Love Live! School Idol Project

Plot

Otonokizaka High School stands on the border of three cities: Akihabara—a pop culture mecca that's evolving by the minute; Kanda—a conservative, cultured city where history and tradition reign supreme; and Jinbo—a quiet area reserved for a more mature, sophisticated population. Amidst this culture clash, the school now faces closure due to the enrollment of fewer and fewer students.

With the school planning to close within three years, nine female students come together with one thing in mind—form a pop idol group to revive the school's popularity and keep it from shutting down. "In order to protect our beloved school, there's only one thing we can do... become pop stars!"

Their goal is simple: Become an overnight sensation and use their nationwide media exposure to promote their school and bring in a wave of new students to the ailing area. A simple but solid plan, they figure. Naturally, they're nervous and wonder if this plan can really succeed, but for better or worse their new journey has begun...

"All we can ask for is just a tiny bit of support from you. We truly believe that with your help, we can change the world around us. We will make our dreams come true!"

Love Live! Jumps into things a little bit faster and it's funny and such a guilty pleasure. It's not bad but it's not excellent either. It's something to watch to make you smile and hum along when they sing and to laugh at the characters. It's not here to blow your mind, it's an Idol anime after all.

The story is about this all girl's school (at least I don't remember every seeing any boys), Otonokizaka High School, and it's going to be closed down in a few years because it's not attracting any new students. So, three students decide to start an Idol club because school idols are really popular at the time. Now with determination they are working to recruit more members and become one of the best school idol groups.

It's not a bad story, but it's not that big of one either. It's just a simple little thing to get the anime going. 

The art is not bad in anyway. The dances are laid out very well and the characters look nice. Everything is appealing to look at and nothing makes you cringe about how poorly drawing things are. The characters are cute and all is well.

The sound is VERY good. The singing matches the voices, by that I mean it sounds like the singing voice matches the characters voice. I'm not sure how this works (pardon my fail research skills) but it doesn't sound like different singers for the characters, which is great. The sounds are catchy and sound really nice. The OST isn't bad either.

I feel like the characters are lacking a bit. We know who is who and how their basic personalities are, but you don't really know much about history - SO FAR. I'm caught up with the current episode and I'll update this later, but we know very little of some of the characters. Some of them we know a little more about, however it isn't much. Each character seems to have a distinct personality though, and we already have seen a tiny bit of character development.

I have been really enjoying this anime. I love girly things like this, it makes me feel so young again and I love singing and music. Enjoyment is hard to write about because it's how the viewer feels. I personally like watching all of the characters and their different ways, however some may feel differently.

I say give this a shot!

Here's the site to watch it:

http://www.animeseason.com/love-live-school-idol-project/

Amnesia

Plot

This story takes place in a fictional town, in a fictional country, in a fictional world. One morning, a young lady awakens to find that she has lost all her memories prior to that morning. Her life, her relationships, her very name—all gone. All that's left is a cell phone with numbers and names she doesn't recognize and Orion, a young boy that only she appears to be able to see. With Orion's guidance, she struggles to make sense of herself, a boyfriend she doesn't know and the thousand and one little things that make up a daily life. But with no memories left, the only alternative is to forge new ones, even if that means leaving old loves behind.


I actually realized something after watching 4 episodes.
This is all related to that green long haired crazy joker dude.
Whenever that girl has an accident, she goes back to August 1st and she dates a different guy.
The second and third episode was Shin because she fell down a cliff at episode 1.
After that, she somehow got back to August 1st when it was clearly August 2nd.
Somehow, she got hit by a bus on August 3rd and went back to August 1st.
But the problem is, that whenever there is an accident, she gets back to August 1st and dates a different guy O.O
Enough of that.
The art was very nice. Like one of the best. The multi-coloured eyes were really pretty and creative. And the person that makes the art does it so everybody looks very different from each other.
The music
I enjoyed the opening. I never skip it. The ending, i'm not so sure but it's good too.
Characters
The main girl character (She doesn't have a name like seriously!!!) Is the girl that always gets back to August 1st. She has a clueless personality.
I really like this anime. One of the most interesting I watched.

Well If you love a twisted kund of story well I would recommend this to you.

here is the site to watch:
http://www.animeseason.com/amnesia/

Uchuu Kyoudai

Plot

Mutta's life has hit rock bottom. He's been fired, blackballed from his profession and now he's had to move back in with his parents. Meanwhile, his kid brother Hibito has been literally riding a rocket and training to be an astronaut. The same career Mutta once dreamed of. So, is it ever too late to go after your dreams? Through a little coercing and a bit of covert activity, Mutta's family and friends can get his resume on the right desk, but from that point on it will be up to Mutta himself. Does he have what it takes to turn his life around and put his footprint on the moon? The first step on the highway to the stars is always the hardest, and in a job where crash and burn isn't just a euphemism, it will be the biggest risk Mutta's ever taken. But with the best support team ever, maybe he'll find what he needs to rekindle the spark inside him and light the biggest candle of them all! 

