The time is finally here. After nine years of waiting and a year of building up, Bleach Thousand Year Blood War Episode 1 marks a new era for the show and the final one at that. Let’s see how the opening went in this review!
Bleach Thousand Year Blood War Episode 1 Overview
What is there to be said about Bleach that hasn’t been said before? It is one of the most popular anime in the west of Japan of all time and is considered a part of the Big Three, a trio of anime widely recognised as having been a part of popularising the medium of anime. The show is back after a hiatus of nine years, as its first run ended in 2013. The newest season of the show is being developed by Studio Pierrot, the studio behind the original series, as well as other giants such as Naruto and Tokyo Ghoul.
The final arc of Bleach is directed by Tomohisa Taguchi, who has been involved in the productions of Persona 4 The Animation and Twin Star Exorcists, and the series is based on a manga written by Tite Kubo. This episode is also referred to in original Japanese as Bleach Sennen Kessen-hen Episode 1 (Bleach Sennen Kessen hen Episode 1) and Bleach TYBW Episode 1.
– Bleach Sennen Kessen hen Episode 1 Review does not contain spoilers –
Bleach Thousand Year Blood War Episode 1 Review- The Declaration Of War
It is hard to put into words how much this premiere means to me and people who grew up watching Bleach, but I’ll try nonetheless. Bleach wasn’t just an anime, it was the anime for some of us. It was like nothing else on TV at the time. It was cool, stylish, and exciting in a way that felt organic and genuine, pushed forward by the sheer concept of inducing battles between groups that it patented. The philosophically deep story, the extremely well-written character arcs, the phenomenal music and the battle production made the show what it was. Sure, it had flaws, but who cares when everything is so hype?
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Watching it die a slow death of fillers and a not-so-well-received Fullbring Arc and not knowing if the anime would ever return was very sad, but one moved on. You see, there was still the manga. The story was going great until it just ended all of a sudden. It should suffice to say that Bleach and its fans were once again left stranded by corporate meddling and unfulfilled promises. This final series, represents redemption for people behind the scenes and the fans who always held out hope, and even those who didn’t. This is redemption for a show thrown aside and returning to take what it deserves.
These words might sound overdramatic to you, and they very much are, but I wouldn’t be saying them if this episode hadn’t somehow increased my confidence in Bleach as a property. The first episode of the final saga of Bleach was absolutely amazing. It was everything anyone could have asked for and more. Addressing the elephant in the room, the series has been modernised to the current times and looks like an absolute dream. Bleach has always had fantastic animation, especially for a long-running anime, but this episode looked like a movie in how well-animated it was. We will see how long this is kept up, so let’s enjoy it while we have it!
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It has been a while, and the show still wanted to lure in people who might not be familiar with all the show has gone through. Hence, a reintroduction of everything important about the plot was necessary, and it was handled very well by the episode. The Soul Society, the Karakura defenders, and the hollows were all reintroduced in a way that felt natural and still maintained the threat of the real enemy in this arc- Quincies. The one group that everyone thought had died out and the Soul Reaper’s natural enemy has come back to take its revenge, and the story just writes itself from here on out.
Everything that the show has been known for was kept up and enhanced in this episode, and the great thing about it is that the source material is just as strong, if not stronger than it used to be. This was just the start of what the show is capable of, and it was every bit as good as it has ever been. The music was tremendous, the art style even more so, and the atmosphere extremely dark and foreboding. When even Captain Yamamoto is agitated and angry, you know things are about to go down. Welcome back, Bleach. We have missed you.
Verdict
Bleach Thousand Year Blood War Episode 1 was as good as this show has ever been, perhaps even more than that. It was well-animated, the music was phenomenal, and the series captured the tone of the finale very well.
Click here to read the review of the next episode!