Bleach the Movie: Hell Verse by Viz Media

Actors

• Johnny Yong Bosch
• Michelle Ruff
• Derek Stephen Prince
• Wally Wingert
• Travis Willingham

Format

• Animated
• Color
• NTSC

Editorial Review

Like the previous three Bleach features, Hell Verse (2010) presents a story outside the ongoing continuity. Three monstrous sinners escape from hell long enough to invade Karakura Town and kidnap Ichigo's younger sister Yuzu. Accompanied by Renji, Rukia, and Ishida, Ichigo goes to hell to rescue her. Kokuto, an unrepentant murderer, has imprisoned Yuzu: he plans to use the extraordinary power of Ichigo's Hollow-ized form to shatter the links that bind him to the underworld. The inevitable complications ensue before Ichigo defeats the evil plot and ensures that everyone he cares about can return safely to the World of the Living. Director Noriyuki Abe and his crew juxtapose an oddly geometric vision of hell with giant, skull-headed guardians and deserts strewn with skeletal fragments that evoke Dali paintings. Hell Verse features some spectacular battles, but the story feels both thin and familiar, with Ichigo's loyalty to his friends triumphing over a malefactor's schemes. The script sets up numerous rules, then ignores them: unbreakable chains are broken, unbreachable portals are breached, and irreversible procedures are reversed. The second Bleachfilm, Diamond Dust Rebellion, has a more compelling story that focuses on the bond between Ichigo and Hitsugaya; the third, Fade to Black, balances story and action more effectively. To promote Hell Verse (2010), creator Tite Kubo drew a special chapter in the manga, and the 299th episode of the broadcast series pushed the film. (Rated T+: violence, violence against women, grotesque imagery) –Charles Solomon