The story was simple, its about Nanba Mutta as the older brother who had promised with his younger brother, Nanba Hibito. to become an Astronaut together. But, then the life changes them. Now, Nanba Hibito is on training for becoming an astronaut and as for the older brother, he is just being fired from his company. And until then Mutta as the older brother have a motto that older brother must take a step ahead against his younger brother, luckily, there was an audition for becoming an astronaut. and so Mutta without hestitate sign for the audition.

Simple? yeah... its kinda remembering me about Bakuman. and so, whats make this so special?
first of all, is the story itself. like bakuman does, the story was kinda slow, but at the same time it was slow paced. we're not just gonna see the Nanba Mutta struggle for being an astronaut, but we're gonna see too the flashback about him and her younger brother, boring? I dont think so, since all that flashback was really touching. You cant help to shed your tears (that was what i feel).

and not just that, the detail of the way they tells us about space, NASA, and the outer things was really perfect. when i watching this anime, i cant help myself to google some of the fact in this anime, like "did you know that Moon's sand was so sharp as a shard of glass?"

The character. what makes appeal me a lot was all of the character in space brother. i am not exaggerating. because in this anime, there isnt any bad guys with a weird reason to do something bad. they're just people like us, who do something for some reason, behind every act they made, they have a reason. I think thats the good point, since as far as i have seen, rarely any anime made this thing (act) so naturally. They're just doing by what they're believe.

And what surprise me a lot was the each character have a scene to develop. either by flashback or by their experience. and its kinda lame to said that the story was so slow (because of the flashback), YES its slow but the slow itself because they want to the viewer knows "what kind of character it is?" and surely, to make us, being attracted by the character.

when i heard the opening songs (especially the first OP, "Feel so Moon") i am really attached to it, not just attached it, i realize that the OP was really fit with the anime, its about outer space. not just the first OP, the other OP was really - really well made. Even i had to replay the OP, just for hear the song. 

Not just the OP, the seiyuu voice was really deserves an award. They really fits with each character that being voiced. especially when Nanba Mutta talking to himself or when he sighing about his life, its like they (the seiyuu) really put their feelings into it. Of course not just seiyuu for Nanba Mutta, but all the character.

if you're looking for motivation then you might try this anime and CATCH YOUR DREAM!

this is the site where you can watch it free:

http://www.animeseason.com/uchuu-kyoudai/

Hunter X Hunter (2011)

Plot

A remake of of the 1999 TV series of Hunter x Hunter based on the manga by Togashi Yoshihiro, with different staff and cast. Gon is a youth who lives on Kujira Isle. His dream is to become a Hunter like his father, to search out lost treasures, artifacts, and mythical creatures. Determined to become a professional Hunter willing to stake his life in challenging the unknown, he sets off on a journey and meets fellow Hunter wannabes Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio.

This is a GREAT anime to get into when you've reached the point of "every anime nowdays feels stale and contains nothing but fanservice."

In my opinion, Hunter x Hunter (2011) sets itself apart because it presents itself in classic shounen fashion rather than trying to be "different", "edgy", and "daring."(Honestly I loved this anime in its original but this is something more different.)

Compared to many current anime shows out there, Hunter x Hunter's opening sequence of mystical lands and treasures coupled with the opening song Departure! is rather plain in comparison. However, it gives off a huge amount of charm (in my opinion) because it holds the power of nostalgia. First time I saw the opening, I was pleasantly surprised because I felt like a kid again, waking up at 8 AM just to catch my favorite show.

However, its important to note that Hunter x Hunter is NOT a kids show despite the opening, the bright colors, the adventurous music, etc. This show actually has a darker nature and deals with mature themes that are at odds with its cheery appearance. Hunter x Hunter is largely based in psychology as a result.

Also, despite its shounen premise, there are only a few fights that deal with pure fighting. Many of the fights occur in the minds of the characters, (though this isn't the focus of the series at all) and even if there is a fight going on, it is largely based on strategy and intelligence rather than pure physical strength and ability.

If anything else won't get you hooked onto this series, the characters definitely will. In the end, its the characters of Hunter x Hunter that drives the series forward and not the plot. (Honestly, reread the plot synopsis. It's simple and unimpressive, considering how many other stories do it...) 

