Bleach by Tite Kubo
Author Biography:
Bleach is author Tite Kubo's second title. Kubo made his debut with ZombiePowder, a four-volume series for Weekly Shonen Jump. To date, Bleach has been translated into numerous languages and has also inspired an animated TV series that began airing in Japan in 2004. Beginning its serialization in 2001, Bleach is still a mainstay in the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump. In 2005, Bleach was awarded the prestigious Shogakukan Manga Award in the shonen (boys) category. Information retrieved from Amazon.com. Please note the biographical information was taken from the volume 2 entry as volume 1 did not possess information about the author.
ISBN: 1591164419
Genre: Action
Reading Level: 12 and Up
Reader’s Annotation:
15-year-old Ichigo Kurosaki is a fairly normal teenager. He goes to school like anyone else, has friends like anyone else, and does well in school like most. Except that he has the ability to see spirits. Though Ichigo tries to ignore most of the spirits he encounters and go about his life, he eventually crosses paths with Shinigami Rukia – a death god. When Rukia is attacked and is unable to combat violent spirits known as hollows, she transfers her power to Ichigo to act as a god of death in her stead.
Plot Summary:
Ichigo lives a fairly normal life, save for his ability to see the ghosts of those who have not moved on to the afterlife. Though Ichigo has managed to tune most of the spirits out and go about his business, he does at time stick up for them if they are being harassed, or tries to provide comfort if they are feeling down. Life takes an even stranger turn when one day, Shinigami Rukia, appears at his home without warning and begins marching around muttering about something unusual. Irritated, Ichigo attacks her, thinking she is a burglar. Rukia claims she is hunting for an evil spirit called a hollow, though Ichigo refuses to believe her.
Unsurprisingly, a hollow attacks Ichigo’s household and causes an incredible amount of damage. Rukia attempts to defeat it but is unable to. In a last ditch effort to eliminate the spirit, she transfers most of her power to Ichigo, who is able to dispatch it. The following day Ichigo’s family doesn't remember anything about the attack, and thinks the damage done to the house was caused by a runaway truck.
With the majority of her power drained by Ichigo, Rukia enrolls in his high school and argues he has to take over her duties as a death god until she is able to recover. Ichigo is initially reluctant to act as a substitute, claiming the troubles of the spirit world aren't his concern. But as he watches the spirits of children being attacked by hollows, Ichigo reluctantly agrees to assist however he can.
As the series progresses, Ichigo is roped into battles not only in the material world, but also combats the shinigami of the Soul Society to defend his friends. As he continues his job as a substitute death god, his life becomes even more complicated as he learns how to harness his powers to become greater than he is, wages war in the world of the hollows, attempts to put down a coup de tat at the soul society, and learns his heritage is far more convoluted than what he first thought.
Critical Evaluation:
Bleach is part of the popular action-oriented shonen subgenre of manga. While it follows most of what makes shonen comics popular with boys, such as heavy action, super powers, and lots of explosions, what is notable about Bleach is its character development. Ichigo begins as a crass and somewhat gloomy individual, but as the series professes and he passes trial after trial, Ichigo opens up to those around him and becomes a more responsible and likable individual. The support cast is well done as well as they also struggle with their own trials and face their own weaknesses in an effort to grow stronger.
Story-wise, Bleach focuses more on how the spirits known as hollows aren’t quite the monsters they’re seem, and are more in need of being freed from their hated rather than annihilated. Later on the novel follows a more conventional shonen story line where there is a powerful force that must be defeated at all costs. Regardless, the characters in each chapter are what makes Bleach worth reading along with the over the top action scenes. Though Bleach can be picked up by younger audiences, later on the series becomes increasingly violent and fan service more frequent, making it a better choice for teens.
Curriculum Ties:
Challenge Issues:
None
Defensive Maneuvers:
n/a
Book Talking Ideas:
If you were suddenly given super powers and then told you were required to perform a life threatening job, would you go along with it? What if the people you loved most were in danger?
Why This Book?
While Bleach doesn't necessarily break new ground with its storytelling, the memorable characters and excellent battle scenes are likely to attract action-oriented readers, and could also be used to draw reluctant readers to the library as well.
