Bleach: Series 4 Part 2 (Review)
Monday, 22nd February 2010, 14:24

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Introduction
Bleach isn’t exactly getting a release of Naruto swiftness from Manga Entertainment, although given the height of my anime review pile, I ought to be thankful for small mercies. But the fact of the matter is that it’s been 4 months since the last instalment of Bleach, long enough for me to forget completely what has been going on. It’s a good thing I write these reviews, so that I can get caught up without having to watch the whole thing over again. Previously, I was under the impression that the lengthy 4th season would get three releases, and the second release would be the hefty one of 3-discs. That appears to have fallen by the wayside, and this second part of season 4 is two discs like the first. It now seems from the RRP that the final instalment of season 4 will have 3 discs, although it’s scheduled for a distant June at this point. To remind you, Season 4 is where filler strikes, and we get the studio created Bount arc, while they wait for the manga creator to come up with more original story.

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.

Previously, the part time Shinigami, Ichigo Kurasaki and his friends had barely returned from the Soul Society, when they found themselves facing a peculiar menace. Fortunately, or rather unfortunately, it turned out to be intensive training instead, and they found their ranks had been swelled by three more mod-souls, like Kon now inhabiting the bodies of toy dolls. Speaking of dolls, it wasn’t long before the real menace arrived, the Bounts. It’s a menace so serious that pretty soon a whole lot of Shinigami had left the Soul Society for the real world, including Rukia Kuchiki. 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, abilities including the use of alter egos or dolls to do their bidding in battle. Led by Kariya, the Bounts are after Uryu Ishida, hoping to gain the powers of the last Quincy for their own purposes.

The next 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.

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