The characters and their interactions with each other are unique, even though you've seen these characters many times before: The simplistic hero, the cool and intelligent rival/friend, the pretty boy who is more than a pretty face, and the buffoon. These pretty much describe the four main heroes: Gon, Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio. 
However, they all manage to move beyond their stereotypes because their actions and reactions depend on their morals. And the morals which all the characters, except for Leorio, hold in high regard are gray in nature. As a matter of fact, if there is something they want to accompish, Gon, Killua, and Kurapika will do whatever is in THEIR best interest in order to accomplish that goal. 

All in all, Hunter x Hunter (2011) is a solid show with facinating characters and situations at every turn.

Here is the site to watch this great anime:
http://www.animeseason.com/hunter-x-hunter-2011/

Cardfight!! Vanguard: Link Joker Hen

Plot

A few months have passed since the VF Circuit, and Aichi is now in High School. However Aichi is in a different high school than most of his friends, a high school where the instructors focus on looking towards the future. One day Aichi admits he thinks Cardfight can be a future people can believe in, but in order to prove it Aichi must use his new deck, a deck in which Royal Paladins and Gold Paladins are combined as one force. Slowly but surely Aichi must gain friends through Cardfighting and help his new team win the newly formed high school cardfighting championships.

In former series the characters just participated in tournaments and rescued the world (or even entire universe). Now they are at school, starting their own cardfighting club.

I like the new plot mainly because it features life of high-school students (a very popular theme in manga and anime). There are new characters and some background characters now become foreground. What's more I think that the characters have become some kind of more mature (they are in high-school after all).

I think that art has slightly improved compared to the former series.

What is really good about this series is that it simply makes me laugh. It's just funny.

I really hope for some more 'slice of life' themes in the upcoming episodes, though playing 'Vanguard' still remains the main theme for the series.

For those who like Trading Card Games it's really worth watching.

Here's the Site to watch:

http://www.animeseason.com/cardfight-vanguard-link-joker-hen/

Chou Soku Henkei Gyrozetter

In 21st century Japan, cars with artificial intelligence for increased safety, known as "A.I. cars," have revolutionized the car industry. Special schools teaching children driving A.I. cars have been established. One day, Kakeru Todoroki, a fifth grader of Arcadia Academy, was summoned by the school principal and given an A.I. car "to save the humanity by chosen drivers like you." The car, however, is not just a car but also a transforming robot known as "Gyrozetter." 

The anime’s image seemed serious and filled with action, especially if you saw the pre-released content. I thought that I was watching an entirely different show, and that the subgroup had made a small mistake with the file name, but no…

The artwork is not biggest problem here. The characters actually look pretty good, the background is detailed and the cars look good too. So yeah, quality is not the problem here. It’s the character expressions that suck. It’s all so childish and dramatic that it makes me want to gauge my eyes out.

The story isn’t that impressive either. It’s not that interesting and certainly not original. Let’s face it; cars transforming into robots is absolutely nothing new. A young boy that comes in contact with one of those cars is nothing new. We’ve had something like this for years now, it’s called Transformers.
I most definitely don’t recommend this. It’s childish, uninteresting and not all that original.

Well I would recommend this to all the kids to the fact that it is childish.

Here is the link to watch:
http://www.animeseason.com/chou-soku-henkei-gyrozetter/

Prince of Tennis

The Plot

This Story is all about Echizen Ryoma, a young tennis prodigy who has won 4 consecutive tennis championships but who constantly lies in the shadow of his father, a former pro tennis player. He joins the Seishun Gakuen junior high school, one of the best tennis schools in Japan, and there along with his teammates he learns to find his own type of tennis in an attempt to defeat his biggest obstacle of all: his father as well as himself.

(If you love the sport you'll definitely love this anime, I personally loved the this even if I do not like tennis.)

Normally, with sports anime, you see the rise of a certain young star from not being a very good player to being the ace of their sport. The Prince of Tennis pulled something out of the ordinary and made Echizen an amazing tennis player right from the start. Now you're probably thinking, "Well, where's the fun in that?" Well, Echizen is always going up against top-notch opponents and throughout the show, you'll witness him going from a cocky, immature kid to one who actually respects his opponents (well, sort of anyway) and development of new, exciting skills. Echizen join the Seigaku high school tennis team and participates in tournaments with them. And of course, the overall theme is to aim for the top of the tennis world.

