Anime [David Anime] Bleach 5

Just as pointed out in the excellent reviews of BluWacky, Ten, Memento, and Tensai11, this episode takes us on a fast-paced ride through the twisted minds of the evil Hollows. Although this mini-arc sheds the traditionally upbeat feel of this series for a darker coat, it's still quite intriguing in its own right.

To be frank, Bleach is much more sinister than its typical shonen counterparts. Instead of dealing with petty angst and unrequited love, this title consistently juggles brutal issues like suicide, murder, and torture. This is somewhat expected, given that Bleach is placed within a paranormal context, but it's still disturbing to see a child pleading while his mother is killed.

While this is clearly unsettling, this really isn't a flaw of this series, and simply heightens the inherent drama -- the monsters are more evil, our heroes are more gallant, and . . . Rukia's absurdly poor drawings are even more ridiculous. If anything, Bleach does an *excellent* job at tucking tiny snatches of humor in the storyline, and Chad's role in this episode is a perfect example of this.

In any case, Bleach has really matured into an excellent title. Although one can't watch this series just for the action scenes, it offers a very interesting take on the supernatural.

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