Bleach is author Tite Kubo's second title. Kubo made his debut with ZombiePowder, a four-volume series for Weekly Shonen Jump. To date, Bleach has been translated into numerous languages and has also inspired an animated TV series that began airing in Japan in 2004. Beginning its serialization in 2001, Bleach is still a mainstay in the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump. In 2005, Bleach was awarded the prestigious Shogakukan Manga Award in the shonen (boys) category. Information retrieved from Amazon.com. Please note the biographical information was taken from the volume 2 entry as volume 1 did not possess information about the author.
ISBN: 1591164419
Genre: Action
Reading Level: 12 and Up
Reader’s Annotation:
15-year-old Ichigo Kurosaki is a fairly normal teenager. He goes to school like anyone else, has friends like anyone else, and does well in school like most. Except that he has the ability to see spirits. Though Ichigo tries to ignore most of the spirits he encounters and go about his life, he eventually crosses paths with Shinigami Rukia – a death god. When Rukia is attacked and is unable to combat violent spirits known as hollows, she transfers her power to Ichigo to act as a god of death in her stead.
Plot Summary:
Ichigo lives a fairly normal life, save for his ability to see the ghosts of those who have not moved on to the afterlife. Though Ichigo has managed to tune most of the spirits out and go about his business, he does at time stick up for them if they are being harassed, or tries to provide comfort if they are feeling down. Life takes an even stranger turn when one day, Shinigami Rukia, appears at his home without warning and begins marching around muttering about something unusual. Irritated, Ichigo attacks her, thinking she is a burglar. Rukia claims she is hunting for an evil spirit called a hollow, though Ichigo refuses to believe her.
Unsurprisingly, a hollow attacks Ichigo’s household and causes an incredible amount of damage. Rukia attempts to defeat it but is unable to. In a last ditch effort to eliminate the spirit, she transfers most of her power to Ichigo, who is able to dispatch it. The following day Ichigo’s family doesn't remember anything about the attack, and thinks the damage done to the house was caused by a runaway truck.
With the majority of her power drained by Ichigo, Rukia enrolls in his high school and argues he has to take over her duties as a death god until she is able to recover. Ichigo is initially reluctant to act as a substitute, claiming the troubles of the spirit world aren't his concern. But as he watches the spirits of children being attacked by hollows, Ichigo reluctantly agrees to assist however he can.
As the series progresses, Ichigo is roped into battles not only in the material world, but also combats the shinigami of the Soul Society to defend his friends. As he continues his job as a substitute death god, his life becomes even more complicated as he learns how to harness his powers to become greater than he is, wages war in the world of the hollows, attempts to put down a coup de tat at the soul society, and learns his heritage is far more convoluted than what he first thought.
Critical Evaluation:
Bleach is part of the popular action-oriented shonen subgenre of manga. While it follows most of what makes shonen comics popular with boys, such as heavy action, super powers, and lots of explosions, what is notable about Bleach is its character development. Ichigo begins as a crass and somewhat gloomy individual, but as the series professes and he passes trial after trial, Ichigo opens up to those around him and becomes a more responsible and likable individual. The support cast is well done as well as they also struggle with their own trials and face their own weaknesses in an effort to grow stronger.
Story-wise, Bleach focuses more on how the spirits known as hollows aren’t quite the monsters they’re seem, and are more in need of being freed from their hated rather than annihilated. Later on the novel follows a more conventional shonen story line where there is a powerful force that must be defeated at all costs. Regardless, the characters in each chapter are what makes Bleach worth reading along with the over the top action scenes. Though Bleach can be picked up by younger audiences, later on the series becomes increasingly violent and fan service more frequent, making it a better choice for teens.
Curriculum Ties:
- The afterlife
- How each religion views the afterlife differently
Challenge Issues:
None
Defensive Maneuvers:
n/a
Book Talking Ideas:
If you were suddenly given super powers and then told you were required to perform a life threatening job, would you go along with it? What if the people you loved most were in danger?
Why This Book?
While Bleach doesn't necessarily break new ground with its storytelling, the memorable characters and excellent battle scenes are likely to attract action-oriented readers, and could also be used to draw reluctant readers to the library as well.