The sound, I would say, is probably the weakest point of the show. Although the music presented in the Prince of Tennis does suit the mood and is pretty upbeat at times, there really isn't a score that will stand out to you, where you'll be saying, "Ah!! I need that on my computer/ipod." Nevertheless, its relatively enjoyable


Since the stories are pretty much the same throughout all sport anime (overall), in order for an anime to be amazing - especially the case with sport ones - characters and unique personalities need to be there. And Prince of Tennis does not disappoint in that category. This show unveils so many different memorable characters, that you'll undoubtedly have trouble picking your all-time favorite one from the lot because they are so unique. And the best part about it is that the creators were able to somehow give each character a unique way of playing tennis. With the amount of characters and opponents they present, you'd think that they would have to repeat somewhere. But that's definitely not the case.

With amazing tennis matches, a plethora of unique and lovable characters, and a cocky main protagonist that will get on your nerves at times but you'll respect out of necessity because of his skills, the Prince of Tennis is an amazing sport anime. The best part of this anime is that you will have a hard time knowing who will win matches. Surprisingly enough, all the main characters experience losses matches at times, which makes it interesting to see how each one responds to the agony of defeat. 

So what are you waiting for? go to this site and watch it :D

http://www.animehere.com/anime/prince-of-tennis.html

Hajime no Ippo

The Plot

Makunouchi Ippo has been bullied his entire life. Constantly running errands and being beaten up by his classmates, Ippo has always dreamed of changing himself, but never has the passion to act upon it. One day, in the midst of yet another bullying, Ippo is saved by Takamura Mamoru, who happens to be a boxer. Ippo faints from his injuries and is brought to the Kamogawa boxing gym to recover. As he regains consciousness, he is awed and amazed at his new surroundings in the gym, though lacks confidence to attempt anything. Takamura places a photo of Ippo's classmate on a punching bag and forces him to punch it. It is only then that Ippo feels something stir inside him and eventually asks Takamura to train him in boxing. Thinking that Ippo does not have what it takes, Takamura gives him a task deemed impossible and gives him a one week time limit. With a sudden desire to get stronger, for himself and his hard working mother, Ippo trains relentlessly to accomplish the task within the time limit. Thus Ippo's journey to the top of the boxing world begins.

(Actually this is an exciting anime to watch because of the Fighting spirits the characters portray.)

The anime makes use of every character it introduces and develops them very convincingly and you can really connect to them. Such as Ippo in gaining more confidence and motivation, Takamura in wanting to become a champion and a hero, and Miyata wanting to prove that his father’s boxing style is the best. The characters all have back-stories of why they became fighters but they still live lives in certain ways you can still relate to them and they all have every day issues as real boxers would have such as Takamura’s weight control. As for the pacing, yes, the anime is long and themanga is 10 times longer, but still evenly paced and I feel the intention after getting to a certain point is that Morikawa-sensei wants to tell a life story in the same way Araki-sensei does with Jojo and you really start to feel that and you really feel the character’s grow and there are times you can emotionally react or care what could happen to that character.

The art style is very faithful to that of the style of the manga, except I felt that the bodies looked blockier and more massive than they needed to be in comparison to it. Plus, the venues such as Kourakuen Hall and the surrounding environments are well accurately represented because I’ve been there before on a number of occasions and fought in a judo tournament there so I thought that was pretty cool. I really love the training sequences with Ippo and he comes up with crazy methods and is an animal. The only real life athlete I can think of that compares to Ippo’s training ethic and regime is UFC fighter Sean Sherk.

And now lets get down to the heart and soul of this anime, and that is the fights. As someone who can’t stand the trendy over the top repetitive action you see in some animes today, this is definitely a liberation. This anime proves you don’t need fire balls or bullet time or any of that trendy bullshit to make a great fight. This is an anime that truly accurately portrays the technique, excitement, and intensity of the real sport of boxing by implementing all these real life moves and fighting styles. 1st example is Ippo. He is based on a prime Mike Tyson who uses the peek a boo stance, worked the body, and had an effective jab once he got on the inside. Sendo Takeshi is based on Razor Ruddock with his smash punch which is a mix between a hook and an uppercut. And Mashiba is based on Thomas Hearns where he uses his freakish reach to use a crazy jabbing system. And Hayami, you think his shotgun is unrealistic? Before Ali got suspended, he had incredible speed, 10x faster than the Ali who came back who was still pretty fast. There’s a video of Ali out there where he landed 15 punches in 3 seconds. And you know the old saying of how styles make fights? Well, that saying is applied very well in this anime and applies it very well and is just poetry in motion.


