More than a decade ago, the world bid Bleach goodbye as Studio Pierrot closed the book on the anime. Ichigo Kurosaki would go on to live out the rest of his adventure on the page as Tite Kubo’s beloved manga worked through one of its most ambitious arcs to date. It didn’t take long for audiences to beg for the anime’s return, and after years spent pleading, their wishes will be heard this fall. October will welcome the release of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, but with its simulcast wavering in limbo, fans should know the sequel might die on the vine if its release is held up.
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If you look online right now, the anime fandom’s anxiety regarding Bleach is at an all-time high. The anime is expected to debut in a month’s time as October marks the start of a new cour. However, no information has been given on where or when Bleach’s new show will go live. Many have awaited news from Crunchyroll as the site is the world’s leader when it comes to anime streaming, but its fall schedule does not have Bleach included at this moment. And if another service wins the bid to stream the long-awaited anime, the fans’ simulcast fears will be warranted.
After all, the anime fandom has always thrived on real-time discussion, and simulcast services made it possible to bolster top-tier shows in time with Japan without resorting to piracy. It is no coincidence that the rise of anime globally has happened in parallel with the industry’s embrace of simulcasting. But outside of Hulu and Crunchyroll, anime’s biggest streamers do not adhere to simulcasting.
READ MORE: Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War to Premiere at NYCC
Netflix is notorious for circumventing simulcasts in favor of binge releases, but that has changed recently with select shows such as My Uncle From Another World. However, the service has put plenty of hits on hold such as The Seven Deadly Sins to make way for its in-house dubs. This issue seems to have transferred to Disney as well as its streaming service is doing the same. Summertime Rendering was expected to be a big hit this summer, but Disney+ has yet to release the series outside of Japan. As such, the anticipated series fell to the wayside, and the anime fandom outside of Japan wasn’t able to promote Summertime Rendering like it is used to online.
Though once seen as a perk, simulcasting has become a necessity for any anime looking to succeed. Industry reports have shown year after year that anime’s growth is accelerating globally, and its international revenue far exceeds those from within Japan. The demand for real-time content is there, and for series like Bleach, it is all but demanded. The fandom has waited a decade for Ichigo’s return, after all. As rumors about Bleach and a nixed simulcast continue to swirl, netizens are growing antsy in the worst sort of way.
Without a simulcast, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War won’t get weekly traction online from fans, and its social capital will plummet. Without a weekly release, the new series will squash the delicious cliffhangers that creator Tite Kubo lined his manga’s final act with. And if the anime happens to simulcast Bleach in select regions, well – you can just imagine the uproar fans will make as they search for ways to watch their favorite shows.
At this time, there is no telling where Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War will stream, but we can only hope it will post episodes in real-time with Japan. The only other alternative is to disappoint the fandom, and the anime community isn’t one that easily forgives such a massive slight.
Have you been awaiting the release of Bleach’s new anime? Where do you hope to see the anime streaming? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.
