanese along with optional translated subtitles. The dialogue is clear, and the dub, what I sampled of it certainly lives up to the television series. As usual, I opted for the original language track and was more than happy with that. The music gets a grand, orchestral update for the bigger cinema setting, and the surround is effective enough bringing across the film's bigger action sequences, as well as some of the more reflective moments requiring some subtle ambience. The subtitles were clear and free of errors.

Extras

Unlike the first film that got a barebones release, Manga have supplied a decent portion of extra features to go with Diamond Dust Rebellion.

Making Bleach The Movie 2 is a collection of featurettes that offer interviews with the Director and Character Designer, the film's composer Shiro Sagisu, and the rock group that provide the theme song, Sambomaster. There is also a look behind the scenes at the animators and the background artists. You can select each of these five featurettes separately, or you can use the convenient Play All option, which gives you 37 minutes worth of making of all in one go.

The Production Art Gallery gives you 35 images taken from the film's storyboard to click through.

The Original Japanese Promos last 5 minutes, and well worth watching is the little Kon story, as the little lascivious teddy bear doesn't make an appearance in the film.

Finally there are trailers for the Bleach Series, Bleach The Movie: Memories of Nobody, and this Bleach the Movie 2: Diamond Dust Rebellion.

Conclusion

If you're going to remake a movie, don't remake Sylvester Stallone's Judge Dredd. As the plot of Diamond Dust Rebellion unfolded, my jaw dropped at the audacity of remaking one of the major comic book travesties of the last ten years or so. But, to the credit of Bleach's creators, they did do their best in distilling something watchable from that turgid mess. The Diamond Dust Rebellion is infinitely better than Judge Dredd. It's still not as good as Memories of Nobody though. Thankfully though, and unlike their Naruto counterparts, the creators of the second Bleach film actually look to give us something that is different from the series, and different from the movie that preceded it. If you haven't seen Judge Dredd, then Diamond Dust Rebellion is downright original.


It's a character based story first and foremost, and unlike some TV to film anime adaptations, it isn't a film that tries to cram everyone in with teeny tiny cameos. If you come to this film expecting lots of Ichigo and Rukia, and plenty of Orihime and Chad, then you may be disappointed. The majority of the film takes place in the Soul Society, and it's really an opportunity to tell the story of a character that doesn't often take centre stage. Toshiro Hitsugaya is one of the Soul Society Shinigami captains, and not a major protagonist in the series. Conversely, it does mean that the creators can build a feature length story around him, and develop his character without significantly impinging on the series. Hitsugaya goes on quite the emotional rollercoaster when a piece of the past that he considered dead and buried comes back to haunt him.


It turns out that he has something in common with Ichigo. After the death of his mother, Ichigo turned inward and decided that he had to deal with his feelings himself, and instead wound up bottling up that grief and rage. Following his traumatic past when he first became a Soul Reaper, Hitsugaya has done the same; only he hasn't had a family to help him past that. The guilt, rage and grief that he has kept bottled has had no outlet up to now, until the advent of the masked thief who carries the same sword as him. Hitsugaya recognises the thief, and believes that this is a situation that only he can resolve. He winds up becoming an outcast and an exile from the Soul Society as he pursues his obsession. Those who know him best are certain of his innocence, while when Ichigo encounters him in the real world, he recognises the look of despair and desperation in his eyes, and realises what he is going through.


The Diamond Dust Rebellion is quite a deliberate, melancholy film for the first two-thirds, focussing more on character than visual pyrotechnics. There's not a lot of humour to it, but as the story unfolds, it becomes quite an engaging watch. The wintertime setting certainly helps in the feel of the film, and its somewhat darker, reflective outlook, focussing more on the characters begins to mark it as something outside the usual shonen movie adaptations, much like the first Bleach film did. Unfortunately, the final act undoes all that by introducing the whopping great monster foe, threatening the existence of the Soul Society, requiring the entire army of Soul Reapers to have at it with their swords-a-swinging and their Bankai-a-blinging.


The Diamond Dust Rebellion promised to be something special, but in the end delivers something quite average. On top of that, it's a remake of Judge Dredd. You'd probably expect me to slate it at this point, but on the whole it was quite an enjoyable film, well worth an investment of ninety minutes. And when all is said and done, filler it may be, but it is neat, undiluted Bleach, much better than the tedium that is the series.