The dub seriously sucks. Takamura sounds like Adam Carolla. Ippo just doesn’t fit. Miyata sounds like a chain smoker. And the sound quality and the overall execution is just as bad as GTO’s dub where it sounded like they hired 5 voice actors. Avoid the dub at all cost. But once again, time to give you more info on the seiyuu cast. It’s very interesting to note that the voice of Kaoru from Prince of Tennis, Kiyasu Kohei plays Ippo himself. Despite that deep and hissing voice is the nerdy and assuming Ippo. And one of my personal favorites Tomokazu Seki plays my favorite character Miyata. He does a great job of being that lone wolf kind of character and knows how to keep his cool. And I truly felt that Takagi Wataru, the voice of Onizuka from GTO was born to play Aoki. And Onosaka Masaya the voice of Momoshiro in Prince of Tennis and Vash the Stampede from Trigun was also born to play Sendo. If anything, this is an anime that is truly meant to be watched in Japanese.

The music is also pretty awesome and a quality you can’t deny which you can’t get in manga obviously. The opening themes Under Star and Inner Light have a heavy intense feel to it where you can really emotionally react to the clips in the opening theme and to the scenes whenever presented as a background song in the anime itself. And I like how the ending themes 360 and Yuuzora no Kamihikouki gives a different kind of emotional reaction where it’s more about relating to the characters and the hardships they go through, but yet there’s this huge reward waiting for them at the end.

The only significant flaw I would say is that they ended this anime where the excitement truly begins in the manga. I say Ippo conquering Japan is just only the beginning because after that, the other characters get more focused and the development gets deeper and the fights get better. But overall, this anime has excellent themes in finding something you’re good at, and sticking to it and always keep believing. The good news is, you really don’t have to be a boxing fan or have any knowledge of boxing to really get into this anime. This anime will probably do it for you. After awhile, you start saying to yourself, how would Ippo do against Manny Pacquiao, or how would Takamura do against Roy Jones, Jr. So it really sparks interest in that kind of way from what I’ve experienced. Also, this anime truly accurately represents the Japanese feel of boxing itself. If you ever watch Japanese fighters, they are very exciting to watch. They love to go at it and fight with every last ounce of breath. I really have no experience competing in actual boxing since I’m more of a traditional martial arts kind of guy, but I only took up boxing for awhile just to improve my hands and when you’re training, you just got that tempting feeling to do the moves from the series and even train like Ippo because the things he does, you can go out and try for yourself for real since you can’t fly or shoot fire balls. I say that alone is magically captivating. If you want an anime free of virtually every stereotype and cliché, this one is for you.

To watch this anime for free just visit this site:
http://www.animeseason.com/hajime-no-ippo/

Bleach

The anime version of Bleach was produced by Studio Pierrot and directed by Noriyuki Abe. It began broadcasting in Japan on October 5, 2004, on TV Tokyo. It ceased broadcasting on March 27, 2012. A total of 366 episodes were aired before the anime concluded.
Episodes 1-167 were made and broadcast in 4:3, with episodes 168+ made and broadcasted in 16:9 wide screen. The anime was simulcast on Crunchyroll, and the dubbed version aired on Adult Swim. The anime is still available on Crunchyroll as part of their archived library.
The anime version of the story generally follows the manga quite closely, but diverges in some important aspects: in particular, seasons 4 and 5 (Bount arc), season 8 (The New Captain Shūsuke Amagai arc), season 12 and 13 (Zanpakutō Unknown Tales arc and Beast Swords arc) and season 15 (Gotei 13 Invading Army arc) are anime-only arcs, not written by Tite Kubo. These anime-only arcs were necessitated by the anime's approximately weekly production schedule of the manga, as the manga chapters need to be published before manga-based content can be animated. Roughly, each episode of the anime covers the equivalent of two and a half to three chapters of the manga.
In addition to the regular series, the anime also comprises four movies and two OVA.

