The situation is as bad as it could get in Bleach Thousand Year Blood War Episode 4. Ichigo is stuck fighting an oversized monster of a man while the Quincies have attacked the Soul Reaper stronghold. Let’s see if things get even worse in this review!
Bleach Thousand Year Blood War Episode 4 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 4 (Bleach Sennen Kessen hen Episode 4) and Bleach TYBW Episode 4. Click here to read the review of the previous episode!
– Bleach Sennen Kessen hen Episode 4 Review does not contain spoilers –
Bleach Thousand Year Blood War Episode 4 Review- Oh Captain, My Captain
There is something surreal about all of this. From a show that was supposed to be dead comes a storyline that was never supposed to be animated. Even still, after it started being animated, it was never supposed to be this good. Bleach is airing at an astonishing quality right now, enough to blow everything else out of the water. There’s just one caveat to everything- you aren’t going to know anything that’s happening or appreciate what is going down in front of your screens unless you’ve been a long-time fan of the show, which is a pretty big ask.
Read More- My Hero Academia Season 6 Episode 5 Review: Better Than Your Favorite Anime This Season
Think about it- if you were a fan trying to get into Bleach today, what makes you care about any of this? Would you care if Hueco Mundo or Soul Society got attacked if you didn’t know their significance to the plot? Would you get excited whenever a character shouted “BANKAI” if you didn’t know what it meant? I guess the question here is, do people only like Bleach because they loved the show as a kid and got attached to its characters, making this season extra delightful for them? The answer to that question might be yes, but that isn’t a bad thing in any way.
What has gotten people this excited about this season in the first place might have been the original series, but if the new one didn’t build on that to create a highly entertaining and exciting series that people wanted to tune in for every week. You might care about Bankais because they were established earlier, but you will tune in because of the way the show showcased them getting stolen in this episode. You might get excited to see these captains fight, but you are going to be here this time next week because you want to know what happens to them, which would not be the case if this adaptation was bad or even mediocre.
Read More- Mob Psycho 100 Season 3 Episode 4 Review: A Menacing Cult
Bleach Thousand Year Blood War Episode 4 was the one I wanted to see happen the most when this Bleach got renounced. In a series known for one-on-one matchups of varying qualities, these would be the best ones yet. What’s even better is that despite my high expectations, this episode did not disappoint. The beloved Captains finally came out to play when the going went hard, as they had to save Soul Society from the Quincies one way or another. The fights on display were short but insanely hard-hitting and fluid. Every moment in this episode had you on the edge of your seat.
The Ichigo section of the storyline is orders of magnitudes less interesting than the one in the Soul Society, through no fault of anyone at all. The Soul Society section is where the action is, and you know that Opie is just trying to stall Ichigo, so he doesn’t interfere with the Quincies in Soul Society. It is an interesting and ultimately devastating storyline on its own but is obviously going to pale in comparison to the sheer action and devastation in Soul Society. Overall, an extremely solid episode!
Verdict
Bleach Thousand Year Blood War Episode 4 was a horrifying display of strength and surprise, as the famed Captains went up against the Sternritters in a battle they could never win as they were. This is going to be a slaughter no one is going to take their eyes off of.
Click here to read the review of the next episode!