Early ‘Bleach’ Praise Calls It The Best Live-Action Anime Of The Decade

You don’t have to look hard to find people bashing live-action anime. When it comes to adaptations, studios have had a difficult time doing anime justice. Films like Dragonball Evolution act as reminders for how poorly live-action anime can go, but that doesn’t mean the genre will always be bad.f

In fact, if one critic is right, then Bleach could signal a big turnaround for the industry.

Over on Twitter, a Japanese critic went live to share their first reaction to Bleach after catching a preview of the film. Fujimoto Yousuke posted his thoughts on the upcoming movie, and he didn’t hold back his praise.

“By the way, I watched a preview of Bleach, and it was awesome,” the writer revealed.

“Director Shinsuke Sato and action director Yuji Shimomura put in the fruits of their labor. How the film uses CG and action is very clever. It may be one of the best live-action anime adaptation in the last ten year. How it uses the anime’s original costumes without feeling like cosplay is wonderful. Seriously impressed.”

So, there you have it. Bleach could very well be the best live-action anime of the last decade, and that puts it in contest with praised titles like Rurouni Kenshin. Back in 2012, the famed samurai series got its first live-action film in Japan, and it received very positive reviews. Critics from The Hollywood Reporter and Anime News Network praised the film for its meaty story, and its ensuing sequels continued to impressed. To date, many consider Rurouni Kenshin‘s live-action adaptations to be the best so far, and it may not be long until Bleach joins their ranks.

The live-action Bleach adaptation releases July 20 in Japan and has released its first full trailer. The film will adapt the first arc of the series, the “Substitute Shinigami” arc. The current cast includes Sota Fukushi as Ichigo Kurosaki and Hana Sugisaki as Rukia Kuchiki is MIYAVI, who will play Byakuya Kuchiki Ryou Yoshizawa, as Uryuu Ishida, and Taichi Saotome as Renji Abarai.

For those unfamiliar with Tite Kubo‘s Bleach, the series follows the young delinquent Ichigo Kurosaki, who had the ability to see spirits. He soon obtains the power of a Soul Reaper – one meant to usher lost souls to the afterlife – and now has the duty to defend the living world from monstrous dark spirits known as Hollows.

The manga was serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump from 2001 to 2016, and was collected into 74 volumes. It has been adapted into English thanks to VIZ Media, and has sold over 900 million copies in Japan. The series was adapted into an anime by Studio Pierrot from 2004 to 2012, and has four feature-length animations, rock musicals, video games, and a ton of other merchandise.

How are you feeling about this live-action adaptation? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!