Introduction

The story opens with the sudden appearance of Shinigami Rukia Kuchiki in Ichigo Kurosaki's bedroom. She is surprised at his ability to see her, but their conversation is shortly interrupted by the appearance of a "Hollow", an evil spirit. After Rukia is severely wounded while trying to protect Ichigo, she attempts to transfer half her powers to Ichigo in order to let him face the Hollow on equal footing. Ichigo instead unintentionally absorbs almost all her energy, allowing him to defeat the Hollow with ease. The next day Rukia appears in Ichigo's classroom as a seemingly normal Human, and informs Ichigo that his absorption of her powers has left her stranded in the Human World until she recovers her strength. In the meantime Ichigo shelters Rukia in his home and takes over her job as a Shinigami, battling Hollows and guiding lost souls to Soul Society.
After a few months of this arrangement, in the sixth volume of the series, Rukia's Shinigami superiors interpret her disappearance as desertion, send a detachment to arrest her, and sentence her to death. Ichigo is unable to stop Rukia's capture, but with the help of several of his classmates who also possess spiritual abilities and ex-Shinigami Kisuke Urahara, he sets off for the Shinigami base, located in the afterlife realm known as Soul Society. Once there, Ichigo and company battle against the elites of the Shinigami military, and are ultimately successful in halting Rukia's execution.
It is then revealed that Rukia's execution and Ichigo's rescue attempt were both manipulated by Sōsuke Aizen, a high ranking Shinigami previously believed to be murdered, as part of a far-reaching plot to take control of Soul Society. Aizen betrays his fellow Shinigami and allies himself with the Hollows, becoming the main antagonist of the series, and Ichigo teams up with his former enemies in Soul Society after learning that the next step in Aizen's plan involves the destruction of his home town. The Gotei 13 unite to defeat Aizen and the Arrancar but are unable to stop Aizen in the Fake Karakura Town they created. Ichigo eventually defeats Aizen in Soul Society at the cost of his Shinigami powers. At this point, Bleach chronicles Ichigo's attempt to regain his lost powers. According to Tite Kubo, the ending of the series is not yet planned out or written.

Characters

All Bleach characters are "souls". Living Humans contain souls within their bodies, while disembodied souls, or spirits, have a form composed of particles of Reiryoku called Reishi (Spirit Particles), which otherwise mimics Human anatomy, aside from incredibly slowed aging (Rukia appears to be in her teens, yet is over 150 years old.). This form encompasses all of the spirit's being; there is no distinction between spirit and body. There are a variety of different types of spirits in Bleach, each with a different visual theme and approach to combat.

Main characters

 

Ichigo Kurosaki

The primary protagonist of Bleach, orange haired high school freshman Ichigo Kurosaki is forced to become a Substitute Shinigami after unwittingly absorbing most of Rukia's powers. His cynical nature at first makes him ill-disposed towards the duty, but with the passage of time he comes to accept and welcome it, recognizing that even if he is not able to save everyone, he can at least use his skills to protect those close to him.

 

Rukia Kuchiki

Rukia Kuchiki is a Shinigami who was sent on a Hollow extermination patrol in Ichigo Kurosaki's home town. Though her physical appearance is that of a teenage girl, in reality she is over 150 years old. Rukia is forced to transfer her power to Ichigo and assume a temporary lifestyle as a regular human. She registers at the local high school and takes up residence in Ichigo's closet, while teaching him how to be a substitute Shinigami in her place.

Renji Abarai

Renji Abarai is an elite Shinigami bearing the rank of 6th Division Lieutenant, making him second in command of a sub-branch of the Shinigami armed forces. Although first introduced as a deadly enemy, he has conflicting loyalties between his job and Rukia, whom he grew up with. A brash and driven man, he holds both a deep respect and animosity towards his immediate superior, 6th Division Captain Byakuya Kuchiki.

Yasutora Sado

Yasutora Sado, better known as Chad, is one of Ichigo's few friends at school. He is a biracial (Japanese/Mexican) student who towers over his classmates. Despite his imposing appearance he is quite meek, and refuses to fight unless it is for the sake of another. He does not have awareness of ghosts at first, but can still touch Hollows, and eventually is able to see them when he witnesses a group of children being attacked by a Hollow. He later discovers a unique ability that strengthens and armors his right arm, enabling him to fight hollows.

Uryū Ishida

Though on the surface nothing more than the solitary class genius, Uryū Ishida is actually a Quincy, descendant of a line of priest-like Hollow-hunting archers. He bears a deep grudge against all Shinigami, including Ichigo, but comes to view Ichigo differently over time, eventually becoming an ally and friendly rival. His father refuses to have anything to do with the Quincy, so he receives training from his grandfather, until his grandfather is killed. He wears a special glove that helps to focus and strengthen spirit particles. However, it is never to be taken off, for while you would temporarily gain unparalleled power, one loses all his or her Quincy powers. Ishida does take it off by breaking it to defeat a powerful enemy while trying to save Rukia, but the enemy escapes, and Ishida is left powerless. He is surprised when his father shows his Quincy powers and offers to restore Ishida's as long as he promises to no longer deal with Shinigami. He regains his Quincy powers the only way possible: While mentally and physically exhausted, he is shot with a medium strength Quincy arrow 19 millimeters to the left of his heart.

