Reviews

I'm a HUGE fan of the Bleach series, so I couldn't help but critique every little thing as I watched. There were a lot of things that this movie did very well: character and set design being the main selling points. Renji and Byakuya both look EXCELLENT, and Chad is just about perfect. It's a shame he didn't get the screen time he needed.

And that's where most of my dissatisfaction comes in to play: time. There is so much character development lacking simply because there's not enough time in a single movie to develop everything the way it needs to. For crying out loud, Orihime comes across as a nobody with an unjustifiable crush.. Talk about disappointing.

Ichigo himself is, overall, a success. They did a good job portraying his desire to protect people and his overall negative attitude. So in short, his personality was well-done! What I WANTED to see from him, though, was that overwhelming feeling of power. The anime does an excellent job demonstrating the weight of someone's reiatsu (aka spirit pressure), but that concept is practically nonexistent here. Which means all of the fights (though amazingly choreographed with some clever editing to try matching the speed of the anime) lack some of the awe and wonder that sets Shinigami apart from mortals.

Oh, and minor spoiler alert for fans of the anime... the scene with the Menos Grande were cut entirely, as was Getsuga Tenshou. Let that sink in for a moment.

So why watch this at all? Because most of the story is incredibly accurate - until you get to the last half hour. The fights are pretty epic. And altogether, you can visualize the anime quite clearly as you're watching, giving you a wonderful sense of nostalgia.