Bleach: The Substitute – Season One, Limited Edition Box Set w/ Chain of Fate Wallet Chain by VIZ VIDEO

Actors

• Bleach

Format

• Animated
• Box set
• Color
• Limited Edition
• NTSC

Editorial Review

Hot-tempered 15-year-old Ichigo Kurosaki, the hero of the popular fantasy-adventure Bleach (2004), has the unsettling ability to see spirits who are unable to rest in peace. His sixth sense leads him to Rukia, a Soul Reaper who destroys Hollows (soul-devouring monsters) and ensures the deceased find repose with the Soul Society. When she's injured in battle, Rukia transfers her sword and much of her power to Ichigo, whose spiritual energy makes him a formidable substitute Soul Reaper. But the orange-haired teenager isn't sure he wants the job: too many risks and moral dilemmas. Chad, a gentle, muscle-bound giant; ditsy Ohime, whose powers take the form of tiny protector-spirits; and Ishida, a descendant of a clan of Hollow-hunters who despise Soul Reapers, join Ichigo in his battles against the ghoulish creatures. A graver challenge arrives when a supernatural assassin takes Rukia back to the Soul Society, where she faces execution for sharing her powers with a mortal. Urahara (“Hat and Clogs Guy”) tells Ichigo it may be possible to save Rukia, and puts him on a grueling training regimen. Ichigo learns to unleash his latent powers, while Chad and Ohime prepare to accompany him under the tutelage of Yoruichi, Urahara's talking cat. As the season ends, Urahara constructs an inter-dimensional portal that links Earth to the Soul Society for seven minutes: can the high school students save Rukia and return in time? Director Noriyuke Abe ably juggles dynamic swordfights, emotional scenes, and slapstick comedy. Ichigo may act like a jerk at times, but the filmmakers and voice actor Johnny Yong Bosch imbue the character with unusual depth. Ichigo can simultaneously express impatience at and compassion for a “Mod Soul,” a disposable artificial entity created by the Soul Society. (Rated “Teen,” suitable for ages 13 and older: violence, grotesque imagery) –Charles Solomon