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Cartoon Sunday: Bleach

Posted by Anna H. on October 5, 2014 at 1:10 AM




How's it going my gumdrops? Last week, I read about Adult Swim shafting Bleach. The Anime is inching towards its series finale, in a matter of 4 more episodes. Dragon Ball Kai will be Bleach's replacement and the network isn't planning on syndicating it.


Adult Swim NEVER aired Bleach's OVA's and the "Shinigami's Cup" shorts. The network has only aired 2 Bleach movies. Meanwhile, Cowboy Bebop, Inuyasha, Ghost In The Shell, etc. have been played up the ass beyond a decade.


Bleach has been a perennial Adult Swim Anime, since 2006.


Bleach premiered in Japan 2 years prior. Before Adult Swim re-branded late Saturday nights and early Sunday mornings as "Toonami," Bleach and other Adult Swim Anime had better treatment. Now that the "Toonami" branding exists on Adult Swim rather than on Cartoon Network, the commercial breaks are longer.


This is along with the rest of us viewers having our intelligence insulted by watching some condescending CGI robot and his talking computer chastise us ADULT VIEWERS about not being a "hater." Then, introduce predominantly Shonen Jump Action Anime, American Cartoons for prepubescent boys, and video games.


I will watch Shonen Jump Action Anime, but I do NOT give 2 flying fat fucks about all that other bullshit.


I understand that networks must air commercials. Most networks including Adult Swim need money. However, I am NOT some prepubescent boy watching Adult Swim. The Toonami fanboys and girls will justify, that Toonami paved the way for Adult Swim. Yes, that's close enough.


All the while, NOT every Anime viewer watched everything on the original Toonami. Toonami was NOT every Anime fan's "Gateway To Anime."


Some of us older Anime viewers watched Anime YEARS before Cartoon Network was ever created. It was not until Sailor Moon, that I began watching Cartoon Network's Toonami. Then, I stopped watching Toonami, until Naruto premiered in 2005.


In 2005, I was in my college senior year. I still didn't care about a CGI robot and his talking computer introducing shows and video games to me. All I cared and still do care about is watching my shows. I became more interested in other Adult Swim Anime.


Fooly Cooly, Full Metal Alchemist, Cowboy Bebop, Inuyasha, and Ghost In The Shell were certain shows I did NOT watch. Those Adult Swim shows never held my interest, and their Otaku/Weeaboo fanbases at 2 of my colleges aggravated the hell out of me. They were those Anime fans, who made other fans (including me) feel ashamed to love Anime.


They acted pretentious and immature about liking Japanese animation and culture. Those are 2 main reasons why potential fans refuse to like Anime.


I always read and hear about us Bleach fans being annoying. Honestly, I find those fan bases I previously mentioned to typically be really annoying.


There will always be those few stupid and obnoxious fans, who ruin a movie, show, or music genre for everyone.


Like I was saying, I originally watched Adult Swim for American cartoons, which were specifically for adults and other Anime. Scryed, Case Closed, Bleach, Trinity Blood, Code Geass, and Death Note are only naming some of my favorite Adult Swim Anime. When all those shows and several others were over, Bleach still premiered in America every Saturday night for these last 8 years.


Bleach's finale is approaching yet Adult Swim refuses to re-air the series from the very beginning, after it ends. The network over played all those other worn out shows and continues to do so. Talk about pandering and double standards!


Even if Adult Swim refuses to re-air Bleach from the beginning, the network could at least air its OVA's and other movies, before shafting it for Dragon Ball Kai.


Do NOT get me started on the obnoxious Dragon Ball fanboys and girls. I am sorry, if you are a fanboy/girl and happen to read this blog, but the Dragon Ball fans are WAY more obnoxious than us Bleach fans.


Throughout the last 8 years, I have enjoyed watching Bleach because I was able to sympathize and empathize with the characters, including the protagonist Ichigo Kurosaki. Originally, the series was about him.


In the beginning, Ichigo Kurosaki was a 15-year-old high school student, who could see ghosts/spirits. This included his ability to see the Shinigami (meaning "Death God" in Japanese), Rukia Kuchiki. She had to transfer her Shinigami powers to Ichigo, in order to save his family and friends from Hollows.


Hollows are soul-eating spirits.


Then, Ichigo and Rukia began solving mysteries in regards to Hollows. Later, the other Shinigami, Renji Abarai and Byakuya Kuchiki (Rukia's brother-in-law) retrieved Rukia and returned to the Soul Society with her.


She was suppose to be executed because it was illegal for a Shinigami to transfer his/her powers to a living person.


Long story short, Ichigo and his friends rescued Rukia. Eventually, Bleach progressed into numerous arcs.


I can sympathize and empathize with Ichigo mostly because he has the ability to see ghosts. I am always amazed, that some religious people do NOT believe in ghosts. I can understand Atheists not believing in ghosts. Although, I NEVER understood why certain religious people (generally speaking and acknowledging other religious groups) don't believe in ghosts.


This can most definitely be said about some Christian zealots.


We're praying to spirits. How can we NOT believe in them?


Before I started having my own premonitions and getting death warnings from ghosts, as an adult, I always believed in them. I know cynics will read today's blog, roll their eyes, and say, "Whatever! You're crazy. It's all in your head." No, this is NOT "all in my head." Sometimes ghosts visit me, in order to prepare me for a death in the family.