Orihime Inoue

Orihime Inoue is a long-time classmate of Ichigo, closely linked to him by mutual friend Tatsuki Arisawa. She is effectively an orphan, as she and her elder brother Sora ran away from their abusive home at a young age, and her brother later died. Though initially devoid of spiritual powers, she begins to develop spiritual awareness and later obtains one of the most powerful healing abilities in the Bleach universe, able to completely restore a body to its previous state regardless of how severely it is wounded. It is not technically a healing ability, however. She has the ability to "reject" or "deny" what happened to an object or area, making it as if nothing ever happened. It can also restore power, as witnessed when she healed an Arrancar, Grimmjow. After healing his marking, he defeated with ease an opponent who had usurped his position through battle previously.

Character types

 

• Human: The humans of Bleach are much like the residents of modern Japan, and most cannot see or sense disembodied spirits in any way. Spirits can, however, inhabit artificial Human bodies called Gigai which are visible to ordinary humans. One in 50,000 Humans is a medium with some awareness of nearby spirits, but only a third of these are able to see them clearly, and only the strongest of mediums are able to speak with or touch spirits.^[2] Certain unique Humans, like the Fullbringers, naturally have both the power to sense and the strength to fight with spirits. Ordinary Humans can gain the ability to interact with spirits by spending time around a large source of spirit energy. 

• Plus: Benign spirits in Bleach are known as Pluses (wholes in the official English editions). A plus is the spirit of a person who has died. A chain, known as the Chain of Fate (inga no kusari), protrudes from the chest and binds the plus to a location, object or person that they felt close to in life. The soul can move about freely if the chain is broken, but this also causes the chain to corrode. Normally, Pluses are sent to Soul Society by Shinigami in a ritual called Soul Burial (konsō) before this corrosion becomes significant. If the Chain of Fate is corroded entirely before a soul burial can be performed, a hole will form in the chest of the soul where the chain was once anchored. Such souls are driven mad and become evil spirits known as Hollows. If the Chain of Fate is torn out deliberately, this also leads to spiritual degradation.

• Shinigami: Shinigami (Soul Reaper in the official English editions, Death Gods in most subtitled versions) are the psychopomps of Bleach. They are souls with inner spiritual power, recruited from the ranks of the residents and nobility of Soul Society. Like all spirits, they cannot be detected by normal Humans. Shinigami use their Zanpakutō, supernatural swords that are the manifestation of their owners' power, to perform soul burials on pluses. Shinigami also use Zanpakutō and magic known as Kidō to fight their arch-rivals, the hollows.

• Visored: A group of Shinigami known as the Visoreds have obtained Hollow powers, gaining removable masks and access to certain Hollow abilities.

• Hollow: Hollows are the central antagonists of the Bleach franchise. They are evil spirits that reside in Hueco Mundo, but travel to the Human World to feed on the souls of the living and dead alike. Like Shinigami, Hollows are made of spiritual matter and cannot be detected by ordinary Humans. While the majority of Hollows can be overcome by the average Shinigami, there are some which surpass even the most elite Shinigami in strength. All normal Hollows wear white masks, but a small group of hollows have broken them, becoming Arrancar. By shattering their masks, these Hollows regain the ability to reason, sometimes obtain a humanoid form, and gain access to Shinigami powers.

• Quincy: The Quincy are a clan of spiritually aware Humans who once fought against the Hollows, using weapons composed of spiritual energy to slay them. As opposed to Shinigami, Quincy absorb and channel energy from their surroundings to fight. Unlike the Shinigami method of killing Hollows which allows the Hollow to enter Soul Society, the Quincy technique simply destroys the Hollow's soul entirely. This method has the propensity to shatter the balance of the universe, because when souls are destroyed, the number of souls entering and leaving Soul Society cannot remain equal. This issue prompted the Shinigami to conduct a campaign to exterminate the Quincy about 200 years before the main storyline. At least two Quincy still remain.

• Artificial soul: Artificial souls (also known as Modified Souls, or Mod Souls) are a type of soul mass-produced by the Shinigami. Issued in pill form, they are used to force Shinigami out of their Gigai during protracted stays in the living world, and also to evict pluses that refuse to leave their bodies after death.They come with a pre-programmed personality that animates the host body until the owner returns. In addition to the mundane versions, a series of experimental souls authorized and created by Shinigami researchers exists. Known as modified souls, these were meant to hunt Hollows by possessing soulless Human bodies and supercharging a particular aspect of them (for example, strength or speed). The Shinigami decided to scrap the project due to the inhumanity of forcing dead bodies to fight, and ordered the destruction of all modified souls. Only one modified soul exists in the manga, but there are three more such characters in the anime.

