Bleach Live-Action Film Launches Successfully In China
The story of Ichigo Kurosaki and the Soul Society may be done in the world of anime and manga, but [...]
The story of Ichigo Kurosaki and the Soul Society may be done in the world of anime and manga, but its live action movie lives on! With a feature film created by Warner Bros Pictures, Bleach was released last year in the United States on Netflix and was received warmly by fans and new viewers alike. The movie was recently released in China through Tencent, the largest video service in the country, and boy did it make a splash.
Twitter User No1Spock noted that when Bleach aired on Tencent recently, it was viewed by more than 7 million subscribers, proving that Soul Society still has some juice left in the afterlife:
Today, bleach film is officially broadcast on China Tencent. It is the largest video website in China. Only paid members can watch it. The first day of broadcasting was more than 7 million. pic.twitter.com/qwz2eGr6jM
— daodao (@no1spock) May 26, 2019
The film itself takes bit and pieces from the early episodes of the Bleach anime, and chapters of its respective manga, and translates them into 100 minutes of screen time. Darting from Ichigo's origin as a delinquent teenager turned "Soul Reaper", Kurosaki fights both Hollows and members of the Soul Society while trying to determine his new found powers.
Unlike the manga and anime, this first film has a fairly conclusive ending but based on the success of the movie in the US and China, we wouldn't be surprised to see an eventual sequel created. Certainly, there's a well of characters and storylines that haven't been touched yet to use for potential sequel fodder. We know we wouldn't mind seeing a live action Kinpachi or any of the other crazier looking Soul Society members.
What do you think of the live action Bleach's success in China? Would you like to see a sequel announced? Let us know in the comments or feel free to hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and Soul Reapers.
Bleach was first created by Tite Kubo for Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump, running from 2001 to 2016. The series follows the young delinquent Ichigo Kurosaki, who has 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.
It has been adapted into English thanks to VIZ Media, and has sold over 900 million copies in Japan. The series was later 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. You can currently find the series now streaming on Hulu. The live-action adaptation is currently available to watch on Netflix.