Last Sweetest Day for example, a ghost's shadow appeared outside my bedroom window. Suddenly, it dissipated into thin air! The day after, 1 of my great-aunts died from Breast Cancer. On October 19th, it will be 1 year since her demise.


This Cartoon Sunday, I have Bleach's 1st episode both in Japanese with English subtitles and in English dub.


Can you or can you not handle watching Anime in Japanese with English subtitles? The choice is yours.


Anyway, here's Bleach from the very beginning.


Bleach Season 1: Episode 1 "The Day I Became A Shinigami" [Japanese] (2004)


Bleach Season 1: Episode 1 "The Day I Became A Shinigami" [English] (2006)

 

Let me know what you think!

Categories: Cartoon Sunday

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13 Comments

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Reply [email protected]
1:32 PM on October 5, 2014 
I loved this one, supernatural spiritual warfare is one of my favorite things, especially if it involves swords, especially katanas. It was great to see Bleach after all these years (almost five) since I discovered Jpop via SCANDAL and heard of Bleach through them. So this is the very first episode and sets up what it is about? I don't know anything about all the anime related topics you discuss as it was never a part of my life, but I can comment on the religious people not believing in ghosts. My parents are hard core fundamentalist Christians, as I was in my youth. They believe that when Christ was crucified, it ended one age, or dispensation, and began another. Everything that existed before including miracles, healings, supernatural manifestations etc., was ended with the advent of the new age. So they don't believe in ghost or anything else supernatural. I've told them of some of my experiences and they chalked it up to Satan, of course. When I asked them , "So Satan can have supernatural manifestations in this age and God can't?" I got the old blank deer in the headlights stare and change to another topic.. That's one reason. Another thing is that I'm a fan of Charmed. I've watched the whole series nine or ten times through, I still watch it to this day. One thing about them in the beginning was that, even though they were witches, they didn't believe in a lot of other supernatural beings. It took a lot of experiences before they realized that there was a whole spiritual world out there, invisible to most human eyes, that was populated by every kind of creature imaginable. They didn't even know what the astral plane was. And some people are just too frightened by the thought of otherworldly entities, even if the see one they will deny it, as the one girl did in Bleach.
The subtitles didn't bother me a bit, but I started life before tv was around, let alone cartoons, let alone computers, let alone anime, so I still think it's neat just being able to see a cartoon. Who cares if there are a few words on the screen, sheehsh.
Reply Anna H.
6:52 PM on October 5, 2014 
Mimikoko you're absolutely right. People normally fear what they don't understand. If my gumdrops and outside viewers don't watch Bleach, I hope they at least read today's Cartoon Sunday blog and learn something from it. Whether they're religious, Atheist, or Agnostic, I really hope they read this entry and understand it. You hit all the nails on the head with your feedback. In the final arc of Bleach, Karin begins acknowledging and socializing with the ghosts.
Reply Anna H.
1:56 AM on October 6, 2014 
Speaking of Scandal, here's the latest about them.
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-10-05/girl-band-scandal
-tour-heads-to-the-u.s-u.k-h.k-taiwan-france/.79343
Reply [email protected]
10:02 AM on October 6, 2014 
Thanks for the SCANDAL link, I see they're moving along just fine. Morning Musume performed in NY this weekend...ah, so near yet so far, I would've loved to have seen them but old age and money has taken its toll on my confidence of driving to The Big Apple once again, I used to drive there and back all the time, or rather from there to here and back when I lived on Long Island. Those were the days.
Reply Anna H.
6:55 PM on October 6, 2014 
You used to live in Long Island?
Reply [email protected]
8:08 PM on October 6, 2014 
Yeah, West Hempstead most of the time and worked at, cough cough, world renown Sam Ash Music, in the, ahem warehouse.
Reply Anna H.
8:26 PM on October 6, 2014 
Oh okay. :)
Reply Danni
8:37 PM on October 6, 2014 
First off: DRAGON BALL KAI?!?!?! They did that shit to dragon ball too?!?!?! NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fuck Kai and all it is. Also, I don't see ghosts. I hear them and sometimes see Dark Men. Which are nothing but spirit tricksters. I don't even pay attention to it anymore. It's old hat and I don't make a fuss over it usually. People can call me insane or attention whore all they want. I know what happens to myself and they don't.
Reply Anna H.
8:43 PM on October 6, 2014 
Yeah, tell me about it!
Reply Amanda
9:22 PM on October 6, 2014 
I am one that has been informed. I've never watched 'bleach' so it was good that you summarized it. I know of a few that you speak of that turned you off and I think that is my problem with anime. I've only watched the ones you seem to have a distain for (and find the fans to be obnoxious) which also alienated me from 'anime' for the same reasons you seem to dislike those in particular. But in my case I have not been introduced to anything else.
Reply Anna H.
12:12 AM on October 7, 2014 
Amanda there are zillions of Anime titles from Japan. You have to basically do some dabbling around for yourself, as an Anime viewer/fan because there will always be those Anime fans, who ruin the genre for everyone.
Reply Amanda
1:13 AM on October 7, 2014 
Anna says...
Amanda there are zillions of Anime titles from Japan. You have to basically do some dabbling around for yourself, as an Anime viewer/fan because there will always be those Anime fans, who ruin the genre for everyone.
Reply KennethWew
12:16 AM on September 14, 2020 
Hi, here on the forum guys advised a cool Dating site, be sure to register - you will not REGRET it https://bit.ly/32hIGxJ

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