• Bount: They are a vampiric like race created when an experiment in Soul Society (conducted by Ran'Tao) has gone horribly wrong, and the Bount souls got mixed up with normal souls which caused Bounts to be born from normal Humans. Because of the Bounts' powers, they where despised by Humans as well. They were easy prey for Hollow, because of their massive reiatsu, which caused Soul Society to take action in exterminating the Bount which happened when the Bount battled the Quincy. The Soul Society used the opportunity to destroy the Bounts. They only appear in the anime.
• Fullbringer: The Fullbringers are rare spiritually aware Humans who are born with an ability called a Fullbring, in which they can manipulate the "soul" of matter for a variety of effects. Their powers are defined by Hollow Reiryoku.

Setting

The planes of existence in the Bleach universe broadly correspond to the life and afterlife of Human belief systems. The living Humans of Bleach reside in a world resembling present-day Japan; buried souls live in a kind of Heaven called Soul Society; evil souls are sent to Hell. Once in Soul Society, a spirit is able to live longer than Humans in the living world, with many aging into the thousands of years. Once a spirit dies in Soul Society, its soul is sent back to the living world and reborn as a new human. This provides the two worlds with balance.

• Human World: The Human World of Bleach is modern Japan, specifically, a fictional area of Western Tokyo called Karakura Town. In this world, Ichigo attends school and fights Hollows. Places of note are the high school, the Urahara Shop, the river where Ichigo's mother was killed, the cemetery, Karakura Hospital, and Ichigo and Orihime's homes.
• Soul Society: Soul Society consists of an expansive walled city, Seireitei (Court of Pure Souls) in the center and four regions, each with 80 districts, outside of it. The districts outside of the Seireitei are known as the Rukongai (Town of Wandering Spirits) and are the place where non-Shinigami and commoners live. The district number of the Rukongai (ranging from 1 to 80) also describes its conditions. District 1, the closest to Seireitei, is peaceful and orderly, while the most distant District 80 is filled with criminals and has the poorest living conditions. A king resides in another realm within Soul Society. 
• Hueco Mundo: Hueco Mundo is the desert-like area between the Human World and Soul Society. Literally meaning "hollow world" (the word hueco can also mean "empty"), it is where hollows reside when not hunting in the Human world, where they are undetectable. Entrances to Hueco Mundo are created by ripping the dimensional fabric between the two worlds (Garganta).
• Hell: Hell is the destination of those who committed unforgivably evil acts during their lives in the Human world. When a Hollow whose mortal soul is too wicked to enter Soul Society is slain by a Zanpakutō, the gates of hell (giant doors held by skeletons) appear and begin to open. A giant, laughing spiritual being with a blade spears the wicked spirit and drags it down into hell.

Bleach characters move from world to world by several means. Shinigami open passages between worlds by means of their Zanpakutō. Butterflies created during Soul Burial, called Jigokuchō, make these routes safe. Human souls usually cross between planes only through birth into the Human World or soul burial by Shinigami. Living humans can also use special portals to move between worlds, but this is dangerous. While hollows are portrayed as able to move between planes at will by opening rifts in space, they usually remain in Hueco Mundo due to the risk of discovery in Soul Society or the Human World. Encounters between characters crossing realms are a driving plot force in Bleach.

Media information

Since its first appearance in August 2001, the Bleach manga has appeared weekly in Shueisha's Shonen Jump magazine. The individual chapters are collected by Shueisha in a series of tankōbon volumes, which also include a poem by the character of the cover.The first volume of the manga has sold over 1.25 million copies in Japan,and the manga series as a whole has sold over 40 million volumes. In 2005, Bleach was awarded the prestigious Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōnen category. Viz Media have released the first three volumes of Bleach in a single book, Bleach (3-in-1 Edition), Vol. 1. To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Bleach series, the first twenty-one volumes were compiled into six omnibus collections under the name Bleach: Resurrected Souls.
The first volume of the manga has sold over 1.25 million copies in Japan, and the original Japanese version of the manga series as a whole has sold over 50 million copies. In 2005, Bleach was awarded the prestigious Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōnen category. North American sales of the manga have been high, with Volume 16 placing in the top 10 graphic novel sales in December 2006 and Volume 17 being the best-selling manga volume for the month of February 2007.
The distributing company Viz Media has been releasing the Bleach manga volumes in English in the United States. Viz releases the chapters in their Shonen Jump magazine as well as in tankōbon format; the first volume was released on June 1, 2004. The English version of Bleach was nominated for the "best manga" and "best theme" awards at the 2006 American Anime Awards, but did not win either category. It was nominated again in 2007 in the fields of "best manga", "best actor", "best DVD package design", and "best theme", but failed to win any awards.

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