Bleach,
Vol 1
Author: Tite Kubo
Publisher: Viz Media
American
release date: May 19, 2004
Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Manga/Supernatural/200 pages
Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★
Ichigo Kurosaki can see
ghosts. This is something he’s lived with all his life, so dead people are a
normal part of his existence. He’s sensitive to their sufferings. When punks
break a floral offering for a young child, Ichigo shows them the error of their
ways by beating it into them. Ichigo
lives with his father and two sisters, Karin and Yuzu, his mother having died
some time ago. They run the Kurosaki Clinic. His father is strict, in that he
demands the teen-aged Ichigo be home by 7, and he has a disconcerting habit of
attacking his son without warning. It’s become something of a male ritual with
them, each trying to get over on the other. The girls just roll their eyes and
shakes their heads at them.
When a mysterious girl in
black robes appears suddenly in Ichigo’s room, he is thrown for a loss. She is
equally flabbergasted that not only can he see her, he was able to kick her.
She explains to him that she is Rukia Kuchiki, and she is a Soul Reaper from
the Soul Society. When Ichigo tries to have his dad remove the intruder, his
father looks at him like he’s crazy. Apparently no one can see her but him,
lending credence to her story. Rukia explains to Ichigo that there are two
kinds of souls – the normal kind, whom she performs konso on so they can pass on to the Soul Society, and the hollows,
who must be vaporized. Rukia is looking for a hollow now, in Ichigo’s house.
Ichigo realizes to his
horror that his family is in danger, and they are being attacked by a Hollow.
His guilt only grows when Rukia surmises the Hollow is looking for Ichigo
because of his strong spirit pressure, unlike other humans. Ichigo is
determined to fight for his family. Rukia only intends to lend Ichigo half of
her power so he can combat this enemy, but to her dismay, he absorbs all of it,
rendering her unable to use them.
The next day Ichigo is
confused to find his family have no memory of the attack and believe a truck
drove into their home, causing extensive damage. He goes to school, wondering
what’s become of Rukia. Did she return to her Soul Society? To his surprise and
dismay he finds her as a new student in his class. What’s up with that? He
confronts her in private and asks why she didn’t return to where she belongs,
only to learn that she can’t because he took all her powers. So until she can
get them back, he has to perform soul reaper duties in her place!
Ichigo and Rukia run into
Ichigo’s friend, Orihime, who is something of a space cadet and a klutz but a
super sweet girl. Rukia notices a strange bruise on Orihime’s leg, which she
laughingly attributes to clumsiness, but Rukia isn’t sure that’s really the
case. That night, Ichigo’s sister questions him about some missing items, such
as her pajamas and a dress, but he has no idea where they are, why should he?
In his room, he hears a phone go off, which turns out to be Rukia’s, and she is
sleeping in his closet? No time to argue, a Hollow is nearby and they must
confront it! When they find the monster, Ichigo is appalled when he recognizes
who it is!
I’ve been watching the anime
for several months now but am just starting to read the manga. It’s every bit
as good as the anime, and I love seeing the characters in print. One thing I
didn’t realize from the anime is that Ichigo has a nickname, which is
Strawberry. My daughter explained that it’s because his name translates to
strawberry. Learn something new every day!
In this first volume, we are
meeting people, such as Orihime and Chad, and of course Rukia. Her sensing
Ichigo’s spirit pressure is what starts everything moving. The Kurosaki family is great, I love their
interactions. Dad is really something else. But everything is done with love,
and it shows. Ichigo may have been reluctant to take on the duties of a soul
reaper, but once he’s agreed to do it, he goes into it wholeheartedly, as it’s
his nature to stand up for other people who might not be able to stand up for
themselves. He’s a good boy, he is. The
only criticism I can make (and it’s not something unusual to Kubo alone, it’s
most of the male manga artists) is the tendency to draw women with huge
breasts. But what can you do? I guess their primary target audience are
teen-aged males.
Great first volume, lots to
go, looking forward to it!
